NEW YORK - For a few minutes, this felt like the 2008 Patriots season opener, with Melky Cabrera starring in the role of Bernard Pollard.
Remember Tom Brady taking that hit to his knee, crumpling to the ground, then limping off the field, taking the season with him?
That’s was the notion across the Nation when Cabrera scalded a line drive off the right leg of ace Jon Lester in the third inning of the Red Sox’ 9-5 loss at new Yankee Stadium last night.
Fortunately, Lester is in much better shape than Brady last year. Less than an hour after Lester was struck, the club announced (quite Patriot-like) he has a “contusion of his right quad and is day to day.’’
X-rays were negative.
“It hit me in a good spot where it didn’t do any damage,’’ Lester said, standing in front of his locker after the game. “Everything came back fine. We’ll see where we’re at [today].’’
Lester is scheduled to start Thursday at Fenway against the Indians and said he still wants to pitch again before the playoffs. He walked fairly freely in the clubhouse after the game. A few hours earlier, it looked as if he might have a broken leg. The video is dramatic.
The Yankees were knocking him around the yard (8 hits, 5 runs, 3 walks in 2 1/3 innings) when Cabrera struck. It was one of those line shots that make you glad there are no aluminum bats in professional baseball. Lester had no chance. He was in the middle of his follow-through when the ball crashed into his right leg (“the right side of my knee,’’ according to the pitcher).
He dropped like a sack of hammers. Slow to move, slow to get up, he eventually limped to the third base dugout, with help from trainer Paul Lessard. It was painful watching Lester hop down the dugout steps. And it was impossible not to contemplate the impact on the Sox’ playoff run.
“He was laying there moaning when I got out there,’’ said Sox manager Terry Francona. “But he’s going to be OK. When it first happened, it sounded and looked terrible.’’
“A ball gets hit off your body, it hurts,’’ said Lester. “I don’t know what you want me to say. It hurts.’’
Red Sox physician Dr. Larry Ronan was at Yankee Stadium and examined Lester.
“We didn’t want him to put any weight on it at first,’’ said Francona. “Once we got the medical report it was pretty positive. Especially after what we saw.’’
What we saw put fear into the heart of every Red Sox fan.
The 1946 Red Sox did not win the World Series in large part because Ted Williams hit only .200. Splinter-bashers liked to say Ted choked, but those who were there remember him getting hit in the elbow during a pre-Series tuneup game against some American League All-Stars.
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