"It was obviously maybe the biggest pitch in the game," manager Terry Francona said. "We got ourselves in a position where one pitch can turn the game around, and Masterson comes in and makes one pitch and gets out of the inning. That was huge."
Coming in after Manny Delcarmen loaded the bases, Masterson knew his best pitch would be needed to get Rodriguez out. So there it was - sinker, sinker, ground out. That is, after all, exactly what that pitch is designed to do.
"That's what the game's about," Masterson said. "In my respects, he's a good righthanded hitter, and when I'm called upon, I'm supposed to get the job done. I won that time.
"Obviously, I love that stuff. That's why you play the game."
Fun for him maybe. Not for Rodriguez. The fans booed later, too, even though Rodriguez converted a grounder from Dustin Pedroia into an out. But in that one at-bat, they saw the Yankees' postseason hopes take yet another blow.
For the Red Sox, the news was all good. Their team was feeling better, with the exception of J.D. Drew. Josh Beckett threw a side session, and is on target to pitch Friday. And the Rays lost at home to the Blue Jays.
"That's how we roll here," David Ortiz said. "We don't panic here. You hit the panic button, you just get worse. Right? Right."
With a win in the first game of the third stop on this three-city tour, the Sox have guaranteed a winning record for the nine-game trip. And perhaps much more. The Yankees can finish this series no closer than four games in the wild-card race, with just a month left to play. Even if they win the final two, their hopes cannot be very high.
The Red Sox, on the other hand, seem ready. They won a killer game Sunday in the finale in Toronto, and last night they rode an ostensibly weak bottom third of the order - seven hits, two runs, and three RBIs - to victory.
Plus, they gave Jeff Bailey one heck of a story to tell his grandkids.
