Boston Red Sox players line up to congratulate starting pitcher Rick Porcello, right, after he threw a one-hitter against the New York Yankees on Friday at Fenway Park in Boston.
#RedSox. #Yankees.
Almost as fun as watching these rivals play against each other is reading the reactions of fans of each team on Twitter. Social media is good for a number of things. Instant reaction to almost every situation is one of those things.
#PitchByPitch. #VisceralReactions.
Red Sox fans occupy their corner of Twitter, Yankees fans occupy theirs. Throughout Friday’s game, I monitored the mood of each fan base through their Twitter posts. Call it a sociological experiment or call it vicarious eavesdropping. It was entertaining.
Before the game began, fans on both sides took a look at Thursday’s game, a 15-7 Boston win.
Ten minutes before first pitch, Erin K. Rowe (@kandykahne) offered the New York perspective: “Im (sic) afraid to watch the #Yankees game tonight for fear of another beating. #thatwasbad.”
From Red Sox Nation, Sean Bevan (@Seanbehan17): “Wonder what the @RedSox will do for an encore tonight? #RedSox #RedSoxNation.”
#Anticipation. #RoundTwo.
That first inning Friday, that first inning had everything. Red Sox starting pitcher Rick Porcello plunked Yankees leadoff hitter Brett Gardner, one of just two mistakes Porcello would make the entire night.
Carl Regolino (@Carl_Regolino): “Hey Brett Gardner, chill out man, we don’t throw at .260 (.249) hitters. #RedSox.”
Minutes later, Yankees ace Luis Severino knocked down Mookie Betts with his first pitch. Both teams were warned. Boston manager Alex Cora was tossed from the game. At least one Yankees fan thought Betts oversold how close the pitch came to hitting him.
Logan Pettinato (@lpettinato15): “That pitch was nowhere near mookie (sic) #yankees.”
#FanPerspective. #EasyForYouToSay.
Steve Pearce hit a two-run homer, his fourth home run against the Yankees in two days, earning the mantle of Yankee Killer. Over at Red Sox Twitter, there was jubilation. On the Yankees side of the street, there was nothing but disgust.
Kim (@YankeeLover): “This game is off to a great start. #Yankees.”
Even fans of other teams got in on the fun.
Steve Greenstreet (@MiddleOfMayhem): “Former Oriole Steve Pearce hitting his 4th homer in 24 hours against the #Yankees is the best #Orioles news I’ve heard in a while. #RedSox.”
#BaseballSchadenfreude. #OldFashionedSpite.
New Red Sox second baseman Ian Kinsler tweaked his hamstring. With injured piling up, Betts, an infielder in his past baseball life in the minor leagues, moved from right field to second base. Betts made a putout immediately.
Bland Mason (@blandmason): “Hope Kinsler is ok but Mookie’s playing second base!!! Pretty cool. #redsox #redsoxnation @mookiebetts.”
In the top of the third inning, Porcello gave up a solo home run to Miguel Andujar. It was Porcello’s final mistake of the night, although many Red Sox fans did not know this at the time.
Isabella (@IgnoredByPlec): “okay #redsox Porcello CANNOT BE TRUSTED. Do you hear me Mookie? JD? Benintendi? All of you. There is no resting on your laurels. The Yankees don’t quit when they get a lead so don’t you quit.”
#Doubt. #TrustPrettyRicky.
As the Yankees began to go down in order over and over, Yankees Twitter went from angry to alarmed to resigned. Yankeess fan Twitter, they miss Aaron Judge.
JSacks1 (@JSacks1): “This is starting to be concerning. Not an alarmist but doesn’t feel like “my Yankees” — what’s up with bombers? #Yankees.”
Pinstripe Alley (@pinstripealley): “The #Yankees are just completely overmatched in every aspect of the game. Hitting, pitching, defense. Absolutely terrible.”
They miss Judge a lot.
#BronxConcerns. #AnotherPorcelloK.
Giuseppe Munno (@Talk2Giuseppe): “Are we witnessing a collapse of epic proportions with the #Yankees? What happened to Sevy? What happened to the bats? What the freak is happening to the @Yankees?! About to buy the last game of the season and now wondering if it’s a waste of hope and money!”
Barry Walton (@Rhaamses): “Bottom of the 6th and the #Yankees have one more hit than I do . . . . and I’m home eating a catfish sammich!”
Sympathy from Red Sox fans? What do you think? When Aaron Hicks failed to run one out to first, it brought derision from all sides.
Janice (@chestnuthell): “Wow. The Yankees aren’t even trying.”
Kyle English (@KPEnglish2): “Kiss the division goodbye now. What a disgraceful production they’ve put on these last 3 games. #Yankees”
Many tweets were funny, but I cannot share them here for obvious reasons.
#YankeesFansCuss. #CanYouBlameThem.
Porcello pitched the best game by a Red Sox starter in years. One hit, no walks, nine strikeouts. Porcello needed just 86 pitches for the complete game. Fans were equally efficient in their praise on Twitter, needing nothing close to the 280 characters allowed.
Mibelt Rodriguez (@SrBoaz31): Rick Porcello — Nasty #RedSox.
Diane Firstman (@dianagram): “I’ve never seen a no-no in person…. but that may be the best pitched game I’ve seen live #porcello #redsox.”
#CyYoungRicky. #BullpenRested.
The win increased Boston’s lead in the American League East to 7.5 games.
Wicked Awesome Gary (@Gary_Sarasota): “Y’all think the #Yankees can hold off the Rays for 2nd place? @RedSox.”
#PenantRace. #SeptemberBaseballInAugust.
Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242
Twitter: @TLazarczykMTM
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