Clutch Single Could Give Renteria Spark
By Tony Massarotti
The Boston Herald
April 11, 2005
TORONTO - Edgar Renteria batted .333 against the Red Sox in the
World Series
last year, a number that speaks volumes.
Immediately following the team's sweep of the St. Louis
Cardinals, some Sox
personnel revealed Renteria scared them as much as any member of the
St. Louis
lineup.
Yesterday, Renteria showed why.
With the Red Sox trailing 3-1 in the top of the ninth inning,
Renteria
stepped to the plate against Jays closer Miguel Batista with the bases
loaded.
Renteria, who has four hits in 15 career at-bats against Batista
- a .267
average - cracked a two-run single to right-center field that tied the
score and
forced the Jays to bat in the bottom half of the inning.
While the Sox ultimately suffered a 4-3 defeat when Orlando
Hudson doubled
home Reed Johnson, Renteria's hit only reaffirmed his reputation as
someone who
can deliver in the clutch.
``It was a tremendous at-bat against a guy with tremendous stuff.
At that
time of the game, it was a big knock for us,'' Sox first baseman Kevin
Millar
said of Renteria's hit, which came on a 2-2 pitch. ``He's a stud.
Renteria's a
stud and he's going to be fine.''
Though batting only .158 entering yesterday's game, Renteria had
a pair of
big hits in his first week with the Red Sox. In a 7-3 comeback win over
Mariano
Rivera and the Yankees Wednesday, Renteria had a huge two-out single
that
extended the Sox' lead from 4-3 to 6-3. Rivera subsequently threw a
wild pitch
to force in the seventh and final Red Sox run.
As a 22-year-old with the Florida Marlins, Renteria singled home
the winning
run in Game 7 of the World Series against the Cleveland Indians.
He has nonetheless struggled during his first week with the Red
Sox,
stranding seven baserunners in a 6-5 Sox win on Friday night.
As a result, Millar was not the only one happy to see Renteria
deliver in the
clutch against Batista and the Jays.
Said Sox bench coach and acting manager Brad Mills: ``The more he
gets going,
he's going to get some confidence.''
Signed to a four-year, $40 million contract during the offseason,
Renteria
said he thought Batista may go up and away against him after having
pitched him
on the inner half of the plate. Renteria's subsequent two-run single
came on a
ball that was up and on the outer half.
Like Sox manager Terry Francona and Mills, Renteria acknowledged
his
struggles during his first week as a member of the Sox may have been
the result
of trying to do too much too early.
So against Batista, Renteria changed his approach.
``I tried to look for my pitch and put the ball in play,''
Renteria said. ``I
tried not to do too much.''
In the process, he accomplished a great deal.
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