Romo got the ball in the top of the first inning and Felipe Alou flied out to left to start. Rick Monday singled to center but was picked off trying to steal. Reggie Jackson flied out to center to end the inning. Hunter got the ball in the bottom of the first and Mike Andrews struck out swinging to start. Reggie Smith tripled into the centerfield triangle and scored on a wild pitch to give the Sox the lead. Carl Yastrzemski flied out to left and Tony Conigliaro grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.
Sal Bando popped up to first to open the bottom of the second but Don Mincher walked. Dick Green singled to second but Frank Fernandez struck out swinging. Roberto Pena flied out to left to end the inning. Hunter cruised in the bottom of the second as Rico Petrocelli popped up to third in foul territory to start. George Scott lined out to Hunter and Gerry Moses grounded out to short to end the inning.
Hunter flied out to right to begin the top of the third but Alou got a base hit to center. Smith dove on the ball and clawed at it like a cat for an error to advance Alou to second. Monday singled to left and Yaz threw home to keep Alou from scoring but Monday took second on the throw. Romo got a big out when Jackson struck out swinging and Bando grounded out to third to end the inning. The Sox got another run in the bottom of the third as Luis Alvarado grounded out to third to start. Romo grounded out to third but Andrews walked. Smith atoned for his error with a base hit to center and Yaz scored Andrews with a base hit to right. Yaz stole second but Tony C flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.
The Athletics struck back in the top of the fourth as Mincher flied out to center to start. Green struck out swinging but Fernandez hit a home run all the way to Calgary, Alberta Canada to cut the lead. Pena popped up to first to end the inning but the A's were down 2-1.
Petrocelli struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth and Scott also went down hacking. Moses popped up to short to end the inning.
Romo cruised in the top of the fifth as Hunter grounded out to short to start. Alou struck out swinging and Monday grounded out to second to end the inning. Alvarado singled to left to start the bottom of the fifth but was doubled off first on a bullet hit to Green by Romo. Andrews grounded out to third to end the inning.
The A's struck again in the top of the sixth as Jackson grounded out to first to start. Bando dropped a base hit to left but Yaz gunned him down trying to stretch a double. Mincher then hit a 59,000 foot home run to tie the game. Green popped up to short to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.
Smith walked to start the bottom of the sixth but was doubled off first on the bullet to Mincher hit by Yaz. Tony C grounded out to short to end the inning.
Fernandez hit one up the elevator shaft to start the top of the seventh but Moses dropped it for an error. Frank flied out to center anyway and Pena flied out to right. Hunter struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox took the lead in the bottom of the seventh as Petrocelli doubled off the Monster to start. Scott doubled to right to score Rico to give the Sox the lead. Moses grounded out to third and Alvarado was intentionally walked. Romo dropped down a bunt to move the runners over but Andrews popped up to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-2.
The A's wasted no time tying the game in the top of the eighth as Alou popped up to short to start. Monday then cracked a 10,000 foot home run to tie the game. Jackson popped up to third and Bando grounded out to short to end the inning with the game tied 3-3. Romo did well, tossing 8 innings and allowing 3 long balls on a spot start.
The Sox went up for good in the bottom of the eighth as Smith launched his third home run of the season to give the Sox the lead. Yaz grounded out to first and Tony C grounded out to third, but Petrocelli singled to left. Scott forced Rico at second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-3.
Romo tried to go the distance but was chased in the top of the ninth when Mincher singled to left. Sparky Lyle came in to pitch and old friend Jose Tartabull came in to run for Mincher. Green banged into a double play and Fernandez took strike three to end the game. The Sox had won it 4-3.
The Good:
Rico Petrocelli was 2 for 4 with a run scored.
Luis Alvarado was 1 for 2 with a walk.
Vicente Romo got the win with 8 innings of 3 run ball. He allowed 9 hits and a walk while striking out five.
Sparky Lyle earned his third save with a scoreless ninth inning.
The Bad:
Tony Conigliaro was 0 for 4.
Gerry Moses was 0 for 3 with an error.
The Ugly:
Mike Andrews was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.
Carl Yastrzemski was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run and stole a base.
George Scott was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.
Final Thoughts:
That was a good start to the series and kudos to Sox manager Eddie Kasko for switching up the lineup for once. Dropping Petrocelli and Scott for their struggles seems to have worked considering they both got big hits today. Rolling the dice on Romo worked out this time as he responded with a great game that outdid Catfish Hunter, one of the best young pitchers in the game. Lyle hasn't allowed an earned run yet so he definitely should be in consideration for someone to close out the games if the starters can't go the distance. Reggie Smith was the hero today with the eighth inning home run and hopefully that can spark the Sox on a long winning streak to close the gap between them and the Baltimore Orioles. Tomorrow night Bill Lee (0-1) looks to rebound from his last start when he takes on Al Downing of the Athletics. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.
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