Yup, the Nats got drubbed by the Sox last nıght. It was a game until the 8th, when the home town team’s bullpen was let loose. Then it got ugly. Then ıt got ugly quick. Once Mr. Lannan left the hill early in the 7th, after providing a very tidy 3-run outing, the bullpen crew gave up eight runs on as many hits in the next 2 2/3 innings. Nuff said.

John Lannan held the Sox-- and Nats fans shouted down The Natıon

What needs to be said is what was going on in the record setting crowd of 41, 517. Unless you were in the ball park you wouldn’t know. And unless you had watched  Boston fans absolutely dominate Camden Yards over the last several years when the Sox visited Baltimore, it probably wasn’t noticeable.  What it was is a complete unwillingness on the part of Nats fans to surrender their ballpark.  It was a demonstration of protecting their turf.  Protecting their team.  And ( dare I say it!), pride in the home squad.

Record be damned.

Anyone who has ever witnessed Camden Yards when Red Sox Nation invades can tell you – for Baltimore fans its not pretty and it’s not fun.  It is a sea of Red Sox shirts, blue caps and boisterous fans descending out of the local hotels and making their way to the ball park.  The crowd may have had their few “be-ahs” prior to the game, but they are not out of control — or even rowdy. They are more confident; cocky perhaps.  And then, even before the first Boston batter in the first inning leaves the on-deck circle to approach the batter’s box, “the chant” begins:

Here we go Red Sox, Here we go [clap, clap].

Over and over.  By 30,000 full-throated people.  I’ve literally seen O’s fans roll their eyes in disgust and frustration when it begins because they know they’re in for a long night.

But that was not the case last nıght.  The Sox fans were in attendance to be sure. And their team regalia was in full display. But they did not control the space outside the white lines.  Though they tried. In the 7th with the game tied the Sox fans began their chant to exhort their heroes to go in for the kill.  Here we go. . .

But, surprisingly, the vocal coup was repelled.  Nats fans rose to the occasion and booed, yelled and whistled until the park became a cacophony. It was unclear what, exactly, was being yelled but that is the point: it most certainly was not recognizable as a pro-Red Sox incantation.

Which I take to mean that something has happened in this city in the last week.  The Nats won four in a row against two good teams and that has put some life in the step of the team and the fans.  The fans tonight demonstrated that they don’t like losing and won’t be pushed around in their own yard.  By anyone. Not even by The Nation.

I’m not sure how long it will last.  It may be fleeting.  But for at least the next week, maybe longer, this is a baseball town.