Royals Pound Marichal, Sox Drop Fifth Straight (4/27/74)

Looks like the Boston Red Sox are limping toward the end of the month of April. The Sox have now lost their fifth straight game and this one was utter domination by the Kansas City Royals. "The Dominican Dandy" Juan Marichal (0-1, 10.13 ERA) may want to call it a career after getting pounded in this one. The Royals got 4 runs off Marichal in the bottom of the first and took a 5-3 lead into the bottom of the eighth. Things fell apart as the Royals scored five runs off Marichal, Lance Clemons and Diego Segui to put the game on ice. The Sox mustered just three runs off Al Fitzmorris and Doug Bird pulled a Houdini in the top of the ninth as the Royals won the game 10-3 at Royals Stadium.

                                                      "Five straight losses"

The Sox wasted no time getting to Fitzmorris in the top of the first inning as Rick Miller flied out to left to start. Doug Griffin got a base hit to left. Cecil Cooper grounded out to second to move Griffin to second and a wild pitch moved Doug to third. Carl Yastrzemski drew a walk and Danny Cater hit a rocket to left for a bases clearing double. Dwight Evans grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                              Cater drives in a pair

Marichal got pounded in the bottom of the first as Freddie Patek got a base hit to center. A balk moved Patek to second and Cookie Rojas hit a routine grounder to Mario Guerrero. Mario tried to throw to third and the ball sailed into the stans for an error to score Patek. Amos Otis singled to center to score Rojas but John Mayberry popped up to third. Fran Healy hit a home run all the way to South Korea to put the Royals up for good already. Jim Wohlford got a base hit to center but was immediately picked off. Vada Pinson lined out to right to end the inning with the Royals ahead 4-2.

                                                     Home run Healy

Bob Montgomery grounded out to short to start the top of the second before Dick McAuliffe flied out to left. Guerrero grounded out to short to end the inning. The Royals beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the second as Hal McRae grounded out to third to start. Paul Schaal grounded out to short and Patek also grounded out to short to end the inning.

Miller singled to right to start the top of the third but was doubled off first on a line drive to short by Griffin. Cecil Cooper flied out to left to end the inning. Rojas grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the third before Otis flied out to left. Mayberry grounded out to first to end the inning.

Yaz grounded out to second to begin the top of the fourth and Cater popped up to second. Evans flied out to right to end the inning. Healy popped up to third to start the bottom of the fourth and Wohlford struck out swinging. Pinson grounded out to first to end the inning.

Montgomery flied out to left to start the top of the fifth but Rojas booted a grounder by McAuliffe for an error. Guerrero flied out to right but Miller singled to center, only for Griffin to force Rick at second to end the inning. The Royals struck again in the bottom of the fifth as McRae doubled to center to start. Schaal flied out to right and Patek flied out to center, but Rojas tripled to center to score McRae. Otis hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning with the Royals up 5-2.

                                                             Rojas drives in a run

Cooper flied out to center to start the top of the sixth and Yaz also flied out to center. Cater grounded out to third to end the inning. Mayberry flied out to left to start the bottom of the sixth before Healy also flied out to left. Wohlford flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox struck back in the top of the seventh as Evans doubled to center to start. Montgomery lined out to first but McAuliffe flied out to center. Rico Petrocelli pinch hit for Guerrero and hit a grounder to Patek who threw the ball away for an error to score Evans. Terry Hughes pinch ran for Petrocelli but Miller grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox down 5-3.

                                                            Evans scores a run

Pinson popped up to second to start the bottom of the seventh and McRae grounded out to first. Schaal grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

The Sox blew another rally in the top of the eighth as Griffin grounded out to third to start. Cooper singled to center but a wild pitch moved him to second. Yaz popped up to third and Cater grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Suddenly the Royals exploded in the bottom of the eighth as Patek grounded out to third to start. Rojas doubled to center and Otis tripled to left to chase Marichal. Juan would be charged with 7 runs in 7 1/3 innings allowing 9 hits. Lance Clemons came in to pour gas on the fire as Mayberry doubled to left to score Otis and Healy doubled to right to score Mayberry. Wohlford was intentionally walked and Pinson was plunked to load the bases. Sox manager Darrell Johnson facepalmed as he removed Clemons in favor of Diego Segui. McRae walked to score Healy and Schaal scored Wohlford with a sac fly to left. Patek walked to load the bases again and Tony Solaita pinch hit for Rojas. Solaita struck out swinging to end the inning but the Royals blew it open 10-3.

                                             "GADZOOKS! This pitching is bad" - DJ

Frank White took over at second to start the top of the ninth and Evans got a base hit in the hole at short to start. Montgomery also beat out a roller to short and McAuliffe walked to load the bases. That was it for Fitzmorris as Doug Bird came in to close the game out. Guerrero struck out swinging and Miller grounded into a double play to end the game. The Royals had won the game 10-3.

Jackass of the Night is Juan Marichal. He was charged with 7 runs in 7 1/3 innings to put the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of.

                                                                      Jackass Marichal

The Good:

Rick Miller was 2 for 5.

Dwight Evans was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

The Bad:

Rico Petrocelli was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Terry Hughes struck out as a pinch hitter.

Lance Clemons allowed 3 runs without getting an out.

The Ugly:

Doug Griffin was just 1 for 4 with a run scored.

Cecil Cooper was just 1 for 4.

Carl Yastrzemski was 0 for 3 but walked and scored a run.

Danny Cater was just 1 for 4 but drove in two runs.

Bob Montgomery was just 1 for 4.

Dick McAuliffe was 0 for 3 but walked.

Diego Segui allowed 2 inherited runners to score but none of his own in 2/3 of an inning.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox just can't get any consistency. Some days they can't score, some days they can't pitch. They lose 1-0, they lose 10-3, they just lose. The injury to Carlton Fisk and earlier injury to Rico Petrocelli hurt but they can't generate any offense. Tommy Harper, Mario Guerrero and others just aren't getting it done. If that doesn't change soon, the season is going to go down the drain by the middle of May. Hopefully the Sox have some reinforcements in Pawtucket because what they have now aren't getting it done. Marichal looks old and it may be time for him to retire. Its a shame because on paper the Sox had a good rotation but who saw Rick Wise getting hurt trying to pitch in the snow or Marichal washing up. The less said of this game, the better. The Sox look to avoid a sweep tomorrow afternoon against the Royals when Roger Moret gets the start for Boston against old buddy Marty Pattin. The game begins at 2:00 PM Eastern time at Royals Stadium.

Jenkins Outduels Cleveland, Sox (4/24/74)

The good news was the Boston Celtics eliminated the New York Knicks in Game 5 of their NBA East Finals series but the bad news was the Boston Red Sox lost to the Texas Rangers. Rangers ace Fergie Jenkins was almost unhittable for Texas, tossing a complete game 6 hitter against the hapless bats. Reggie Cleveland (1-2, 2.39 ERA) was the hard luck loser in this one, pitching his own complete game. Alex Johnson drove in Texas' first run in the bottom of the first but Rico Petrocelli tied it in the top of the seventh. Cleveland then got tagged by a two run Lenny Randle double in the bottom of the seventh to put the Rangers up for good. The Sox got the tying run on in the eighth but couldn't knock it in as the Rangers had won the game 3-1 at Arlington Stadium.

                                                      "THEY COULDN'T HIT JENKINS!"

Jenkins got the ball in the top of the first as Tommy Harper flied out to left to start. Cecil Cooper took strike three and Bernie Carbo grounded back to the mound to end the inning. The Rangers struck first against Cleveland in the bottom of the first as Dave Nelson singled in the hole at short to start. Toby Harrah grounded out to first to move Nelson to second then Dave took third on a passed ball. Alex Johnson beat out a roller to third to score Nelson to put Texas on top. Johnson was thrown out at second trying to steal and Jeff Burroughs grounded out to third to end the inning with Texas up 1-0.

                                                                 Rangers strike first

Carl Yastrzemski doubled to left to open the top of the second but Rico Petrocelli struck out swinging. Juan Beniquez flied out to left and Bob Montgomery grounded out to third to end the inning. Tom Grieve struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second and Jim Spencer flied out to center. Joe Lovitto grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Doug Griffin got a base hit to left to start the top of the third but was thrown out at second trying to steal. Mario Guerrero flied out to left and Harper popped up to first to end the inning. Lenny Randle grounded out to second to start the bottom of the third before Jim Sundberg also grounded out to second. Nelson caught the Sox asleep with a bunt down the third base line and moved to second when Cooper botched the pickoff throw for an error. Harrah grounded out to second to end the inning.

Cooper flied out to center to begin the top of the fourth before Carbo grounded back to the mound and Yaz struck out swinging to end the inning. Johnson flied out to center to open the bottom of the fourth before Burroughs grounded out to second. Grieve walked but Spencer grounded out to second to end the inning.

Petrocelli flied out to left to begin the top of the fifth before Beniquez popped up to center. Montgomery lined out to center to end the inning. The Rangers beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the fifth as Lovitto grounded back to the mound to start. Randle and Sundberg both grounded out to short to end the inning.

Griffin popped up to third to begin the top of the sixth and Guerrero popped up to second. Harper struck out swinging to end the inning. Nelson popped up to second to begin the bottom of the sixth and Harrah lined out to short. Johnson grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

The Sox struck back in the top of the seventh as Cooper doubled to left to begin. Cooper moved to third on the Carbo grounder to second and Yaz was intentionally walked. Petrocelli got a base hit to left to score Cooper but Yaz was thrown out at third to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                                RBI for Rico

The Rangers iced the game in the bottom of the seventh as Burroughs lined out to left to start. Grieve grounded out to short and Spencer doubled to center. Lovitto was intentionally walked but Randle hit a pop up to center. Harper and Yaz failed to call each other off and the ball dropped between them for a double to score both runners. Sundberg grounded out to short to end the inning with the Rangers up 3-1

                                                             "Dammit Yaz, I had it" - Harper

  

Larry Brown took over at third to start the top of the eighth but Montgomery got a base hit to center to start. Griffin popped up to center but Danny Cater pinch hit for Guerrero. Cater got a base hit to left and Dick McAuliffe pinch ran for him. Harper popped up to short and Cooper grounded out to second to end the inning. Cleveland returned for one final inning in the bottom of the eighth as Nelson caught the Sox asleep again with a bunt single to third then moved to second on the bunt by Harrah. Johnson walked but Burroughs beat out a double play ball. Grieve flied out to right to end the inning. Cleveland was game as he went 8 innings, allowing 3 runs of 6 hits and 3 walks.

                                                                Cleveland did well

Jenkins returned to close out the top of the ninth and Carbo grounded out to first to start. Yaz grounded out to second and Petrocelli struck out swinging to end the game. The Rangers had won it 3-1.

                                                                Rangers win

Jackass of The Night is Tommy Harper. He was 0 for 4 with a strikeout including popping up with the tying runs on.

                                                               Jackass Harper

The Good:

Carl Yastrzemski was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Doug Griffin was 1 for 3.

Danny Cater singled as a pinch hitter.

One of the rare times the winning pitcher ends up on the Good list but Reggie Cleveland allowed 2 earned runs (3 total) in 8 strong innings. He gave up 6 hits and 3 walks while striking out a batter.

The Bad:

Bernie Carbo was 0 for 4.

Juan Beniquez was 0 for 3.

Mario Guerrero was 0 for 2.

The Ugly:

Cecil Cooper was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Rico Petrocelli was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run.

Bob Montgomery was 1 for 3 but allowed a crucial passed ball.

Honorable Mention:

Dick McAuliffe ran for Cater in the eighth inning.

Final Thoughts:

Fergie is one of the best pitchers in the game and the Sox are missing Carlton Fisk but at some point the Sox are going to have to beat great pitchers. Cleveland pitched great but took the loss because the offense totally evaporated. As mentioned before, the bottom of the order is becoming a black hole. Beniquez is hitting .229, Montgomery at .195 and Guerrero at .224. The biggest surprise is Harper at .189. He may turn it around but when you have four out of nine hitters as automatic outs, that's not good. Getting Fisk back would be nice but the others have to step it up. Physical mistakes like the passed ball and Cooper's error didn't help either. The Sox did get men on base but just couldn't drive them in. Hopefully the Sox can turn it around moving forward. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow tonight against the Rangers when Luis Tiant (2-1) goes one on one with Jim Bibby. The game begins at 10:00 PM Eastern time at Arlington Stadium.

Royals Rally Late, Stop Sox (4/23/74)

It was bad news all around as the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Boston Bruins in Game 3 of their NHL Semifinal series and the Kansas City Royals defeated the Boston Red Sox. Dick Drago (1-1, 2.70 ERA) locked into a pitcher's duel with Al Fitzsimmons of the Royals for 8 innings. The Royals and Sox both got a run in the first inning then Tommy Harper scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the third. Hal McRae got an rbi double in the top of the sixth and then it was on to the ninth. The Royals battered a tired Drago for three runs with the third coming off a Jim Wohlford single off David Segui. The Boston bats could do nothing else with Fitzsimmons and the Royals beat the Red Sox 5-2 at Fenway Park.

                                                           "Ninth inning rallies....."

Drago got the ball in the top of the first and Freddie Patek walked to start. Patek took of for second and Sox catcher Bob Didier threw the ball over the first baseman's head for no reason to move Freddie to third on the error. Wohlford grounded out to second to score Patek and put Kansas City on top. John Mayberry and Hal McRae both grounded out to short to end the inning with KC up 1-0.

                                                                  Nice error Bob

The Sox answered against Fitzmorris in the bottom of the first as Tommy Harper grounded back to the mound to start. Juan Beniquez doubled off the Monster but Cecil Cooper grounded out to first. Carl Yastrzemski got a base hit to center to score Beniquez and took second on a wild pitch. Bernie Carbo was intentionally walked and John Kennedy struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                               Yaz ties it up

Cookie Rojas flied out to center to start the top of the second before Vada Pinson doubled off the Monster. Tony Solaita lined out to second and Buck Martinez flied out to left to end the inning. Dick McAuliffe grounded out to second to start the bottom of the second and Bob Didier flied out to right. Mario Guerrero grounded out to third to end the inning.

Frank White grounded out to third to start the top of the third before Patek flied out to right. Wohlford grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the third as Harper tripled into the centerfield triangle to begin. Harper scored on a wild pitch but Beniquez grounded back to the mound. Cooper flied out to left but Yaz doubled to right. Carbo was intentionally walked again and Kennedy struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 2-0.

                                                            Harper scores a run

Mayberry got a base hit to center to start the top of the fourth before McRae lined out to short. Rojas grounded into a double play to end the inning. McAuliffe grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the fourth before Didier struck out swinging. Guerrero got a base hit to left but Harper grounded out to third to end the inning.

Pinson popped up to short to start the top of the fifth and Solaita took strike three. Martinez walked but was forced at second by White to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the fifth as Beniquez struck out swinging to start. Cooper singled to right and Yaz drew a walk, but Carbo beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners. Sox manager Darrell Johnson had enough of Kennedy's incompetence at the plate so he sent Danny Cater to pinch hit for him. Cater walked to load the bases and Terry Hughes came in to run for him. With a chance to break the game open, McAuliffe grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Royals struck back in the top of the sixth as Patek grounded out to short to start. Wohlford got a base hit to center before stealing second. Mayberry struck out swinging but McRae doubled to left to score Wohlford. Rojas grounded out to second to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                                 McRae drives in a run

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the sixth as Didier grounded out to second to start. Guerrero flied out to right but Harper walked. Beniquez flied out to left to end the inning.

Pinson lined out to second to open the top of the seventh before Solaita walked. Al Cowens pinch ran for Solaita only for Martinez to hit into a double play to end the inning. Cooper flied out to center to start the bottom of the seventh but Yaz got a base hit to right. Carbo grounded into a double play to end the inning.

White grounded out to third to start the top of the eighth before Patek grounded out to short. Wohlford singled to right and Mayberry walked, but McRae forced John at second to end the inning. Hughes flied out to left to start the bottom of the eighth before McAuliffe grounded out to second. Bob Montgomery pinch hit for Didier and struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Royals sprang to life in the top of the ninth against a tired Drago as Rojas got a base hit to right to start. Pinson forced Rojas at second but swiped second base. Cowens got a base hit to center and Martinez got a base hit to right to score Pinson. Darrell Johnson kept Drago in and Amos Otis pinch hit for White. Otis got a base hit to center and finally Drago was pulled. Dick did a hell of a job up to this point but was removed after allowing 5 runs in 8 1/3 innings. Diego Segui came in to pitch and both runners moved over on a comebacker to Segui by Patek. Wohlford got a base hit to center to score Martinez to ice the game. Wohlford stole second but Mayberry struck out swinging to end the inning with the Royals up 5-2.

                                                 "I shoulda pulled em earlier" - Johnson

Fernanrdo Gonzalez took over at third for the bottom of the ninth with Rick Miller pinch hitting for Guerrero to begin. Miller grounded out to first before Harper got a base hit to center. Beniquez flied out to left and Cooper popped up to third to end the game. The Royals had won it 5-2.

Jackass of The Night should be Darrell Johnson but its Dick Drago. He allowed 5 runs in 8 1/3 innings to put the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of. He allowed 9 hits and walked four.

                                                             Jackass Drago

The Good:

Tommy Harper was 2 for 4 with a walk and a run scored.

Carl Yastrezmski was 3 for 5 with a walk and a run scored.

Bernie Carbo walked twice in four plate appearances.

Danny Cater walked as a pinch hitter.

Mario Guerrero was 1 for 3.

The Bad:

John Kennedy was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

Terry Hughes was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Dick McAuliffe was 0 for 4.

Bob Didier was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Bob Montgomery struck out as a pinch hitter.

Rick Miller was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

Juan Beniquez was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Cecil Cooper was just 1 for 5.

Diego Segui allowed an inherited runner to score but none of his own in 2/3 of an inning.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox have a huge problem going on and its not something easily fixable. They have a black hole at the bottom of their order with Carlton Fisk and Doug Griffin out. Royals manager Jack McKeon figured out to just walk Carbo because the bottom of the order can't hit. John Kennedy was only in with Griffin out and Didier is here because Fisk is out. Guerrero isn't exactly going to light it up either so the Sox need to pitch well. Johnson went with Drago way too long in this one and by the time Segui got in, it was too late. Still, the trio of Rick Wise, Luis Tiant and Bill Lee should be enough to win a lot of games this year. Hopefully Fisk and Griffin come back soon because this is going to be a very top-heavy lineup in the meantime. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow as they hit the road against the Texas Rangers. Reggie Cleveland (1-1) takes the mound for the Sox against Rangers age Fergie Jenkins. The game begins at 8:00 PM Eastern time at Arlington Stadium.

Red Sox Stun, Walkoff Indians (4/21/74)

It was an amazing day for Boston sports. The Boston Bruins won Game 2 of their NHL Semifinal series, the Boston Celtics defeated the New York Knicks in Game 4 of their NBA East Final series and the Boston Red Sox pulled off an amazing comeback to sweep the Cleveland Indians. Bill Lee surrendered a 2 run home run in the top of the third inning and ended up trailing 5-1 going into the bottom of the ninth. Things looked bleak after a Carl Yastrzemski sac fly brought the Sox within run but there were two outs. Down to their last out, Rico Petrocelli doubled off Cecil Upshaw to score Juan Beniquez with the tying run. Diego Segui (2-1, 2.53 ERA) tossed a scoreless tenth and then Dick McAuliffe stood on second base in the bottom of the frame. Milt Wilcox somehow threw a pickoff throw into centerfield and McAuliffe made a mad dash home to win the game for the Sox 6-5 in 10 innings at Fenway Park

                                                           Jojo White approves of the win

Lee got the ball in the top of the first and Remy Hermoso grounded back to the mound to start. John Lowenstein grounded out to third but Buddy Bell dumped a base hit to right. Bell was thrown out at second by Dwight Evans to end the inning. The Sox jumped on Jim Perry in the bottom of the first as Cecil Cooper walked to start. Doug Griffin caught the Indians asleep with a bunt single and Bernie Carbo walked to load the bases. Carl Yastrzemski grounded out to second but Cooper scored to put Boston on top. Rico Petrocelli was intentionally walked to re-load the bases but Evans struck out swinging. Rick Miller popped up to left to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                                 Yaz drives in a run

John Ellis singled to left to start the top of the second and Charlie Spikes forced him at second. Chris Chambliss flied out to right and George Hendrick forced Spikes at second to end the inning. Bob Didier popped up to third to start the bottom of the second before Mario Guerrero grounded out to third. Cooper grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Indians struck back in the top of the third as Dave Duncan flied out to center to start. Frank Duffy grounded out to third but Hermoso singled to right. Lee then threw a pickoff throw away to move Hermoso to second but Lowenstein hit a home run all the way to Billerica to put Cleveland on top. Bell flied out to center to end the inning with the Indians up 2-1.

                                                                 Home run Lowenstein

The Sox failed to answer in the bottom of the third as Griffin grounded out to third to start. Carbo singled to center but Yaz popped up to left. Petrocelli flied out to left to end the inning.

Ellis flied out to left to start the top of the fourth before Spikes grounded back to the mound. Chambliss took strike three to end the inning. Evans popped up to center to start the bottom of the fourth but Miller ripped a base hit to center. Rick moved to second on the Didier grounder to short. Guerrero struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Indians struck again in the top of the fifth as Hendrick walked to start. Hendrick got picked off but Griffin dropped a pop up from Duncan. Duffy singled to left and Hermoso got a seeing eye single into right to score Duncan. The Indians pulled off a double steal but Lowenstein grounded out to second with the infield in. Bell grounded out to third to end the inning with the Indians up 3-1.

                                                                Duncan scores a run

Cooper doubled to left to start the bottom of the fifth but Griffin's bunt attempt was too hard to Perry and Cooper stayed at second. Carbo grounded out to second to move Cooper to third and Yaz grounded out to second to end the inning.

Ellis beat out a roller to third to start the top of the sixth but Spikes forced him at second. Spikes stole second but Chambliss lined out to Griffin. Hendrick grounded out to short to end the inning. Petrocelli got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the sixth but Evans banged into a double play. Miller doubled to right but Didier grounded out to second to end the inning.

Duncan singled to left to start the top of the seventh but Duffy dropped down a bunt. Lee threw the ball away for another error and Hermoso singled in the hole at short to load the bases. Lowenstein lined out to left and Bell beat out a double play ball to score Duncan.....and they forgot about Duffy who came around to score as well. Ellis hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning with the Indians up 5-1.

                                                         Heads up play by Duffy

Guerrero popped up to first to start the bottom of the seventh and Cooper struck out swinging. Griffin flied out to center to end the inning.

Spikes singled to right to start the top of the eighth but was thrown out second trying to steal. Chambliss grounded out to third but Hendrick singled to left. Duncan singled to left but Duffy forced Duncan to end the inning. Carbo took strike three to start the bottom of the eighth but Yaz doubled to left. Petrocelli grounded out to third but Evans was hit with a pitch. Miller forced Evans at second to end the inning.

Lee returned for the top of the ninth and Hermoso grounded out to short to start. Lowenstein singled to right and stole second, but Bell grounded out to short. Ellis got picked off to end the inning. Lee went 9 innings and allowed 5 runs although only 2 were earned. He allowed 13 hits and a walk.

                                                                Lee goes nine

Suddenly the Sox woke up in the bottom of the ninth with Dick McAuliffe pinch hitting for Didier. Dick drew a walk and Danny Cater pinch hit for Guerrero. Cater got a base hit to right and that was it for Perry. Ken Sanders came in to pitch and Cooper singled to right to load the bases. Griffin got a base hit to right to score McAuliffe and reload the bases. Tom Hilgendorf came in to face Carbo and Bernie beat out a double play ball to score Cater. Juan Beniquez ran for Carbo and Yaz scored Cooper with a sac fly to cut the lead. Cecil Upshaw came in to face Petrocelli and with the game on the line....Rico doubled off the Monster to score Beniquez to tie the game. Terry Hughes ran for Petrocelli and Evans drew a walk. With the winning run at second....Miller took strike three to end the inning with the game tied 5-5.

                                                             Petrocelli ties it up

Bob Montgomery took over behind the plate with Diego Segui now on the mound for the top of the tenth. Ellis lined out to short but Spikes singled to right. Chambliss banged into a double play to end the inning. McAuliffe walked to start the bottom of 10th and was sacrificed to second by Montgomery. Milt Wilcox came in to face Cooper and accidentally threw a pickoff throw into centerfield. McAuliffe made a mad dash all the way around to score to win the game. The Sox had stolen the game 6-5.

Hero of The Night is Dick McAuliffe. His hustling around the bases scored the winning run in the 10th inning.

                                                              Hero McAuliffe

The Good:

Cecil Cooper was 2 for 4 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Doug Griffin was 2 for 5 with an rbi.

Juan Beniquez scored a run as a pinch runner.

Rico Petrocelli was 2 for 4 with a walk and an rbi.

Rick Miller was 2 for 5.

Danny Cater singled and scored as a pinch hitter.

Bob Montgomery dropped down a crucial sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the tenth.

Diego Segui got the win with a scoreless 10th inning.

The Bad:

Bob Didier was 0 for 3.

Mario Guerrero was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Dwight Evans was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked and was hit with a pitch.

Bernie Carbo was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked, drove in a run and scored.

Carl Yastrzemski was just 1 for 4 but knocked in two runs.

Bill Lee pitched 9 innings and allowed 5 runs but only 2 of them were earned due to his own error. He allowed 13 hits and a walk.

Honorable Mention:

Terry Hughes ran for Petrocelli and played third base.

Final Thoughts:

That was the win of the season for sure. The Sox were down 5-1 going into the eighth and rallied to tie the game. Everyone contributed from Danny Cater getting a pinch hit single, Dick McAuliffe getting a pinch hit walk, Juan Beniquez scoring as a pinch runner and Diego Segui getting key outs in the 10th. Petrocelli's double with 2 outs was clutch as was well as Carbo avoiding the double play. Yaz got a big rbi and all around the team needed everyone to win this one. Lee was hit or miss in this one but still went 9 innings that would have been a complete game if the Sox pulled it off in the ninth. The Sox need to win every game possible and this is one of those games they'll need come September. The Sox swept Cleveland out of Fenway and now welcome in the Kansas City Royals for a two game set. Rick Wise (1-1) goes for the Sox against Nelson Briles of the Royals. The game begins at 7:00 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Rally Past Yankees (4/17/74)

For six innings it looked like the New York Yankees were going to beat the Boston Red Sox for the second game in a row. The Yankees got two early runs against Sox starter Bill Lee (2-1, 1.99 ERA) and Pat Dobson pitched a shutout through six. Then the Sox sprang to life in the seventh as Carl Yastrzemski hit a home run and Doug Griffin pulled off a safety squeeze to score Cecil Cooper, tying the game. In the eighth, Bernie Carbo drove in the go-ahead run and Bob Montgomery knocked home the insurance run. Lee ended up going the distance allowing just the two runs and five hits as the Sox beat the Yankees 4-2 at Yankee Stadium.

                                                        Claudia Jennings approves of the win

Dobson got the ball in the top of the first inning and Tommy Harper popped up to second to start. Juan Beniquez grounded out to short but Bernie Carbo walked. Carl Yastrzemski was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to end the inning. Lee got the ball in the bottom of the first and Roy White hit a comebacker to start. Walt Williams grounded out to second and Bobby Murcer flied out to right to end the inning.

Bob Montgomery grounded out to third to start the top of the second before Cecil Cooper walked. Dick McAuliffe grounded into a double play to end the inning. The Yankees struck first in the bottom of the second as Thurman Munson doubled to left to begin. Lou Piniella beat out a roller to short and Munson took third on a fly ball to center by Bill Sudakis. Nettles hit a comebacker to Lee who then inexplicably spiked the ball like a football and did the boogie woogie for an error to score Munson. Gene Michael also hit a comebacker to Lee who tossed to second for the force but Mario Guerrero threw the ball away for another error. Piniella scored on the play but Jim Mason grounded out to first to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 2-0.

                                                                A comedy of errors

Doug Griffin popped up to third to start the top of the third before Mario Guerrero struck out swinging. Harper grounded back to the mound to end the inning. White grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the third before Williams also hit a comebacker. Murcer flied out to center to end the inning.

Beniquez grounded out to third to start the top of the fourth but Carbo walked. Yaz popped up to second but Montgomery reached on an error by Mason. Cooper took strike three to end the inning. Munson struck out swinging to open the bottom of the fourth and Piniella flied out to right. Sudakis lined out to left to end the inning.

McAuliffe grounded out to second to start the top of the fifth and Griffin grounded back to the mound. Guerrero grounded out to third to end the inning. The Yankees beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the fifth as Nettles grounded out to second to start. Michael grounded out to third and Mason grounded out to second to end the inning.

Harper lined out to left to start the top of the sixth and Beniquez grounded out to short. Carbo struck out swinging to end the inning. White hit another comebacker to start the bottom of the sixth and Williams popped up to second. Murcer got a base hit to right but Munson forced him at second to end the inning.

The Sox finally rallied in the top of the seventh as Yaz belted his fourth home run of the year to cut the lead. Montgomery flied out to right but Cooper got a base hit to left. McAuliffe also got a base hit to left to move Cecil to third, and Griffin caught the Yankees asleep with a safety squeeze to score Cooper. Guerrero and Harper both struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                           Yaz hits one out

Lee caught Piniella looking to start the bottom of the seventh and Sudakis hit one up the elevator shaft. Nettles grounded out to third to end the inning.

Beniquez doubled to right to start the top of the eight but Williams threw the ball away to allow Juan to make third. Yankees manager Bill Virdon inexplicably put Williams in left field and brought in Elliott Maddox to play right. Carbo ripped a base hit to left to score Beniquez with the go-ahead run. That was it for Dobson as Sparky Lyle replaced him. Yaz greeted Sparky with a base hit to center to move Carbo to third and Bernie scored on the sac fly by Montgomery. Cooper got a base hit to left to move Yaz to third and Danny Cater pinch hit for McAuliffe. Cater grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-2.

                                                                     Sac fly for Bob

John Kennedy came in to play second in the bottom of the eighth and Michael grounded back to the mound to start. Horace Clark pinch hit for Mason and walked but Maddox grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Griffin grounded out to third to start the top of the ninth before Guerrero struck out swinging. Harper also struck out swinging to end the inning. Lee returned to finish the job in the bottom of the ninth and Williams flied out to center to start. Murcer hit a routine grounder to Cooper who booted it for an error but was forced at second by Munson. Piniella singled to center and Ron Blomberg pinch ran for him. Sudakis got a base hit to center to score Munson and put the tying run at second. Nettles grounded out to first to end the game. The Sox had hung on to win it 4-3.

Hero of the Night is Bernie Carbo. He drove in the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth inning.

                                                          Bernie Hero

The Good:

Carl Yasztremski was 2 for 4 with a home run.

Cecil Cooper was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Dick McAuliffe was 1 for 3.

Bill Lee went the distance for the win allowing 3 runs on 5 hits and a walk while striking out two.

The Bad:

Tommy Harper was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Danny Cater grounded into a double play in his only at-bat.

Mario Guerrero was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts and an error.

The Ugly:

Juan Beniquez was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Bob Montgomery was 0 for 3 but drove in a run.

Doug Griffin was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Honorable Mention:

John Kennedy played second base in the final two innings.

Final Thoughts:

Good comeback win for the Sox and kudos for Lee for going the distance despite the early troubles. The Yankees needed two errors to take the lead but once the Sox settled down, they took command of the game. Yaz' homer was clutch and the Carbo base hit put the Sox in a position to never look back. The Sox need to go on a nice winning streak to finish April strong and hopefully this could be the start. Luis Tiant and Rick Wise are pitching well and Reggie Cleveland had a good game recently, if Lee gets it going the Sox have a chance this season. The only drawback to this game was Mario Guerrero was completely useless but its only one game. The Sox look to take two of three from the Yankees tomorrow afternoon when Rick Wise (1-0) takes on Doc Medich of the Yankees. The game begins at 2:05 PM at Yankee Stadium.

Sox Outlast Tigers (4/14/74)

The city of Boston dominated the sports scene tonight as the Boston Bruins swept the Toronto Maple Leafs out of their NHL quarterfinal series, the Boston Celtics took Game 1 of their NBA East Finals series against the New York Knicks and the Boston Red Sox defeated the Detroit Tigers. The story of the game was the Boston bullpen. Sox starter Juan Marichal was knocked out in the fourth inning with Boston hanging on to a 6-5 lead. Thankfully the trio of Dick Drago (1-0, 0.00 ERA), Roger Moret and Diego Segui slammed the door on the Tigers. The Sox scored four runs in the bottom of the first with a Dwight Evans two run homer as the exclamation point. John Kennedy and Carl Yastrzemski both provided home runs as the Sox took the game 7-5 at Fenway Park.

                                                          Ken Hodge approves of the win

The Tigers got to Marichal in the top of the first inning as Ed Brinkman led off by flying out to right. Aurelio Rodriguez popped up to right but Jim Northrup walked. Al Kaline doubled to center to score Northrup to put the Tigers on top. Willie Horton grounded out to third to end the inning with Detroit up 1-0.

                                                                 Kaline puts Detroit up

The Sox rallied against Mickey Lolich in the bottom of the first as Tommy Harper struck out swinging to start. Juan Beniquez got a base hit to left and Danny Cater got a base hit to center before both scored on the Carl Yastrzemski double to right. Bob Montgomery grounded out to short but Dwight Evans smashed his first homer of the season to increase the lead. Doug Griffin flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-0.

                                                                Evans' first in 74

Norm Cash flied out to right to start the top of the second and Mickey Stanley popped up to first. Bill Freehan struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the second as John Kennedy smashed his first home run of the season to increase the lead. Mario Guerrero got a base hit to right but Harper grounded into a double play. Beniquez walked but was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning with the Sox up 5-0.

                                                                Home run Kennedy

The Tigers struck back in the top of the third as Gary Sutherland doubled to left to start. Brinkman singled to right to score Sutherland to put Detroit on the board. Rodriguez forced Brinkman at second but Northrup singled to right. Kaline walked to load the bases but Horton lined out to second. Cash walked to score Brinkman and Stanley grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox still ahead 5-3.

                                                             Brinkman singles and scores

The Sox struck again in the bottom of the fourth although Cater popped up to first to start. Yaz then belted his third home run of the season to increase the lead. Montgomery grounded out to short and Evans flied out to right to end the inning. with the Sox ahead 6-3.

                                                            Yaz hits one out

The Tigers knocked out Marichal in the top of the fourth as Freehan lined out to left to start. Sutherland walked and Brinkman hit a home run to Jupiter to cut the lead. Rodriguez singled to center and Sox manager Darrell Johnson finally had enough of Marichal. Juan lasted 3 1/3 innings and allowed 5 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks. Dick Drago came in to pitch and Northrup banged into a double play with the Sox still ahead 6-5.

                                                           Marichal gets hammered

Griffin flied to center to start the bottom of the fourth before Kennedy grounded out to third. Guerrero popped up to first in foul territory to end the inning.

Kaline singled to right to start the top of the fifth but Horton flied out to right. Cash struck out swinging and Stanley grounded out to first to end the inning. Harper walked to open the bottom of the fifth and Beniquez reached on an error by Cash. Cater popped up to second and Yaz struck out swinging.....as Beniquez was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning.

Freehan popped up to third to start the top of the sixth before Sutherland popped up to Evans. Brinkman flied out to center to end the inning. Montgomery lined out to third to start the bottom of the sixth but Evans singled to center. Griffin singled to right and Kennedy lined out to left before Evans got picked off to end the inning.

Dick McAuliffe took over for Griffin at third to start the top of the seventh and Rodriguez grounded out to short. Northrup grounded back to the mound and Kaline popped up to second to end the inning. The Sox got another run in the bottom of the seventh as Guerrero singled to center. Harper dropped down a bunt to move Mario to second and Beniquez singled to right to score Guerrero. That was it for Lolich as John Hiller came in to pitch. Cater hit a bullet to Rodriguez but he threw the ball away to allow Beniquez to move to third. Yaz hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-5.

                                                         RBI for Beniquez

Rick Miller came in to play left to start the top of the eighth and Horton singled to left to start. Cash flied out to center and Stanley forced Horton at second, but Freehan singled to left. Gates Brown pinch hit for Sutherland and hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning. John Knox took over at second to start the bottom of the eighth and Montgomery grounded out to third to start. Evans flied out to right and Griffin struck out swinging to end the inning.

Brinkman singled to left to start the top of the ninth and Rodriguez singled to right to chase Drago. Roger Moret was brought in just to pitch to Northrup and Moret got him to fly out to center. Diego Segui came in to pitch to Kaline and Al popped up to left. Horton beat out a roller to third to load the bases but Cash struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had held on to win 7-5.

Hero of the Night is Carl Yastrzemski. He started the rally in the first inning and hit a solo shot in the third inning.

                                                                 Hero Yaz

The Good:

Juan Beniquez was 2 for 2 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Dwight Evans was 2 for 4 with a 2 run home run.

John Kennedy was 1 for 3 with a home run.

Mario Guerrero was 2 for 3 with a run scored.

Dick Drago earned the win with 4 2/3 scoreless innings.

Roger Moret got the only man he faced.

Diego Segui got the save with 2/3 of a scoreless inning.



The Bad:

Bob Montgomery was 0 for 4.

Juan Marichal got hammered in his Sox debut. He allowed 5 runs off 6 hits and 4 walks in just 3 1/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Tommy Harper was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but walked.

Danny Cater was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Doug Griffin was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Honorable Mention:

Dick McAuliffe played third base in the final few innings.

Rick Miller played left field in the final few innings.

Final Thoughts:

That one was too close for comfort but the Sox managed to pull it off. Marichal looked like garbage in his first game but hopefully that was just rust. The Sox are going to need the Dominican Dandy to find his form if they have any hope of toppling the Baltimore Orioles this season. The relief pitching of Drago, Segui and Moret worked out this time but that's not sustainable. Still, the offense hit well today with Yaz and Evans leading the charge and even Kennedy got a home run. Its early in the season but if the Sox get consistent hitting to match Marichal, Luis Tiant, Bill Lee and Rick Wise....that could pay dividends come September or October. The Sox look for the series sweep tomorrow morning on Patriots Day Monday against the Tigers. Reggie Cleveland gets the start for the Sox against Joe Coleman of Detroit. The game begins at 11:00 AM at Fenway Park.

Bahnsen Outduels Tiant, White Sox Edge Red Sox (4/28/73)

Tonight was a wonderful pitcher's duel between the Chicago White Sox and the Boston Red Sox....too bad the wrong team won. Stan Bahnsen of the White Sox and Luis Tiant (2-2, 4.01 ERA) locked in a death match for 6 innings with Bahnsen ahead. Terry Forster replaced him in the seventh and the Red Sox couldn't generate any offense. Meanwhile Tiant went the distance but surrendered two runs in the process to Chicago. The BoSox had two men on in the seventh inning, the bases loaded in the eighth and a man on in the ninth inning but couldn't drive anyone in to tie the game. The White Sox had won the duel 2-1 at Fenway Park.

                                          Ratso and Joe couldn't take the Red Sox bats anymore

The White Sox wasted no time getting to Tiant in the top of the first inning as Pat Kelly doubled to left to start. Carlos May dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Kelly to third and Pat scored on the Dick Allen grounder to short to put Chicago on top. Bill Melton doubled to right but old pal Ken Henderson struck out swinging to end the inning with Chicago up 1-0.

                                                                     Kelly scores a run

Bahnsen began his dominance in the bottom of the first as Tommy Harper grounded out to third to start. Luis Aparicio grounded out to short but Carl Yastrzemski tripled into the centerfield triangle. Orlando Cepeda took strike three to end the inning.

Old friend Mike Andrews popped up to second to begin the top of the second before Ed Herrmann ripped a base hit to left. Jorge Orta and Eddie Leon both struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the second as Carlton Fisk lined out to left to start. Ben Oglivie doubled off the Monster and John Kennedy beat out a roller to third before Doug Griffin dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move both runners over. Rick Miller grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

The White Sox struck again in the top of the third as Kelly again doubled to left to start. May popped up to center and Allen struck out swinging but Melton doubled to right to score Kelly to increase the lead. Henderson took strike three to end the inning with Chicago ahead 2-0.

                                                             Melton drives in a run

The Red Sox finally rallied in the bottom of the third as Harper and Aparicio drew back to back walks to start. Yaz banged into a double play but Cepeda walked to put runners at the corners. Fisk stepped up with a double to left to score Aparicio but Cepeda remained at third. With a chance to tie the game...Oglivie grounded out to first to end the inning with Chicago still ahead 2-1.

                                                             Fisk drives in a run

Andrews struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth before Herrmann grounded out to second. Orta struck out swinging to end the inning. The Red Sox blew another rally in the bottom of the fourth as Kennedy flied out to right to begin. Griffin grounded out to short but Miller lined a base hit to center. Harper walked and with a chance to tie the game....Aparicio popped up to center to end the inning.

Leon struck out swinging to start the top of the fifth but Kelly doubled to right. May was intentionally walked to set up a double play and Allen struck out swinging. Melton forced Kelly at third to end the inning. Once again the Red Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the fifth as Yaz grounded out to second to start. Cepeda singled to right and Fisk was hit with a pitch....but Oglivie lined out to center. Kennedy grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Aparicio booted a grounder by Henderson to start the top of the sixth for an error and Andrews dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Ken to second. Herrmann popped up to Griffin in foul territory and Orta took strike three to end the inning. Griffin struck out swinging to start the bottom of the sixth before Miller lined out to second. Harper drew a walk but Aparicio flied out to left to end the inning.

Leon popped up to first in foul territory to start the top of the seventh but Kelly walked. May singled to left but Allen struck out swinging. Melton flied out to right to end the inning. Yaz grounded out to first to start the bottom of the seventh but Cepeda singled to center to chase Bahnsen. Terry Forster came in to pitch and Danny Cater came in to run for Orlando. Fisk singled to left and Sox manager Eddie Kasko sent Dwight Evans in to pinch hit for Oglivie. The gamble failed as Evans struck out swinging and Kennedy also went down hacking to end the inning.

Henderson lined out to third to start the top of the eighth but Andrews drew a walk. Herrmann flied out to center and Orta grounded back to the mound to end the inning. The Red Sox blew yet another rally in the bottom of the eighth with Johnny Jeter taking over for Kelly at first. Griffin and Miller both took strike three but Harper doubled to center. Aparicio beat out a roller to second and Yaz walked to load the bases. Kasko's decision to run for Cepeda came back to haunt him as Cater took strike three to end the inning.

Tiant came back to go the distance in the top of the ninth and Leon hit one up the elevator shaft to start. Jeter flied out to left and May flied out to center to end the inning. Tiant went the distance and allowed just 2 runs on just 7 hits while striking out 11 batters. Too bad he got almost no run support.

                                                              Tiant goes the distance

Fisk singled to right to put the tying run on in the top of the ninth but Evans popped up a bunt to third. Kennedy forced Fisk at second and Rico Petrocelli pinch hit for Griffin. Petrocelli popped up to left to end the game. The White Sox had won it 2-1.

Jackass of the Night is a tough one with everyone leaving someone on base but I'll go with Dwight Evans. He came up with two men on in the seventh and struck out before stranding Fisk in the ninth by popping up a bunt.

                                                               Jackass Evans

The Good:

Tommy Harper was 1 for 2 with 3 walks.

Orlando Cepeda was 2 for 3 with a walk.

Carlton Fisk was 3 for 4 with a hit by pitch and an rbi.

Ben Oglivie was 1 for 3.

One of the rare times the losing pitcher ends up on the Good list but Luis Tiant tossed a complete game 7 hitter, striking out 11 batters while allowing 2 runs.

The Bad:

Danny Cater struck out as a pinch hitter.

Doug Griffin was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Rico Petrocelli popped up as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

Luis Aparicio was just 1 for 4 with an error but walked and scored a run.

Carlton Yastrzemski was just 1 for 4 but walked.

John Kennedy was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout.

Rick Miller was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Final Thoughts:

That game was a kick in the gonads considering the Sox left 10 guys on base. They had chances in almost every inning to tie the game and they failed each and every time. Leaving the bases loaded in the seventh was inexcusable and the fact they wasted Tiant going the distance is embarrassing. The BoSox actually outhit the ChiSox 10 to 7 but couldn't get anything done. Who knows why Kasko chose Dwight Evans over Reggie Smith to pinch hit but Cater over Petrocelli with the bases loaded as out and out asinine. Bad decisions aside, its been that kind of month for the Red Sox. Thankfully there's only one more game left this month and that's tomorrow afternoon. The Sox look to end April on a high note tomorrow afternoon against the White Sox. Marty Pattin (1-3) looks to get back on track against old friend and current White Sox ace Wilbur Wood. The game begins at 2:25 PM at Fenway Park.