Hooray for Clay!

Clay Buchholz has always struck me as one of the most interesting players on the Red Sox. After having thrown a no hitter in his second major league start he seemed destined for greatness. Unfortunately, he couldn't seem to handle the mental pressure and ended up back down in the minors for a while. I found the story of his quick success and his inability to handle it fascinating, made more so by the fact that he has worked so hard to get over it.

I vividly recall when he was called up last year, on a day in Toronto when Josh Beckett got rocked at Rogers Stadium (sound familiar?) The next day, Clay went on to pitch great and stayed with the Red Sox for the rest of the season. He was somewhat uneven last year. Sometimes watching him was like waiting for a bomb to go off. You could tell by his body language and the look on his face that he was teetering close to losing it, and sometimes he did. But Tito had faith in him and sent him out for the 3rd game of the playoff series against the Angels, a game in which he pitched very well and Tito pulled him out of just in time.

During Spring Training this year the big story was the extra man in the rotation. Would Tim Wakefield or Clay Buchholz be the odd man out? Wakey had a great Spring Training for the msot part, Clay got shelled on more than one occasion. Nonetheless, Wakey got sent to the pen this week and Clay got the spot in the rotation. Last night in Toronto he proved that not only does he deserve it but he can handle the pressure. Clay was dominant. He was brilliant and he was a pleasure to watch. It has been too long so it has been a pleasure to watch one of our starters pitch.