NewsDraft, rivalries fill the air of a memorable night
Strasberg taken first overall; Sox beat Yanks; Mets top Phils
By John Schlegel / MLB.com
06/10/09 5:40 AM ET
Only in baseball can a day like Tuesday happen. On one June evening, the newest players in the Major League universe -- so new they haven't even signed contracts yet -- shared the stage with the most storied rivalry in the game. Stephen Strasburg and the rest of the First-Year Player Draft newbies, meet Yankees-Red Sox, now deadlocked atop the AL East despite a lopsided head-to-head. On the same night, one of the game's best starters gave up four homers and still managed to win thanks to one of the game's best closers, as another Northeast rivalry was renewed. Ryan Howard and the Phillies, meet Johan Santana, Francisco Rodriguez and the Mets, now just two games behind the defending World Series champs in the NL East as the standings start to matter. That's not all. There was a walk-off homer. A benches-clearing discussion followed by extra innings. A pitcher hitting a triple. All on Draft Day. Only in baseball. No other sport could pull it off all in one day. It shares the spotlight like no other sport, but this was the Draft's day to shine. It didn't disappoint, even though the air was let out of the suspense long before it ever started. With the MLB Network joining MLB.com for the most comprehensive draft coverage ever, Commissioner Bud Selig's announcement of the first selection at Studio 42 caught no one by surprise. Everyone knew Strasburg, the right-handed San Diego State fireballer, was going to be selected first overall by the Nationals, and that is what happened. So now begins the negotiation process, and Strasburg's compensation package is expected to push toward a record $50 million dollars. All this, for a player who wasn't even drafted out of high school three years ago. "I had to get tougher both mentally and physically," Strasburg said. "It came down to, if you want something bad enough, you have to go out and get it." He did it. From no bonus, baby, to the biggest bonus baby of all time, the first of 111 picks Tuesday. In the midst of the Draft, and as it continues today at noon ET, and an unprecedented third day Thursday -- all live exclusively on MLB.com -- baseball keeps chugging along like no other sport. At Fenway Park, the Yankees and Red Sox met to start what's already their third series of the season, and the early trend continued. With their ace Josh Beckett on the mound, the Red Sox made a 7-0 statement and raised their record against the Yankees this season to 6-0 to match the Yankees at the top of the division. "I just think we're playing good baseball, and it's a great rivalry between two teams that are pretty talented and have high expectations," Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell said. "I think we're just enjoying being on the right end of the stick right now." Big Papi went big fly to start it all off. A four-time All-Star, David Ortiz is batting .198 and this was only his third homer of the season -- but it was his third curtain call following a homer, with Red Sox Nation trying to will him back on track. Meanwhile, Citi Field has been the yin to its New York cousin's yang when it comes to homers. Whereas they've been plentiful at new Yankee Stadium, homers have been harder to come by at Citi. Then the Mets and Phillies hit seven Tuesday night. Four of them came off Santana, who gave up six in his first 11 starts. "All the talk about a pitchers' park," Mets manager Jerry Manuel said. "The ball is supposed to stay in play here. I don't think that was the case tonight." Santana didn't like giving up the ball in the eighth, but having K-Rod in the ninth for his 16th save in 16 opportunities settled him down. Like the Mets' venerable Venezuelan mound twosome, this was a day with too much amazing stuff. It really ran the gamut. Like the Draft, not all of it was on the field. While his team became the first 40-game winner, Manny Ramirez addressed the media for the first time since his 50-game suspension for performance-enhancing drug use. On a more somber note, D-backs pitcher Scott Schoeneweis returned to his team and spoke to the media for the first time since his wife's sudden death. Like the Northeast rivalries, most of it was on the field. Jeremy Hermida gave the Marlins a walk-off homer against the Cardinals. The White Sox and Tigers had words, but in the end it came down to what happened on the field -- first a play at the plate with Chicago's Dewayne Wise out by a whisker in the ninth, then a homer in the top of the 10th by Miguel Cabrera for a 7-6 Tigers win. And, in another highlight, Ted Lilly's first triple helped him get the win for the Cubs over the Astros. Maybe with some sports, the annual draft holds the day. It might even hold the month. But there's one sport where rivalries and normal, everyday on-field heroics share the stage with it. Only in baseball.John Schlegel is a national reporter for MLB.com and writes an MLBlog, The Grind. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
