Mike Smithson got the ball for the Rangers in the top of the first inning and Wade Boggs flied out to left to start. Dwight Evans grounded out to first and Jim Rice struck out in short order. The Rangers pounced on Ojeda right from the start. Billy Sample walked and Mike Richardt singled. Buddy Bell took strike three but Dave Hostetler tripled home both runners to give Texas the lead. Larry Parrish walked and Bob Johnson singled in Hostetler. Jim Sundberg doubled home Parrish to increase the lead before George Wright grounded out to short. Bucky Dent also grounded out to first to end the inning with the Rangers ahead 4-0.
The Sox failed to respond in the top of the second inning although Tony Armas was plunked to start the inning. Carl Yastrzemski flied out to left but Dave Stapleton banged into a double play to end the inning. Ojeda settled down in the bottom of the second by getting Sample to ground out to short to start. Richardt flied out to right and Bell took strike three again to end the inning.
The Sox mustered nothing in the top of the third inning. Rich Gedman flied out to right, Glenn Hoffman grounded back to the mound and the only reason Julio Valdez reached first was due to an error by Johnson. Somehow Boggs singled but Evans struck out to end the inning. The Rangers struck again in the bottom of the fourth inning after Hostetler and Parrish worked back to back walks. Johnson beat out a double play ball and Sundberg scored Hostetler with a sac fly to center. Wright flied out to center to end the inning but it was now 5-0 Texas.
The Sox fought back in the top of the fourth inning when Rice led off with a double. Armas struck out and Yaz flied out, but Stapleton doubled home Rice to put the Sox on the board. Gedman grounded out to second to end the inning but it was 5-1 Rangers.
Ojeda was done after just three innings and Doug Bird made his season debut to pour gas on the fire in the bottom of the fourth. Dent doubled to begin before Sample moved him to third on a groundout. Richardt doubled in Dent and Bell grounded out to short. Hollister doubled in Richardt and Parrish flied out to left to end the inning with the Rangers up 7-1.
The Sox threatened in the top of the fifth but accomplished nothing. Hoffman grounded out to second but Valdez got his first hit of the season. Boggs watched strike three go by but Evans singled. Rice struck out to end the inning. Bird came back for the bottom of the fifth and Johnson flied out to center to begin. Sundberg grounded out to third and Wright struck out to end the inning.
The Sox went quietly in the top of the sixth as Armas flied out to center, Yaz flied out to left and Stapleton grounded out to third to end the inning. The relentless Rangers struck again in the bottom of the sixth as Dent flied out to center to start. Sample tripled but Richardt popped up to center, failing to advance Sample. Bell promptly singled in Sample and Hostetler walked. Parrish hit a routine ground ball to Boggs who picked the ball up and threw it to a puzzled Jim Rice in left field for an error to load the bases. Johnson grounded out to end the inning but it was 8-1 Texas.
The Sox looked to get something going when Gedman singled and Hoffman walked to start the top of the seventh but Valdez flied out to right. Boggs singled to load the bases but Evans banged into a double play to end the inning. Somehow the Rangers did NOT score in the bottom of the seventh inning. Sundberg grounded out to short, Wright looked at strike three and Dent grounded out to second to end the inning.
Dave Tobik replaced Smithson in the top of the eighth and the Sox finally rallied. Rice hit a routine grounder to Dent who threw wide of first, allowing Jim to reach. It didn't matter as Armas banged into a double play. Yaz doubled and Stapleton walked before Gedman doubled in both runners. Hoffman walked and Rick Miller made his season debut to pinch hit for Valdez, only to ground-out to end the inning with the Sox down 8-3.
John Henry Johnson took the mound in the top of the ninth with Marty Barrett now at second base. Sample popped up to second to begin before Richardt singled. A wild pitch moved Richardt to second but Bell flied out to right. Hostetler walked before Parrish lofted a routine fly to Armas. Tony inexplicably threw his glove at the ball and drove on it, scoring Richardt and Hostetler on the play. Johnson struck out to end the inning but it was 10-3 Rangers.
The carnage finally ended in the bottom of the ninth as Boggs grounded out to short to begin. Evans grounded out to third but Rice singled to prolong the agony. Armas flied out to center to end the game. The Rangers had won 10-3.
Jackass of the Night is Bob Ojeda. He lasted just 3 plus innings and gave up 5 runs, putting the Sox in a hole they couldn't dig out of.
The Good:
Wade Boggs was 2 for 5.
Jim Rice was 2 for 5 with a run scored.
Dave Stapleton was 1 for 3 with a walk, run scored and an rbi.
Rich Gedman was 2 for 4 with 2 rbi's.
Glenn Hoffman walked twice in four plate appearances.
Julio Valdez was 1 for 3.
The Bad:
Tony Armas was 0 for 4 with a strikeout and an error.
Rick Miller was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.
Doug Bird gave up 4 runs in 3 innings.
The Ugly:
Dwight Evans was just 1 for 5.
Carl Yastrzemski was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.
John Henry Johnson allowed 2 runs in the 9th inning but due to an Armas error.
Honorable Mention:
Marty Barrett played second in the top of the ninth.
Final Thoughts:
That was a disaster but those are going to happen this season if the Sox continue to have mediocre pitching. Sox ownership are going to ride with young, homegrown pitchers such as Ojeda, John Tudor and Bruce Hurst and they're going to have growing pains. If Eckersley can't regain 1978 form then they are in big trouble. The Rangers couldn't miss today and unfortunately if Sox pitching can't do better, its going to be a LONG season. Tomorrow afternoon the Sox travel to Arlington Texas to play the Rangers with Dennis Eckersley going for the Sox opposite Jon Matlack.
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