Kalish Clout Seals The Deal...Boston 5 A's 3

Ryan Kalish stepped to the plate in the sixth inning with his team, the Boston Red Sox, down by a run. A's reliever Henry Rodriguez was throwing 100 MPH gas and the first pitch to Kalish was radarized at exactly that. He turned on the second pitch, again a 100 MPH speedball, and punched a single to score two and put the Red Sox ahead for good. Here he is...

“That was the hardest ball I’ve ever seen, for sure. I just really try and treat it like any other at-bat, obviously. You know the situation, you know what’s going on. But you go out there having the confidence of everyone for you to come through."

Kalish will be a star someday. Of that I'm sure. JD Drew was also clutch as was Josh Beckett for six innings, although he was a tad wild. Atchison threw two perfect innings and Papelbon struck out the side in the ninth to seal the deal. It was a much needed win and Boston avoided the sweep. Getting swept by Oakland is like the worst insult one can imagine.

The Sox move north to Seattle for a three game set as they approach the midpoint of their last western swing of the year. Here are the essential pitching match-ups and everything else you'd need...

Mon. 13 at Sea 10:10 PM ET NESN/FxNW** Lester (16-8) vs. Fister (5-11)
Tue. 14 at Sea 10:10 PM ET NESN/FxNW** Matsuzaka (9-5) vs. French (4-5)
Wed. 15 at Sea 3:40 PM ET NESN/FxNW** Buchholz (15-7) vs. Pauley (2-7)

It's the start of a new week as we get near the middle of September...already! Here in north central Connecticut, the nights are getting downright cool but the days, shorter and shorter, have been crisp with just a hint of humidity. Autumn is my favorite time of year with winter a close second. The winds swirl as the leaves make their gentle twirling descent to the Earth below, colors abundantly wonderful. I love it. Give me late September and October all year round and I'd be very happy. Weekend snowstorms are great, too. I say weekend because most people do not have to be on the roads. Four months or so from now, we'll see that right here where I'm sitting. My computer desk is in the living room right next to the sliding glass door that looks out on the backyard. When it snows, I look at the keyboard of my wonderful Mac and then look right to watch the flakes cascade down, whitening the ground and making everything look pristine. A nice fireplace fire is really great, too.

That's it from here now, my Constant Readers. Click on this post's title to read and see the highlights of last night's game and as always and forever, BE WELL. Please be careful out there.