Jed Lowrie Time!
Oh, what a debut for the kid. Jed Lowrie got his first 3 RBI as a pro, and of course, the all important first hit (and no errors). Playing outside of his natural shortstop position, Lowrie look somewhat over matched at the plate, but was still able to put the ball in play to get the runs in when it counted.
Yes, Varitek coming in on his day off and hitting a home run with 2 strikes was an amazing moment during this game, but the real story has to be Lowrie, the rookie. Watch out Julio Lugo! Though it seems like playing next to his eventual replacement served as somewhat of a wake up call with Lugo getting 3 hits (though the bunt hit was pretty weak and more just luck) and helping the team win.
Read more about Lowrie on SoxProspects.com He’s actually a player very much like Dustin Pedroia in that he is on the small side (6′ 0″ - 185, aka my size), doesn’t hit many home runs, but still has quite a bit of line drive power in his bat. Watching Lowrie swing made it clear he does still have a ways to go and needs to avoid committing too early to swinging (a couple swings were downright awful). But he can run a bit and is just the right age to start playing. Once this guy is starting at SS in ‘09 or ‘10, he’ll be right in the prime of his hitting career.
How would you like to have Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury and Jed Lowrie all win consecutive Rookie of the Year Awards? It could happen…
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