[翻譯]Nearly Perfect at Fenway

Nearly Perfect at Fenway

By MIKE VACCARO

Published : April 12, 2008 / New York Post



From the beginning, Jose Molina could see what no one else in the Fenway Park crowd of 37,624 could see, because he had the best view, squatting only 60 feet and 6 inches away from Chien-Ming Wang's fingertips.

從一開始, Jose Molina就看見了Fenway Park全場37,624個球迷目光所不及的事實, 因為他有全球場視野最好的座位, 他就蹲在距離王建民僅有60英尺又6英吋的位置。



Everyone else could see that Wang was awfully damn good last night.

雖然在場的所有人都可以看出王建民昨晚的狀況有多好。



Molina knew he was even better than that.

但是Molina知道王建民的表現甚至還可以更好。



"Put it this way," the Yankees' backup catcher told a couple of friends outside the Yankees clubhouse, before facing the usual Bosox-Yanks media scrum. "Tonight was a night I was glad to be catching him, and not hitting against him."

"我們這麼說好了," 洋基的替補捕手在賽後接受記者訪問前在洋基休息室外和一群朋友閒聊時這麼說道, "今天我很慶幸我是他的捕手, 而不是需要面對他的打者。"



Wang is already off to a beautiful start to the season, with a 3-0 record and a 1.23 ERA. Yet it's entirely possible - likely even - that he could go the rest of the season, no matter how many games he wins, and never approach the dominance and the craftsmanship he threw at the Red Sox last night. Wang went the distance in a 4-1 victory, throwing only 93 pitches and was literally one eyelash and one backside away from possibly throwing a perfect game.

王建民在今年球季有了個絕佳的開始, 3勝0敗, 防禦率1.23, 不過我想, 在今年球季接下來的比賽中, 不管王建民表現多麼傑出、贏了多少比賽, 昨晚的表現都為他設定了一個連他自己都很難再度達到的高標, 他在紅襪隊的主場不僅僅展現了全面性的主宰力更將其細膩的球技發揮到淋漓盡致。他在昨晚那場4-1的勝利中, 僅僅用了93球就完投九局, 而且更令人讚嘆的是, 他和完全比賽的距離就只有那麼咫尺之遙。



"He was at the top of his game," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said, "and when he is, that's something to see, it really is."

"他的狀態正處巔峰," 洋基總教練Joe Girardi說道, "當他狀態這麼好時, 看他投球完全是種享受。"



It really was. Yanks-Bosox is always a marquee matter, and the first meeting of the year always has something of a secular holiday feel to it - even if the Sox were missing Mike Lowell and the Yankees were minus Derek Jeter, even if the Yankees have spent the last week scuffling against the upstart likes of the Rays and the Royals and the Sox have been spinning their wheels while waiting for David Ortiz's painful wheels to turn him back into the old Papi.

Joe Girardi所言甚是。洋基和紅襪的對抗從來都不是件小事, 而昨晚那場兩支球隊的本季首次交手更是不能等閒視之, 就算紅襪陣中少了Mike Lowell、而洋基隊長Derek Jeter也因傷缺陣, 儘管洋基在上週的賽事中和本季有著絕佳開場的光芒及皇家陷入苦戰、而紅襪也因為遲遲等不到David Ortiz的火力支援而倍感勢單力薄。



Nobody believes the newspaper this morning, which shows the Orioles still clinging to first place in the AL East, which shows the Bosox in last place, behind the Rays and the Jays in addition to the O's and the Yanks. It's early. It's early. It's early. That's all anyone says in April. That's all anyone is supposed to say in April.

沒有人會相信自己在今天早上報紙體育版中的所看到的, 金鶯隊目前仍然雄踞美聯東區榜首, 而紅襪只能敬陪末座, 看著光芒、藍鳥、金鶯和洋基踩在自己頭上。球季還長的很, 人們總會這麼對你說, 在四月時, 這也是所有球迷應該要了解的事。



Still.

事實的確是如此。



"This early in the season," Boston manager Terry Francona said, "everyone is still feeling each other out, seeing where everyone is positioned."

"在球季初期," 紅襪隊總教練Terry Francona說道, "所有球隊都還在彼此互探虛實的階段, 試圖了解對手的實力究竟如何。"



Right now, Wang is positioned as the ascendant arm in the entire league, doing what he did at a park that has given him little other than horror and helplessness throughout his career. When he walked onto the field for the bottom of the first last night, his career numbers at Fenway Park looked like this: two wins, three losses, and an ERA (6.17) that looked like the assists average for an average NBA point guard.

以現在的情勢看來, 王建民是全聯盟中表現最為優異的投手, 但是他過去在Fenway Park的表現卻只能說是差強人意, 在昨晚的比賽之前, 他在Fenway Park的出賽戰績是2勝3敗, 而防禦率則是看起來更像是NBA後衛每場平均助攻數的6.17。



Then he blitzed through the first inning 1-2-3.

不過在昨晚比賽的第一局下半, 他讓紅襪打者三上三下。



And he blitzed through the second inning 1-2-3.

二局下半, 又是三上三下。



And the third inning. And on into the fourth, when Alex Rodriguez made a splendid play to snare a Dustin Pedroia scorcher down the line but then threw too high, Jason Giambi's foot hitting the bag a split-second after Pedroia's. It was ruled an error.

三局下半的情況也沒有任何不同。一直到了四局下半, A-Rod漂亮地攔住Dustin Pedroia所擊出的球, 但卻在把球傳向一壘時不小心傳高, 跳起來接球的Giambi在Pedroia踏到一壘壘包後的千分之一秒才落地, 這才是全場紅襪球員的第一次上壘記錄, 而失誤則計到了A-Rod頭上。



The perfect game was gone, but the perfection remained intact for another inning, even as it seemed the Bosox were finally catching up to Wang. Manny Ramirez hit a rope that Bobby Abreu caught up to in right field. Kevin Youkilis hit another shot to right, and Abreu caught that one, too. So when J.D. Drew smoked one to right, and Abreu drifted back . . .

完全比賽的希望到此確定落空, 不過王建民的完美表現卻仍然持續下去。 五局下半, 紅襪打者看似終於找到突破王建民封鎖的方法, Manny Ramirez先是打了一個飛向右外野的高飛球被Abreu接殺, 下一棒的Kevin Youkilis又接著擊出一個同樣被Abreu沒收的右外野深遠飛球, 緊接著上場的J.D. Drew又是大棒一揮將球掃到右外野, 洋基右外野手Abreu開始拼命向牆邊退...



"I had it all the way," Abreu said. "It should have been my ball."

"那球一直都在我的掌握中," Abreu說道, "我應該可以接到那球的..."



Would have been, too, but as Abreu jumped, his rear end collided with the masslottery.com sign. The ball nicked off his glove, fell into the bullpen.

他的確應該要接到那球的, 不過在他躍起接球的瞬間, 他的背部撞上了全壘打牆上的masslottery.com廣告標語, 球就這樣擦過他的手套末端, 飛進了牆後的牛棚中。



"If we lose the game," Abreu said, "I feel terrible. As it was, I felt terrible, because I thought it might cost him the no-hitter."

"如果我們最後輸掉這場比賽的話," Abreu說道, "...我肯定會非常自責。 我感覺糟透了, 因為我覺得自己毀了王建民的無安打比賽。"



It didn't. The Yankees cashed in on some nine o'clock lightning, gave Wang a lead, and the way he was pitching that was going to be plenty. At the end, he looked unimpressed, as always. He was the only one.

洋基並沒有因此輸球, 憑藉著球賽後段的及時火力支援, 洋基打線還是幫王建民打下了領先的優勢, 而以王建民昨天的狀況看來, 這樣的領先幅度是綽綽有餘。球賽結束時, 王建民還是一如既往地冷靜, 並沒有顯露出任何對個人優異表現感到興奮的跡象, 而他也是全場唯一一個沒有對自己感到佩服的人。



"When he pitches like that," Molina said, "you think anything is possible."

"當他像今天這場比賽那樣投球時," Molina說道, "你會覺得很像沒有他辦不到的事。"



And for a while last night, anything was.

在昨晚那場比賽的好一大段時間中, 事實的確是如此。