“I don’t know,” Crow said. “I thought I just stepped straight off the back of the mound, but that’s what the guy called. So you have to let it stand.”

 

Manager Ned Yost protested briefly while the Sox celebrated and the crowd of 31,077 roared, but Rapuano stuck to his ruling that Crow twitched his shoulder before stepping off the rubber.

 

“He was adamant that it was a balk,” Yost said. “I’ve looked at the replay four or five times, and I’m having a hard time seeing it. Eddie said that he turned his shoulder before he stepped off.

 

“I don’t know how you can end the game with that, but they seemed all to be in agreement in the umpires’ room that it was a balk. I’ve watched the video. There was no intent to deceive any runners. He was stepping off.”

 

“I love Ed Rapuano,” right fielder Jeff Francoeur said. “He’s one of my favorites, but you’d better be (darn) well sure that someone balks when you call a game on that. It’s a shame.

 

“You’ve got an All-Star reliever out there. You’ve got Adam Dunn in the box, and the crowd is going crazy. It’s a great atmosphere. And you’re going to call a balk to end the game? I don’t see it.”

 

Dunn followed by lofting a high fly to right on a 1-1 pitch that just cleared the wall for a two-run homer. Dunn entered the game with a .167 average and mired in a two-for-37 slump.

“It was the third fastball away in a row,” Crow said. “That’s just bad pitch selection. It’s easier to get him out on fastballs in. If you let him reach out over the plate, he’s got a lot of pop."

 

Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/07/04/29931...l#ixzz1RCmt1rTH

I was out doing the fireworks thing and got to see the last 3 innings on the Royals replay here.

That was so cool our fans made Dunn come out for a curtain call.

Nobody wants the big lug to fail.

None of us want to laugh at him.

It was a great moment on the holiday when the crowd kept cheering and had him do the curtain call. The Sox dugout seemed extremely happy for Dunn, which makes me believe he probably is a good guy that his teammates want to do well.

 

Cmon Adam, the crowd had to pick u up tonight, just do what you did on that home run 4 times a week the rest of the year and you'll be beloved like Paulie. We'd take it 6 times a week as well.

 

 

The only good thing about the Sox play of late besides the starting pitching is the team's not quitting and bagging some comeback victories. We'd be in quite a slump without this resiliency and coming from behind lately.

 

some1 that has been really underrated and not talked about much is Buerhle. That's now 12 straight games with 3 runs or less, that is something for sure, he keeps putting up quality start after quality start. Hopefully we can get him some more wins cuz we have not.

 

That's Buehrle being Buehrle. He doesn't do much fantastic, but he quietly gives you a chance to win about 90% of the games he throws in.

Like I posted in the gamethread, I was in attendance today.

 

It was a very strange win. Great job by AJ to start off the 9th and a great bunt by Beckham to move him over. Ned Yost is a moron. If he would've just walked Teahen, there wouldn't have ever been the WP to advance AJ to 3rd.

 

I'll take it. Sergio will be fine. Way to battle today, Dunn. I hope this gets him going. That standing O was unreal; it was like he got to 3000 hits or something.

 

As for Rios, he's going to be the target of boos from here on out now. He is horrible. It's like he gets hits here and there now, but his new swing has no power/thump in it at all. It's either a single off the end of the bat or a weak pop out.

The managers in the 8th/9th were insane. I still have no idea why Mark teahen came up to hit there.

Interesting not, according to Hittrackeronline, Dunn's homer was the heighest hit in the Majors this season reaching an apex of 150ft.

Interesting not, according to Hittrackeronline, Dunn's homer was the heighest hit in the Majors this season reaching an apex of 150ft.

Someone had posted a website a few weeks back (maybe in the MLB catch-all?) that had a list of the highest, lowest, slowest, longest air time, etc. Anyone still have the website, or does anyone know if this one had the longest time-in-air as well?

One thing that should be noted is a lot of the times, we rip on the Sox players in late inning situations for swinging out of their asses. AJP's two strike swing last night was phenomenal, and he accomplished exactly what he set out to do with that swing. Him and Pierre have really played well the last 10 days or so.

Someone had posted a website a few weeks back (maybe in the MLB catch-all?) that had a list of the highest, lowest, slowest, longest air time, etc. Anyone still have the website, or does anyone know if this one had the longest time-in-air as well?

 

That's the site. hittrackeronline.com they do the physics behind every home run hit, every day. They also have video links to watch every home run. You can sort by height, velocity, etc.. too. They go back to 2005.

 

One thing that should be noted is a lot of the times, we rip on the Sox players in late inning situations for swinging out of their asses. AJP's two strike swing last night was phenomenal, and he accomplished exactly what he set out to do with that swing. Him and Pierre have really played well the last 10 days or so.

 

Good point. I wish the Sox would do more of that.

The Sox have done a nice job of coming from behind lately. That was unheard of for such a long stretch.