The Sox wasted no time getting to Royals starter Jim Rooker to start the top of the first as Mike Andrews got a base hit to left to start. George Thomas grounded into a double play but Carl Yastrzemski got a base hit to right. Reggie Smith got a base hit to right and Pat Kelly booted the ball. Yaz scored but Smith was thrown out at third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.
Nagy got the ball in the bottom of the first and Kelly grounded out to short to start. Amos Otis popped up to first and Joe Keough grounded out to short to end the inning.
Rico Petrocelli led off the top of the second by striking out swinging. George Scott lined out to second and Billy Conigliaro took strike three to end the inning. Bob Oliver popped up to first to start the bottom of the second and Ed Kirkpatrick hit one up the elevator shaft. Lou Piniella got a base hit to left but Paul Schaal flied out to center to end the inning.
The Sox struck again in the top of the third as Jerry Moses got a base hit to center to start. Nagy dropped down a bunt to move Jerry to second and Andrews got a base hit to left to score Moses. Jackie Hernandez booted a grounder by Thomas for an error and Yaz beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners. Smith lined out to right to end the inning with the Sox up 2-0.
Hernandez flied out to center to start the bottom of the third and Rooker struck out swinging. Kelly struck out swinging as well to end the inning.
Petrocelli walked to start the top of the fourth but Scott grounded into a double play. Conigliaro walked and Hernandez booted a grounder by Moses for an error. Nagy grounded out to first to end the inning. The Royals struck back in the bottom of the fourth as Otis grounded out to short to start. Keough flied out to center but Oliver got a base hit to left and Kirkpatrick hit a home run all the way to St. Louis to tie the game. Piniella grounded out to second to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.
The Sox struck back in the top of the fifth as Andrews walked to start. Thomas grounded out to short to move Mike to second and Yaz struck out swinging. Smith got a base hit to left to score Andrews to put Boston back in front. Petrocelli lined out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-2.
The Royals answered in the bottom of the fifth as Schaal flied out to left to start. Hernandez flied out to left but Rooker doubled to center. Suddenly Kelly hit a home run all the way to Wisconsin to put Kansas City in the lead. Otis caught Thomas asleep with a bunt single but got picked off to end the inning with the Royals up 4-3. That was it for Nagy who allowed a pair of two run home runs and was done after just five innings.
Scott flied out to center to start the top of the sixth but Conigliaro hit a ground rule double down the right field line. Moses flied out to center and Don Pavletich pinch hit for Nagy. Pavletich took strike three to end the inning. Vicente Romo came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Keough grounded out to second to start. Oliver singled in the hole at short but Kirkpatrick grounded into a double play to end the inning.
Andrews got a base hit to right to start the top of the seventh but Thomas struck out swinging. Yaz lined out to center and Smith forced Andrews at second to end the inning. Piniella struck out swinging to start the bottom of the seventh but Schaal walked. Schaal stole second and Hernandez walked as well. Rooker and Kelly both struck out swinging to end the inning.
The Sox rallied in the top of the eighth as Petrocelli walked to start. Scott got a base hit to left to move Rico to third and Petrocelli scored when Conigliaro beat out a double play ball. Moses got a base hit to right and Dick Schofield pinch hit for Romo. Schofield also beat out a double play ball to score Conigliaro. Andrews walked but Thomas grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-4.
Sparky Lyle came in to pitch the bottom of the the eighth and Otis walked to start. Keough dropped down a bunt to move Otis to second and Amos moved to third on a liner to center by Oliver. Kirkpatrick grounded out to second to end the inning.
The Sox had a chance to break the game open in the top of the ninth as Yaz popped up to third to start. Smith got a base hit to center and Petrocelli got a base hit to left to move Smith to third, chasing Rooker. Ken Wright came in to face Scott and George struck out swinging. Petrocelli stole second and Hernandez made his third error by throwing wide of the plate, allowing Smith to score. Conigliaro and Moses both walked to load the bases and Auerlio Monteagudo came in to face Lyle. Lyle popped up a bunt to Monteagudo to end the inning with the Sox up 6-4.
Lyle came back to close out the bottom of the ninth and the floodgates opened. Piniella got a base hit to right and Schaal got a base hit to center to put the tying runs on. Sox manager Edie Kasko panicked and brought in Cal Koonce to finish the game. Hernandez dropped down a bunt and Scott threw the ball away for an error to score Piniella. Billy Sorrell pinch hit for Monteagudo and was intentionally walked to set up a double play. Kelly hit a sac fly to left to score Schaal to tie the game, moving Hernandez to third. Otis ended matters with a base hit to left to score Hernandez and win the game 7-6 for the Royals.
Jackass of The Night is George Scott. His ninth inning error led to the winning runs scoring.
The Good:
Mike Andrews was 3 for 3 with 2 walks, an rbi and a run scored.
Reggie Smith was 3 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.
Rico Petrocelli was 1 for 3 with 2 walks, a stolen base and a run scored.
Billy Conigliaro was 1 for 3 with 2 walks, rbi and a run scored.
Jerry Moses was 2 for 4 with a walk and a run scored.
Dick Schofield drove in a run as a pinch hitter.
Vicente Romo tossed 2 scoreless innings.
The Bad:
George Thomas was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.
Don Pavletich struck out as a pinch hitter.
Mike Nagy was tagged for 4 runs in just 5 innings off 6 hits.
Sparky Lyle was charged with 2 runs in an inning of work.
Cal Koonce took the loss by allowing 2 inherited runners to score and one of his own.
The Ugly:
Carl Yastrzemski was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but scored a run.
Final Thoughts:
Bad teams find a way to lose and the Red Sox did just that. Not only did they blow a two run ninth inning lead but Scott throwing the ball away was the key. If they get Hernandez at first, the Kelly sac fly only makes it 6-5 and if Otis gets a base hit, the game would have only been tried. As usual, the problem with the Red Sox is pitching. Lyle's ERA is 5.47 and Koonce is 3.91. Hell Nagy gave them nothing today and his is 4.11. The Sox are trying to outslug everyone and its not working. They're not going to beat the Minnesota Twins or Baltimore Orioles if they keep trotting out Mike Nagy, Gary Peters and a broken down Jim Lonborg. The loss dropped the Sox to 27-29, 9.5 games behind the Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to rebound tomorrow night against the Royals when Gary Peters (3-7) takes on Bill Butler of Kansas City. The game begins at 8:00 PM eastern time at Municipal Stadium.
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