Papelbon's 20th Save....Just Fiction, For Now.......

Jonathon Papelbon toes the mound, peering in to see Tek's sign. Outside fastball. He nods, starts his windup, and paints the outside black of the plate for a called third strike. The top of the ninth inning is over, the Sox win 2-1, and Papel secures his 20th save. It was not easy. Josh Beckett went the first seven, allowing a third inning solo shot to right. The Sox answered in the bottom half of the inning, with a sharp double to the gap in right by Big Papi, and a first pitch home run to dead center, his 18th, by Manny Ramirez. And that was all the scoring for Texas and Boston on this sunny humid Sunday June 11th. The Rangers were defeated in this 64th game of the season at Fenway Park. Tavarez pitched a 1-2-3 8th, setting the stage for Papel's 14th straight save. The crowd went home hot, dazed, but happy. The Sox were in first, with a record of 39-25, 5 games in front of the Yankees and Blue Jays.
Now this, of course, is just a little slice of my imagination. But it is a scenario that could come true if Keith Foulke's fastball does not regain it's pre-2005 zip, making his off speed stuff wicked once more. If, however, we continue to see the Foulke that we saw yesterday, with a fastball reaching, but not breaking, the 86MPH barrier, it will be up to Jonathon to shut 'em up and then shut 'em down at the back end of these type of games, where one run means disaster. I hope Foulkie can do it. Oh, and by the way, the records of the three teams mentioned are based on fact. Time will have to play out to see if I am accurate. Let's hope so. If I am, then it's on to the Lottery.