Game 68: June 20, 1999 (L: 5-2)
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Commentary (by me)

No commentary - I was having lunch at a great Tex Mex place in Houston (two blocks down the street from NASA) when this game was on.  :)

Commentary (by Jim Meeks)

Not available.

Game Recap

BOSTON (TICKER) -- It was business as usual for baseball's best pitcher.

Pedro Martinez (13-2) earned his major-leading 13th victory and reached double figures in strikeouts for the 10th time this season to lead the Boston Red Sox to a 5-2 win over the Texas Rangers.

The Dominican-born righthander, a virtual lock to start in the All-Star Game at Fenway Park on July 13, pitched eight innings and allowed one run and six hits. He struck out 10, walked none and lowered his major league-leading earned run average among starters to 2.10.

I'm just on a roll, a good roll," said Martinez. "This is not a surprise to me. I expect to go out and win games. I work hard. I expect to win games."

At the age of 27, Martinez has 161 strikeouts in his first 15 starts, a major league record. He has recorded 10 or more strikeouts in a game 18 times in less than two years with the Red Sox and has 45 career double-figure strikeout games.

"What he's done so far is pretty amazing," said Red Sox manager Jimy Williams. "It's a team situation, but certainly when you look at the man on the mound and the pitches he has, it's pretty special."

No other American League pitcher has as many as 10 wins this season. Jose Lima of the Houston Astros leads the National League with 11 wins.

"You put some of the pitching we've been facing with Roger (Clemens) and (David) Cone and Pedro today, it's not a very good mixture for us right now," said Rangers manager Johnny Oates. "Right now, Pedro is at the top of all of them in my mind."

After throwing 108 pitches, including 70 strikes, Martinez was lifted following the eighth inning. Tim Wakefield retired the final two batters in the ninth for his fifth save.

"I probably could have come out (for the ninth) but after we got the two (runs) in the eighth, Jimy and Joe (pitching coach Joe Kerrigan) told me to shut it down and let someone else get the the last three outs," said Martinez.

Trot Nixon went 3-for-4 with two RBI, including his first major league triple, and John Valentin had two hits and also drove in two runs for the Red Sox.

"The fact I'm playing as much as I am just shows that Jimy has faith in me," Nixon said. "I knew eventually I would break through with three hits, but two hits drove in runs and that's real important to me."

Rafael Palmeiro knocked in both Texas runs with a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning and a double in the ninth.

Texas rookie Ryan Glynn (0-2) had the misfortune of opposing Martinez and is still searching for his first big league win. He pitched five innings and allowed three runs -- two earned -- and eight hits.

"I gave up eight hits in five innings and that's a lot to give up," Glynn said. "Fortunately, I only gave up three runs."

The Red Sox had five hits in the first three innings off Glynn, but left seven on base and failed to score.

The Rangers broke through in the fourth with their only run off Martinez. Rusty Greer led off the inning with a double, moved to third on a groundout by Juan Gonzalez and came home on Palmeiro's sacrifice fly.

Boston responded with three runs in the fourth. The rally started when Damon Buford reached on an error by shortstop Royce Clayton. Nixon then followed with a triple over the head of center fielder Roberto Kelly to tie the game at 1-1.

Jose Offerman then delivered an RBI single to right and scored all the way from first on a double to left by Valentin.

The Red Sox added two runs in the eighth off reliever Tim Crabtree. Jason Varitek led off with a double and scored on a one-out single by Nixon. Offerman walked and Valentin singled to score Nixon with the second run of the inning.

Texas scored off relievers Mark Guthrie and Derek Lowe in the ninth. Greer reached on an infield single for his third hit of the game. Lowe then replaced Guthrie and induced Gonzalez to hit into a fielder's choice. But on the relay throw to first, shortstop Nomar Garciaparra threw it wildly past first and Gonzalez reached second. Palmeiro then delivered an RBI double to left-center.

Wakefield relieved and retired Todd Zeile on a groundout and struck out Lee Stevens to end the game.

Texas rookie outfielder Ruben Mateo left the game in the second inning with a bruised right shoulder and is listed as day-to-day.

Photos
(Click on any of them for a larger image

Boston starter Pedro Martinez	Rusty Greer scores	Brian Daubauch is tagged out at home by Pudge	Boston Fans mark off Martinez' strikeouts

Box Score

Line Score
AL  FINAL
                    1  2  3   4  5  6   7  8  9     R  H  E
                    -  -  -   -  -  -   -  -  -     -  -  -
TEXAS               0  0  0   1  0  0   0  0  1     2  8  1
BOSTON              0  0  0   3  0  0   0  2  x     5 12  1   (FINAL)

BATTERIES:  TEX - RYAN GLYNN, MIKE VENAFRO (6TH), TIM CRABTREE
                  (7TH), MIKE MUNOZ (8TH) AND IVAN RODRIGUEZ
            BOS - PEDRO MARTINEZ, MARK GUTHRIE (9TH), DEREK LOWE
                  (9TH), TIM WAKEFIELD (9TH) AND JASON VARITEK

             WP - PEDRO MARTINEZ (13-2)
             LP - RYAN GLYNN (0-2)
           SAVE - TIM WAKEFIELD (5)

HOME RUNS:  TEX - NONE
            BOS - NONE

     TIME:  2:55     ATT:  31,501

PROBABLES:  TEX - RICK HELLING (6-6, 4.18)
            BOS - BRIAN ROSE (4-0, 1.85)

Box Score
TEXAS (2) AT BOSTON (5) - FINAL

TEXAS                  ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
Mclemore 2b             4  0  1  0   0  0   1  .286
I Rodriguez c           4  0  0  0   0  1   1  .300
Greer lf                4  1  3  0   0  1   0  .287
J Gonzalez rf           4  1  0  0   0  0   2  .295
R Palmeiro dh           3  0  2  2   0  1   1  .351
Zeile 3b                4  0  0  0   0  2   2  .250
L Stevens 1b            4  0  1  0   0  2   1  .306
Mateo cf                1  0  0  0   0  1   2  .172
 R Kelly cf             2  0  0  0   0  1   0  .310
Clayton ss              3  0  1  0   0  2   0  .237

Totals                 33  2  8  2   0 11  10

BATTING: 2B - Greer (24, P Martinez); R Palmeiro (12, D Lowe).
SF - R Palmeiro. RBI - R Palmeiro 2 (59). Runners left in scoring
position, 2 out - Mateo 1, Mclemore 1, L Stevens 1. GIDP - I Rodriguez.
Team LOB - 5.

BASERUNNING: SB - Clayton (4, 2nd base off P Martinez/Varitek).

FIELDING: E - Clayton (9, bobble). Outfield assists - Greer
(Daubach at home). DP: 3 (Greer-I Rodriguez, Zeile-Mclemore-L Stevens,
Clayton-Mclemore-L Stevens).

BOSTON                 ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
Offerman 2b             3  1  2  1   2  0   0  .309
John Valentin 3b        5  0  2  2   0  0   4  .256
Daubach dh              4  0  1  0   0  0   2  .315
 a-Merloni ph           1  0  0  0   0  0   2  .316
N Garciaparra ss        4  0  3  0   0  1   1  .339
Oleary lf               3  0  0  0   1  0   4  .294
Stanley 1b              3  0  0  0   1  2   3  .267
Varitek c               3  1  1  0   1  0   3  .244
Buford cf               4  1  0  0   0  2   2  .269
T Nixon rf              4  2  3  2   0  0   0  .242

Totals                 34  5 12  5   5  5  21

a-grounded to second for Daubach in the 8th.

BATTING: 2B - John Valentin (18, Glynn); Varitek (14, Crabtree).
3B - T Nixon (1, Glynn). RBI - T Nixon 2 (15), Offerman (25),
John Valentin 2 (41). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out -
Stanley 2, John Valentin 2, Oleary 1. GIDP - Oleary, Merloni.
Team LOB - 10.

FIELDING: E - N Garciaparra (7, throw).
DP: 1 (Offerman-N Garciaparra-Stanley).

TEXAS                        ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
Glynn (L, 0-2)                5       8   3   2   3   4   0   7.58
Venafro                       1       0   0   0   1   0   0   2.08
Crabtree                      1 1/3   4   2   2   1   1   0   3.55
M Munoz                         2/3   0   0   0   0   0   0   3.58

BOSTON                       ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
P Martinez (W, 13-2)          8       6   1   1   0  10   0   2.10
Guthrie                       0       1   1   1   0   0   0   6.20
D Lowe                          1/3   1   0   0   0   0   0   3.89
Wakefield (S, 5)                2/3   0   0   0   0   1   0   5.10

Guthrie pitched to 1 batter in the 9th.

Pitches-strikes: P Martinez 108-70; Guthrie 2-1; D Lowe 6-4;
Wakefield 10-8; Glynn 101-61; Venafro 21-13; Crabtree 34-20;
M Munoz 3-2.  Ground balls-fly balls: P Martinez 7-7; Guthrie 0-0;
D Lowe 1-0; Wakefield 1-0; Glynn 3-7; Venafro 2-1; Crabtree 2-1;
M Munoz 2-0.  Batters faced: P Martinez 29; Guthrie 1; D Lowe 2;
Wakefield 2; Glynn 26; Venafro 4; Crabtree 8; M Munoz 1.

UMPIRES: HP--Ed Hickox. 1B--Larry Barnett. 2B--Greg Kosc.
3B--Dan Morrison.
T--2:55.  Att--31,501.   Weather: 77 degrees, sunny.   Wind: 18 mph,
left to right.

AL       TEXAS AT BOSTON
         NOTE:  TEXAS CENTER FIELDER RUBEN MATEO LEFT THE GAME AFTER TWO
                INNINGS WITH A BRUISED RIGHT SHOULDER. HIS STATUS IS
                DAY-TO-DAY.

Game Log

Texas Starting Lineups -- Mark Mclemore 2B, Ivan Rodriguez C, Rusty Greer LF, Juan Gonzalez RF, Rafael Palmeiro DH, Todd Zeile 3B, Lee Stevens 1B, Ruben Mateo CF, Royce Clayton SS, Ryan Glynn RHP.

Boston Starting Lineups -- Jose Offerman 2B, John Valentin 3B, Brian Daubach DH, Nomar Garciaparra SS, Troy Oleary LF, Mike Stanley 1B, Jason Varitek C, Damon Buford CF, Trot Nixon RF, Pedro Martinez RHP.

Umpires -- Hickox (HP), L Barnett (1B), Kosc (2B), Morrison (3B).

Gametime Weather: 77 degrees, Sunny, wind left to right at 18 mph.

TEXAS 1ST: Mclemore singled to right. I Rodriguez grounded into double play, second to shortstop to first, Mclemore out at second. Greer struck out looking. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) TEXAS 0, BOSTON 0.

BOSTON 1ST: Offerman singled to center. John Valentin flied out to right. Daubach lined out to left. N Garciaparra singled to center, Offerman to second. Oleary walked, Offerman to third, N Garciaparra to second. Stanley popped out to shallow right. (0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 0, BOSTON 0.

TEXAS 2ND: J Gonzalez flied out to center. R Palmeiro singled to center. Zeile struck out swinging. L Stevens singled to left, R Palmeiro to third. Mateo struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 0, BOSTON 0.

BOSTON 2ND: R Kelly in center. Varitek walked. Buford struck out swinging. T Nixon singled to right, Varitek to second. Offerman grounded out to shortstop, Varitek to third, T Nixon to second. John Valentin flied out to right. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) TEXAS 0, BOSTON 0.

TEXAS 3RD: Clayton struck out swinging. Mclemore grounded out to first. I Rodriguez struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 0, BOSTON 0.

BOSTON 3RD: Daubach singled to shallow right center. N Garciaparra singled to center, Daubach to second. Oleary grounded into fielder's choice to second, Daubach to third, N Garciaparra out at second. Stanley walked, Oleary to second. Varitek flied out to left, Daubach thrown out at home. (0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 0, BOSTON 0.

TEXAS 4TH: Greer doubled to deep left. J Gonzalez grounded out to second, Greer to third. R Palmeiro hit sacrifice fly to center, Greer scored. Zeile struck out looking. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) TEXAS 1, BOSTON 0.

BOSTON 4TH: Buford safe at first on shortstop Clayton's fielding error. T Nixon tripled to deep center, Buford scored. Offerman singled to right, T Nixon scored. John Valentin doubled to deep left, Offerman scored. Daubach grounded out to first, John Valentin to third. N Garciaparra struck out swinging. Oleary flied out to center. (3 Runs, 3 Hits, 1 Error) TEXAS 1, BOSTON 3.

TEXAS 5TH: L Stevens struck out swinging. R Kelly struck out swinging. Clayton singled to left. Clayton stole second. Mclemore flied out to right. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) TEXAS 1, BOSTON 3.

BOSTON 5TH: Stanley struck out swinging. Varitek flied out to center. Buford struck out looking. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 1, BOSTON 3.

TEXAS 6TH: I Rodriguez flied out to center. Greer singled to right center. J Gonzalez flied out to center. R Palmeiro struck out looking. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) TEXAS 1, BOSTON 3.

BOSTON 6TH: Mike Venafro relieved Ryan Glynn. T Nixon grounded out to second. Offerman walked. John Valentin popped out to third. Daubach grounded out to first. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 1, BOSTON 3.

TEXAS 7TH: Zeile grounded out to shortstop. L Stevens flied out to shallow right. R Kelly flied out to left. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 1, BOSTON 3.

BOSTON 7TH: Tim Crabtree relieved Mike Venafro. N Garciaparra reached on infield single. Oleary grounded into double play, third to second to first, N Garciaparra out at second. Stanley struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) TEXAS 1, BOSTON 3.

TEXAS 8TH: Clayton struck out swinging. Mclemore grounded out to first. I Rodriguez grounded out to third. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 1, BOSTON 3.

BOSTON 8TH: Varitek doubled to right center. Buford popped out to pitcher. T Nixon singled to center, Varitek scored. Offerman walked, T Nixon to second. John Valentin singled to left center, T Nixon scored, Offerman to third. Mike Munoz relieved Tim Crabtree. Merloni hit for Daubach. Merloni grounded into double play, shortstop to second to first, John Valentin out at second. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) TEXAS 1, BOSTON 5.

TEXAS 9TH: Mark Guthrie relieved Pedro Martinez. Greer reached on infield single. Derek Lowe relieved Mark Guthrie. J Gonzalez grounded into fielder's choice to second, Greer out at second. J Gonzalez to second on shortstop N Garciaparra's throwing error. R Palmeiro doubled to deep left center, J Gonzalez scored. Tim Wakefield relieved Derek Lowe. Zeile grounded out to third. L Stevens struck out swinging. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 1 Error) TEXAS 2, BOSTON 5.