The Tigers wasted no time getting to Pattin in the top of the first inning as Dick McAuliffe ripped a base hit up the middle to start. Bill Freehan flied out to left but McAuliffe moved to second on the grounder to third by Al Kaline. Norm Cash ripped a base hit to center but Reggie Smith booted the ball for an error to allow McAuliffe to score and Cash to take second. Gates Brown singled to left to score Cash and Willie Horton was hit with a pitch. Aurelio Rodriguez singled to center to score Brown and Mickey Stanley singled to center to score Horton. Ed Brinkman popped up to right to end the inning with the Tigers up 4-0.
Lolich got the ball in the bottom of the first and Tommy Harper grounded out to third to start. Luis Aparicio grounded out to short and Carl Yastrzemski struck out swinging to end the inning.
The Tigers threatened in the top of the second although McAuliffe lined out to right to start. Freehan grounded back to the mound but Kaline singled to left. Cash singled to right and Brown walked to load the bases, but Horton struck out swinging to end the inning. Reggie Smith struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second before Orlando Cepeda doubled off the Monster. Rico Petrocelli grounded out to third and Carlton Fisk flied out to right to end the inning.
Rodriguez popped up to third to start the top of the third but Stanley walked. Brinkman banged into a double play to end the inning. Doug Griffin took strike three to start the bottom of the third before Dwight Evans popped up to right. Harper motored around for a triple into the right field corner and Aparicio walked to put runners at the corners. Yaz flied out to center to end the inning.
The Tigers knocked out Pattin in the top of the fourth as McAuliffe flied out to left to start. Freehan grounded out to third but Kaline doubled to right. Cash doubled home Kaline and Brown was intentionally walked to get to Horton. The gamble backfired as Horton crushed a 3 run home run to Central America to ice the game. That was it for Pattin as Bill Lee replaced the ineffective starter and got Rodriguez popped up to second to end the inning with Detroit up 8-0.
The Sox got one back in the bottom of the fourth although Smith grounded out to short to start. Cepeda also grounded to short but Petrocelli launched his second home run of the season to cut the lead. Fisk popped up to second to end the inning with the Sox down 8-1.
Stanley grounded out to second to start the top of the fifth before Brinkman grounded out to first. Tony Taylor pinch hit for McAuliffe and grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Griffin grounded out to short to begin the bottom of the fifth and Evans flied out to left. Harper grounded back to the mound to end the inning.
Danny Cater took over at first for Yaz to make his season debut to start the top of the sixth and Freehan grounded out to short to start. Kaline flied out to left and Rich Reese pinch hit for Cash only to strike out swinging to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the sixth as Aparicio grounded out to short to start. Cater got a base hit to left and Smith smashed his first home run of the season to cut the lead. Cepeda and Petrocelli both struck out swinging to end the inning but the Sox were down 8-3.
Frank Howard pinch hit for Brown to start the top of the seventh but popped up to second to start. Horton singled up the middle but Rodriguez popped up to short. Stanley grounded out to short to end the inning. Lerrin LaGrow came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh but Fisk doubled to center to begin. Fisk moved to third on the grounder to first by Griffin and scored on the sac fly to center by Evans. Harper struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 8-4.
The Tigers got a crucial run in the top of the eighth as Brinkman grounded out to third to start. Taylor then hit a home run all the way to Chicago to increase the lead. Freehan popped up to second and Kaline flied out to right to end the inning with the Tigers up 9-4.
The Sox kept fighting in the bottom of the eighth as Aparicio popped up to first in foul territory to start. Cater grounded out to second but Smith belted his second home run of the day to cut the lead. Cepeda flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox down 9-5.
Bobby Bolin made his season debut in the top of the ninth and Reese grounded back to the mound to start. Howard grounded out to short and Horton hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning. The Sox sprang to life in the bottom of the ninth as Petrocelli walked to start. Fisk hit his third home run of the season to cut the lead but Griffin grounded out to first. Evans and Harper drew back to back walks to somehow put the tying run on but Aparicio flied out to right. Cater grounded out to short to end the game. The Tigers held on to win it 9-7.
Jackass of the Night is Marty Pattin. He got rocked for 8 runs to put the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of.
The Good:
Danny Cater was 1 for 3 with a run scored.
Reggie Smith was 2 for 4 with 2 home runs and 3 total rbis.
Rico Petrocelli was 1 for 3 with a walk, home run and two total runs scored.
Carlton Fisk was 2 for 4 with a two run home run and 2 total runs scored.
Bill Lee allowed just one run in 4 1/3 innings.
Bobby Bolin pitched a scoreless ninth inning.
The Bad:
Carl Yastrzemski was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.
Doug Griffin was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.
The Ugly:
Tommy Harper was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked.
Luis Aparicio was 0 for 4 but walked.
Orlando Cepeda was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.
Dwight Evans was 0 for 2 but walked and drove in a run.
Final Thoughts:
This game was a kick to the balls for sure. The offense pounded out 7 runs and four home runs to do the best they could but Pattin giving up 8 runs was just too much. As unfair as it sounds, the one run Lee gave up in nearly five innings also factored into the game because the Sox may have played some small ball down by 1 instead of 2. Still, Lee and Bolin combined to allow just 1 run in 5 1/3 innings which is still pretty good. Yaz leaving the game left it up to Cater at the end and he just couldn't get it done. Still, the Sox made Lolich look human and damn near pulled off a comeback in a game they trailed 8-0 and 9-4 in. Its only April but the Sox are showing some fight for sure, even in defeat. A valiant effort for the Sox but the Tigers came out the victors. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow afternoon when Lynn McGlothen makes his season debut for the Sox against Joe Coleman of the Tigers. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.
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