I don't know about all of you, but I can't wait until this 6 a.m. thing is all over and done with. Yes, it has only been one game but my body is feeling it almost 24 hours later. I can't believe I'm saying this: bring on the 10 p.m. west coast games!
But first, let's leave Japan on a good note. Here are today's starters:
BOSTONLHP Jon Lester - 63.0 IP, 50 SO, 31 BB, 10 HR, 1.46 WHIP
OAKLAND
RHP Rich Harden - 25.2 IP, 27 SO, 11 BB, 3 HR, 1.13 WHIP
This will be Lester's first visit to a mound that matters since winning the World Series last season. There's a lot of mixed opinions about Lester, but I wholeheartedly believe Lester is going to have a breakout season. His game four victory was just the tip of the iceberg.
Harden is looking for a healthy season after only pitching 25 innings last year. Harden is one of those pitchers that has a lot of talent but can't really do anything until completely healthy. Is he completely healthy? Not sure, but let's hope not to give us an advantage today.
I'm hoping for a quick game so we can get the hell out of Japan and get back to that simple routine of actually sleeping in the mornings. I think we all need a little bit more sleep after this series is done...