Varitek escapes triple jeopardy

July 10, 2008 | Boston Globe| By Baxter Holmes

 

In the seventh inning, Jason Varitek was nearly a part of one of the rarest plays you'll ever see. His fly ball to center field was first ruled a diving catch by Denard Span, and two throws later, it seemed the Twins had turned a triple play.


Replays showed Varitek's ball was not caught, though. It bounced into Span's glove and was ruled an RBI single after the umpires conferred.


"I just thought it looked like it bounced into his glove," Varitek said afterward, adding that it couldn't have been a triple play with Mike Lowell tagging at third base. "I didn't want to come off the base."


Twins manager Ron Gardenhire took the opportunity to get ejected for arguing the triple play that wasn't.


"It was a break well needed," Varitek said.


The Red Sox certainly got one, but Varitek needed the break, too.


Coming into yesterday, he was 6 for 63 in his last 20 games and was in an 0-for-11 slump.


But during the Sox' 18-5 rout of the Twins, Varitek recorded two hits in four at-bats for just his second multihit game since May 31. He had had six multihit outings in 11 games in mid-May - the last one May 21 when his average was at .295. It has dropped to .220 since.

Varitek remained calm after the game, methodically dressing while 10 media members gathered around his locker, as is customary. Varitek often seems like the players' spokesman.


"More recently, I had more hits than I had the whole month before that, so you take it for what it's worth," said Varitek, referring to the fact he has had five hits in his last nine games while he had just nine hits in 27 games last month.


The 36-year-old catcher said he was "actually battling today" because of the recent 10-game, 10-day road trip immediately followed by three against Minnesota once the Sox got back to Boston.**


Varitek had sat out for nearly all of Tuesday's 6-5 win because manager Terry Francona didn't want him catching a night game followed by a day game.


But Varitek ended up catching the ninth inning Tuesday.


"There's a lot asked of him," said Sean Casey, who was 3 for 5 with two RBIs. "He plays every day. He plays a lot. He has so much going on with the pitchers.


"He really handles it well, and sometimes when you're scuffling, that's never a good thing, but for him to get some hits . . . that's a good plus for all of us."


Varitek said he had a couple of frustrating at-bats early, but "the next thing you know, it turns around."

What happened?


"Nothing," he said. "I just thought I had worked a walk in my second at-bat, didn't get the call, whatever, then I flew out. I just stayed aggressive."


That he did, but if the original call had stood on the near triple play, it would have magnified his recent malaise.

Not that you could tell from his demeanor.


"He looks the same every day to me. I'm just glad he got some hits," said first baseman Kevin Youkilis.


He contributes a lot on the field and in the clubhouse, but yesterday, the All-Star catcher helped out with his bat, too.


"Just take them one at a time," he said.


** "actually battling today": Not to be overlooked is the fact that prior to the 10-game, 10-day road trip, Tek was just recovering from a bout with strep throat. The team came back from the road trip at 4:00 am Monday morning to welcome the Twins at Fenway at 7:00 pm).