hit by pitch

i suspect it was not so much irony that Commander Kickass plunked Polanco last night. after Polanco went 5-for-6 on Wednesday, it didn't surprise me that the first time he faced Beckett there would be some reminding that this was not Clay Buchholz on the hill tonight & establishing just who would be doing any hitting *this* evening.

i can also tell you that when Verlander hit Lugo, that was also not so much payback for the Polanco plunking. it was from me, mentally, in retaliation for that late-game error the previous night.

a little Youk On Fire & some respectable hitting, a solid start from the ace & surprisingly good appearances from Hansen and MDC, and the Sox took the series, leaving Detroit for four games in that stupid Metrodome in Minnesota with a 23-14 record and a 3.5-game lead in the division. (i hear Pedroia had an awesome play in the field late in the game but i missed it & can't seem to find it online anywhere.)

not too shabby though, huh? and i am all for a little brush back every now & then. part of the game. ;-)

but it doesn't stop there. see, way back last trade deadline, i was all for sending Lestah to Texas & keeping Kason Gabbard instead. (turns out maybe we should have just kept them both but that is water under the bridge now.) something about Gab that i just liked. so anyway, he was making his first start back from the DL last night & i thought i would watch him pitch a little before heading to bed.

in the second inning, King Felix hit Gerald Laird (the Rangers catcher). two batters later, Ian Kinsler went yard, scoring two runs. interestingly enough, the next time Kinsler stepped up (4th inning), he also got drilled by Felix. bottom of the 4th, Sexson comes up to bat. he's leaning over the plate, but just a little. Laird calls for a fast ball, inside. Gabbard obliges. it was a bit high but definitely over the plate, which is completely in the pitcher's rightful territory. Sexson flips out, charges the mound, throws his helmet at Gabbard, then tackles him & starts punching. it was crazy!


(photos from Yahoo! Sports)
the benches & clubhouses empty, Gabbard is buried under a heap of bodies, there's a lot of jawing & milling & every time things would start to settle down, someone's mouth would run again, leading to more charging. players were holding off other players. and in a rather comical moment, Milton Bradley (of *all* people!) literally picked up Laird & carried him away from the scrum.

Sexson was ejected; Gabbard was not. he finished the at-bat against Sexson's replacement and one other before being pulled from the game. i stayed awake hoping for a report on his potential injuries. they finally said he was sore & had bruised legs. i hope he doesn't end up right back on the DL... the good news is that the Rangers went on to shut out the Mariners, 5-0. the bad news is that Gabbard was pitching well prior to the melee but left before he was eligible for a decision.

i bet the subsequent match ups between these two teams will be interesting for the remainder of the season. maybe they can give ESPN a new rivalry to discuss ad nauseum? =P

anyway... here's to Lestah repeating his last performance when he faces a guy who legally changed his name to Boof. see you tonight. *eight* pm.