Leftwich got the ball in the top of the first inning and Otis Nixon walked to start. Mike Greenwell singled to center and Tim Naehring got a base hit to left to score Nixon. Mo Vaughn pounded a three run home run to put the Sox up big early. Andre Dawson flied out to right, Scott Cooper struck out swinging and Billy Hatcher popped up to first to end the inning with the Sox up 4-0.
Sele got the ball in the bottom of the first and Damion Easley grounded back to the mound to start. Dwight Smith took strike three and Tim Salmon grounded out to short to end the inning.
Dave Valle took strike three to begin the top of the second and Scott Fletcher grounded out to short. Nixon beat out a bunt single down the third base line then stole second. Greenwell was hit with a pitch but Naehring forced him at second to end the inning. Chili Davis took strike three to start the bottom of the second and Eduardo Perez grounded out to second. Chad Curtis took strike three to end the inning.
Vaughn grounded out to second to start the top of the third before Dawson flied out to center. Cooper grounded out to first to end the inning. Jorge Fabregas singled to center to open the bottom of the third before Harold Reynolds flied out to right. Gary Disarcina grounded into a double play to end the inning.
Hatcher grounded out to short to begin the top of the fourth and Valle flied out to right. Fletcher singled to left but Nixon's bunt attempt to third was snuffed out to end the inning. Easley grounded out to short to start the bottom of the fourth and Smith struck out swinging. Salmon took strike three to end the inning.
Greenwell grounded out to second to start the top of the fifth and Naehring struck out swinging. Vaughn singled to center but took second when Leftwich's pickoff throw went wide for an error. Dawson struck out swinging to end the inning. Davis grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fifth but Perez singled to right. Curtis took strike three but Fabregas got a base hit to left. Reynolds forced Perez at third to end the inning.
Cooper grounded out to short to start the top of the sixth and Hatcher flied out to left. Valle singled to center but was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning. Disarcina grounded out to short to start the bottom of the sixth but Easley singled to left. Smith popped up to short and Salmon took strike three to end the inning.
Fletcher lined out to right to begin the top of the seventh but Nixon grounded out to short. Greenwell grounded out to first to end the inning. Sele ran out of gas in the bottom of the seventh as Davis hit a home run to Pluto to start and Perez walked to chase Sele. Aaron allowed just one run in six innings of work and Scott Bankhead came in to pitch. Curtis flied out to center and Fabregas popped up to short, but Perez stole second. Reynolds popped up to third to end the inning with the Angels down 4-1.
The Sox finished off the Leftwich in the top of the eighth as Naehring singled to center to start. Vaughn walked by Dawson grounded into a double play. Angels manager Buck Rodgers decided to bring in Bob Patterson to face Cooper and the gamble backfired as Cooper launched his seventh home run of the season to ice the game. Hatcher grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-1.
Those extra runs were needed as the Angels rallied in the bottom of the eighth. Disarcina singled to right and Easley hit a home run all the way into the Atlantic Ocean to cut the lead. Smith got a base hit in the hole at second and Sox manager Butch Hobson had seen enough. Greg Harris came in and Cooper booted a grounder by Salmon for an error. Davis walked to load the bases and Rex Hudler came in to run for Chili. Perez grounded into a double play to score Smith but Curtis grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Angels down 6-4.
Home run for Easley
Valle grounded out to first to start the top of the ninth and Fletcher flied out to center. Nixon struck out swinging to end the inning. Ken Ryan came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Fabregas singled in the hole at second to begin. Reynolds hit a routine grounder to Cooper who threw the ball over the catcher's head for no reason for an error. Disarcina dropped down a bunt to move both runners over but Easley took strike three. Smith grounded out to second to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-4.
Scott The Hero
Hero of The Night is Scott Cooper. His two run homer proved to be the difference in the game.
The Good:
Mike Greenwell was 1 for 3 with a run scored.
Tim Naehring was 2 for 4 with a walk, rbi and 2 runs scored.
Mo Vaughn was 2 for 3 with a hit by pitch, a walk and a three run home run.
Aaron Sele allowed 1 run in 6 innings of work off 5 hits and a walk.
Ken Ryan got his first save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning.
The Bad:
Andre Dawson was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.
Billy Hatcher was 0 for 4.
Scott Bankhead got lit up for 3 runs in a full inning.
The Ugly:
Otis Nixon was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked, stole a base and scored a run.
Dave Valle was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.
Scott Fletcher was just 1 for 4.
Greg Harris allowed an inherited runner to score but none of his own in an inning.
Final Thoughts:
That was too close for comfort at the end but a win is a win. The trio of Mo Vaughn, Aaron Sele and Scott Cooper with the deciding factor in the game with a nod to Ken Ryan as well. All four of those guys are 26 or younger and could help win a lot of games this season. Hopefully they all stay healthy because the Sox are red hot as the month of April comes to a close. The Sox combination of speed and power has been working to perfection so far this season and they've been getting good starting pitching as well. Sele has the potential to win 15-18 games this year and hopefully he can pitch as well as Bruce Hurst did behind Roger Clemens all those years. Speaking of Roger, the Sox look for a series sweep tomorrow night against the Angels with Clemens on the mound. He takes on Al Leiter and the Angels at 10:30 PM Eastern time at Anaheim Stadium.
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