Game two of the Japanese trip fell a bit short of the magic that was game one. Other than a Manzilla home run – which he admired until it bounced around in the stands – the offense was non-existent. Red Sox batters (which did not include JD Drew or Jacoby Ellsbury?) made Rich Harden look like Cy Young reincarnated. Oakland pitchers, including old friends Keith Foulke and Alan Embree, racked up 13 strikeouts this morning.
V-Tek looks absolutely lost at the plate, tallying six K’s in eight at-bats over the first couple of games. The real concern is the early-innings struggles the Red Sox starters have had. Do these guys warm up? It’s 6AM here, not over there.
Thankfully, the Japan experiment is over. The boys are on their way back to the homeland. No more clever media people throwing in a Japanese phrase here or there. No more 6:05 AM starts. No more breakfast shots. Well, maybe just one to start the day.
The really effed up part of this is going back to playing spring training games before re-joining the regular season. Seems weird as a fan, must be weirder as a player. For now, I’m back to the “virtual waiting room” for the second day, trying to get some Conigliaro’s Corner seats. Don’t tell the boss…
