CLEVELAND — Sometimes the smartest move a manager can make is to not do anything at all. According to Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona, that best describes his relationship with pitcher Tim Wakefield. The 41-year-old knuckleballer will start for Boston tonight in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series.
“I certainly don’t say this disrespectfully, but he’s the hardest guy to be a manager for of any pitcher I’ve ever been around,” Francona said Monday evening before Game 3. “He’s such a good pitcher, and he’s been good for a long time. But I learned real quick, sometimes you have to take both your hands, put them underneath you and just sit there.
“Because of the way he pitches, if you don’t do that, it can drive you crazy a little bit. There’s going to be stolen bases, there’s going to be some walks. At the same time … he won 17 games. But it’s very difficult.”
The ultimate sacrifice fly. One of the oddest sights of the 2007 postseason occurred during Game 2 of the AL division series between Cleveland and the New York Yankees.
In the eighth inning of what was ultimately an 11-inning, 2-1 Indians win, thousands upon thousands of midges swarmed Jacobs Field. Giving their all for the home team, the gnat-like bugs seemed to make a beeline for Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain.
While the game wasn’t stopped, Chamberlain tried his best to further deplete the ozone with cans of insecticide. It was also clear the rookie reliever was rattled by the experience, which New York shortstop Derek Jeter later called the ultimate home-field advantage.
“It happens here about two or three times a year,” Indians manager Eric Wedge said Monday. “It’s usually when it’s hot and humid, when there’s not too much wind. We’re not too far from the water, and we’ve got lights all over the place. You add all that up, sometimes they’re just going to come and settle in.”
A long night’s journey into day. There wasn’t much rest for the weary following Game 2 on Saturday at Fenway Park. The contest lasted 5 hours and 14 minutes, coming to a close at 1:37 a.m. EDT. Both teams then flew to Cleveland, arriving at about 6 a.m. Later in the day, both squads held optional workouts.
“I think our guys are smart enough to know what optional means,” Francona said. “If it’s in your best interest, come out, if it’s not, don’t.”
The Red Sox have made a habit of participating in marathon postseason contests. Game 5 of the 2004 ALCS against New York lasted 5:49, an all-time record. The record for a nine-inning playoff game came in Game 3 of that same series, the teams out on the field for 4:20.
At the end of nine innings Saturday, the running time of the game was 4:23.
