Jason Varitek a Hit at the Plate

August 23 , 2008 | Boston Herald | By John Tomase

 

TORONTO - Six weeks ago, Jason Varitek was pleased to ground weakly to second and advance a runner against the Yankees. He did so on a 3-1 pitch so far outside he had to lunge into the left-handed batter’s box.


How times have changed for the captain, who no longer has to stretch - figuratively or literally - to find something to feel good about.


Varitek homered for the third straight game and ran his modest hitting streak to a season-high five games in last night’s 8-4 win over the Blue Jays. More importantly, he continued a run of good swings he believes started just after the All-Star break and that the Red Sox can only hope holds up down the home stretch.


It has been a trying season for Varitek, to say the least. In the final season of a four-year, $40 million contract, he has struggled to keep his average above .220. He was mildly embarrassed to make the All-Star team and has spent much of the year stoically absorbing criticism that he’s washed up.


He may not have let that last thought enter his mind, but other negative feelings did.


“Things happened for a period of time where it’s hard to really explain,” Varitek said. “I was frustrated. I didn’t have the control of the bat head that I wanted. Then I’m my own worst enemy. I get very analytical.


“I had a good first two months, than an awful month and a half, probably the worst month and a half of my career. Since then, it has turned more normal. I’ve had a lot of help.”


At the risk of oversimplifying, when Varitek hits, the Red Sox win. They’re 9-2 in games in which he homers, and an astounding 18-2 when he records multiple hits, as he did last night.


The reason his production is so tied to victories comes as no great surprise - Varitek anchors the bottom of the lineup and helps the Sox achieve 1-through-9 balance. When he’s not going well, he’s an anchor of a less flattering kind, and the bottom of the lineup becomes a dead zone.


“I think that’s how you win in the long run,” Varitek said. “You have different participants at different times.”


Varitek is clearly locked in. He singled sharply to right in his first at-bat, yanked a hanging cutter over the 328-foot sign in left in the sixth, and added a walk and hit by pitch. The only out he made came in the ninth when he grounded sharply to short.


“And that was probably the hardest ball I hit,” he said.


Even after going 2-for-3 last night, Varitek is still only batting .222. But he can erase the frustrating memories of June and July by finishing strong, which would be a relatively novel development. Because he absorbs more punishment than any player on the team, he has understandably worn down over the final month throughout his career.


He’s a lifetime .233 hitter in September who has batted .222, .213 and .188 there over the last three years.


However, he’s also finally feeling good at the plate, not that he overemphasizes it. He reiterated, probably for the 500,000th time, this offense will always take a back seat to his job handling the pitching staff.


Regardless, the way he’s swinging right now, he’s adding a dimension to the attack. Professional grounders to the right side have their place, but there’s nothing wrong with hitting the ball out of the park.


His productive presence at the bottom of the order makes the Red Sox far more dynamic. And he knows it.


“I’ll help with the bat,” Varitek said softly. “I’ve always believed I will.”