Warren's gonna be stretched out as a starter. I approve of this move.

We'll be lucky to have a healthy Eo for the playoffs...

Jays have a real overmatch tonight. Young lefty at Fenway against Dickey, who has been great. But you can't predict baseball Susyn.

Nice, quick inning. Man, possibly losing Mark & Nathan for the rest of the season sucks.

Pretty good for Hiro so far.

[2] Henry Owens, the kid we roughed up pretty badly a week or so back. But the run they got in the first was not exactly an Owens problem. HBP, WP, steal, groundout. Could be an interesting game.

20 pitches for two innings is good. Pen needs a rest

[6] Esp. with two Ks!

31 with 4Ks!

Now four K and 31 pitches through three!
Cross your fingers and hope he keeps it up.

Ooh, cheap little infield hit for McCann.
Take advantage!

Hooray on field equipment

Another break as Wieters drops a pop!
Now Alex really must take advantage...

Nope.

39 and 5 Ks!

Wow.
This is Tanaka's best game in ages. I mean, the O's are definitely cooperating, but it's a beauty.

Hey, here's a thought.
Since Eovaldi will be out for a goodly amount of time, how about giving some of his run support to Tanaka?

Maybe three? Two? Anybody? Bueller?

[15] great idea

Ohhhhhhh.
Oh well.

But keep it together, Hiro.

Ah.
I guess he's okay.

Jeez, I step away for a minute . . .

Oh, man. Wow.
Just unfair.

Oh come on. Are you kidding? That's a hit? Really?

Crap

Well, no damage. Still, a shame to lose the no-no on that garbage.

Phew.

Flash mob the press box and string up the official scorer. #tanakanono

[25] I guess it was the right call by the scorer. It's just a dumb rule. And a shame.

Come on, Carlos, opportunity knocks! Third time through, maybe getting to the pitch count limit, man aboard...

Well, okay, I'll take that.

Come on, Brian, opportunity knocks! Third time through, pitch count in the 90s, two men aboard...

Sigh.

Just tuned in to the birds' tv feed. Blow Jays and sox tied in 5th.

Argh.
Damn.

Maybe I'll switch and watch the Nats beats the mets

Modammit!

It's one-nothing people. Tanaka is pissed. The Yanks would have to score one to win before this inning, now they need two.

Hoo boy.

Maybe we could just not shift anymore.

Challenge!

I thought he was safe. Hope I'm wrong.

Yes!

cespades just let a routine single to center with bases loaded go by him for a grand salami! 7-1 nats.

Whew.

Yay-Rod!!!!

Is it my imagination, or does Tanaka get the worst run support on the team. I mean for his whole Yankee career.

Now that's an A-Bomb. (Sorry, Boatzilla.)

Thank you Alex! 30th of the year

[42] I'm almost sure it's true this year, by a wide margin. I doubt it's true for his career.

Alex! Remember when we used to criticize him for hitting meaningless dingers? Seems every one this year ties, takes the lead, or puts the stake in.

[46] Yeah, that seems right.

(Only I don't think Banterers actually did criticize him for that. Maybe I'm misremembering. I thought we kind of made fun of people who criticized him for that.)

[43] As long as you don't say it's for Tanaka. ;>)

[46] I think there was some of that, but I always took it as tongue in cheek.

[48] Oh, god, remember when Sterling said it for Matsui? Supercringe. Oof, I can't even think about it.

So it's up to Stephen Drew.

That may be my least favorite sentence in the English language.

Drew does as drew does.

The Shift. Again.

Oh that is beautiful.

Helluva DP!

Put a star on that one.

That's one of the best fielding plays of the year for the Yanks.

Jesus.
Thank god for that DP.

Double play looms large there

C'mon, Masahiro, just one more big out here.

This game is killing me. No margin for error.

Long foul. Yipe.

Excellent.

Hoo boy. He's just about out of gas, looks like.

お願いもう一つだけ！

Got him.

Whew!

Meanwhile, they're still tied at Fenway and into the bullpens. So, no more Dickey, but on the other hand, Boston's bullpen. So I make the odds 3 to 1 in favor of Toronto.

[64] Where'd you learn Nihongo?

Unfortunately, I have to get on a train soon. Looks like I will miss the rally.

[66] I learned it at Google Translate. :-)

Serena won the first set, Venus up 5-1 in the second. Would love to see a Serena Slam.

Oh, right, Serena won the first three this year, didn't she?

When was the last single-year, genuine grand slam in tennis?

Oh, Steffi in 1988, wow. And a long time before that.

[69] Seffi Graff?

Sheffield, 1998? IIRC

Steffi, autocorrect

[70] Grrrr. A second too late.

Yeah, but 1988.

[72] Oooops.

WTF with the infield hits today? Kind of irritating, to say the least.

Hats off to Didi.

Sick play, Didi. Hot Damn!

The Sox are showing up. Playing hard with nothing on the line.

Interesting how the "Grand Slam" in golf or tennis doesn't really exist, except in the hearts of the public and media. There's no award that I know of. Is there? Actually, there's no award for most baseball slams (in a season or year) either.

That's why it kind of made sense when Tiger claimed his "Tiger Slam" was still a GS. The year change in Janaury shouldn't interrupt his run if he's still playing golf.

No, I'm sure there's no award or anything. As it should be. Like an undefeated NFL season, or maybe sweeping the MLB playoffs if anyone could ever do it. Your reward is a place in history.

[74] wow, I feel really old.

Oy, this game has heartbreak hotel written all over it.

Wow, there haven't been a whole lot of them in tennis. Steffi, Margaret Court (whom I despise), not even Martina! And for men just Budge and Laver.

[83] Oooh, Belth pessimism is usually good for a run or two!

But it's a drag that having saved our bullpen by going 8 innings, Tanaka can't get the W and might not even have really saved the bullpen. I could see this going 14 innings, yeesh.

Budge & Laver? Talk about old.

Hooboy.
Damn.
Chris Davis, yep.

Both games going to the ninth. Both win, both lose. Home teams have the advantage.

Fuck

You could see that coming.

Put him to face Davis. Go Sox.

Are you kidding, ANOTHER infield hit?
Maddening.

[83] Thanks a lot Alex.

I was about to say "the reverse jinx is on." Now we'll have to go to "double secret probation."

Sox up in ninth. Walkoff please!

Well, Sox go to the bottom of the ninth still tied. Ortiz will bat second...

Getting ugly now.

Can't frickin believe nats have blown 7-1 lead. Now 8-7 mutts

That's it, I'm switching to the Mets. ;>)

Wow, a cool strikemout DP.

Maybe we still have a shot...

Uh. Spoke too soon...