Memorable Moments of 2010: Part 3

On June 6, 2010, Red Sox Nation witnessed rookie Daniel Nava make history. On the very first pitch of his very first at bat in the major leagues, Nava deposited the ball out in the bleachers. With one swing the twenty-seven-year-old rookie recorded his first hit, first home run, and first FOUR RBIs, because his homer came with three men on base.

This moment holds a special place in my heart because I was at Fenway Park when it occurred. It was a rainy, miserable day, but I had tickets in the bleachers, and I didn't care how soggy I would get, I was going to watch some interleague baseball.

I specifically remember how obnoxious the Phillies fans in our section were acting - but Nava shut them right up. Perhaps what made it so special was the amazing backstory that came with Nava's grand slam - he truly is a study in perseverance.

Currently, Nava is on the 40-man roster, but I hope the Red Sox give him an opportunity to play next season... Even if it's not necessarily for them. Nava's waited a long time for his break, and he deserves to make the most of it.

Sunny side up

I know it's tempting to look at last night's loss and focus on the negative: Papelbon blew a save, and in the most painful way possible, by giving up two home runs, including the game winner to former Yankee Jason Giambi.

I (for once) am choosing to look at the positive... the bats came back with a vengeance last night, and against one of the best young pitchers in the game. Before last night, Ubaldo Jimenez had a 1.15 ERA. The Sox singlehandedly raised that to 1.6o. They scored six runs off of the right hander, more than any other team this season, and they were just the second team to score more than three runs off him.


Darnell McDonald had a two-run homerun of Colorado's ace, while Daniel Nava notched three RBIs. Not bad for two guys that weren't supposed to see any big league action this season.

Google search "daniel nava red sox" and this is the best you get... Sad but true.

So I'm pretty optimistic about tonight: the Sox have Daisuke Matsuzaka back on the hill after a brief absence, and the red-hot bats get to try their stuff against Jason Hammel, a righthander with a 5-3 record, 4.03 ERA.