上原浩治の復帰に地元メディアも大興奮 「三者凡退、それがコウジタイム」

上原浩治の復帰に地元メディアも大興奮　「三者凡退、それがコウジタイム」

Red Sox 8, Nationals 7

Koji Uehara returns to seal Red Sox’ win over Nationals

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2015/04/14/red-sox-win-second-straight-game-against-nationals/ONlS2gqPcLcZRfvaDe1O4L/story.html

By Peter AbrahamGlobe Staff  April 15, 2015

    
The fans at Fenway Park knew this was no ordinary save situation for Koji Uehara.

The Washington Nationals, down by one run, had the heart of their order coming up and Uehara was pitching for the first time this season after coming off the disabled list. He had not successfully closed out a game since Aug. 12, going into a worrisome slump after that game and losing his job.

  
That explained why the cheers for Uehara were louder than usual when the bullpen door swung open in the ninth inning Tuesday night. The 40-year-old sprinted to the mound, eager to pitch.

“I had to get into the flow right away,” Uehara said. “I was really into it.”

Three outs later, the Red Sox had their closer back and an 8-7 victory. David Ortiz, as tradition now dictates, flung Uehara over his shoulder in celebration.

“I’ve lost some weight. It was easier,” Uehara said via translator C.J. Matsumoto.

The perfect inning had some drama. After Uehara struck out Bryce Harper with a splitter, Ryan Zimmerman hammered a fastball down the line in left. Umpire Manny Gonzalez called it foul, which stood up to a review.

“I just felt I didn’t have the velocity or the power behind the pitch. He pretty easily hit it that far,” Uehara said. “I did feel it was going to go foul.”

Zimmerman lined to left field, then Uehara went back to the splitter to strike out Clint Robinson.

“He had adrenaline. It was clear the energy in his delivery,” manager John Farrell said. “The finish to his fastball was better than we saw in spring training. He threw some splits that had really good depth.”

For a 6-2 Red Sox team with questions about its pitching staff, seeing Uehara get a save was affirming.

“He’s important to us. We’re going to need him to be healthy and do what he does. He’s a big part of it,” second baseman Dustin Pedroia said.

The victory also served as an example that this Red Sox team is capable of finding its way through adversity.