Holiday Monday left me with a few unanswered questions, and a sore thumb. Channel flipping like crazy, I was torn between a great, high scoring, Labour Day classic(ique) game, and a low scoring nail biter of a baseball game. The Labour Day game had me wondering, if the Cats, who exploded for 44 points, really are a legitimate contender. I pondered that question while I flipped channels, but as I watched Big Papi stroll up to the plate with a runner in scoring position in the top of the eight inning in a scoreless game, that query was only a distant memory.
Let me set it up for you. My Red Sox were locked at zeros with the hometown Jays in the top of the eighth inning with two out. Ortiz was up with a runner on second. The Jays, playing smart defensive ball, walked Papi to put the force on any bag and to pitch to the struggling Youkilis. After the Youkilis strike out, I realized that this was going to be the type of game that ended with a pinch runner and a sac fly. Either that, or a hero would emerge…enter Brett Lawrie.
Fast forward to the bottom of the 11th, And Lawrie was up with a 1 and 1 count, when he hit one that would never come back. He knew it was gone as soon as he hit it, and as I watched him jog the bases and dive into a sea of his teammates at home plate, I found myself wondering, is this guy the real deal?
Brett Lawrie, born in Langley, British Columbia, is 21 years old, and has just finished his first month of playing in the Major Leagues. In his first month he has been explosive. Not only does he have the ability to be a clutch player (as we witnessed on Monday afternoon), but he currently holds a batting average of .318 which is tops on his team. To go along with that batting average, he has 34 hits, 21 RBIs, and 8 HR’s in just 30 games! As well as a Slugging Percentage better than his all-star, home run leading teammate, Jose Bautista. I know it’s easy to ride a hot streak, and almost impossible to keep a torrid pace like that for an entire season, but it begs the question; Is he the real deal? Or, is he going to fade away like so many hot rookies of seasons past? Either way, it is sure to be a fun ride.
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