Yesterday, Reese backed Schilling's five-hitter with an eye-popping inside-the-park home run, and he added a conventional homer in a 9-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals, increasing the Sox' winning streak to four games.
It was one of those cheery days for Red Sox Nation, largely because of Reese's upbeat personality; he's becoming a fan favorite. Couple that with Schilling's dominant pitching, which included eight strikeouts and no walks, and the Red Sox have more than recovered from their five-game tailspin last week and are back in a strong position atop the American League East.
Even when he struck out in the eighth in his last at-bat, Reese received a standing ovation, the affection equaled by the reaction of his teammates in the dugout.
"When you go out and give it 100 percent, you know, they're going to back you," said Reese. "That's what all the guys, all of us . . . we're giving it our all right now."
Schilling had to talk his way into going the distance, something he related to negotiating his contract with Epstein around Thanksgiving. But he had support from pitching coach Dave Wallace, and manager Terry Francona went along, making sure Schilling understood that if anyone got on in the ninth, he would make the call to the bullpen.
Schilling, who threw 120 pitches, made certain Francona never had to make that call. He takes pride in finishing games, something he was taught by his former minor league pitching coach, Johnny Podres. He believes he can throw 120-plus pitches every start. And he has a goal of making 35-36 starts and pitching more than 250 innings, which he's on pace to do.
"It's been a lot funner than I thought," said Schilling about pitching at Fenway. "I was excited about it, somewhat nervous about it. It's been so much more than I thought it was going to be. These fans are great. I mean, I love it. I love that part of the game, when they're in it like that."
