TAMPA, Fla.Ciriaco strikes again.
Its unlikely many Red Sox fans knew his name at the start of the springor even at the start of the week. But, if this keeps up, it will be hard to forget. Pedro Ciriaco.
On Monday, he hit a two-run, 10th-inning home run to give the Sox a win at home over the Marlins. Tuesday night, on an 0-and-2 pitch, he led off the ninth inning with what was ruled a single with two errors, though it could have been called a triple and an error, and came all the way around to score the only run of the game as the Sox beat the Yankees, 1-0.
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Asked after the game if the hit should have ruled a single, manager Bobby Valentine responded, tongue in cheek:
Where are we playing? They dont want him to make the team.
Ciriaco, 26, joined the Sox as a minor league free agent in January. He was originally signed by the Diamondbacks as an amateur free agent in 2003. He has appeared in 31 major league games for the Pirates over the last two seasons. In 751 games over seven minor league seasons, he has hit .270 with 24 home runs, 298 RBI. And he can run -- with 156 stolen bases and 51 times caught, he has an respectable 75 percent success rate.
Ciriacos hit was one of just four the Sox had in the game. The Yankees had the same number (though, with three errors, two on Ciriacos ball), leading Valentine to summarize the game:
Everybody did good tonight. Except for the hitters. But we brought one with us, though, our secret weapon.