Clemens got the opening day start in the top of the first and Gary Pettis greeted him by popping up to short on the very first pitch of the season. Lou Whitaker walked but Darrell Evans looked at a splitter on the outside corner for strike three. Alan Trammell popped up to second to end the inning. Tigers ace Jack Morris was equally tough as Clemens in the bottom of the first inning. Rookie Brady Anderson made his major league debut by whiffing, welcome to the big leagues kid. Marty Barrett grounded out to short but Wade Boggs doubled off the Monster for the first hit of the season. Jim Rice was rung up on a check swing to end the inning.
Clemens turned up the heat in the top of the second by blowing away Matt Nokes to start. Pat Sheridan and Chet Lemon both were caught looking in short order. Morris answered by walking Mike Greenwell but he was erased on a strike em out, throw em out double play by Dwight Evans. Last year's hero Sam Horn grounded out to second to end the inning.
The Tigers struck first in the top of the third inning. Mike Heath froze on strike three but Tom Brookens walked after falling behind 0-2. Pettis popped up to left but Brookens advanced to second on a balk on Clemens. Whitaker made Roger pay with a single to score Brookens to give the Tigers the lead. ANOTHER balk moved Whitaker to second before Evans grounded out to second to end the inning with the Tigers up 1-0.
The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the third inning. Rich Gedman grounded out to third and Spike Owen grounded out to second. Anderson legged out an infield single for his first career hit but only because Whitaker heaved the ball into the Red Sox dug-out, nearly killing Heath who tumbled into it. Barrett popped up to second to end the inning.
The Tigers struck again in the top of the fourth inning although Trammell flied out to right to start. Nokes grounded out to first but Sheridan walked. Lemon slapped a ball down the right field line that scored Sheridan all the way from first, Lemon making it to third with a triple to increase the lead. Heath flied out to right to end the inning but the Tigers were up 2-0.
The Sox struck back in the bottom of the fourth when Boggs doubled off the Monster to start. Rice hit one up the elevator shaft but Greenwell singled past the diving Trammell to put runners at the corners. Evans doubled home Boggs but Greenwell held at third amidst a chorus of boos from the crowd. The boos turned to cheers when Horn lined a seeing eye single past Whitaker at second to score both runners and give the Sox the lead. Gedman whiffed on a splitter in the dirt and Owen flied out to right but the Sox now led 3-2.
The Tigers threatened in the top of the fifth inning when Brookens singled to right to start the frame. Pettis tried to sacrifice Tom to second but Clemens threw him out at second for the force. Gedman then gunned down Pettis trying to steal but Whitaker walked and and advanced on ANOTHER balk by Clemens. Sox analyst Bob Montgomery suggested manager John McNamara come out and calm down Clemens but Roger didn't need it, blowing away Evans to end the inning. Anderson blooped a single to right to give the bottom of the fifth some hope...but then he got picked off to end that. Barrett was retired on a squibber in front of the mound and Boggs watched strike three go by to end the inning.
The Tigers tied the game in the top of the sixth inning although Trammell flied out to right to start. Nokes blasted a line drive home run over the bullpen to tie the game. Clemens recovered to strike out Sheridan but Lemon blooped a single just out of the reach of a diving Rice in left. Heath was frozen for strike three to end the inning but the Tigers had tied it 3-3.
Rice whiffed to begin the bottom of the sixth amidst a chorus of boos but Greenwell singled to right. Evans flied out to the centerfield wall as Morris stopped to knock some dirt off his spikes while half the crowd went to get some nachos. Horn flied out to the left field warning track to end the inning.
Brookens continued to be a pain in the ass in the top of the seventh by doubling off the top of the Monster in center. In Detroit that ball was gone and Pettis sacrificed Brookens to third with a bunt. A foul ball made its way to the luxury boxes where wealthy paper mogul Bob Kraft made the catch. Whitaker was rung up for strike three and Evans grounded out to first to end the inning.
Gedman led off the bottom of the seventh by grounding out to short. Owen grounded out to second but Anderson blooped a single to center for his third hit of the day. Barrett lined out to left to end the inning.
Clemens breezed through the top of the eighth inning. Trammell grounded out to second, Nokes lined out to left and Sheridan whiffed for Roger's 10th strikeout of the game. Morris was equally tough in the bottom of the eighth inning as Boggs grounded out to short to start. Rice flied out to center and Greenwell popped up to short to end the inning.
Clemens came back for one more inning in the top of the ninth. Lemon hit a comebacker to the mound, Heath grounded out to second and Roger finally got Brookens looking to end the inning. Clemens had thrown 9 innings of 3 run ball with 11 strikeouts but would need a ninth inning rally to get a win.
It didn't come as Morris mowed the Sox down in the bottom of the ninth. Evans whiffed on a splitter in the dirt, Horn whiffed as well on a low splitter then Gedman whiffed to end the inning. Morris finished with a flurry to send this to extras.
The new Red Sox closer, Lee Smith took the mound in the top of the tenth to a standing ovation. Fans were THAT happy to get rid of Calvin Schiraldi apparently. The cheers didn't last long as Pettis hit a routine ground ball to Owen who tried to field it in his hat instead of his glove and the ball rolled through for an error. Whitaker dropped down a sacrifice bunt but Smith chose to get the easy out at first rather than try for second where he actually had a play. Evans then hit one to the right field wall but Greenwell hauled it in, advancing Pettis to third. That would have been the third out but it turned into a lost cause when Trammell crushed a home run onto Lansdowne Street to give the Tigers a 5-3 lead. Nokes flied out to the right field warning track to end the inning but the Tigers were up 5-3 as fans poured out of Fenway Park.
Mike Henneman was brought in to pitch the bottom of the tenth inning where the Sox were done for the night. Owen was booed as he stepped to the plate and he didn't help himself as he lined out to right. Anderson hit a bullet but right to Trammell for the out. The Sox briefly caught a break when Barrett hit a routine grounder to Whitaker who pulled a Bill Buckner and let the ball go through his legs. The Sox failed to capitalize as Boggs grounded into a force to end the game. The Tigers stole one to spoil the Fenway opener 5-3.
Jackass of the Night is Spike Owen. He was 0 for 4 at the plate and his 10th inning error led to the game winning home run.
The Good:
Brady Anderson was 3 for 5 in his Major League debut.
Wade Boggs was 2 for 5 with a run scored.
Mike Greenwell was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.
Roger Clemens tossed 9 innings of 3 run ball while striking out 11. Normally that would be more than enough to win the game.
The Bad:
Marty Barrett was 0 for 5.
Jim Rice was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.
Rich Gedman was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.
Lee Smith allowed the go-ahead 2 run homer after Owen's error.
The Ugly:
Dwight Evans was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run and scored.
Sam Horn was just 1 for 4 but drove in 2 runs.
Final Thoughts:
That sucked. Clemens pitched his ass off and Brady Anderson got 3 hits in his first 5 at-bats but that damn Owen error was the difference. Then again, it didn't seem like the Sox were going to score anyway the way things were going even if it was tied going into the 11th. They're going to need HazMat teams to clean up the messes this season if Smith is no better than Schiraldi was. Still, its only one game and they can't lose them all. The Sox return to action Wednesday afternoon at 1:05 PM with Bruce Hurst making his season debut opposite Doyle Alexander at Fenway Park.
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