Adam Lind powered the Blue Jays to an 8-7 win at Fenway Park on Tuesday night.
– Lind became the first visiting player to hit 3 homers at Fenway Park since Frank Thomas in 1996.
– He wouldn’t hit a fourth HR. Jonathan Papelbon drilled Lind with a 94-mph fastball in the elbow. Lind took the high road following the game, saying Papelbon’s pitch wasn’t intentional.
“He was just trying to get me out, trying to hit his spot,” Lind said. “He said he didn’t mean to. He said it twice. I kind of know people who know him and he’s a really nice guy.”
– Ricky Romero won his 13th game, matching Gustavo Chacin for the second-most wins by a rookie in club history. Mark Eichhorn won 14 games in 1986.
– Toronto belted six homers and has 31 round-trippers in the past 18 games.
– Clay Buchholz gave up three bombs. A former member of the Blue Jays organization said Buchholz has a tendency to tip his changeup. Wonder if the Blue Jays saw something?
– Watch Travis Snider (.236) and see if he leaks forward on the pitch. The Blue Jays want him to stay back, stay comfortable, then react to the pitch.
I have covered several Fights to Educate at the Verizon Wireless Arena, and this year’s pro boxing event, the 8th annual, was the most entertaining by a knockout. Highlights from Wednesday night:
– Heavyweight boxing champs Leon and Michael Spinks enjoyed the festivities, along with Cory Spinks (Leon’s son), and the “first family of boxing” couldn’t have been more pleasant. They posed for hundreds of pictures, always smiling. Michael was telling me about his outdoor heavyweight fight against Larry Holmes in Las Vegas.
“We fought in the parking lot, and I busted him up,” Michael said.
– Leon, at 56, suffers from dementia but it doesn’t stop him from living life, working odd jobs, staying happy. He’s still a great ambassador for the sport.
– Cory Spinks was born five days after his father dethroned Muhammad Ali in February 1978 — a great upset in boxing history. “I was born to be champ,” said Cory, a former welterweight champion.
– Unknown heavyweight Shawn McLean posted an upset win, and it turns out he’s an accomplished actor from New York. He played Jo Jo Mendez on “The Sopranos” and was beaten up by Christopher Moltisanti in Season 1.
McLean defeated Faruq “The Dream” Saleem, who entered with a record of 38-0 and 32 KOs.
– About 1,000 fans attended the event. They made noise, too, during the best fights. Danny O’Connor of Framingham, Mass., a lefty, dropped his opponent with a wicked uppercut.
– Fans in the VIP area paid $125 per ticket. Some of the closest tables were literally splattered with drops of blood and sweat.
– Richard Gingras of Claremont fought for the first time since February and won with a TKO. He hadn’t stepped into the ring since the season finale of “The Contender IV,” which aired on Versus this year.
– Best nickname: Robbie “The Taz Mexican Devil” Tovar. However, he was scratched from the card. “He either chickened out or was hurt,” I was told.
Jeff Locke began the season as property of the Braves but won a Carolina League championship with the Pirates.
The Kennett of Conway southpaw, part of a trade that sent All-Star Nate McLouth to the Braves, was the starting pitcher in Lynchburg’s 8-7 title-clinching defeat of the host Salem (Va.) Red Sox tonight.
Locke gave up four runs and was lifted in the second inning, but Lynchburg got enough offense against the high-A Boston affiliate. Red Sox prospect Anthony Rizzo had a pair of hits against Locke, who went 5-8 (4.59 ERA) in 27 starts for Myrtle Beach and Lynchburg this season.
The 21-year-old Locke, one of the more promising lefties in Pittsburgh’s farm system, pitched 5-2/3 scoreless innings in the division playoffs. Lynchburg swept Salem in three games to capture the Carolina League championship series.
The 2006 New Hampshire Union Leader Player of the Year finished the season strong at Lynchburg, posting a 3-0 record (2.58 ERA) in his final eight starts.
Fisher Jay lefty Ricky Romero (12-7, 4.14) beat the Twins tonight and took another step toward Rookie of the Year honors. He’ll need to win a couple more times to keep pace with the competition. Other AL rookies:
Tampa Bay’s Jeff Niemann (12-5, 3.67 ERA); Detroit’s Rick Porcello (12-8, 4.18); Elvis Andrus, Rangers shortstop, .274, 6 HR, 31 RBI.
Broadcasters in the Eastern League, apparently with nothing better to do, made up their own awards for the 2009 baseball season. Check it out:
Best Pre-Game Spread:
1. New Hampshire
2. Bowie
3. Trenton
4. New Britain
5. Reading
Best Stat Pack/Game Notes:
1. Altoona
2. Reading
3. New Hampshire
4. Portland
5. Harrisburg
Best Hotel Amenities:
1. Portland
2. Trenton
3. New Britain
4. Harrisburg
5. New Hampshire
Best Food Options Near Hotel:
1. Bowie
2. Portland
3. Binghamton
4. Altoona
5. Harrisburg
Best Interns:
1. Portland
2. Altoona
3. Binghamton
Trenton
4. Reading
Best View of Home Plate:
1. New Hampshire
2. Akron
3. Connecticut
4. Trenton
5. Reading
Friendliest Front Office:
1. Binghamton
2. New Hampshire
3. New Britain
4. Trenton
5. Erie
Hotel Location:
1. Erie
2. Akron
3. New Hampshire
4. Reading
5. Altoona
Best Post-Game Night Life:
1. Erie
2. Portland
3. Akron
4. Harrisburg
5. New Hampshire
(”Note: if by best post-game night life includes getting
shot, then Trenton is hands down No. 1″)
Active MLB rosters have expanded from 25 to as many as 40. The Blue Jays have called up from Triple-A:
RP Dirk Hayhurst, 2B Joe Inglett and Fisher Cats alum RP Brian Wolfe. Still waiting for NH standout Brian Dopirak to get his first shot at the majors.
The Red Sox have called up/re-activated: oF Josh Reddick, RF Brian Anderson, C George Kottaras, Joey Gathright, SS Chris Woodward, RHP Junichi Tazawa.
