Strange Ending at Fenway Park

Last night, I was at Fenway Park for a game between the Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays. It was my 65th game at Fenway since 2000. It had without a doubt the strangest ending of all the games I've attended let alone what I've seen on TV or heard on the radio. Coco Crisp ended the game by flying out to right field giving the Jays a 3-0 win. Oh well. My friend and I were descending the stairs towards the exit and then all of a sudden I notice Blue Jays manager John Gibbons furiously arguing with the umpires. He slammed down his cap and got ejected from the game. This could mean only one thing. The game was not over.

I thought perhaps time got called but Jays closer B.J. Ryan ignored it and threw the pitch thus invalidating the out. However, what happened was that Ryan balked as he delivered the pitch. For the uninitiated, a balk occurs when a pitcher does not come to a complete and discernible stop before delivering the pitch. A pitcher cannot deceive a runner on base. Because of the balk, Brandon Moss was awarded second base and Crisp would live to fight another day. And wouldn't you know it but Crisp singled. So instead of game over we have runners at first and third. Crisp would then advance to second on defensive indifference. So now the tying run comes up to the plate in the form of rookie Jed Lowrie. My friend and I (as well as those who remained) thought if the Sox pulled this off we would be speaking about this game for years. But no sooner than we thought that Lowrie was called out on strikes to end the game. Jays still win 3-0.