99 Problems, But a Pitch Ain’t One

The Sox have been hot lately, and mighty-mite second basemen Dustin Pedroia has received the lion’s share of the credit, as he should. Not to be overlooked is the resurgence of Captain Jason Varitek, who smacked another homer last night. ‘Tek, who spent most of the season fighting to stay above the Mendoza Line, is suddenly en fuego.

Consider, in the 121 games through August 13, Varitek was hitting .214 with an on-base percentage of .304 and eight home runs. Since the Sox took on Texas that night, he’s hit .304, gotten on base at a .396 clip and slugged four home runs. We’re no sabermatricians, but even we know that’s a 50 percent increase in home run output in just two weeks!

So, what’s changed?

One explanation: On Aug. 14, it was publicly revealed that the Sox catcher was splitting from his wife, Karen. Now, we’re not saying that there’s a direct relation here or anything (but seriously though, look at the numbers).

Just maybe the other married fellas on the ballclub might want to call Raoul Felder.