When you are mentioned with Bernie Carbo in Red Sox history, that's always a good thing.
You can now say that about Jonny Gomes, as he tied the legendary Carbo for the Red Sox record for pinch-hit home runs in a season, as he blasted his third of 2012 last night, a game-winning shot in the ninth to give the Sox a 2-1 win over the Padres at Fenway.
It was the second time Gomes has won a game for the Sox at Fenway with a pinch-hit HR in the ninth. It was also the 8th time this season the Red Sox have won a game at Fenway in the ninth inning or later. (I don't use that "W" term that has come into the vogue the last few years, as it is a misnomer that never should have entered the lexicon.)
Jon Lester pitched his best game in a month, pitching 7 solid innings after a rocky first inning. Koji Uehara pitched a scoreless ninth for the win.
And speaking of Bernie Carbo, it wasn't one of the three pinch-hit homers he hit in 1977, but you may remember his most famous one, early in this clip:
The Red Sox enter the July 4th holiday in first place by 3 1/2 over Baltimore, 6 over New York, and 6 1/2 over Tampa Bay. They are 52-34. Pretty amazing.
