Yankees Blank Sox (9/21/80)

Its one thing for the Boston Red Sox to be mediocre this season, its another thing to get their brains beaten in by the rival New York Yankees. The Yankees are on pace to win 100 games and the Sox would be lucky to win 89 by season's end. Ron Guidry mastered the Sox for 7 innings, surrendering just 3 hits while striking out nine batters. Goose Gossage came in to slam the door afterwards. John Tudor (7-5, 3.00 ERA) failed to make it out of the first inning as he was charged with 3 runs. Bill Campbell and Mike Torrez managed to shut the Yankees down the rest of the way but the damage was done. The Yankees continued their march toward October by blanking the Sox 3-0 at Yankee Stadium. How many runs did the Sox score Dean Wormer?

Guidry took the ball in the top of the first and Rick Burleson struck out to start. Dave Stapleton popped up to short and Carlton Fisk hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning. The Yankees jumped on Tudor in the bottom of the first as Willie Randolph walked to start. Bucky Dent walked and Randolph swiped third before Bob Watson doubled home Willie put the Yankees up for good three batters into the game. Reggie Jackson scored Dent with a sac fly and Watson moved to third on a grounder by Lou Piniella. Rick Cerone singled home Watson and Sox manager Don Zimmer stormed out of the dugout and charged Tudor. Zimmer threw a roundhouse right that Tudor ducked under and ran for the dugout. Bill Campbell was brought in and Eric Soderholm flied out to left to end the inning with the Yankees up 3-0.

Jim Rice started the top of the second by striking out to begin. Tony Perez struck out but Dwight Evans tripled to right. Chico Walker flied out to left to end the inning. Aurelio Rodriguez lined out to second to start the bottom of the second before Bobby Brown grounded out to second. Randolph grounded out to short to end the inning.

Glenn Hoffman popped up to second to start the top of the third and rookie Reid Nichols grounded back to the mound. Burleson walked but Stapleton flied out to center to end the inning. Dent walked to start the bottom of the third but was thrown out by Fisk trying to steal second. Watson singled to left but Jackson banged into a double play to end the inning.

                                        "Bucky you know better than to run on me." - CF

Fisk popped up to third to open the top of the fourth before Rice singled to center. Perez and Evans both struck out to end the inning. Piniella singled to right to start the bottom of the fourth before Cerone flied out to right. Soderholm and Rodriguez both whiffed to end the inning.

Guidry cruised in the top of the fifth as Walker grounded out to second to start. Hoffman took strike three and Nichols swung and missed at strike three to end the inning. Campbell kept pace in the bottom of the fifth as Brown took strike three to start. Randolph singled to center and Rice made a great diving catch to rob Dent of extra bases, but Randolph took second. Watson flied out to center to end the inning. Campbell put in a yeoman's effort with 4 1/3 innings of shutout ball.

                                                      Campbell does well 

Burleson grounded out to short to start the top of the sixth but Stapleton drew a walk. Dave was doubled off of first on a line drive by Fisk to end the inning. Mike Torrez took over for the bottom of the sixth and Jackson singled to right to begin. Piniella flied out to center, Cerone flied out to left and Soderholm grounded out to second to end the inning.

Rice grounded out to short to start the top of the seventh before Perez took strike three for his third strikeout of the game. Evans singled to center and Walker watched strike three go by to end the inning. Torrez got Rodriguez to ground out to short to start the bottom of the seventh and Brown popped up to second. Randolph flied out to center to end the inning.

Goose Gossage came on for the six out save in the top of the eighth and Dave Rader pinch hit for Hoffman only to take strike three. Garry Hancock pinch hit for Nichols and grounded back to the mound before Burleson took strike three to end the inning. Larry Wolfe took over at third for the bottom of the eighth and Dent lined out to short to start. Watson flied out to right but Jackson singled to left. Joe Lefebvre pinch ran for Jackson as Piniella singled to left. Cerone flied out to center to end the inning. The much maligned Torrez tossed 3 scoreless innings, good stuff.

                                                        Torrez eats some innings

Stapleton tried to start a rally with a base hit to right to open the top of the ninth and moved to second on the grounder by Fisk. The rally ended as Gossage froze Rice for strike three and blew away Perez to end the game. The Yankees had won it 3-0.

Jackass of the Night is John Tudor. Not that the Sox were gonna score off Guidry but getting knocked out in the first inning spelled the Sox doom.

                                                Jackass Tudor wasn't ready for prime time

The Good:

Dave Stapleton was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Dwight Evans was 2 for 3.

Bill Campbell tossed 4 1/3 scoreless innings.

Mike Torrez tossed 3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Carlton Fisk was 0 for 4.

Tony Perez was 0 for 4 with the golden sombrero of 4 strikeouts.

Chico Walker was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Glenn Hoffman was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Dave Rader struck out as a pinch hitter.

Reid Nichols was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Garry Hancock was 0 for 1 at the plate.

The Ugly:

Rick Burleson was 0 for 3 with a walk.

Jim Rice was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Honorable Mention:

Larry Wolfe played third base in the bottom of the eighth.

Final Thoughts:

As the season comes to a close, there are rumblings that Don Zimmer may not make it to the end of the season. At this point it would be the right move to make to tell him that his services are no longer needed. When he took over in 1976, he whined to Tom and Jean Yawkey that Bill Lee's crew was hampering his managerial style. Well Lee and his crew have been gone for years now and Zimmer still hasn't been able to get the most out of who's there. Taking out Tudor after 2/3 of an inning forced the bullpen to essentially toss 8 innings. The move worked, Torrez and Campbell did a hell of a job, but the principle of it stinks. The offense took the day off against Guidry and Gossage, never really posing a threat. Looking at the difference between the Sox and Yankees is frightening. Maybe someday the Sox will have the pitching to match the Yankees....maybe. The less said of this disaster, the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 78-68, 15.5 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Sox look to play spoilers when they start a set with the second place Baltimore Orioles. Dick Drago (6-5) goes for the Sox against Scott McGregor, looking for his 20th win of the season. The game begins at 7:30 PM at Memorial Stadium.

Sox Outlast Rangers (8/3/80)

Hahaaaaa! The Boston Red Sox have won a whopping TWO in a row? Time to play Stars & Stripes Forever because the Sox took down the Texas Rangers for the second straight day. The Sox broke out to a 6-0 lead on the back of Glenn Hoffman's 4 runs batted in. Mike Torrez (6-12 4.50 ERA) lasted just 5 innings but the bullpen managed to hold on just enough to preserve the victory. Skip Lockwood earned his second save of the season due some strange Don Zimmer managing and the Sox won the game 6-4 at Arlington Park.

                                                   Ted Kramer approves of the win

John Matlack got the start for Texas and Rick Burleson greeted him with a pop up to second base to start the top of the first inning. Dave Stapleton and Fred Lynn stroked back to back singles but Tony Perez popped up to second. Jim Rice grounded out to third to end the inning. Torrez got the ball in the bottom of the first and Mickey Rivers flied out to right to start. Bump Wills struck out and Al Oliver grounded out to second to end the inning.

Boston struck first in the top of the second as Carlton Fisk and Dwight Evans pounded back to back doubled to put Boston on top. Evans moved to third on the grounder by Gary Allenson. Glenn Hoffman hit his second home run of the year to cap off the inning. Burleson lined out to right and Stapleton grounded out to third to end the inning but the Sox were up 3-0.

                                                   Evans doubles in a run

Torrez kept the lead in the bottom of the second as Buddy Bell grounded out to third to start. Rusty Staub grounded out to short and Pat Putnam struck out to end the inning.

The Sox tried to rally in the top of the third as Lynn and Perez stroked back to back singles to start. Rice beat out a double play ball and Fisk walked to load the bases. Evans banged into a double play to end the inning. Torrez cruised in the bottom of the third as Johnny Grubb flied out to right to start. Jim Sundberg flied out to center and Pepe Frias struck out to end the inning.

Allenson got a base hit to left to start the top of the fourth before moving to second on the sacrifice bunt by Hoffman. Burleson grounded out to third and Stapleton grounded out to short to end the inning. Rivers got an infield single to third to start the bottom of the fourth but Wills flied out to left. Rivers was doubled off first on the line drive to first by Oliver to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the fifth although Lynn grounded back to the mound to start. Perez grounded out to short but Rice singled to left. Fisk and Evans stroked back to back base hits to load the bases and Allenson singled home Rice. Hoffman singled home Fisk to wrap up the scoring and chase Matlack. Charlie Hough came in and Burleson flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-0.

                                                          Allenson drives in a run

Torrez suddenly fell apart in the bottom of the fifth as Bell singled to left to start. Staub doubled him to third but Putnam struck out. Grubb singled home Bell but Staub was thrown out at home on a ground ball by Sundberg. Jim Norris pinch hit for Frias and doubled home Sundberg. Rivers grounded out to first to end the inning with the Rangers down 6-2. Torrez only went 5 innings but allowed just 2 runs.

                                                      Not great but it'll do

Dave Roberts took over at short for the top of the sixth and Stapleton grounded out to third to start. Lynn also grounded out to third and Jim Dwyer pinch hit for Perez only to ground out to first to end the inning. Dick Drago came in for the bottom of the sixth and threw up on himself. Wills singled to center and Oliver singled him to third. Bell beat out a double play ball to score Wills to cut the lead in half. Staub grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-3.

                                                        Nice going Drago, ugh!

The Sox did nothing in the top of the seventh as Rice grounded out to third to start. Fisk grounded back to the mound and Evans took strike three to end the inning. Drago got the Rangers to beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the seventh as Putnam grounded out to first to start. Grubb also grounded out to first but Sundberg grounded out to third to end the inning.

Allenson took strike three to start the top of the eighth but Hoffman walked. Hoffman swiped second but Burleson struck out. Stapleton grounded out to first to end the inning. Drago ran out of steam in the bottom of the eighth although Roberts struck out to start. Rivers singled to center but was forced at second by Wills. Oliver singled and Bell doubled home Wills to cut the lead and put the tying run at second. Richie Zisk pinch hit for Staub and Sox manager Don Zimmer countered by bringing in Tom Burgmeier to face him. Zisk lined out to short to end the inning with the Sox still ahead 6-4.

Lynn walked to begin the top of the ninth and John Henry Johnson came in to pitch to Dwyer. A wild pitch moved Lynn to second but Dwyer struck out. One and done for Johnson as Danny Darwin came in and got Rice to hit a fly out to center. Fisk was intentionally walked and Evans struck out to end the inning. Burgmeier returned for a crazy bottom of the ninth as Billy Sample pinch hit for Putnam and was hit with a pitch. John Ellis pinch hit for Grubb and banged into a double play. Sundberg singled to center and Zimmer pulled off the move of the century. The next batter was Roberts but Rivers was on deck. He wanted Burgmeier to face Rivers if it got to that point but didn't want him pitching to the righty hitting Roberts. Zimmer then had Burgmeier trot out to left field to take Jim Rice out of the game and brought in Skip Lockwood to face Roberts, praying he didn't hit the ball to left. Lockwood got Roberts to hit one up the elevator shaft to end the game. A bit of razzle dazzle by Zimmer worked and the Sox had won it 6-4.

Hero of the Night is Glenn Hoffman. He was 2 for 2 with a walk, a 2 run homer, a stolen base and 4 total runs batted in.

                                                        Hero Hoffman



The Good:

Fred Lynn was 2 for 4 with a walk.

Tony Perez was 1 for 3.

Carlton Fisk was 2 for 3 with 2 walks and 2 runs scored.

Dwight Evans was 2 for 5 with an rbi and 2 runs scored.

Gary Allenson was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Mike Torrez got the win with 5 innings of 2 run ball.

Tom Burgmeier pitched a full scoreless inning.

Skip Lockwood earned his second save by retiring the last batter in the ninth inning.



The Bad:

Rick Burleson was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

Jim Dwyer was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Dick Drago allowed 2 runs in 2 1/3 innings.



The Ugly:

Dave Stapleton was just 1 for 5.

Jim Rice was just 1 for 5 with a run scored.




Final Thoughts:

Gice props for creativity to Zimmer for putting Burgmeier in left hoping Skip Lockwood could get Roberts to hit the ball anywhere but left field in the bottom of the ninth. Still, it was a good victory for the Sox who need to get hot real quick if they want to get anywhere close to the New York Yankees. Dwight Evans seems to be finding his groove and Glenn Hoffman had a hell of a game. The Sox pitching is still their achillies heel but they found a way to win this game. The win improved the Sox to 52-50, 12.5 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it three in a row when they start a series with the Milwaukee Brewers. Steve Renko (5-4) goes for the Sox against old pal Reggie Cleveland at 7:35 PM at Fenway Park.

Orioles Pound Torrez, Sox (6/28/80)

The Boston Red Sox needed to make a statement against the defending American League champion Baltimore Orioles in today's matinee. Instead they got their brains beat in by the champs. Scott McGregor held the Sox to 3 runs in 7 plus innings of work while the Baltimore bats had their way with the ineffective Mike Torrez (4-7, 4.47 ERA). The dirty bird lit up Mike for 7 runs in 6 2/3 innings and ran away with this one to put Boston further behind the New York Yankees in the AL East race with an 8-4 win at Fenway Park.

                                             "This is your fault Torrez"

Al Bumbry led off the top of the first inning with a double to left but Torrez came back to strike out both Pat Kelly and Ken Singleton. Eddie Murray grounded out to short to end the inning. McGregor held the Sox in check in the bottom of the first as Rick Burleson grounded out to short to start. Dave Stapleton grounded out to short and Fred Lynn struck out to end the inning.

John Lowenstein singled to open the top of the second before Dan Graham forced him at second. Doug DeCinces banged into a double play to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the second as Tony Perez was retired on a swinging bunt in front of the plate to start. Butch Hobson struck out but Dwight Evans singled to left. Jim Dwyer flied out to right to end the inning.

Mark Belanger flied out to left to start the top of the third before Rich Dauer singled to center. Bumbry flied out to left and Kelly grounded out to first to end the inning. Glenn Hoffman tried to start a rally with a base hit to center to start the bottom of the third but was thrown out trying to steal. Gary Allenson singled to center but Burleson banged into a double play to end the inning.

The O's struck first in the top of the fourth inning although Singleton struck out to start. Murray and Lowenstein stroked back to back singles and Graham crushed a 80,000 foot home run into the Charles River to put the O's up big. DeCinces popped up to first in foul territory and Belanger flied out to right to end the inning but it was 3-0 O's.

Stapleton tried to start a rally with a base hit to center to begin the bottom of the fourth but Lynn grounded out to second, Perez struck out and Hobson flied out to right to end the inning.

Dauer singled to start the top of the fifth and a wild pitch moved him to second. Dauer moved to third on the grounder by Bumbry but Kelly popped up to short. Singleton grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Still nothing in the bottom of the fifth as Evans grounded out to short to start. Dwyer flied out to right and Hoffman flied out to center to end the inning.

Murray grounded out to third to begin the top of the sixth and Lowenstein followed with a ground out to second. Graham flied out to right to end the inning. Allenson walked to start the bottom of the sixth but Burleson banged into another double play. Stapleton singled to right but Lynn flied out to center to end the inning.

The O's finally got to Torrez in the top of the seventh although DeCinces grounded out to third to start. Belanger also grounded out to third but the wheels fell off. Dauer and Bumbry stroked back to back singles and Kelly walked to load the bases. Singleton walked and Sox manager Don Zimmer ran out of the dugout screaming at Torrez, chasing him into the bullpen. Torrez got lit up for 7 total runs in 6 1/3 innings. BOOOOOOOOO!!!

                                                       Terrible effort from Torrez

Zimmer didn't have anyone warming up in the bullpen so he spun around in a circle and pointed at Win Remmerswal, choosing the puzzled pitcher to come into the game ice cold. Naturally Win allowed back to back doubles to Murray and Lowenstein to ice the game. Zimmer ran out of the dugout with a 9 MM gun and started shooting at Win to get him off the mound before being led away by armed security. John Tudor came in to pitch and got Graham to strike out to end the inning with the O's up for good 8-0.

                                                     Tough to pitch in a situation like this

With the pressure off, NOW the Sox decided to rally. Perez led off the bottom of the seventh with a double to left but Hobson grounded out to third. Evans lined out to short but somehow Dwyer smashed his 6th home run of the season to cut the lead. Hoffman grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox down 8-2.

Tudor returned for the top of the eighth and struck out DeCinces to start. Belanger singled to center but Dauer took strike three. Bumbry grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox finally chased McGregor in the bottom of the eighth although Allenson flied out to left to start. Burleson walked and Stapleton singled to chase McGregor. O's manager Earl Weaver brought in Tim Stoddard and Lynn flied out to left, but Perez singled home Burleson with another run. Hobson grounded out to first to end the inning but the Sox were down 8-3.

                                                      Perez knocks in a run

Bill Campbell had mop up duty in the top of the ninth and Kelly singled to center to start. Singleton singled to right but Evans threw out Kelly at third. Murray singled to center but Lowenstein banged into a double play to end the inning. Carl Yaztremski pinch hit for Evans to lead off the bottom of the ninth only to strike out. Dwyer singled to left and Jerry Remy pinch hit for Hoffman, drawing a walk. Dave Rader pinch hit for Allenson and singled to right, scoring Dwyer. Burleson moved both runners over with a grounder but Stapleton popped up to second to end the game. The Orioles had won it 8-4.

Jackass of the Night is an easy one. Mike Torrez got lit up for 7 runs in just 6 1/3 innings. He allowed 9 hits and struck out just 3 batters.

                                                   Terrible Torrez the Jackass

The Good:

Dave Stapleton was 3 for 5.

Tony Perez was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Dwight Evans was 1 for 3.

Jim Dwyer was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis and 2 runs scored including a home run.

Glenn Hoffman was 1 for 3.

Jerry Remy walked as a pinch hitter.

Gary Allenson was 1 for 2 with a walk.

Dave Rader singled and drove in a run as a pinch hitter.

John Tudor tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Bill Campbell pitched a scoreless 9th inning.

The Bad:

Fred Lynn was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Butch Hobson was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Carl Yastrzemski struck out as a pinch hitter.

Win Remmerswaal allowed back to back doubles to the only batters he faced.

The Ugly:

Rick Burleson was 0 for 4 but walked and scored.

Final Thoughts:

That's not the way to start a crucial series against the defending AL champions. Yes the Yankees are the team to beat this year but beating a team like the Orioles is a must if the Sox hope to keep pace and they failed big time today. They couldn't touch McGregor and Torrez looked lost out there. Yeah the Sox scored some runs late but the game was out of reach by then. What a shame the Sox fell so far, so hard ever since they lost to the Yankees in 1978. The less said of today's disaster, the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 38-32, 7 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to rebound tomorrow night against the Orioles when Bob Stanley (6-5) goes up against Steve Stone at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Brewers Pulverize Red Sox (4/12/80)

Wow, what a massacre. It was bad news all around as the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Boston Bruins in Game 3 of their first round NHL playoff series and the Milwaukee Brewers absolutely crushed the Boston Red Sox. The Brewers hit not one but two grand slams in the bottom of the second inning along with another home run to end the game early. The Brewers ended up scoring 18 runs total on 14 hits. Not helping was the Sox committing 4 errors on defense and not being able to hit in the clutch against Lary Sorensen of Milwaukee. Mike Torrez (0-1, 45.00 ERA) got shelled for 6 runs to open the game and the Brewers pounded Chuck Rainey and Bruce Hurst for 12 runs as the Brewers ran away with an 18-1 victory over the Sox at County Stadium.

                                                             Look at the scoreboard

Sorensen got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jerry Remy grounded out to second to start. Rick Burleson walked but Fred Lynn flied out to center. Jim Rice grounded out to short to end the inning. The Brewers pounced on Torrez in the bottom of the first inning as Paul Molitor walked to start. Cecil Cooper hit a ball back to Torrez and he tried to field the ball in his hat for an error. Larry Hisle singled to left to score Molitor and Ben Oglivie hit another grounder to the mound...booted for another error to load the bases. Gorman Thomas popped up to second but Sixto Lezcano hit a sac fly to right to score Cooper. Don Money forced Oglivie at second to end the inning with the Brewers up 2-0.

                                                          Hisle starts the torture

Carl Yastrzemski grounded out to first to start the top of the second but Tony Perez singled to right. Butch Hobson and Dwight Evans both flied out to right to end the inning. Hobson apparently hurt himself flying out and had to be replaced by Jack Brohamer to start the bottom of the second. Robin Yount started the rally with a base hit to center before swiping second base. Buck Martinez walked and Molitor caught the Sox asleep with a bunt single to load the bases. Cooper got revenge on the team that traded him 3 years ago by belting a grand slam to Green Bay to ice the game. That was it for Torrez as Chuck Rainey came in to take a beating. Hisle walked and Oglivie doubled to right but Thomas struck out swinging. Lezcano was intentionally walked and Money made the Sox pay by swatting his own grand slam to turn the game into a laughter. Yount put the exclamation point on the inning with a home run all the way to Mount Rushmore to increase the lead. Martinez grounded out to short and Molitor took strike three to end the inning with the game over already 11-0 Brewers.

                                                               "Ay carumba!" - Torrez

Dave Rader tried to start a rally with a base hit to center to start the top of the third.  Remy forced Rader at second and Burleson banged into a double play to end the inning. Cooper hit one up the elevator shaft to start the bottom of the third before Burleson booted a grounder by Hisle for an error. Oglivie hit a grounder to Remy and he threw the ball into the centerfield bleachers for yet another error. Thomas struck out swinging and Lezcano forced Oglivie at second to end the inning.

Lynn grounded back to the mound to start the top of the fourth before Rice got a base hit to left. Yaz grounded out to first to move Jim to second but Perez flied out to left to end the inning. Money walked to start the bottom of the fourth to start but Yount flied out to left. Martinez flied out to center and Molitor grounded out to third to end the inning.

Brohamer singled to center to begin the top of the fifth before moving to third on the grounder to third by Evans. Rader grounded back to the mound and Remy grounded out to short to end the inning. The Brewers struck again in the bottom of the fifth as Cooper grounded out to second to start. Hisle grounded out to third but Oglivie was hit with a pitch. Thomas walked and Lezcano doubled home both runners to increase the deficit. Money forced Lezcano at third to end the inning with the Brewers up 13-0.

                                                              Lezcano drives in a pair

The Sox finally got on board in the top of the sixth inning as Burleson grounded out to third to start. Lynn singled to right but Rice struck out swinging. Yaz dropped a base hit to right and Perez drove in Lynn with a single to right. Brohamer flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox down 13-1.

                                                           Perez drives in a run

Bruce Hurst came in to take a beating in the bottom of the sixth as Yount walked to start. Martinez flied out to center but Molitor singled to left. Cooper doubled to right to score Yount but Hisle struck out swinging. Oglivie singled home both runners and Thomas smashed a two run home run to wrap up the scoring. Lezcano struck out looking to end the inning with the Brewers up 18-1.

                                                                   Thomas hits one out

Ned Yost took over behind the plate, Mark Brouhard took over for Cooper, Jim Gantner took over for Molitor and Bill Castro came in to pitch the top of the seventh. The Sox beat the ball in the dirt as Evans grounded out to third, Rader grounded out to first and Remy grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Tom Burgmeier came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Money walked to start.  Yount forced Money at second and Yost banged into a double play to end the inning.

Dan Boitano came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Burleson walked to start. Lynn forced Rick at second but Rice singled him to third. Yaz struck out swinging and Perez flied out to left to end the inning. Gantner singled to right to start the bottom of the eighth but Brouhard forced him at second. Hisle singled to right to move Brouhard to third but Oglivie hit a fly ball to center. Brouhard was thrown at home trying to score on the play to end the inning.

Bob McClure came in to close out the top of the ninth and Glenn Hoffman pinch hit for Brohamer. Hoffman struck out swinging and Evans grounded back to the mound, then Carlton Fisk pinch hit for Rader. Fisk struck out swinging to end the game. The Brewers had won it 18-1.

Jackass of the Night is Mike Torrez. He got rocked for 6 runs in just 1 plus innings to take the loss.

                                                           Torrez the Jackass

The Good:

Jim Rice was 2 for 4.

Tony Perez was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Jack Brohamer was 1 for 2.

Dave Rader was 1 for 3.

Tom Burgmeier tossed 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Jerry Remy was 0 for 4 with an error.

Butch Hobson was 0 for 1 before leaving the game.

Glenn Hoffman struck out as a pinch hitter.

Dwight Evans was 0 for 4.

Carlton Fisk struck out as a pinch hitter.

Chuck Rainey got blasted for 7 runs in 4 innings.

Bruce Hurst allowed 5 runs in just 1 full inning.

The Ugly:

Rick Burleson was 0 for 2 with an error but walked twice.

Fred Lynn was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Carl Yastrzemski was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Final Thoughts:

Two games, two losses for the Red Sox. Not only that, they got smushed like a cigarette in this game. Rainey, Torrez and Hurst allowed 18 runs in six innings and the Brewers couldn't miss. The Sox were hoping Rainey and Hurst would be future stars but they didn't look good at all in this one. On the other side of the ball the Sox bats were held to just a single run and that was driven in by Perez. Its only the first two games of the season so there's no need to panic but its leaving a bad taste in the fans collective mouth. The Sox have plenty of time to figure things out but giving up 18 runs to the Brewers isn't a good look. The Sox look to avoid a sweep tomorrow afternoon against Milwaukee when Bob Stanley makes his season debut for the Red Sox against Moose Haas of the Brewers. The game begins at 2:30 PM Eastern time at County Stadium.

Brewers Walkoff Sox on Opening Day Grand Slam in Ninth (4/10/80)

Well so much for the 1980 season starting on a high note for the Boston Red Sox. The Milwaukee Brewers took a 5-3 over the Boston Red Sox on Opening Day heading into the ninth inning. Dennis Eckersley lasted just 4 1/3 innings and gave up 4 of the 5 runs to put the Sox in the hole they were in.  Suddenly home runs by Carl Yastrzemski and Butch Hobson tied the game to give Boston fans a glimmer of home. That hope was dashed when Sixto Lezcano clobbered a walkoff grand slam off Dick Drago (0-1, 54.00 ERA) to win the game for the Brewers 9-5 at County Stadium.

                                              Sox losing on a walkoff makes Flounder sick

Jim Slaton got the start for Milwaukee and Jerry Remy greeted him with a groundout back to the mound to start. Rick Burleson singled to right but Fred Lynn flied out to center. Jim Rice struck out to end the inning. Eckersley got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Paul Molitor grounded out to third to start. Old friend Cecil Cooper took strike three before Dick Davis flied out to right to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second inning when Carl Yastrzmeski got the first hit of the season with a base hit to right. Tony Perez made his Red Sox debut with a base hit to right before a wild pitch moved both runners over. Butch Hobson drove in the first run of the season with a base hit to score Yaz to put the Sox on top. The rally ended as Dwight Evans struck out and Dave Rader banged into a double play to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                      First rbi of 1980 for Butch

Old buddy Ben Oglivie flied out to right to begin the bottom of the second inning before Gorman Thomas struck out. Sixto Lezcano hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning.

The Sox added to the lead in the top of the third although Remy flied out to left. The hit parade was started when Burleson singled to center and Lynn singled to right. Rice singled home Burleson and Yaz singled home Lynn to put Slaton on the ropes. Unfortunately Perez banged into a double play to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                       Rice increases the lead

Don Money grounded out to third to start the bottom of the third before Robin Yount popped up to first. Charlie Moore singled to right but Molitor flied out to center to end the inning.

Hobson grounded out to short to begin the top of the fourth but Evans drew a walk. Evan moved to second on the grounder by Rader but Remy flied out to left to end the inning. Eckersley suddenly fell apart in the bottom of the fourth although Cooper took strike three. Davis flied out to center but Oglivie pounded a 50,000 foot home run to put the Brewers on the board. Thomas walked and Lezcano bashed a 300,000 foot home run to tie the game. Money walked but Yount flied out to right to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                Why'd the Sox get rid of him again?

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fifth as Burleson flied out to center to start. Lynn struck out looking and Rice grounded out to third to end the inning. Moore grounded out to third to begin the top of the fifth but Molitor smashed a 5,000,000 foot home run into Lake Michigan to give the Brewers the lead. Cooper doubled to left and Sox manager Don Zimmer ran out of the dugout screaming his head off and tried to throw a roundhouse right at Eckersley. Eck ducked under it and hightailed it out of there as Steve Renko was brought into pitch. Eckersley lasted just 4 1/3 innings and gave up 4 runs off 3 homers, brutal. Davis struck out but Oglivie was intentionally walked. Thomas walked to load the bases but Lezcano grounded out to third to end the inning with the Brewers ahead 4-3.

                                                         Not Eck's best work

Boston failed to respond in the top of the sixth as Yaz flied out to left to start. Perez and Hobson both grounded out to short to end the inning. The homer parade continued as Money homered off Renko to start the bottom of the sixth. Yount grounded out to short, Moore took strike three and Molitor flied out to center to end the inning with the Brewers ahead 5-3.

                                                          Nice relief Renko

Slaton cruised in the top of the seventh as Evans flied out to left to start. Rader flied out to center and Remy grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Renko kept pace in the bottom of the seventh as Cooper struck out to start. Davis grounded out to short and Oglivie grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Sox looked defeated in the top of the eighth as Burleson grounded out to short to start. Lynn grounded out to first and Rice flied out to center to end the inning. Renko got in trouble in the bottom of the eighth as Thomas led off with a double to left. Lezcano and Money both flied out to center but Yount walked. Moore struck out to end the inning.

With their backs to the wall, the Sox somehow rallied in the top of the ninth. Yaz led of with his first home run of the season to cut the lead but Perez grounded out to third. Hobson stepped up by jacking his first home run of the season to tie the game and chase Slaton. Old pal Reggie Cleveland came in and Evans grounded back to the mound. Rader flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox tying it up 5-5.

                                                   Yaz & Hobson tie it up

Dick Drago came in to preserve the tie in the bottom of the ninth and failed miserably. Molitor singled to right and was sacrificed to second on a bunt by Cooper. Davis popped up to first and Oglivie walked to set up a force. The move backfired as Thomas walked and Lezcano ended it with a grand slam all the way into the Gulf of Mexico to end the game. The Brewers had won it 9-5.

                                                            Dammit


The Brewers had won it 9-5 to spoil Opening Day for the Sox.

Jackass of the Night is Dick Drago. He allowed the walkoff grand slam to lose the game.

                                                          Drago the Jackass



The Good:

Rick Burleson was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Carl Yastrezmski was 3 for 4 with 2 total rbis, 2 total runs scored including a solo home run.

Butch Hobson was 2 for 4 with a solo home run.

Steve Renko allowed a run in 3 2/3 innings of work.



The Bad:

Jerry Remy was 0 for 4.

Dave Rader was 0 for 4.

Dennis Eckersley allowed 4 runs in just 4 1/3 innings. He allowed 5 hits including 3 home runs.



The Ugly:

Fred Lynn was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Jim Rice was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Tony Perez was just 1 for 4.

Dwight Evans was 0 for 3 but walked.




Final Thoughts:

This is going to leave a bad taste in Boston fans' mouths. Eckersley didn't look good at all and as usual the Sox could bop their way back in the game but found a way to lose anyway. The stench of 1979 carried over to 1980 and the Sox are gonna have to make a few moves to avoid a fate worse than last season. Still, its only one game and there's 161 of these to go.....good lord. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox are back in action Saturday against the Brewers in the second game of this series. Mike Torrez makes his season debut for the Sox against Lary Sorensen of the Brewers at 2:40 PM at County Stadium