``I don't know what I was doing at the plate -- a half-[effort] attempt at running him over," Gathright said. ``But I was out."
He was undoubtedly out, putting an end to what for eight innings was a clean and efficient body of work submitted by Tim Wakefield (8 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K's) and his defense and what for one inning was an absolute horror show. Wakefield had delivered eight shutout innings on a day the team needed exactly that out of him (Keith Foulke and Jonathan Papelbon were unavailable because of recent workloads, and Mike Timlin was on the disabled list). But, with 108 pitches in the books, and manager Terry Francona willing to let Wakefield finish what he began, Wakefield declined.
``I had 108 pitches," he said, ``and I didn't really feel like pushing it any further."
The one inning he did not pitch was a clear and alarming study in how difficult life could be for the next two weeks without Timlin, who said after the game that an MRI showed no structural damage in his 40-year-old shoulder. The Sox entered the ninth ahead, 5-0, with Rudy Seanez entrusted to close things out. He lasted two-thirds of an inning, giving way to Julian Tavarez. Together, they combined to throw 54 pitches (29 of them balls) and walk five (tying a Tampa Bay record for walks in an inning). They gave up just one hit. The one hit, though, was a lined single to left off the bat of Carl Crawford, with the bases loaded and Tampa Bay within 5-3 (two bases-loaded walks and a bases-loaded strikeout with a passed ball accounted for the runs).
Crawford had stung the ball to left, where Willie Harris started in place of Manny Ramírez (right knee tendinitis). Crawford knocked in one, with Gathright, on second, motoring home. He was several steps shy of third base when Harris scooped the ball, and, even as one of the fastest men in baseball -- most of the Tampa Bay clubhouse believes Gathright has better pure speed than Crawford -- Gathright was dead at home.
