The Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays play one for the ages

The Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays play one for the ages

It finally ended in the 16th inning, with the game's only run. The two teams combined for a mere eight hits. If you do the math you'll see that's approximately the equivalent of four simultaneous 2-hitters! Red Sox starter Josh Beckett was the biggest wolf in the pack, allowing only a single hit and no walks in eight dominant innings. (That's a tough no-decision, but at least he got the consolation of an eventual Red Sox victory.)

The Rays went 3-for-50 (.060) and the Sox went 5-for-52 (.096), but the cumulative Sox total was inflated by a respectable 3-for-7 for Pedroia. The rest of the team went 2-for-45 (.044)! Jacoby Ellsbury had the most frustrating day: 0-for-8. Pedroia was the whole show. He batted in the winning and only run in the 16th. In previous at-bats, he had reached scoring position twice on his own power with a stolen base and the game's only extra base hit, but his fellow sluggers were sluggish, so he never scored.