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Moriarty9 · 04-22-2008, 07:17 PM

Oswalt bombs in Sox debut
Howard takes Yankees deep twice
July 31, 2009

BOSTON -- While the Fenway Faithful had hoped for heroics from a new face in recently acquired pitcher Roy Oswalt, it was the familiar names of Ryan Howard and Nick Markakis that saved the day for the Boston Red Sox with the hated New York Yankees in town.
Howard hit solo home runs in each of his first two at bats - career home runs #300 and 301 - and was walked each of his next three plate appearances.
"I've been lucky to play on some good teams with a lot of good hitters that give you that extra protection," said the 29-year-old Howard after the game. "That first one, man, I wasn't sure if it was going to make it all the way up and over the Monster but it made it. It was a special feeling and I'm glad we were able to get that ball back."
Howard's second shot, a 476-foot home run to right-center field in the fourth inning, was a no doubter as soon as the crack of the bat was heard.
"He hung that curveball right in my wheelhouse and I gave it a good ride," Howard said. "That's number one for my next 300."
In the fifth inning, with Boston trailing 5-3, Markakis came up big with a 2-out Grand Slam to put the Red Sox back on top, 7-5. Markakis finished the day 2-for-5 with five RBI.
"Even though I was down 0-1, I was sitting on a fastball, looking to pull it to right enough that Miguel [Cabrera] and Ryan [Howard] could score and tie up the ballgame," Markakis said after the game. "I got the fastball and Maine left it up a little bit and it just carried out there."
While Markakis and Howard were receiving accolades after the game, Oswalt was dealing with a noticeably larger media contingent than he had been used to in Tampa Bay.
Oswalt gave up eight runs on nine hits and five walks, striking out two, over six innings.
"It's not the way I wanted to make this first start but the team won the game and that's what is really important," Oswalt said after the game. "I want to contribute obviously, but I've already had some personal achievements in my career. These guys have World Series rings and that's my goal - to get there and come home a champion."
He added: "I'll go back out there when its my turn to and hopefully the result will be another win for the team."
New York starter John Maine, making his Yankees debut after a trade deadline deal with the Mets, also did not factor in the decision. Maine gave up seven runs on seven hits and four walks, striking out three over five innings of work. He was taken deep three times, including Markakis' Grand Slam.
In other news from the game, Yankees second baseman Tadahito Iguchi may not appear in the rest of the weekend series after hurting his hand trying to tag out Miguel Cabrera at second base.

04-22-2008, 07:17 PM	#45 (permalink)
Moriarty9 Major Leagues Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 339	Oswalt makes Boston debut Oswalt bombs in Sox debut Howard takes Yankees deep twice July 31, 2009 BOSTON -- While the Fenway Faithful had hoped for heroics from a new face in recently acquired pitcher Roy Oswalt, it was the familiar names of Ryan Howard and Nick Markakis that saved the day for the Boston Red Sox with the hated New York Yankees in town. Howard hit solo home runs in each of his first two at bats - career home runs #300 and 301 - and was walked each of his next three plate appearances. "I've been lucky to play on some good teams with a lot of good hitters that give you that extra protection," said the 29-year-old Howard after the game. "That first one, man, I wasn't sure if it was going to make it all the way up and over the Monster but it made it. It was a special feeling and I'm glad we were able to get that ball back." Howard's second shot, a 476-foot home run to right-center field in the fourth inning, was a no doubter as soon as the crack of the bat was heard. "He hung that curveball right in my wheelhouse and I gave it a good ride," Howard said. "That's number one for my next 300." In the fifth inning, with Boston trailing 5-3, Markakis came up big with a 2-out Grand Slam to put the Red Sox back on top, 7-5. Markakis finished the day 2-for-5 with five RBI. "Even though I was down 0-1, I was sitting on a fastball, looking to pull it to right enough that Miguel [Cabrera] and Ryan [Howard] could score and tie up the ballgame," Markakis said after the game. "I got the fastball and Maine left it up a little bit and it just carried out there." While Markakis and Howard were receiving accolades after the game, Oswalt was dealing with a noticeably larger media contingent than he had been used to in Tampa Bay. Oswalt gave up eight runs on nine hits and five walks, striking out two, over six innings. "It's not the way I wanted to make this first start but the team won the game and that's what is really important," Oswalt said after the game. "I want to contribute obviously, but I've already had some personal achievements in my career. These guys have World Series rings and that's my goal - to get there and come home a champion." He added: "I'll go back out there when its my turn to and hopefully the result will be another win for the team." New York starter John Maine, making his Yankees debut after a trade deadline deal with the Mets, also did not factor in the decision. Maine gave up seven runs on seven hits and four walks, striking out three over five innings of work. He was taken deep three times, including Markakis' Grand Slam. In other news from the game, Yankees second baseman Tadahito Iguchi may not appear in the rest of the weekend series after hurting his hand trying to tag out Miguel Cabrera at second base.