Welcome to Boston- Coco

Coco Crisp officially became a member of the Red Sox in the eigth inning of Boston’s 4-2 win over the New York Mets. Crisp stole the show starting in the bottom of the seventh.
The game was tied 2-2 in the bottom of the seventh and Crisp led off by placing a bunt single down the third base line. Then he stole second base with ease off of reliever Aaron Heilman. Alex Gonzalez then bunted Crisp over to third, and Kevin Youkilis followed with a sacrifice fly to put the Red Sox ahead 3-2. (What? The Boston Red Sox manufacturing a run? I had to rewind that on Tivo like ten times just to believe it.) Then there was The Catch.

In the top of the eighth, David Wright crushed a line drive off Mike Timlin to the left-center field gap with Beltran on base. Most of Red Sox nation had conceded a 3-3 tie as the ball was heading towards the monster. Out of nowhere came Crisp, running full speed. He must have gotten five feet off the ground as he made the diving catch in mid-air. It was literally the most athletic catch I’ve ever seen in a live baseball game. This is the kind of catch that Jim Edmonds makes once every couple of seasons. It’ll be played on highlight shows throughout the season.

(You had to see Timlin’s reaction to The Catch to fully appreciate it. It wasn’t just a typical fist-pump. He raised both arms in the air over his head and started screaming. I’ve never seen a pitcher get that excited over a defensive play.)

How much did his teammates appreciate it? Mark Loretta said it best.

“I think that’s the most excited I’ve been watching something happen when I’ve been on the field.”

(Then again, how many exciting moments did he have with the San Diego Padres?)

Numbers don’t really do justice to what Crisp brings to the Red Sox. Show-stopping catches like that fire up the entire team. His speed and energy gives the rest of the guys an emotional lift and gives opponents fits. Think Jose Reyes. Think Dave Roberts with a good batting average.

Every first-year Red Sox has to have one of these games in order to endear themselves to the Boston fan base. For Loretta, it was an early-season walk-off home run. Crisp had been picking up his game since returning from the broken finger that sidelined him to begin the season, but last night was the first game in which he single-handedly made the difference.

What made last night’s performance by Crisp so exhilarating for Sox fans is that Boston hasn’t had a player like this in a long, long time. Johnny Damon was a great hitter who could work the count, but by the time he reached Boston he was no longer a terrorizing base-runner. In Crisp, the Red Sox finally have a guy who can manufacture runs with his feet. His swing is already coming back, so he’s not just a track star in a baseball uniform (remember Donnie Sadler?).  

At his best, he’s a lot like Ichiro without the powerful arm. He gets such a great jump off of pitchers that he could steal 40 bases a year.  Easily.

Players like Crisp have turned the 2006 Red Sox into what I think is the best starting nine in baseball. Not only do they mash the ball (they have no holes 1-9 since Alex Gonzalez tweaked his swing), they also play stellar defense. No team in baseball does both things as well as the Red Sox. That’s why they’re so fun to watch. Granted, the National League is a baseball wasteland this season, but the Mets are the lone exception. Dare I say it? I think this team is more fun to watch than the legends of 2004.