Projo Sox Blog

BOSTON -- Nick Green had one job to do: bunt.

With the game scoreless in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Sox' Mark Kotsay lead off with a single. Red Sox manager Terry Francona decided it was time to play a bit of small ball and signaled for a bunt.

Green attempted to get it down twice, and failed both times.

The count was 0 and 2 and Francona took the bunt off. Green did not. On the next offering, he finally produced a sacrifice bunt that set up Dustin Pedroia's RBI double, and the Sox held on for a 1-0 victory.

"Greeney had a tough time getting it done, so we take it off," said Francona. "He still got it down, which is a tough thing to do. Pedey comes up and hits it off the wall. I think we always feel like when he comes up in that situation, something good is going to happen."

Francona said after the game that he would very rarely make a guy bunt with two strikes, but Green wanted to do his job and did it himself.

"On one hand it's easier, because they're not crashing, but the other thing is if they throw a borderline pitch it's very difficult to get it down."

Green did, and the Sox won.

 Tags  Nick Green

---