JERMAINE FREAKIN' DYE:

Sox drop in 19 to Chicago (Michael Silverman, 7/10/06, Boston Herald)

If anyone goes into baseball withdrawal over this three-day All-Star break, they can refer back to the box score and play-by-play of yesterday’s Red Sox-White Sox series finale for a fix.

This 19-inning game had it all, and it was the Red Sox who came out on the losing end, 6-5, some 6 hours, 19 minutes after it began with Jose Contreras’ first pitch to Kevin Youkilis. And 568 pitches later, Rudy Seanez threw a one-out, bases-loaded pitch to Tadahito Iguchi, whose single put an end to a long day and the first half of the Red Sox season.

Considering the Red Sox had already won the first two games of the series and, at 53-33, are still three games ahead of the New York Yankees in the AL East, the loss did not create a pall over the visitors’ clubhouse.

Still, as baggy-eyed players sought the advice of traveling secretary Jack McCormick on how to re-schedule missed flights back home, the loss still looked painful. [...]

The White Sox had more chances as the game wore on but splendid defense kept the game tied. The highlight was third baseman Alex Cora tapping third on a ground ball and then making an off-balance throw to first for a double play to end the 17th inning.