Jason Bay had an OK first day in Boston

Since I paid the money for an Extra Innings package this year and the Pirates played a day game, I figured I'd check out Jason Bay's debut at Fenway tonight. Some of the highlights:
  • Judging by his pre-game interview, Bay is absolutely stoked by the trade.
  • Before his first at-bat, he got a huge standing ovation that lasted so long, he had to step out of the box until it ended.
  • During said first at-bat, he looked so terrified that his bat wasn't going to leave his shoulder for anything. He walked and later scored.
  • He made a couple of nice catches in the field, including one sliding catch.
  • Against Brad Ziegler, he struck out in a very ugly fashion on a low and away slider. This terrified a Sox fan friend of mine that came over to see the game. I told him not to be alarmed, because that's going to happen from time to time.
  • I left to meet some friends for a birthday before the game ended, but somehow getting a text message that said, "Bay tripled and scored the winning run," sort of made my night.
It's funny, but sometimes you don't realize how much of a fan you are of a particular player until you see him in a different uniform. Seeing Bay in blue and red tonight geeked to the max to be in a pennant race and helping the Red Sox to a win made me happy for him, but incredibly sad that he was gone from the Pirates forever. That's not a reaction I've ever had to any trade that the Pirates have made in my life, and that includes seeing Brian Giles, Jason Kendall, and yes, Craig Wilson in different uniforms. As much as I like the trade we made, it's hard to see Bay go.

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