seize the moment

Tony Sipp vs. Mitch Moreland. Today’s Houston-Boston game didn’t turn on this fifth-inning confrontation between Mississippi natives, but it was a big moment. Moreland, the lefty-hitting first baseman for the Red Sox, drove a 2-1 pitch to the opposite field for a two-run double against Sipp, the lefty reliever for the Astros. The runs stretched Boston’s lead to 5-0. As the Fox commentator said during the broadcast, “It’s looking more and more like this’ll be the day the Red Sox wrap up the flag.” Indeed, with Ole Miss alum Drew Pomeranz (17-6) delivering a razor sharp six-plus innings (one run, three hits, two walks, three strikeouts), Boston won 6-3 and clinched the American League East, sending the rival New York Yankees into the wild card game against Minnesota. Sipp, the Pascagoula native and Moss Point High alum, was brought in – despite his 5.84 ERA — specifically to face Moreland with runners at first and second and one out. The runners pulled off a double steal before Moreland, the pride of Amory High, stroked his 34th double of the season and picked up RBIs No. 78 and 79. It was a moment to remember for Moreland, who has had a bunch of them this year. And it’s not even October. P.S. Andrew Benintendi’s steal in the fifth inning was his 20th of the year, making him the third Boston rookie to post a 20-homer/20-steal campaign. The others were Nomar Garciaparra and Vicksburg native Ellis Burks, who did it in 1987.