You had Jonathan Papelbon's first tough save, as he struck out two but also walked two in loading the bases.
You had the curious decision by Maddon to pitch to Manny Ramírez in the bottom of the seventh with two runners in scoring position and two outs, only to have Ramírez deliver a two-run single that gave Boston a 4-2 lead.
There were none of the beanballs or brushbacks that these teams have come to be known for. There was no Tampa Bay retaliation for Joey Gathright being punched in the face by Julian Tavarez in spring training.
You also had the fruits of Kevin Youkilis's hard labor this offseason: a two-run, two-out, line-drive double in the eighth inning that broke a 4-4 deadlock.
''I'm not a role player anymore," said Youkilis. ''I'm a starter and my job is to help us win in any way possible. I don't have to go 5 for 5, but in a situation like that, to be able to get a big hit, that's huge. That's my job. That's what I'm paid to do."
Mike Lowell pounced on Ruddy Lugo's first pitch of the eighth and smacked it high off the wall for a double. After pinch hitter Trot Nixon walked, Chad Orvella got Adam Stern to bunt into a fielder's choice, with Lowell erased at third. Things didn't look good when Alex Gonzalez struck out, but Youkilis saved the day.
As for Papelbon's save (his seventh in seven tries), it certainly started well as he struck out Gathright. Carl Crawford singled up the middle, but the big righthander struck out Jorge Cantu. Then Travis Lee walked in a 10-pitch at-bat, and Jonny Gomes walked to load the bases.
Then came The Catch.
Stern had made a couple of eye-openers for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic, but this was one of those all-or-nothing dives as he sped straight in on a sinking liner.
''To be honest," said Papelbon, ''I didn't think he caught it. I was looking at the umpire and he gave the out sign and I said 'Whew!' "
''That was a great play," said Terry Francona, ''and at the time of the game we needed it."
Stern, whose 17-day Rule 5 obligation will be met today, might have saved his job for a while.
''I don't know," he shrugged. ''Whatever happens happens.
''In that situation, I'm playing 5-10 feet from the warning track. We're playing no doubles. As soon as it was hit, I knew I was all-in.
