Mar 25, 2008 - 6:01 PM
8 shoutsTOKYO (Ticker) -- Manny Ramirez is a likely hero. Brandon Moss is not.
Ramirez's two-run double in the top of the 10th inning led the Boston Red Sox to a 6-5 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday in the season opener at the Tokyo Dome.
The clutch two-out hit by Ramirez would not have been possible however, if not for Moss' first career home run an inning earlier. The rookie's one-out solo shot off Oakland closer Huston Street (0-1) in the ninth tied the game at 4-4.
"(Street) had made me look really bad on the changeup before," Moss said. "I was way out in front. Once I got back to 2-2, I thought, 'He's probably going to throw that changeup right here because I missed it two pitches ago.' I just tried to see it up and wait back a little longer."
In the lineup only because J.D. Drew was suffering back spasms, the 24-year-old Moss finished with two hits and a pair of RBI. Beginning his 16th season, Ramirez finished with four RBI, also providing a two-run double in the sixth.
A native of Japan, Hideki Okajima (1-0) pitched a scoreless ninth to pick up the win and Jonathan Papelbon survived an eventful 10th inning to record his first save.
With the Red Sox holding 6-4 lead, the Boston closer issued a leadoff walk to Daric Barton, before striking out clean-up hitter Jack Cust for the first out.
Emil Brown followed with an RBI double to right-center field, but was tagged out in a rundown after trying to stretch the hit into a triple - a questionable decision that ultimately cost his club the game.
"It was a baserunning mistake," Brown said. "I was thinking the throw was going home all the way. ... I don't think I would have been the hero if that didn't happen, but it takes something away from (Bobby) Crosby. He could have been the hero."
Crosby and Jack Hannahan followed with back-to-back singles before Papelbon finally put away the game, getting Kurt Suzuki to ground out weakly to first.
Boston's 10th inning outburst was jump-started by Julio Lugo, who beat out an infield single to open the frame. After Dustin Pedroia moved Lugo to second with a sacrifice, Street intentionally walked lefthanded slugger David Ortiz.
Ramirez followed with a deep drive high off the center field wall - plating Lugo and Ortiz - and barely beat the throw to second base after admiring his blast from the batter's box.
"The inning before that, I told Alex Cora, 'Man, I want to face that guy (Street).' And I did," Ramirez said.
It capped a disastrous outing for Street, who allowed three runs, three hits and one walk while striking out two in 1 2/3 innings.
"Whether you're playing in the backyard or opening in Japan, that's never how you want to start your season," Street said. "I'm not going to dwell on it ... but it is very disappointing."
Making the start in his home country, Boston's Daisuke Matsuzaka allowed two runs, two hits, five walks, hit a batter and struck out six in five innings.
"I didn't feel that anxious in the early part of the game, but I think I was a little bit overly cautious because of my tendency to start slow," said Matsuzaka, through an interpreter. "From my next start on, I'd like to be a little bit more assertive in the early innings."
Also a distant memory by the time this one ended, Oakland starter Joe Blanton allowed three runs, seven hits, one walk and struck out three in 5 2/3 innings.
Oakland pushed across two runs in the first inning, getting a solo home run from Mark Ellis on the third pitch of the game and an RBI groundout from Bobby Crosby.
Boston rallied for three runs to take the lead in the sixth, but Hannahan put the Athletics back in front with a two-run shot off reliever Kyle Snyder in the bottom of the frame.
The clubs complete this two-game series in Tokyo on Wednesday at 6 a.m. EDT.
From the Bleachers
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Red Sox 6, Athletics 5 Final/10
lerei
Ughh, if it weren't for Emil Brown we could have won.
Mar 25 9:52 AM -
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BOSTON: 6
OAKLAND: 5
Final/10
Mar 25 9:50 AM -
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AL
AT OAKLAND - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY EMIL BROWN SCORED DARIC BARTON.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, NONE ON, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: BOSTON 6
OAKLAND 5 BOTTOM, 10TH
DUE UP FOR OAKLAND: B CROSBY (.250, 1-FOR-4, RBI)
Mar 25 9:45 AM -
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Red Sox 6, Athletics 4 Top 10
cos5000
at least this game was worth waking up at 6am and skipping class for
Mar 25 9:31 AM -
AL
AT OAKLAND - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY MANNY RAMIREZ SCORED JULIO LUGO AND DAVID ORTIZ.
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, M RAMIREZ ON SECOND, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: BOSTON 6
OAKLAND 4 TOP, 10TH
DUE UP FOR BOSTON: M LOWELL (.250, 1-FOR-4)
Mar 25 9:27 AM -
AL
AT OAKLAND - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY BRANDON MOSS (1) TO RIGHT WITH 1 OUT IN
THE 9TH OFF HUSTON STREET.
CURRENT SCORE: BOSTON 4, OAKLAND 4
DUE UP FOR BOSTON: J VARITEK (.000, 0-FOR-3)
Mar 25 8:56 AM -
Red Sox 3, Athletics 4 Bot 8
Againigan
How could the World Champion Red Sox keep Lugo on their team after the year he had in 2007? Just when the 7th inning started to show promise, BAM! Lugo hits into a double play.
Mar 25 8:46 AM -
AL
AT OAKLAND - SCORING UPDATE
TWO-RUN HOME RUN BY JACK HANNAHAN (1) TO RIGHT WITH 0 OUT
IN THE 6TH OFF KYLE SNYDER SCORED BOBBY CROSBY.
CURRENT SCORE: BOSTON 3, OAKLAND 4
DUE UP FOR OAKLAND: K SUZUKI (.500, 1-FOR-2)
Mar 25 8:16 AM -
AL
AT OAKLAND - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY BRANDON MOSS SCORED MANNY RAMIREZ.
SITUATION: 3 RUNS IN, B MOSS ON SECOND, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: BOSTON 3
OAKLAND 2 TOP, 6TH
DUE UP FOR BOSTON: J VARITEK (.000, 0-FOR-2)
Mar 25 8:02 AM -
AL
AT OAKLAND - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY MANNY RAMIREZ SCORED DUSTIN PEDROIA AND KEVIN
YOUKILIS.
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, M RAMIREZ ON SECOND, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: BOSTON 2
OAKLAND 2 TOP, 6TH
DUE UP FOR BOSTON: M LOWELL (.500, 1-FOR-2)
Mar 25 7:59 AM -
AL
AT OAKLAND - SCORING UPDATE
GROUND OUT BY BOBBY CROSBY SCORED DARIC BARTON.
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, E BROWN ON SECOND, J CUST ON THIRD, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: BOSTON 0
OAKLAND 2 BOTTOM, 1ST
DUE UP FOR OAKLAND: J HANNAHAN (.000, 0 HR, 0 RBI)
Mar 25 6:30 AM -
AL
AT OAKLAND - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY MARK ELLIS (1) TO LEFT CENTER WITH 1 OUT
IN THE 1ST OFF DAISUKE MATSUZAKA.
CURRENT SCORE: BOSTON 0, OAKLAND 1
DUE UP FOR OAKLAND: D BARTON (.000, 0 HR, 0 RBI)
Mar 25 6:20 AM -
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mark
I'd like to think I'd stay up to watch "Opening Day", but it's just not gonna happen.
Mar 24 9:28 PM
