A's Pound Boddicker, Sox Bullpen To Win Game 3 (10/8/88)

So much for the 1988 Boston Red Sox. Morgan Magic is about to come crashing down at the hands of the seemingly unbeatable Oakland A's. After the A's squeaked out two late inning wins in Boston, the A's broke the Sox in half in their return home to Oakland. The Sox jumped out to a 5-0 lead when they knocked A's starter Bob Welch out in the second inning. The lead didn't last as big trade deadline acquisition Mike Boddicker was shelled for 6 runs in just 2 2/3 innings. Wes Gardner and Bob Stanley were both hammered as well as the A's pounded out 15 hits and 10 runs to move one win away from the World Series with a 10-6 victory at Oakland Coliseum.

                                                          Sad Sox

The Sox did manage to strike first against Welch in the top of the first inning. Ellis Burks lined a base hit up the middle to start and moved to second on a balk. Marty Barrett dumped a single to right to put runners at the corners and Wade Boggs dropped a base hit into left to score Burks to give the Sox the lead. Mike Greenwell doubled past the stumbled Stan Javier to score both Barrett and Boggs to increase the lead. Greenwell moved to third on the grounder by Jim Rice before Dwight Evans and Rich Gedman drew back to back walks to load the bases. The Sox had Welch on the ropes but let him off as Jody Reed lined out to shallow left so nobody advanced. Todd Benzinger flied out to the left field wall to end the inning and the Sox led 3-0, but it could have been better.

                                                        Sox go up 3-0 early

Boddicker got in trouble in the bottom of the first as Carney Lansford singled in the hole at short to start. Lansford was thrown out trying to steal by the alert Rich Gedman but Dave Henderson hit a chopper under Jody Reed for a base hit. Jose Canseco drew a walk and Dave Parker hit a grounder to Benzinger who made a great stab for the out. BUT WAIT! Canseco tried to run all the way to third not knowing Benzinger had the ball and Todd chased him to initiate a run-down. Todd fired to Reed and Jody noticed Henderson was coming home so he threw to Gedman. Rich fired to Boggs to tag out Henderson to end the inning.

                                                            YERRR OUT!

The Sox pounded on Welch in the top of the second inning as Burks doubled down the left field line and moved to third on the sacrifice bunt by Barrett. Boggs scored Burks with a sac fly and Greenwell pounded a home run to right to increase the lead. A's manager Tony LaRussa stopped the bleeding by bringing in Gene Nelson to replace the ineffective Welch. Rice flied out to center to end the inning but the Sox led 5-0.

                                                        Happy Sox dugout

The A's roared back in the bottom of the second as Mark McGwire pounded a home run to left to put Oakland on the board. Ron Hassey lined a hanging curve up the middle for a base hit but Barrett dropped a double play ball. He got Hassey at second on the force but Javier made it to first on the force. Javier was forced at second and his takeout slide prevented Barrett from throwing out Mike Gallego at first. Walt Weiss made the Sox pay with a double to center to score Gallego with another run. Lansford put the exclamation point on the rally with a home run to left. Henderson took strike three to end the inning but the A's closed the gap in the hurry with the Sox only ahead 5-4.

                                                       Dammit Boddicker!

Evans led off the top of the third by flying out to the centerfield warning track before Gedman hit a seeing eye single up the middle. Reed got a base hit to right to put runners at the corners but Benzinger banged into a double play to end the inning. The A's finished off Boddicker in the bottom of the third although Canseco popped up to first tostart. Parker took strike three but McGwire hit an infield single to short and Hassey launched a 2 run bomb to give the A's the lead. Sox manager Joe Morgan came out to get Boddicker out of there. Boddicker was a godsend at the trade deadline to get the Sox to October but he was shelled for 6 runs in just 2 2/3 innings. Wes Gardner came in and got Javier to ground out to second to end the inning but the A's led 6-5.

                                          Trade deadline hero, October failure

The Sox failed to answer in the top of the fourth as Burks popped up to first to start. Barrett popped up to third but Boggs slapped a single to right. Greenwell lined out to right to end the inning. Gardner did what he could in the bottom of the fourth as Gallego dropped a base hit to right to start. Weiss lined out to a running Greenwell, Lansford popped up to right and Henderson went down swinging to end the inning.

The Sox blew a chance to get back in the game in the top of the fifth as Rice grounded out to third to start. Evans walked and Gedman singled him to third, but Reed hit a double play ball to short. Gedman slid hard at second and Reed beat out the throw to score Evans to tie the game....but wait! Second base umpire Ken Kaiser felt Gedman slid too hard into second and called Reed out on interference. Sox manager Joe Morgan bolted out of the dugout and screamed at Kaiser but to no avail, the Sox were robbed of a tie game and the inning was over. Bruce Hurst had to be restrained in the dugout from attacking Kaiser and was thrown out of the game. What a mess.

                                "Kaiser I'VE HAD IT UP TO HERE WITH YOU!"- Morgan

Naturally the A's capitalized on the break in the bottom of the fifth. Canseco popped up to center to start before Parker took strike three. McGwire lashed a base hit to right and Hassey hit a double off the left field wall to score McGwire. Javier was intentionally walked but Gallego took strike three to end the inning with the A's ahead 7-5.

                                                 The score gets worse

Curt Young came in to pitch the top of the sixth and cruised. Benzinger went down hacking before Burks struck out swinging as well. Barrett grounded out to short to end the inning. Gardner returned for the bottom of the sixth and Weiss grounded out to second to start. Gallego grounded out to third and Henderson went down swinging to end the inning.

The Sox finally came to life in the top of the seventh as Boggs led off with a base hit to left that Henderson ran over from center to field, but he muffed the ball. Boggs dove into second safe on the error but Greenwell flied out to center. Eric Plunk was brought in to face Rice and Jim watched strike three go by. Evans got a base hit to right to score Boggs and cut the lead. How big was that interference double play now? Rick Honeycutt came in and got a big play by McGwire to rob Gedman of a hit to end the inning with the Sox down 7-6.

                                                 Boggs scores a run

Once again when the Sox inched closer, Oakland went further ahead in the bottom of the seventh. Gardner did manage to strike out Canseco swinging. Parker inside outed a double down the left field line but McGwire went down hacking. Hassey was intentionally walked and Javier singled up the middle to score Parker and increase the lead. Gallego whiffed to end the inning but it was 8-6 Oakland.

                                                       A's score another run

The Sox tried to fight back in the top of the eighth when Reed walked to start. A's manager Tony La Russa took no chances and brought in closer Dennis Eckersley for the six out save. Larry Parrish pinch hit for Benzinger and swung for the fences, but missed for strike three. Burks forced Reed at second and Barrett flied out to center to end the inning. The A's iced it in the bottom of the eighth as Weiss took strike three to start. Lansford singled to center to chase Gardner. Bob Stanley was brought in and none other than old pal Dave Henderson hit the killshot with a 2 run blast to left. Canseco hit a 400 foot out to dead center and Parker grounded out to first to end the inning but it was now 10-6 Oakland.

                                               Henderson does it again

Eck returned to close out the top of the ninth and the Sox went quietly. Boggs lined out to a jumping Javier in left, McGwire made a great diving stab to rob Greenwell of a hit and Rice whiffed to end the game. The A's were on the verge of a sweep with a 10-6 win in Game 3.

                                                     Final score


Jackass of the Night is Wes Gardner. Had he not surrendered 3 runs, the Sox may have had a chance to win.

                                                    Jackass Gardner


The Good:

Ellis Burks was 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored.

Wade Boggs was 3 for 4 with 2 rbis and 2 runs scored.

Mike Greenwell was 2 for 5 with 3 rbis, a run scored and a home run.

Dwight Evans was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and an rbi.

Rich Gedman was 2 for 3 with a walk.

Jody Reed was 1 for 3 with a walk.



The Bad:

Jim Rice was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Todd Benzinger was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Larry Parrish was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Mike Boddicker got shelled for 6 runs in just 2 2/3 innings.

Bob Stanley allowed a 2 run home run in the eighth inning.



The Ugly:

Marty Barrett was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.




Final Thoughts:

As the season comes crashing down, its not only the way the A's are winning but every break imaginable has gone their way. The interference call on Gedman, what happened at Fenway and so on. You have to be lucky as well as good and that's why the A's are on their way to the World Series. The Sox would have to become the first team in ML history to win four straight, yeah, that's not happening. Now the Sox do have Bruce Hurst going in Game 4 and Roger Clemens in Game 5 if it gets that far so the series is not over yet. Still, if the Sox couldn't get it done so far...how the hell can they come back and win 4 straight? It's even worse then you consider how hard the Sox worked to get to October. They were a game under .500 and John McNamara was sent packing. All of a sudden Joe Morgan came in and the Sox rode the wave to October. Mike Boddicker was the big pick up they needed but he failed big time today. The Sox have one game left to save their season tomorrow afternoon as they send Hurst to the mound opposite Dave Stewart at 3:00 PM Eastern Time at Oakland Coliseum.

A's Edge Sox in Game 2 (10/6/88)

The Boston Red Sox are officially in trouble. The Sox had the first two games at home with their two best pitchers and dropped both of them to the Oakland A's. Tonight Roger Clemens pitched his ass off but ran out of gas in the 7th inning. Trailing 3-2 the Sox rallied only for the bullpen to blow it in the 9th. 3 straight hits by the A's gave them the lead they would not relinquish as the A's left Fenway Park with a 4-3 win.

                                                            "Damn those A's"

Clemens took the mound in the top of the first inning and Luis Polonia grounded out to short to start. Dave Henderson popped up to right before Jose Canseco also popped up to right to end the inning. Storm Davis got the start for the A's and Wade Boggs greeted him with a walk. Marty Barrett flied out to the left field warning track before Dwight Evans popped up to right. Mike Greenwell popped up to center to end the inning.

Clemens stayed strong in the top of the second as Dave Parker grounded out to short to start. Carney Lansford whiffed on a high fastball before Ron Hassey looked at strike three to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the second as Jim Rice flied out to left before Ellis Burks hit a bullet but right at Lansford. Todd Benzinger drew a walk but Jody Reed popped up to center in to end the inning.

Mark McGwire led off the top of the third inning by striking out swinging before Tony Phillips whiffed as well. Walt Weiss grounded out to first to end the inning.

                                                     Clemens is mowing them down

Rich Gedman led off the bottom of the third by looking at strike three to start. Boggs also took strike three before Barrett grounded out to third to end the inning.

Clemens made a boo-boo when he threw a ground ball by Polonia into the right field bleachers for an error to allow Luis to reach second to open the top of the fourth. Clemens recovered to blow away Henderson before Gedman gunned down Polonia at third trying to steal. Canseco flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fourth as Evans popped up to second to begin. Greenwell walked but Rice popped up to third. Henderson made a great jumping catch to rob Burks of a sure triple to end the inning.

Boggs ran down a pop up by Parker to open the top of the fifth inning before Greenwell made a sliding catch on a Lansford liner. Hassey grounded out to second to end the inning. Benzinger reached by lining a single off Davis to open the bottom of the fifth. Reed dropped down a bunt to advance Todd to second but he was doubled off second on a scorching liner to short by Gedman to end the inning.

Clemens returned for the top of the sixth inning and froze McGwire to start. Phillips doubled into the gap in center but Weiss looked at strike three on the inside corner. Polonia was frozen for strike three to end the inning. Clemens had thrown 6 shutout innings and allowed just two hits, he deserved better.

                                                        Sit down Polonia

The Sox struck first in the bottom of the sixth although Boggs grounded back to the mound to start. Barrett lined out to a running Canseco but Evans and Greenwell drew back to back walks. Rice hit a routine line drive to Henderson...AND HE DROPPED IT! Evans came all the way around to score as Greenwell scampered to third on the error. Fenway exploded when Burks singled down the right field line to score Greenwell to increase the lead, also moving Rice to third. Davis uncorked a wild pitch that moved Burks to second but for some reason Rice didn't try to score. That proved costly when Benzinger whiffed to end the inning but the Sox led 2-0

                                                "I got it...I got it....I don't got it"

The lead lasted 30 seconds into the top of the seventh when Henderson (as usual) atoned for his error with a base hit to center before Canseco smashed a 60,000,000 foot home run out of the earth's atmosphere to tie the game. The floodgates opened as Parker blooped a single to left but was erased on a bang bang play at second off a ground ball to short by Lansford. A balk was called to advance Lansford to second as Sox manager Joe Morgan bolted out of the dugout demanding an explanation. Clemens himself came over to listen and ABC announcer Joe Morgan started whining that the other Morgan should be ejected for arguing a balk call. When Morgan left, A's manager Tony LaRussa stormed out of the dugout and demanded Morgan be ejected but to no avail. When action resumed Hassey hit a dead duck liner to third before a wild pitch moved Lansford to third. McGwire slammed a single to left to score Lansford with the go-ahead run. Phillips grounded out to second to end the inning but the A's had taken the lead 3-2.

                                                         The A's take the lead

Davis returned for one more batter in the bottom of the seventh and whiffed Reed to end this day. Greg Cadaret came in to pitch and Gedman greeted him with a solo blast to right to tie the game. Boggs grounded out to third and that was it for Cadaret. Gene Nelson took over and got Barrett to ground out to third to end the inning but the Sox had tied it 3-3.

                                                   Gedman ties it up

Bob Stanley came on to pitch the top of the eighth and Weiss tried to bunt his way on but Boggs sniffed it out for the first out. Polonia tried to bunt his way on as well but he was successful, reaching first. Henderson walked and that was it for Stanley. Sox manager Joe Morgan took no chances and brought in closer Lee Smith to pitch to Canseco. A passed ball moved Polonia to third but Canseco flied out to right, Polonia refusing to test Evans' arm. Parker flied out to right to end the inning, good work Smith. Nelson returned for the bottom of the eighth and Evans popped up to the catcher in foul territory to start. Greenwell popped up to third but Rice singled to right. Kevin Romine pinch ran for Jim but Burks grounded into a force to end the inning.

The A's took the lead in the top of the ninth although Lansford popped up to right to begin. Hassey singled to left-center but McGwire lined out to a running Burks. All Smith needed was one more out to get out of the inning but he didn't get it as Phillips fought back from an 0-2 count to not only single to right, but advance Hassey to third. Weiss lined a shot to center that a sliding Burks couldn't come up with, scoring Hassey with the go ahead run. Polonia whiffed to end the inning with the A's ahead 4-3.

                                                  The A's take the lead

Mike Gallego took over at second in Polonia's batting spot with Phillips moving to left with Dennis Eckersley on the mound to close out the game. Benzinger grounded out to short before Larry Parrish pinch hot for Reed only to pop up to second. Gedman flied out to left to end the game, the A's had won it 4-3 going back to Oakland up two games to none.

                       The A's celebrate

Jackass of the Night is Lee Smith. He gave up the go-ahead run in the 9th inning.

                                               Jackass couldn't hold the A's down


The Good:

Dwight Evans was 0 for 3 but walked and scored.

Mike Greenwell walked twice in four plate appearances and scored a run.

Todd Benzinger was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Roger Clemens held the powerful A's offense to 6 hits and 3 runs in 7 innings of work while striking out 8.



The Bad:

Marty Barrett was 0 for 4.

Jody Reed was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Larry Parrish was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.




The Ugly:

Wade Boggs was 0 for 3 but walked.

Jim Rice was just 1 for 4.

Ellis Burks was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Rich Gedman was just 1 for 4 but made the hit count as it was a solo home run.

Bob Stanley retired only one of the three men he faced.



Honorable Mention:

Kevin Romine pinch ran for Rice in the 8th.




Final Thoughts:

As if Game 1 wasn't a big enough kick in the balls, this game topped that. Just when the Sox looked like they would cruise, the A's jumped ahead. When the Sox tied it and had the A's on the run, they went ahead again. It was if the A's answered everything the Sox did in the first two games of this series. Bruce Hurst and Roger Clemens pitched their asses off but the bullpen blew it each time. If the A's are World Series bound they certainly earned it for their clutch hitting and pitching alone. They seemed to make the plays the Red Sox didn't hence why they are up 2-0 going home. If the Sox have any hope of having a realistic chance of winning the pennant they need to respond Saturday night. Mike Boddicker goes for the Sox opposite Bob Welch at 8:05 PM Eastern time at the Oakland Coliseum.

Henderson's Single Guides A's Past Sox in Game 1 (10/5/88)

Uh oh....It looks like the AL West champion Oakland A's are for real. Boston Red Sox fans were concerned when they lost 6 of their last 7 games and it certainly carried over into the American League Championship Series. The offense was non-existent against the Oakland A's pitching and old friend Dave Henderson was the difference maker in today's game. The game was tied when Henderson drove in the winning run and the A's bullpen held on to beat the Red Sox 2-1 to take Game 1 of the ALCS at Fenway Park.

"DAMMIT!!!!!!!!!!!"

Bruce Hurst took the mound in the top of the first inning and old pal Carney Lansford took strike three on the outside corner to begin the game. Another old friend Dave Henderson singled in the hole at short but Jose Canseco flied out a running Dwight Evans in right. Mark McGwire hit a squibber back to Hurt to end the inning. Stewart got the ball in the bottom of the first and Wade Boggs lashed a single to center to begin. Marty Barrett popped up to short before a passed ball moved Boggs to second. Dwight Evans whiffed on a forkball before Mike Greenwell hit a bullet but right to Canseco in right to end the inning.

Hurst was wild in the top of the second as Terry Steinbach led off with a four pitch walk before another old friend, Don Baylor looked at strike three after Hurst was in a 3-0 hole. Tony Phillips whiffed and his bat went into the crowd to boot, causing two fans to rumble over the bat. A mediator had to flip a coin to decide the winner. Mike Gallego popped up to third to end the inning. Todd Benzinger led off the bottom of the second by striking out before Ellis Burks grounded back to the mound. Jim Rice poked a single into right before Jody Reed walked. Walt Weiss made a great stab on a Rich Gedman ground ball but Rice slid into second safely to load the bases. Boggs whiffed to end the inning, what a huge squander.

Weiss led off the top of the third by lining out to a running Evans in right before Lansford grounded out to short. Henderson whiffed badly to end the inning. The Sox failed to crack Stewart in the bottom of the third as Barrett popped up to right to begin. Evans whiffed before Greenwell lined out to a running Phillips in left to end the inning.

The A's struck first in the top of the fourth when Canseco smashed a towering blast completely out of Fenway on a 3-2 pitch to give the A's the lead. McGwire grounded out to second before Steinbach singled on a roller up the middle but Baylor hit a pop up a mile high to first. Phillips walked before Gallego check swinged a pop up to first to end the inning with the A's ahead 1-0

                                            Canseco makes it 1-0

The Sox failed to score in the bottom of the fourth when Lansford made a great diving catch in foul territory off a pop up from Benzinger to begin. Burks was rung up for strike three before Rice whiffed to end the inning.

Hurst tried to keep pace in the top of the fifth inning but Weiss led off with a double off the Monster. Lansford grounded out to the mound to advance Weiss to third but Hurst got a huge out when Henderson grounded out to third, failing to score Weiss. Hurst got his revenge on Canseco by striking him out on some high heat to end the inning. Stewart cruised in the bottom of the fifth as Reed popped up to short to start before Gedman hit one up the elevator shaft. Boggs flied out to the left field warning track to end the inning.

Hurst returned for the top of the sixth inning and McGwire flied out to left field warning track to begin before Steinbach grounded out to third. Baylor popped up to center to end the inning. Still nothing for the Sox offense in the bottom of the sixth as Barrett lined out to a running Phillips to start. Evans smacked a ground rule double into the bullpen and Greenwell walked, but Benzinger banged into a double play to end the inning.

Hurst came back for the top of the seventh and Burks helped with a great diving catch to rob Phillips to start. Gallego grounded back to the mound and Weiss flied out to right to end the inning. Finally the Sox rallied against Stewart in the bottom of the seventh inning. Burks popped up to center on a 3-1 count before Rice walked. Kevin Romine pinch ran for Rice as commentators Joe Morgan and Reggie Jackson said this was a bad move with Rice due up potentially in the ninth. Reed was plunked and the Sox caught a break when Henderson slipped and fell on a sinking liner by Gedman to load the bases. That was it for Stewart as the lefty Rick Honeycutt was summoned to pitch to Boggs All Boggs had to do was bloop a single and the Sox would have had the lead but all he could do was hit a sac fly to score Romine. Barrett grounded out to short to end the inning but it was 1-1.

Hurst failed to keep the game tied in the top of the eighth as Lansford began the top of the second with a double to begin. 2 years ago Henderson dropped a home run over the fence in Game 5 of the ALCS before hitting the big home run to keep the Sox season alive. Sure enough, after his miscue allowed the tying run to score, his base hit scored Lansford with the go-ahead run. Canseco banged into a double play and Weiss struck out to end the inning but the damage was done, 2-1 A's.

                                             Should have known Henderson would be clutch

Ron Hassey took over behind the plate with old friend Dennis Eckersley coming in to pitch the bottom of the eighth. Evans whiffed on 3 pitches before Greenwell popped up to left. Benzinger grounded out to first to end the inning.

Hurst returned for the top of the ninth and Hassey flied out to left to begin. Baylor walked and Luis Polonia pinch ran for him only for Phillips to watch strike three go by. Gallego flied out to center to end the inning. Hurst tossed a complete game 6 hitter while allowing just 2 runs while striking out 7. 9 times out of 10 this should win the game, what a shame.

                                                      Hurst deserved better

Down to their final three outs, Burks popped up to right to start. Larry Parrish pinch hit for Romine and looked at strike three. I have a feeling both Romine or Rice would have at least swung the bat. The Sox weren't dead yet as Reed doubled and Gedman walked. Ed Romero pinch ran for Gedman as Boggs stepped in to face Eckersley. Eckersley's first pitch was a meatball right down the middle but Boggs took it for a strike. Sox manager Joe Morgan ran out of the dugout to make sure Eck wasn't balking on every pitch, he wasn't. Boggs whiffed to end the game. The A's had taken Game 1 by a 2-1 score.

                                                 Eck sticks it to the Sox with the save


Jackass of the Night is Wade Boggs. Sure he drove in the only run but on a sac fly, not a base hit. He also made two key outs during the course of the game.

                                                 Boggs the Game 1 Jackass



The Good:

Jim Rice was 1 for 2 with a walk.

Jody Reed was 1 for 2 with a walk.

Rich Gedman was 2 for 3 with a walk.

Kevin Romine scored a run as a pinch runner.

Bruce Hurst was the hard luck loser but hardly pitched like one. He pitched a complete game, 9 inning effort striking out 7 guys while allowing just 2 runs.



The Bad:

Marty Barrett was 0 for 4.

Todd Benzinger was 0 for 4.

Ellis Burks was 0 for 4.

Larry Parrish struck out as a pinch hitter.



The Ugly:

Dwight Evans was just 1 for 4.

Mike Greenwell was 0 for 3 but walked.



Honorable Mention:

Ed Romero pinch ran for Gedman in the bottom of the ninth.




Final Thoughts:

Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit!!! This is the kind of game the Sox were able to win during the regular season but October is a different animal. The Sox played well but the A's were just simply better. They had the guys like Henderson to get the clutch hit and Eckersley to get the clutch outs which were good enough for the A's to win this. Boggs cost them big time twice which ruined a spectacular start by Hurst. Hurst pitched his ass off and deserved better. Losing Game 1 sucks but the Sox are far from dead. Tomorrow night the Sox look to bounce back in Game 2 when their ace Roger Clemens meets Storm Davis at 8:00 PM at Fenway Park.

Indians Down Sox in Season Finale (10/2/88)

The good news is the Boston Red Sox will play in the American League Championship Series this Wednesday night at Fenway Park. The bad news is they will be going into it losers of 6 of their last 7 games. The Cleveland Indians had nothing to play for but administered a whooping on the Sox. Boston manager Joe Morgan had a very peculiar pitching strategy by having Mike Boddicker start and Bruce Hurst in relief. The Indians feasted on Dennis Lamp (7-6, 3.48 ERA), Hurst and Tom Bolton as the Sox ended the season with a 6-5 defeat in front of a paltry crowd of 10,456 people at Cleveland Stadium.

                                                 "We lost? Meh"

Indians starter Tom Candiotti cruised in the top of the first inning as Spike Owen lined back to the mound to start. Marty Barrett flied out to center and Dwight Evans popped up to third to end the inning. Boddicker got the Indians to beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the first inning. Terry Francona and Andy Allanson both grounded out to second and Dave Clark grounded out to second to end the inning.

Jim Rice flied out to center to start the top of the second inning and Todd Benzinger grounded out to first and Ellis Burks flied out to center to end the inning. Luis Medina singled to center to start the top of the second and took second on a wild pitch. Mel Hall popped up to short, Brook Jacoby lined out to short and Ron Washington took strike three to end the inning. That was it for Boddicker who's now set to start Game 3 on Saturday.

                                                     Boddicker goes just 2 innings

It was the Sox turn to beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the third inning as Rich Gedman grounded out to second to start. Ed Romero grounded out to short and Kutcher grounded out to first to end the inning. Dennis Lamp came in for the bottom of the third inning as Paul Zuvella grounded out to second to start. Scott Jordan flied out to right and Francona grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the fourth inning as Owen grounded out to first to start. Barrett singled to left but Evans flied out to center. Rice then crushed his 15th and final home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Benzinger grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                           Rice hits one out

The Indians wasted no time taking command in the bottom of the fourth with Kevin Romine taking over for Evans in right. Allanson doubled to left and Clark singled him to third, but Medina went down swinging. Hall tripled home both runners and Jacoby singled him home to give the Indians the lead. Washington grounded out to first and Zuvella went down swinging to end the inning with the Indians up 3-2.

                                                           Dammit Dennis

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fifth as Burks flied out to center to start. Gedman popped up to Candiotti and Romero whiffed to end the inning. Sox manager Joe Morgan sent Bruce Hurst to the mound to get some work in before his Wednesday night start in the bottom of the fifth. Jordan took strike three as Rod Allen pinch hit for Francona, doubling to center. Allanson singled Allen to third and Allen scored on the Clark sac fly. Medina lined out to third to end the inning but the Indians were ahead 4-2.

                                                         Hurst makes a cameo

The Sox fought back in the top of the sixth as Kutcher doubled to center to start. Kutcher moved to third on the Owen grounder and Randy scored on the Barrett base hit to right. Evans whiffed and Rice grounded back to the mound to end the inning but the Sox trailed 4-3.

                                                             Barrett drives in a run

The Sox emptied their bench in the bottom of the sixth with Tom Bolton now on the mound, Rick Cerone behind the plate, Larry Parrish at first in Barrett's spot, Romero at second, Kutcher at third and Benzinger in left. Reggie Williams pinch hit for Hall and singled to start before scoring on the Jacoby double. Eddie Williams pinch ran for Jacoby but Washington grounded out to third. Zuvella took strike three but Jordan singled home Williams. Allen flied out to right to end the inning but the Indians were up 6-3.

                                                       Bolton giving up runs

The Sox fought back in the top of the seventh as Benzinger singled to left to begin. Burks doubled Todd to third but Cerone whiffed. Romero scored Benzinger with a sac fly but Kutcher took strike three to end the inning with the Sox down 6-4.

                                                            Benzinger scores a run

Bob Stanley came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Allanson flied out to center to start. Clark grounded out to second and Medina popped up to second to end the inning.

Bud Black came in for the top of the eighth and Owen whiffed to start. Parrish and Romine both flied out to right to end the inning. Lee Smith came in for the bottom of the eighth and Reggie Williams struck out swinging to start. Eddie Williams grounded out to third but Washington hit a ground rule double into the third base grandstand. Joe Carter pinch hit for Zuvella and flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox tried to rally in the top of the ninth with Jay Bell now at short. Rice singled to right but the ball went under Clark's glove, Rice motoring around to third. Benzinger grounded out to second but Rice scored to cut the lead. Burks whiffed but Cerone got a base hit to left. Carlos Quintana pinch ran for Cerone but Romero grounded out to second to end the game. The Indians had won the season finale 6-5.

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Jackass of the Night is Tom Bolton. His two runs allowed ended up being the difference in the game.

                                                            Bolton the Jackass

The Good:

Marty Barrett was 2 for 3 with an rbi and a run scored.

Jim Rice was 2 for 4 with a 2 run home run and two total runs scored.

Rick Cerone was 1 for 2 at the plate.

Randy Kutcher was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Mike Boddicker pitched 2 scoreless innings.

Bob Stanley pitched a scoreless inning.

Lee Smith pitched a scoreless inning.



The Bad:

Spike Owen was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Larry Parrish was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Dwight Evans was 0 for 2.

Kevin Romine was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Rich Gedman was 0 for 2.

Dennis Lamp took the loss with 3 runs allowed in 2 innings.

Bruce Hurst allowed a run in an inning of work.



The Ugly:

Todd Benzinger was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run and scored a run.

Ellis Burks was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Ed Romero was 0 for 3 but drove in a run.



Honorable Mention:

Carlos Quintana pinch ran for Cerone in the top of the ninth.




Final Thoughts:

What a season this was. What started with Wade Boggs' shenanigans, the fight on the bus and John McNamara getting fired ended with Morgan Magic. Winning 12 in a row and 19 out of 20 improved team morale and jump started their run to the AL East crown. Trading Brady Anderson and the kid in AAA for Mike Boddicker worked tremendously and everything seemed to go right this year. Winning 8 out of 10 from September 4 to 14 was arguably the best baseball they played all season and its been fun to watch. The Sox are going to need all their guns if they want to go back to the World Series Standing in their way of a possible rematch with the New York Mets are the Oakland A's. They're going to need shut down pitching if they have any hope of winning that series. With any luck the Sox and Mets win their respective series so they can have a rematch. With Boddicker on the Sox, the advantage would shift to Boston this time around. That's all in the future but for now the Sox are AL East champs and play the Oakland A's this Wednesday night in the American League Championship Series. Bruce Hurst goes for the Sox up against Dave Stewart at 8 PM at Fenway Park.

Indians Shut Out Sox (10/1/88)

After the Boston Red Sox backed into the AL East Division title last night after their loss to the Cleveland Indians, the Sox offense remained asleep in today's matinee against the same Indians. With Marty Barrett dealing with a bad back and the division already clinched, Sox manager Joe Morgan took no chances in this one with the Oakland A's looming in the American League Championship Series. Jeff Sellers (1-7, 4.83 ERA) was the hard luck loser as he threw 7 no-hit innings only to run out gas in the eighth inning. His counterpart John Farrell of the Indians tossed 8 innings of shut out ball as the Indians took the meaningless game 1-0 at Municipal Stadium. How many runs did the Sox score Dean Wormer?

Farrell got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jody Reed led the game off by grounding out to first to start. Spike Owen doubled into the right field corner before Dwight Evans moved him to third with a grounder. Mike Greenwell popped up to first to end the inning. Sellers got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Ron Washington chased a nasty slider for strike three to start. Andy Allanson whiffed before Joe Carter popped up to short to end the inning.

Todd Benzinger dumped a single into right to begin the top of the second but Kevin Romine flied out to right. Rick Cerone struck out on a swinging on a changeup before Ed Romero swung and missed for strike three to end the inning after a fan got a standing O for pulling a foul ball out of the fence. Corey Snyder grounded out to short to start the bottom of the second inning before Sellers punched out Dave Clark. Luis Medina went down swinging to end the inning, good start for Sellers.

                                                         Sellers gets it done early

Rookie Carlos Quintana whiffed to begin the top of the third inning before Reed popped up to left. Owen grounded out to first to end the inning. Rod Allen grounded out to short to start the bottom of the third as the NBC announcers brought up the last time the Red Sox won in Oakland happened to be a Jeff Sellers start. Eddie Williams went down swinging as did Jay Bell to end the inning. That's 6 K's for Jeff in 3 innings.

Evans drew a leadoff walk in the top of the fourth inning before Greenwell beat out a double play ball. Randy Kutcher pinch ran for Greenwell but he was erased on the Benzinger force. Romine popped up to center to end the inning. Sellers kept up the pace in the bottom of the fourth as Washington whiffed on a nasty slider to begin. Allanson went down swinging as well before Carter grounded out to short to end the inning.

Cerone grounded out to second to start the top of the fifth before Romero grounded out to third. Two yahoos actually got married in the stands and Farrell was so distracted that Quintana drew a walk. Reed flied out to the left field warning track to end the inning.

                                                    Cheers to the happy couple

Sellers remained perfect in the bottom of the fifth as Snyder lined out to center to start. Clark went down swinging and Medina lined out to left to end the inning.

The Sox mustered nothing in the top of the sixth as Owen popped up to left. Evans grounded out to short and Kutcher grounded out to third to end the inning. Sellers got Allen to line out to second to begin the bottom of the sixth before Williams was out on a bang bang grounder to short. Bell broke up the perfect game by drawing a walk but Sellers kept up the no-hitter by striking out Washington to end the inning, that's 10 strikeouts as well.

The Sox failed to get Sellers any runs in the top of the seventh as Benzinger grounded out to first to start. Romine whiffed and Evans popped up to center to end the inning. Allanson hit one up the elevator shaft to start the bottom of the seventh before Carter popped up to right. Snyder lined out to center to end the inning. Sellers had tossed 7 no-hit innings while striking out 10, outstanding.

                                              "Can these bums score a run?" - JS

Too bad John Farrell was just as tough as Sellers in the top of the eighth with Scott Jordan now in center. Romero grounded out to third, Quintana whiffed and Reed grounded out to third to end the inning. Sellers returned for the bottom of the eighth and got Clark to pop up to short. 5 outs from a no-hitter, Medina crushed a 90,000 foot home run to break up the no-hitter and send Sellers to the showers. On any other day, this would have been just an annoyance but the home run was the difference in the game. Mike Smithson came in and got Allen to pop up to first but Williams caught the Sox asleep with a bunt single to third. Bell swung and missed and fell on himself to end the inning with the Indians up 1-0.

                                          Outstanding effort for Sellers gone to waste

The Sox did try to rally against Farrell in the top of the ninth as Owen dumped a single to right to start. Evans walked to chase Farrell. Closer Doug Jones was brought in to face pinch hitter Larry Parrish (for Kutcher). The worst thing happened as Parrish banged into a double play to kill the rally. Benzinger lined out to first to end the game. The Indians had just 2 hits and one run all game but it was enough to win the game 1-0.

           Indians celebrate


Jackass of the Night is Larry Parrish. Normally its unfair to bring in someone ice cold off the bench and have him hit, but the double play proved to be the difference in the game with Farrell on the ropes.

                  Nice double play, Jackass


The Good:

Spike Owen was 2 for 4.

Dwight Evans walked twice in 4 plate appearances.

Jeff Sellers took the loss but pitched incredibly well. He allowed 1 run on just 1 hit while striking out 10 in 7 1/3 innings.

Mike Smithson got the final two outs of the 8th inning.



The Bad:

Jody Reed was 0 for 4.

Mike Greenwell was 0 for 2.

Randy Kutcher was 0 for 1.

Kevin Romine was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Rick Cerone was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Ed Romero was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.



The Ugly:

Todd Benzinger was just 1 for 4.

Carlos Quintana was 0 for 2 but walked.




Final Thoughts:

Good thing this game means nothing because if the Sox lost a meaningful game on a solo home run and as double play in the ninth, this would have really hurt. Sellers pitched the game of his life but the JV offense failed to score a run. If Ellis Burks, Wade Boggs, Marty Barrett or Jim Rice played I'm sure they could have at least pushed across one run. As it is, its just an annoyance as the real goal is to stay healthy for the Oakland A's. The Sox already have their rotation set with Bruce Hurst going in Game 1 at Fenway, Roger Clemens in Game 2 and Mike Boddicker in Game 3 in Oakland. As for the regular season, tomorrow is the finale with Mike Boddicker (3.39 ERA) going for the Sox up against Tom Candiotti at 2:30 PM Eastern time at Cleveland Stadium.