Projo Sox Blog

By Joe McDonald
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON _ Jason Bay doesn't know what his offensive statistics are. He wants to keep it that way, too.

His manager, teammates and fans certainly know of his prowess at the plate, and he continued it Friday night with a key three-run homer to help the Red Sox to a 7-3 victory over the Rays at Fenway Park.

He finished the night 2-for-4 to increase his average to .323 with nine homers and 32 RBI this season. Over the last 15 games the Sox' left fielder is hitting .385 with 3 doubles, 6 homers, 21 RBI and 16 runs scored.

"There's really no reason, I just don't look at my statistics," he said. "I don't particularly like to. Occasionally I'll accidentally glance at the scoreboard and see my average. During the course of the season you're going to see your numbers, but it's not something I focus on. I'm not jumping onto the internet or jump through the stat pages. It's a long season and I think it's counterproductive to focus on those day to day."

Every time the Red Sox need a big hit, Bay is there.

"Jason Bay has been huge for us all year, and not just with big hits, but big home runs," said Sox' Mike Lowell. "Those are big momentum swings the other way. . . I don't think he's intimidated by the situation. He's a legitimate home-run hitter. It's not like he's coming out and doing things that he hasn't done in other years of his career, but it does seem like he has the flare for the dramatic home run. That's a good sign for us."

Since arriving in Boston from Pittsburgh as part of the three-team trade that sent former Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez to the Dodgers, Bay has been as constant as you can be in every aspect of the game. And, he's not serving a 50-game suspension for testing positive for a banned substance, too.

He's fit perfectly within the confines of the clubhouse and his on-field production has been welcomed.

"I take a lot of pride in being an even-keel guy," Bay said. "This is a very hot stretch and it's very hard to keep it up for an entire year, but I'm riding it out. When things kind of settle down a little bit you need to keep the same demeanor."

Bay's homer on Friday night came in the sixth inning off Rays starter James Shields. With two on and no outs, Bay launched a shot into the Monster seats to give Boston a 3-2 lead.

"With major league you don't get a lot of good pitches per at-bat, and when you're not going well it seems like you're fouling those pitches off and putting yourself in a hole," said Bay. "Right now I'm seeing the ball well and I'm not missing those pitches I should hit."

Basically, Bay is hitting everything that's thrown at him.

"Good players certainly go through stretches where they're feeling good about themselves," said Red Sox manger Terry Francona. "Sometimes they last a long time - I hope this does. When you see guys who are walking, hitting for power, there's a pretty good chance they feel good about themselves. And with his average where it is, that's a pretty good combination."

Bay is among league leaders in on-base percentage, runs, RBI, RBI ratio, home-run ratio and slugging percentage.

"It's nice to come through. You know it's not going to happen all the time - you realize that. But I've gotten on a little bit of a roll and it's been fun," said Bay.

Bay becomes a free agent at the end of this season and the Red Sox need to sign him. General manager Theo Epstein does not usually like to negotiate contracts during the season, but if Bay continues to be this important both on and off the field, he should definitely make an exception.

It's obvious Bay is comfortable in Boston. A few weeks after the trade he said he was already feeling like he had played here his entire career. It's probably a safe bet that he wants to stay here, too.

"Last year I was still the guy who was traded and the new guy," said Bay. "It didn't bother me, but it was nice to go into spring training and not be the novelty. I was just the left fielder for the Red Sox. I relish that and I really like blending in with the team and being another guy on this team rather than being the standout new story."

 Tags  Jason Bay Mike Lowell Red Sox

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