After having a few things to say about what he felt was a wide strike zone against CC Sabathia in the series opener Tuesday, Gonzalez was peeved with a called strike three that ended the series finale on Thursday. It was a cutter from New York closer Mariano Rivera that Gonzalez took with the bases loaded, ending a 4-2 Yankees win.
Although Gonzalez spoke at length about home plate umpire Ed Rapuano's strike zone the other night, he went right to the point when asked about the Rivera offering.
"The only thing I have to say is that pitch was down and I should still be hitting," he told reporters. "It should be 2-2, and you can quote me on that."
Rivera began the ninth by walking Jed Lowrie. Two outs later, he walked Jacoby Ellsbury, and Marco Scutaro followed with a base hit to right to load the bases. That set up a star-studded encounter with Gonzalez that had Fenway Park buzzing.
"We had the right guy up. That’s who we want up there," said Dustin Pedroia, who was on deck when Gonzalez was punched out by Alfonso Marquez.
Facing nothing but Rivera's trademark cutter, Gonzalez fell down 0-2 on a swinging strike and a foul. After taking a ball, the Red Sox first baseman fouled another inside pitch right off his body. Then came the final offering, which broke down and away as it crossed the zone. Or, in the eyes of Gonzalez, missed the zone entirely.
Gonzalez didn't say much of anything to Marquez, but he lingered at the plate and his body language spoke volumes. So, too, did his one postgame comment.
