In the cleanup spot was Jed Lowrie, a light-hitting switch-hitter who had never started a game in the No. 4 spot in the lineup. This was a must-win game, remember. Also concerning for Sox fans was the guy penciled in to start behind the plate, Ryan Lavarnway.
The 24-year-old had appeared in just 15 games prior to Tuesday. He had torn up the minor leagues (32 homers, 93 RBIs in 116 games) but he hit just .233 in his brief time in the bigs. With Jarrod Saltalamacchia unable to go with an injury from the night before, and with Jason Varitek still hobbled by a pitch he took off the knee on Sunday, Terry Francona had to go with Lavarnway.
And then the kid stepped to the plate.
In his second at-bat of the night, Lavarnway launched a three-run bomb to left field to give the Sox a 5-1 lead. In a lineup with the likes of David Ortiz, Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia and Adrian Gonzalez, it was the kid from Yale who hit the big home run to lift the Sox early.
He nearly drove in a couple of more runs in his next at-bat but was robbed by Nick Markakis, who made a spectacular diving play. No matter, because his next time up, Lavarnway went deep yet again.
His solo shot in the eighth made the score 8-4, and it seemed to be nothing more than a needless run to pad the lead. It didn’t turn out that way, though, as Daniel Bard and Jonathan Papelbon combined to give up three runs. The final score was 8-7, with Lavarnway’s homer proving to be the game-winner.
Had it not been for Lavarnway, the Sox would be trailing the Rays on the final day of the season, needing a win of their own and a win from New York to play a one-game playoff on Thursday.
Now, they know that a win of their own on Wednesday will at worst get them into that game and can still earn them that final postseason spot.
If they get there, should Lavarnway be on the roster?
The rules dictate that he could only do so as an injury replacement, meaning either Varitek or Saltalamacchia would have to be left off the roster, at least for the ALDS. It could be a series-by-series basis. It may seem like an overreaction to one big night, but consider the September stats of Boston’s two backstops.
| Batting Average | On-Base Percentage | Home Runs | RBIs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jason Varitek | .077 | .200 | 1 | 4 |
| Jarrod Saltalamacchia | .162 | .174 | 3 | 10 |
| Combined | .138 | .182 | 4 | 14 |
Now, a part of that may be the result of being banged up at the end of the season, and another part may just be the flukish nature of the Red Sox this month. But either way, if the Sox can win and get into October, might a 24-year-old with some pop in his bat be a better backup?
If the Red Sox make the playoffs, should Ryan Lavarnway be on the postseason roster?
