Sox Bash Angels For Fifth Straight Win (5/1/94)

It was good news all around as the Boston Bruins won Game 1 of their NHL second round series against the New Jersey Devils and the Boston Red Sox swept the California Angels for their fifth straight win. The Boston bats pounded Brian Anderson and the California bullpen for 16 hits and ten runs, most of the damage coming from a seven run rally in the third inning. Lee Tinsley, Mo Vaughn and Tim Naehring all had 3 hits apiece with Mo scoring three runs as well. On the other side of the ball, Joe Hesketh (1-1, 3.63 ERA) dominated the Angels with seven shutout innings, holding the Angels to just 5 hits. It was a total domination by the red hot Sox as they plastered the Angels 10-1 at Anaheim Stadium.

                                              Ray Bourque and Jon Casey approve of the win

Anderson got the ball in the top of the first inning and Otis Nixon grounded out to first to start. Billy Hatcher flied out to left and Mike Greenwell also flied out to left to end the inning. Hesketh got the ball in the bottom of the first and Damion Easley struck out swinging on a high slider to start. Chad Curtis blooped a base hit to right but Tim Salmon was rung up for strike three by first base umpire Larry Young. Curtis stole second but Chili Davis struck out swinging on a nasty slider to end the inning.

Andre Dawson struck out swinging to start the top of the second but Mo Vaughn grounded a base hit up the middle. Tim Naehring got a base hit to right on a hit and run to move Vaughn to third. Scott Cooper hit a sac fly to right to score Vaughn and Dave Valle blooped a base hit just over the head over Gary DiSarcina. Scott Fletcher struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                            Vaughn scores a run

Apparently Nixon got hurt running to first in the first inning so Lee Tinsley took his place in center for the bottom of the second. Bo Jackson struck out swinging on another slider but Eduardo Perez got a seeing eye single up the middle. Chris Turner forced Perez at second but Rex Hudler also got a base hit to center. ESPN analyst Jon Miller claimed Billerica native Gary DiSarcina took the number 33 in honor of Larry Bird and he struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox exploded in the top of the third as Tinsley hit a 404 foot double off the wall in center to start. Lee took third on a passed ball and scored on the Hatcher base hit to left. Greenwell got a base hit to center and Hatcher moved to third on the Dawson fly ball to left. Vaughn was hit with a pitch to load the bases. Naehring drilled a base hit to center to score Hatcher but nobody else advanced for some reason. Cooper hit a double play ball to Perez who flipped to DiSarcina, but Gary threw the ball away for an error to score Greenwell and Vaughn. Valle walked and Fletcher dumped a base hit to left to score Cooper. That was it for Brian Anderson as Scott Lewis came in to pitch to Tinsley. Lee got a broken bat single in the hole at short to load the bases and Hatcher got a base hit to center. Valle and Fletcher scored on the hit but Greenwell grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-0.

                                                               What a massacre

Easley flied out to center to start the bottom of the third and Jon Miller started singing "Woomp, down and in! Woomp, down and in!" Tinsley made a sliding catch to rob Curtis of a hit and Salmon flied out to right to end the inning.

The Sox got another one in the top of the fourth as Dawson flied out to center to start. Vaughn doubled down the left field line and Naehring drilled a double to the right field wall to score Mo. Cooper got a base hit to right but Tim stopped at third. Valle grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-0.

                                                 Naehring drives in a run

Davis got a broken bat base hit to center to start the bottom of the fourth but Tinsley made another sliding catch to rob Jackson of a base hit. Perez grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Fletcher grounded out to third to start the top of the fifth before Tinsley flied out to left. Hatcher flied out to center to end the inning. Turner hit a routine grounder to Hesketh to start the bottom of the fifth and not only did Joe boot it, he threw it wide for an error. Hudler grounded into a double play and DiSarcina grounded out to third to end the inning.

Old friends Spike Owen came in for Easley and John Dopson came in to pitch the top of the sixth. Greenwell grounded out to first to start before Dawson struck out swinging. Vaughn also went down hacking to end the inning. Bob Zupcic took over for Greenwell for the bottom of the sixth and Owen flied out to center to start. ESPN showed a hilarious interview with Eduardo Perez (Tony's son) saying Joe Morgan's glove was too small for even him when he was six years old. Curtis grounded out to short and Salmon struck out swinging on an 86 mph fastball to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the seventh as Naehring flied out to center to start. Cooper drilled a base hit to center and Valle walked before Fletcher beat out a double play ball. Tinsley got a base hit up the middle to score Cooper then took second on the throw home. Hatcher grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox up 10-0.

                                                             Heads up play by Tinsley

Hesketh returned for the bottom of the seventh as Davis doubled over the head of Zupcic to start. Jackson grounded out to third and Jon Miller told a hilarious story of Hesketh getting called for a balk in his ML debut in 1984 before even throwing a pitch. Then in 1985, Hesketh, with the Expos at the time, pitched a complete game shutout against Nolan Ryan and the Houston Astros while the newspaper headline read "Expos Win, Ryan Strikes out 15". Perez walked, Turner popped up to third and Hudler grounded out to third to end the inning. That was it for Hesketh who tossed 7 innings of shutout ball allowing just 5 hits and a walk.

                                                        Good work by Hesketh

Joe Grahe took over on the mound in the top of the eighth and Zupcic lined out to first. Rich Rowland pinch hit for Dawson and took strike three before Vaughn hit a ground rule double down the right field line. Naehring grounded back to the mound to end the inning. The Angels got on the board in the bottom of the eighth against Paul Quantrill as DiSarcina grounded out to short to begin. Owen got a base hit to left then moved to second on a grounder to second by Curtis. Salmon ripped a base hit to left to score Owen. Davis grounded out to second to end the inning with the Angels down 10-1.

                                                            There goes the shutout

Cooper grounded out to second to start the top of the ninth before Valle took strike three. Fletcher grounded out to third to end the inning. Quantrill came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Jackson grounded out to short to start. Perez grounded out to third and Turner flied out to left to end the game. The Sox had won it 10-1.

                                                                  Sox win

Hero of The Night is Joe Hesketh. He threw 7 shutout innings allowing 5 hits and a walk while striking out six

                                                           Hero Hesketh

The Good:

Mo Vaughn was 3 for 4 with a hit by pitch and 3 runs scored.

Lee Tinsley was 3 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Billy Hatcher was 2 for 5 with 3 rbis and a run scored.

Tim Naehring was 3 for 5 with 2 rbis.

Scott Cooper was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis and 2 runs scored.

Dave Valle was 1 for 3 with 2 walks and a run scored.

The Bad:

Otis Nixon was 0 for 1 before leaving the game.

Bob Zupcic was 0 for 1.

Andre Dawson was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Rich Rowland struck out in his only at-bat.

The Ugly:

Mike Greenwell was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Scott Fletcher was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but drove in a run and scored a run.

Paul Quantrill allowed a run in 2 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

It doesn't get much better if you're a Red Sox fan. The Sox have been red hot on both sides of the ball, mainly the pitching. The last five games Aaron Sele, Roger Clemens, Frank Viola. Joe Hesketh and Danny Darwin all held their opponents to just 1 run. Obviously that hot streak isn't going to last but its the main reason the Sox are in first place right now. Its too bad Otis Nixon had to leave the game but Lee Tinsley filled in admirably. The Sox put this one away early and cruised the rest of the way. What more can be said about the offense other than hope it lasts. Vaughn, Naehring, Greenwell, etc are red hot and could be a contender if this keeps up. The only low point was Bob Zupcic being put in for defense and couldn't make two plays, he might be gone pretty soon if Sox brass want to give Greg Blosser another chance. All in all it was a good win and the Sox are rolling. After an off-day tomorrow, the Sox look now travel to Seattle for a two game set with the Mariners, gunning for their sixth straight win. Frank Viola goes for the Sox up against Dave Fleming of the Mariners. The game begins Tuesday night at 10:05 PM Eastern time at the Kingdome.

Mariners Walkoff Red Sox in 10 Innings (4/26/94)

What a way to lose a game if you're the Boston Red Sox. The Sox dropped their second straight game to Seattle after they jumped out to a 2-0 lead against Chris Bosio courtesy of an Andre Dawson two run home run. Mike Greenwell added another run but the Mariners mounted their comeback against Joe Hesketh. With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, Paul Quantrill gave up a game tying two run double to pinch hitter Reggie Jefferson. The Sox bats fell asleep and didn't touch Bosio or Bobby Ayala the rest of the way. The Mariners loaded the bases against Greg Harris (1-2, 4.02 ERA) and Torey Lovullo hit a grounder to Greg, failing to get anyone out to score the winning run. The Mariners had walked off the Sox 4-3 at the Kingdome.

                                                  "That damn Harris blew another one!"

Bosio got the ball in the top of the first and Otis Nixon took strike three to start. Billy Hatcher grounded out to short but Mike Greenwell walked. Andre Dawson pounded his fifth home run of the season to put Boston on top and Mo Vaughn drew a walk. Mo was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning with the Sox up 2-0.

                                                                     Home run Dawson

Hesketh got the ball in the bottom of the first and Brian Turang struck out swinging to start. Rich Amaral grounded out to second and Ken Griffey Jr grounded out to first to end the inning.

John Valentin grounded out to third to open the top of the second and Scott Cooper grounded out to short. Damon Berryhill got a base hit to right but Scott Fletcher flied out to center to end the inning. Jay Buhner walked to begin the bottom of the second and Greg Perkl popped up to right in foul territory. Mike Blowers singled to right but Tino Martinez grounded into a double play to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the third although Nixon doubled to left to start. Hatcher dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Nixon to third and Otis scored on the Greenwell grounder to short. Dawson flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox up 3-0.

                                                                 RBI for Greenwell

Dan Wilson flied out to right to begin the bottom of the third and Felix Fermin popped up to short. Turang grounded out to short to end the inning. 

Vaughn struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth and Valentin grounded out to third. Cooper grounded out to first to end the inning. The Mariners struck back in the bottom of the fourth as Amaral flied out to center to start. Griffey Jr singled in the hole at short but Buhner flied out to right. Perkl doubled to right to score Griffey but Blowers grounded out to third to end the inning with the Mariners down 2-1.

                                                                Griffey scores a run

Berryhill got a base hit to right to begin the top of the fifth but Fletcher banged into a double play. Nixon grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Martinez struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth and Wilson grounded out to short. Fermin grounded back to Hesketh to end the inning.

Hatcher grounded out to third to open the top of the sixth and Greenwell flied out to center. Dawson also flied out to center to end the inning. The Mariners tied it in the bottom of the sixth as Turang struck out swinging to start. Amaral doubled to center but Junior took strike three. All of a sudden Sox manager Butch Hobson stumbled out of the dugout and wobbled to the mound to take the ball from Hesketh, only problem was he forgot to tell the bullpen to get Paul Quantrill ready. Hesketh went 5 2/3 innings and would be charged with two runs. Quantrill came in ice cold and walked Buhner before Mariners manager Lou Piniella pinch hit Reggie Jefferson for Perkl. Jefferson doubled to center to score both runners to tie the game. Blowers grounded out to short to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                     "Hobson you idiot!" - Hesketh

Vaughn lined out to left to start the top of the seventh and Valentin grounded out to third. Cooper grounded out to first to end the inning. Martinez got a seeing eye single into left to begin the bottom of the seventh then was sacrificed to second on a bunt by Wilson. Fermin grounded back to the mound and that was it for Quantrill. Ken Ryan came in to face pinch hitter Darren Bragg (for Turant) and struck him out swinging to end the inning.

Amaral booted a grounder by Berryhill for an error to start the top of the eighth and Bob Zupcic ran for Damon. Fletcher dropped down a bunt to move Zupcic to third but Nixon struck out swinging. Hatcher grounded out to third to end the inning. Dave Valle took over behind the plate to start the bottom of the eighth and Amaral got a base hit to left. Tony Fossas was brought in to face Griffey Jr and got him to ground out to second to move Amaral over. Greg Harris came in to face Buhner and Jay grounded out to third. Jefferson was intentionally walked and Torey Lovullo pinch hit for Blowers. Lovullo grounded out to short to end the inning.

Bobby Ayala came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Greenwell grounded out to second to start. Dawson struck out swinging and Vaughn grounded out to short to end the inning. Martinez flied out to center to start the bottom of the ninth but Wilson singled to center. Fermin flied out to center and Eric Anthony pinch hit for Bragg. Wilson stole second but Anthony struck out swinging to end the inning.

Valentin struck out swinging to begin the top of the tenth and Cooper went down hacking as well. Valle flied out to left to end the inning. The end came in the bottom of the tenth as Amaral doubled to left to start. With Fossas gone, Hobson had no choice but to intentionally walk Griffey Jr. Buhner dropped down a bunt to move the runners over and Buhner was intentionally walked to load the bases. Lovullo hit a roller to Harris who fired home......safe! Amaral scored and the Mariners had won it 4-3 in 10 innings.

Jackass of The Night is Greg Harris. He fell apart in the bottom of the tenth to take the loss

                                                            Jackass Harris

The Good:

Damon Berryhill was 2 for 3.

The Bad:

Billy Hatcher was 0 for 3.

John Valentin was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Scott Cooper was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Dave Valle was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Scott Fletcher was 0 for 2 at the plate.

Joe Hesketh pitched well, allowing just 2 runs in 5 2/3 innings off 4 hits and a walk while striking out four.

Ken Ryan got the final batter of the seventh inning.

Tony Fossas retired the only man he faced.

The Ugly:

Otis Nixon was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

Mike Greenwell was 0 for 3 but walked, drove in a run and scored a run.

Andre Dawson was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but the one hit was a 2 run home run.

Mo Vaughn was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Paul Quantrill allowed a run in a full inning of work.

Honorable Mention:

Bob Zupcic pinch ran for Berryhill.

Final Thoughts:

That loss was a sucker punch to the go-nads. They had the game won but Hobson outsmarted himself. Hesketh had only thrown 75 pitches, had he got one more out the Sox would have had a two run lead with three innings to go. The Nixon strike out with Zupcic at third was also a killer. Had they got that run in, the Sox also could have won. They didn't....and that was a tough loss to take. The Mariners aren't that good this year but the Sox couldn't get it done. Hopefully Hobson learns his lesson and leaves Hesketh in to finish an inning at just 75 pitches next time. The Sox were having a great month but now they've lost two in a row to a bad team. Hopefully this doesn't turn into a losing streak because we all know what happened last year. The Sox continue their road trip tomorrow night when they head out to Oakland to face the struggling A's. In a rematch of their 1981 NCAA Tournament showdown, Ron Darling of the A's goes one on one with Frank Viola (0-1) at 10:30 PM Eastern time at Oakland Coliseum.

Sox Walkoff A's in Ninth, Sweep Series (4/21/94)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. The struggling Greg Blosser was sent down to Pawtucket and super utility man Bob Zupcic was called up to replace him. Blosser was 1 for 11 and the plan was to get the 22 year old more playing time in Pawtucket before bringing him back another time.

                                                                   OUT

                                                                     IN

It was a good day for Boston sports as the Boston Bruins defeated the Patrick Roy-less Montreal Canadiens in Game 3 of their first round NHL playoff series. As for baseball, woah, who saw THIS coming for the Boston Red Sox? A day after Roger Clemens beats the Oakland A's with a 2 hit shutout, the Red Sox offense comes alive and beats one of the best closers in the game. Sox starter Joe Hesketh got lit up for 5 runs and got knocked out in the fourth inning thanks to some pretty lousy defense. Trailing 4-0, the Sox mounted a comeback by getting four runs in the sixth thanks to John Valentin and Tim Naehring. With one out in the bottom of the ninth against old friend Dennis Eckersley, Andre Dawson smacked a pinch hit rbi double to tie the game and Otis Nixon knocked him in with a double of his own to win the game 6-5 at Fenway Park.

                                                  Neriah Davis approves of the win

Hesketh got the ball in the top of the first inning and Rickey Henderson led off by grounding out to third. John Wathan was shown to be the acting manager today as Butch Hobson was home mourning a death in the family. Stan Javier grounded back to the mound but Geronimo Berroa doubled to the left field wall. Mark McGwire walked but Ruben Sierra struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                                    No Hobson today

Bobby Witt got the start for Oakland and Otis Nixon led off the top of the first by grounding out to short. Billy Hatcher grounded out to third and Mike Greenwell flied out to center to end the inning.

Terry Steinbach grounded out to short to start the top of the second and Scott Brosius struck out swinging. Mo Vaughn dropped a pop up by Mike Bordick for an error but Hesketh struck him out swinging to end the inning anyway. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the second as Mo Vaughn got a base hit to right field to start. Tim Naehring walked but Damon Berryhill flied out to center. John Valentin popped up to third but Scott Cooper walked to load the bases. Dave Valle grounded into a force to end the inning.

The A's struck first in the top of the third as Scott Hemond hit a bullet to Valentin to start. Henderson walked but was forced at second by Javier. Sox analyst Bob Kurtz told fans that Sox pitching prospect Frankie Rodriguez was no-hitting the Columbus Clippers through six innings, good for him. Javier took off for second and Valle turned around and threw the ball into the net behind the plate for an error to advance Stan to third. Naturally Javier scored on the base hit by Berroa to give the A's the lead. McGwire took strike three to end the inning but it was 1-0 A's.

                                                       Javier scores.

Nixon tried to bunt his way on but Witt snuffed it out to start the bottom of the third. Hatcher was plunked and hobbled around in pain. John Wathan sprinted out of the dugout and asked if Billy was okay and Hatcher said he's good. Hatcher was thrown out trying to steal and Greenwell struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                                 Hatcher "Owwowowowowwwwwww!!!"

The A's struck back in the top of the fourth as Kurtz reported Columbus Clippers catcher Jorge Posada broke up Rodriguez' no hitter down in Pawtucket. Sierra flied out to center but Steinbach slapped a single to right. Brosius flied out to left but Nixon dropped a blooper by Bordick that counted as an rbi "double". Hemond hit a routine grounder to Cooper who threw his glove on the ball and dropped an elbow on it for an error to put runners at the corners. Henderson singled Hemond to third and stole second before both runners scored on the double down the left field line by Javier. That was it for Hesketh who got no help from his defense but was out after allowing 5 runs in 3 2/3 innings. Paul Quantrill came in and Berroa popped up to second to end the inning with the A's ahead 5-0.

                                                              Not Joe's best outing

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the fourth as Vaughn struck out swinging to start. Naehring took strike three but Berryhill walked. Valentin took strike three to end the inning.

McGwire walked to start the top of the fifth but Sierra flied out to left. Steinbach singled to center but Brosius banged into a double play to end the inning. Cooper flied out to center to start the bottom of the fifth and Valle struck out swinging. Nixon doubled to left but Hatcher flied out to center to end the inning.

Bordick singled to left to begin the top of the sixth and took second on a passed ball, but Hemond grounded out to short. Henderson struck out swinging and Javier took strike three to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the sixth as Greenwell walked to start. Vaughn dumped a base hit to center and Greenwell motored around to third, Vaughn taking second on the throw. Naehring hit a bullet off the Monster to score both runners to put the Sox on the board. Berryhill flied out to left but Valentin singled to left to chase Witt. Steve Ontiveros came in and Cooper hit a shot into the right field corner. Naehring and Valentin scored but Cooper was thrown out at third trying to stretch a triple. Valle took strike three to end the inning but the Sox were back in it 5-4.

                                                             Yerrrrr out!

Berroa grounded out to short to begin the top of the seventh and McGwire took strike three. Sierra flied out to center to end the inning. Nixon singled to left to start the bottom of the seventh and A's manager Tony La Russa took Ontiveros out. John Briscoe came in and Hatcher flied out to right. Greenwell banged into a double play to end the inning.

Scott Bankhead came in to pitch the top of the eighth inning and Steinbach flied out to right to start. Brosius grounded out to second but Bordick singled to center. Hemond flied out to center to end the inning. Vaughn flied out to center to begin the bottom of the eighth but Naehring walked. Berryhill banged into a double play to end the inning.

Bankhead returned for the top of the ninth and Henderson flied out to left to start. Javier blooped a single past a diving Naehring and Berroa walked. Old buddy Mike Brumley pinch ran for Berroa but McGwire struck out swinging. Sierra grounded out to short to end the inning.

                                                         Good work Bankhead

Dennis Eckersley came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Valentin flied out to center to start. Cooper grounded a base hit to right that was bobbled by Sierra, Cooper taking second on the error. Lee Tinsley pinch ran for Cooper and Roger Clemens gave Cooper an interesting look in the dugout.

                                                    Insane Roger Clemens

Andre Dawson pinch hit for Valle and doubled off the right field barrier on the first pitch to tie the game. Scott Fletcher pinch ran for Dawson and Nixon doubled just inside the first base bag to score Fletcher with the winning run. The Sox had beaten Eckersley and the A's 6-5.

                                                         Sox win, Eck can't believe it

The Co-Heroes of the Night are Andre Dawson and Otis Nixon. Dawson came off the bench ice cold to tie the game and Nixon won it one at-bat later.

                                                      Hero 1: Dawson

                                                     Hero 2: Nixon

The Good:

Mo Vaughn was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Tim Naehring was 1 for 2 with 2 walks, 2 rbis and a run scored.

Scott Cooper was 2 for 3 with a walk and 2 rbis.

Lee Tinsley scored the tying run as a pinch runner

Scott Fletcher scored the winning run as a pinch runner.

Paul Quantrill tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings.

Scott Bankhead got the win with 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Dave Valle was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Joe Hesketh got lit up by allowing 5 runs in 3 2/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Billy Hatcher was 0 for 3 but was hit with a pitch.

Mike Greenwell was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked and scored.

Damon Berryhill was 0 for 3 but walked.

John Valentin was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

Not much was expected of the Boston Red Sox this year considering their misery the last two seasons, but at least they're starting April pretty well so far. Clemens looked great last night and knocking off Dennis Eckersley tonight is nothing to sneeze at. The defense needs to be cleaned up but there shouldn't be too many games with 3 errors. Kudos to Quantrill and Bankhead for holding the fort after Hesketh was knocked out. They tossed a combined 5 1/3 shutout innings and kept Oakland off the scoreboard the rest of the way. Dawson's got a pretty bad knee so for him to contribute like that deserves a lot of credit. The hardest job in baseball is to come off the bench ice cold and hit one of the best closers in the game. Nixon carried the offense today with all his hits and the Sox are going be in good shape if he can get back to where he was with the Atlanta Braves. Sweeping the A's out of Fenway was fun but the California Angels come to town next for a set. Frank Viola goes for the Sox against Chuck Finley of the Angels tomorrow night at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

White Sox Defeat Viola, Red Sox (4/17/94)

That was not the best game pitched by Frank Viola (0-1, 4.96 ERA) in today's Boston Red Sox game against the Chicago White Sox. Frank got rocked for four runs in just 5 1/3 innings while the Sox offense was stoned cold by Scott Sanderson of Chicago. Mike Greenwell did hit a first inning home run off Sanderson but the White Sox knocked Viola out and led 4-1. Bad errors by the Sox defense led to the White Sox getting three unearned runs off Scott Bankhead and Joe Hesketh. The Red Sox rallied in the bottom of the eighth for three runs but it was too little, too late as the White Sox won 7-4 at Fenway Park.

                                                          "Three errors in one inning?"

Viola got the ball in the top of the first and Tim Raines popped up to first to start. Joey Cora flied out to center and Frank Thomas grounded out to short to end the inning. The Red Sox wasted no time getting to Sanderson in the bottom of the first as Otis Nixon grounded out to second to start. Billy Hatcher grounded out to third but Mike Greenwell launched his third home run of the season to put Boston on top. Mo Vaughn grounded out to third to end the inning with the BoSox up 1-0.

                                                              Greenwell hits one out

The White Sox answered in the top of the second as Julio Franco walked to start. Franco took second on a wild pitch then third on a Robin Ventura liner to right. Darrin Jackson grounded out to third but Lance Johnson singled to left to score Franco to tie the game. Ron Karkovice flied out to center to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                        Johnson ties it up.

Tim Naehring took strike three to start the bottom of the second before Scott Cooper lined out to short. John Valentin singled to left and stole second but Greg Blosser struck out swinging to end the inning.

Ozzie Guillen grounded out to third to start the top of the third before Raines popped up to first. Cora flied out to right to end the inning. Dave Valle flied out to right to start the bottom of the third before Nixon struck out swinging. Hatcher singled to center but was picked off to end the inning.

The White Sox took command in the top of the fourth as Thomas hit a home run all the way to Jupiter to start. Franco grounded out to short and Ventura struck out swinging, but Jackson hit a home run all the way to Los Angeles to increase the lead. Johnson flied out to left to end the inning with the White Sox ahead 3-1.

                                                                 Jackson hits one out

Greenwell grounded out to short to start the bottom of the fourth before Vaughn struck out swinging. Naehring and Cooper stroked back to back base hits but Valentin struck out swinging to end the inning.

Karkovice singled to right to start the top of the fifth before Guillen sacrificed him to second with a bunt. Ron moved to third on the fly out to right by Raines and Cora walked to put runners at the corners. Thomas lined out to right to end the inning. Blosser lined out to short to start the bottom of the fifth but Valle singled to center. Nixon lined out to left and Hatcher grounded out to third to end the inning.

The White Sox finished off Viola in the top of the sixth as Franco singled to center to start. Ventura struck out swinging and Jackson singled to left. Johnson singled to center to score Franco and drive Viola out of the game. Frank allowed 4 runs in 5 1/3 innings off 7 hits and 2 walks. Scott Bankhead came in to pitch and Karkovice took strike three. Guillen flied out to right to end the inning with the White Sox ahead 4-1.

                                                      Viola didn't have it in this one

Greenwell flied out to center to start the bottom of the sixth before Vaughn grounded out to third. Naehring flied out to left to end the inning.

Raines popped up to short to start the top of the seventh before Cora struck out swinging. Thomas singled to left but Franco took strike three to end the inning. Kirk McCaskill came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Cooper grounded out to second to start. Valentin flied out to center but Blosser drew a walk. Valle flied out to center to end the inning.

Things fell apart in the top of the eighth as Ventura grounded out to short to start. Jackson hit a routine grounder to Cooper who picked the ball up and did a dance with it for an error. That was it for Bankhead as Joe Hesketh came in to pitch to Johnson. Johnson hit a routine grounder to Naehring who picked the ball up and did a dance with it to show up Cooper for another error. Karkovice flied out to center and Guillen hit a grounder to third. Cooper fired home to Valle.....WHO DROPPED IT! Jackson and Johnson both scored on the error to ice the game. Raines singled to center to score Guillen and Cora singled to center to chase Hesketh. Paul Quantrill came in to pitch and Thomas flied out to right to end the inning with the White Sox ahead 7-1.

                                                    Cooper, Naehring and Valle

The Red Sox rallied in the bottom of the eighth as Nixon flied out to center to start. Hatcher singled to left and Greenwell doubled to right to score him. Vaughn then clubbed his second home run of the year to cut the lead, but Naehring flied out to right. Cooper singled to right to chase McCaskill and Roberto Hernandez came in to face Valentin. John popped up to short to end the inning with the Sox down 7-4.

                                                                 Vaughn hits a homer

Franco took strike three to start the top of the ninth and Ventura also watched strike three go by. Jackson flied out to right to end the inning. Blosser struck out swinging to start the bottom of the ninth and Damon Berryhill pinch hit for Valle. Damon struck out swinging and Nixon also went down hacking to end the game. The White Sox had won it 7-4.

Jackass of the Night is Dave Valle. Him dropping the ball at the plate led to two runs scoring and an eventual third run. That was the difference in the game

                                                               Dave Jackass

The Good:

Billy Hatcher was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Mike Greenwell was 2 for 4 with a home run, 2 total rbis and 2 total runs scored.

Paul Quantrill tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Otis Nixon was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Damon Berryhill struck out as a pinch hitter.

Frank Viola got hammered for four runs in just 5 1/3 innings to take the loss.

Joe Hesketh allowed 2 unearned runs in 1/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Mo Vaughn was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a 2 run home run.

Tim Naehring was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout and an error.

John Valentin was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Scott Cooper was 2 for 4 but committed a crucial error.

Greg Blosser was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Scott Bankhead was charged with an unearned run in 2 innings.

Final Thoughts:

That game was a week's worth of bad baseball in one game. Viola pitched like garbage and the Sox committed three errors in that fateful eighth inning. The entire infield owes Scott Bankhead and Joe Hesketh some beers tonight for that total mess they created. The offense was shut down for virtually the entire game so its not entirely the fault of pitching and defense. It was good to see Vaughn and Greenwell hit some rockets so the game wasn't entirely a waste. Greg Blosser looks lost at the plate but maybe he'll pick it up as the season goes on. After the dreary 1992 and 1993 seasons, the Sox winning 7 of the first 11 games is a cause for hope even if they lost this one. The less said of this disaster, the better. The BoSox look to bounce back against the White Sox tomorrow morning on Patriots Day. Danny Darwin (2-0) goes for Boston against Wilson Alvarez of Chicago. The game begins at 11:00 AM at Fenway Park.

Fernandez, White Sox Blank Red Sox (4/10/94)

Well this game was a complete waste of time. The Boston Red Sox dropped a turd in today's game against the Chicago White Sox. Alex Fernandez of Chicago tossed a complete game 6 hit shutout against the Red Sox while Joe Hesketh (0-1, 9.53 ERA) gave up as many runs as the BoSox had hits. Paul Quantrill and Ricky Trilicek also gave up runs as the White Sox got a total effort from their offense in this one. The BoSox looked bad on both sides of the ball as the White Sox had won the game 8-0 at Commiskey Park. How many runs did the Red Sox score Dean Wormer?

Fernandez got the ball in the top of the first inning and Otis Nixon lined out to short to start. Scott Fletcher struck out swinging and Mike Greenwell grounded back to the mound to end the inning. The White Sox wasted no time getting to Hesketh in the bottom of the first as Lance Johnson singled to center to start. Johnson swiped second but Craig Grebeck took strike three. Johnson took third on the fly ball to right and scored on the Julio Franco double to right. Robin Ventura flied out to center to end the inning with the White Sox up for good already 1-0.

                                                              Franco puts Chicago up

The BoSox tried to rally in the top of the second as Mo Vaughn singled to center to begin. Andre Dawson singled to center and Vaughn moved to third on the fly ball to left by Damon Berryhill. Then Dawson was foolishly thrown out at second trying to steal and Tim Naehring lined out to short to end the inning. That was one of the only rallies of the whole game for Boston. Darrin Jackson walked to start the bottom of the second but Joe Hall struck out swinging. Jackson stole second but Ron Karkovice took strike three and Ozzie Guillen struck out swinging to end the inning.

John Valentin grounded out to third to start the top of the third before Greg Blosser flied out to center. Nixon took strike three to end the inning. The White Sox iced the game in the bottom of the third as Johnson walked to start. Grebeck doubled to left and Thomas hit a gap shot into right field. Blosser inexplicably then turned around and threw the ball into the stands for an error to score Johnson and Grebeck. Franco dumped a base hit to right to score Thomas to put the game away. Ventura struck out looking, Jackson popped up to first and Hall forced Franco at second to end the inning with the White Sox ahead 4-0.

                                                               Thomas puts the game away

The BoSox failed to respond in the top of the fourth inning as Fletcher flied out to right to start. Greenwell grounded back to the mound but Vaughn singled to right. Dawson forced Mo at second to end the inning. Hesketh recovered in the bottom of the fourth as Karkovice took strike three to begin the inning. Guillen grounded out to second and Johnson struck out swinging to end the inning.

Berryhill flied out to right to start the top of the fifth before Naehring struck out swinging. Valentin flied out to center to end the inning. The White Sox finally chased Hesketh in the bottom of the fifth as Grebeck grounded out to second to begin. Thomas walked but Franco flied out to right. Ventura singled to center and Sox manager Butch Hobson stumbled out of the dugout and had to be pointed to the direction of the mound. He had Rickey Trilcek warming but inexplicably brought in Paul Quantrill ice cold for a reason nobody knows. Jackson ripped a base hit to center to score Thomas and Hall got a base hit to right....under the glove of Blosser for an error. Ventura and Jackson both scored while Hall went all the way to third. Karkovice struck out swinging to end the inning with the White Sox ahead 7-0. Hesketh lasted just 4 2/3 innings while being charged with 6 runs off 6 hits and 3 walks.

                                                             Dammit Blosser

The BoSox failed to respond in the top of the sixth as Blosser took strike three to start. Nixon walked and Fletcher singled to left, but Greenwell flied out to center. Vaughn flied out to right to end the inning. Lee Tinsley took over for Nixon for the bottom of the sixth and Guillen doubled to left to start. Johnson flied out to center and Grebeck popped up to first, before Thomas took strike three to end the inning.

Dawson grounded back to the mound to start the top of the seventh before Berryhill flied out to right. Naehring singled to right but Valentin grounded out to third to end the inning. Ricky Trilicek came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh with Rich Rowland behind the plate and Franco grounded out to short to start. Ventura grounded out to first but Jackson walked. Warren Newson pinch hit for Hall and flied out to left to end the inning.

Blosser grounded out to short to start the top of the eighth but Tinsley singled to right. Fletcher got bagged for interference on a steal attempt so Tinsley had to stay at first. Greenwell popped up to third in foul territory to end the inning. The White Sox wrapped up the scoring in the bottom of the eighth as Karkovice doubled to left to start. Ron moved to third on the Guillen grounder to second and scored on the Johnson grounder to second. Grebeck singled to center but Thomas flied out to right to end the inning with the White Sox up 8-0.

                                                             Johnson drives in a run

Fernandez returned to finish the top of the ninth and Vaughn struck out swinging to start. Dawson flied out to center and Rowland struck out swinging to end the game. The White Sox had won it 8-0.

                                                         "You can't beat me" - Fernandez

Jackass of the Night is Joe Hesketh. He got lit up for 6 runs in 4 2/3 innings to take the loss. He allowed 6 hits and 3 walks.

                                                                  Jackass Hesketh

The Good:

Lee Tinsley got a base hit in his only at-bat.

Mo Vaughn was 2 for 4.

Tim Naehring was 1 for 3.

The Bad:

Mike Greenwell was 0 for 4.

Damon Berryhill was 0 for 3.

Rich Rowland was 0 for 1.

John Valentin was 0 for 3.

Greg Blosser was 0 for 3 with 2 errors and a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Otis Nixon was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but walked.

Scott Fletcher was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Andre Dawson was just 1 for 4.

Paul Quantrill was charged with an unearned run in 1 1/3 innings.

Ricky Trilicek allowed a run in 2 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

That was Boston's first real stinker of the season as absolutely nothing went right. Hesketh got pounded, the bullpen allowed a few runs and the offense couldn't touch Alex Fernandez. Greg Blosser looked like garbage in the field and at the plate, he might be overmatched right now. Not much you can do on a day like this but hope tomorrow is better. Its only early April so no time to panic, just one of those days where nothing goes right. Not much else to say really. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow when they head to Kansas City to face the Royals. Frank Viola goes for the Red Sox against Mark Gubicza of Kansas City. The game begins at 8:05 PM Eastern time at Kauffman Stadium.

Sox Outslug Tigers on Opening Day (4/4/94)

What a start to the 1994 season for the Boston Red Sox. After Roger Clemens got lit up and the Sox fell behind 8-6, they pulled off a furious rally in the bottom of the 8th to take the lead. Closer Jeff Russell slammed the door in the top of the ninth and the Sox were winners in their first game 9-8 at Fenway Park.

                                                        Jason Lee Scott approves of the win

Sox ace Roger Clemens took the mound in the top of the first inning and Tony Phillips got the year started by grounding out to third. Lou Whitaker and Eric Davis both whiffed to end the inning. Mike Moore got the ball for the Tigers in the bottom of the first and Otis Nixon made his Sox debut by grounding out to third to begin. Billy Hatcher walked but Mike Greenwell flied out to left. Mo Vaughn flied out to center to end the inning.

Clemens cruised in the top of the second inning as Cecil Fielder flied out to right to begin. Travis Fryman and Mickey Tettleton both whiffed to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second when Andre Dawson smacked his first home run of the year to put Boston on top. Scott Cooper lined out to short but John Valentin walked. Valentin swiped second but new Sox catcher Dave Valle grounded out to short. Scott Fletcher lined out to right to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                       Dawson puts the Sox on top

Just as soon as the Sox took the lead, Clemens pissed it away in the top of the third inning. Kirk Gibson beat out an infield single before Alan Trammell walked. Junior Felix moved the runners over with a sacrifice bunt before Phillips doubled home both men to give the Tigers the lead. Whitaker singled home Phillips to increase the lead and Davis singled as well. Fielder lined out to center but Fryman walked to load the bases. Tettleton whiffed to end the inning but the Tigers now led 3-1.

The Sox roared back in the bottom of the third as Nixon walked and showed off his speed by stealing second. Hatcher walked but Greenwell lined out to center. Vaughn singled home Nixon and Dawson tied the game by doubling home Vaughn. Cooper was intentionally walked to load the bases and Valentin made the Tigers pay with a double to score Vaughn and Dawson. Old friend Mike Gardiner came in to replace Moore and Valle was intentionally walked to re-load the bases but this time Fletcher flied out to right. The man who started the inning with a walk, Nixon, walked again to score Cooper with another run. Hatcher grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-3.

                                                        Valentin puts the Sox on top

Once again Clemens failed to put up a zero in the top of the fourth inning. Gibson lined out to right to start before Trammell singled. Felix singled Trammell to third and Alan scored on the ground out by Phillips. Whitaker grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox now ahead 6-4.

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fourth as Greenwell grounded out to first to start. Vaughn popped up to short and Dawson grounded out to third to end the inning. Clemens completely fell apart in the top of the fifth although he blew away Davis to start. Fielder lined out to right but Fryman doubled to left. Tettleton smacked a ground rule double to score Fryman and for some odd reason, Sox manager Butch Hobson had Gibson intentionally walked. Trammell made Hobson pay by doubling home both runners to give the Tigers the lead. That was it for Clemens as the ace went 4 2/3 and would eventually be charged with 8 runs. Not good. Paul Quantrill relieved Clemens and Felix singled home Trammell for an insurance run before Phillips lined out to short to end the inning with the Tigers ahead 8-6.

                                                     Clemens gets pounded

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the fifth as Cooper flied out to right, Valentin popped up to first and Valle popped up to third to end the inning.

Quantrill kept the ball down in the top of the sixth when Whitaker grounded out to first to start. Davis and Fielder grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the sixth as Fletcher grounded out to short to start. Nixon grounded back to the mound and Hatcher grounded out to first to end the inning.

The top of the seventh started with a blunder as Valentin went OLE! on a line drive by Fryman to begin. Tettleton flied out to center and all of a sudden Sox manager Butch Hobson randomly came out of the dugout to bring in a new pitcher. Joe Hesketh came in and got Gibson to ground out before Trammell was intentionally walked. Felix whiffed to end the inning. Storm Davis came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Greenwell grounded out to second to start. Vaughn flied out to left before Dawson grounded out to third to end the inning.

Phillips walked to begin the top of the eighth but was thrown out by the alert Valle trying to steal. Whitaker walked and sleeping manager Butch Hobson woke up to replace Hesketh with Scott Bankhead. Scott whiffed both Davis and Fielder to end the inning. The Sox exploded in the bottom of the eighth and Cooper started the rally with a ground rule double. Valentin singled Cooper to third as Hobson made the weird pinch hitting switch, recalling Valle in favor of Damon Berryhill. Berryhill whiffed before Fletcher popped up to left. Nixon walked to load the bases and Hatcher doubled home Cooper and Valentin to tie the game. A passed ball scored Nixon with the go-ahead run before Greenwell walked to re-load the bases. Vaughn whiffed to end the inning but the Sox ahead 9-8.

                                                     Cooper gets the rally started

With the lead in hand, the Sox turned to closer Jeff Russell to nail it down in the top of the ninth. Fryman flied out to center to start but Tettleton was plunked. Milt Cuyler ran for Tettleton but Russell blew away Gibson. Trammell grounded out to short to end the game. The Sox had won Opening Day 9-8.

Hero of the Night is Billy Hatcher. His 2 run rbi double in the bottom of the eighth tied the game to set the stage for the winning run to score.

                                                         Hatcher The Hero

The Good:

Otis Nixon walked 3 times in 5 plate appearances, drove in a run, scored twice and stole a base.

Andre Dawson was 2 fo 4 with 2 total runs batted in, 2 total runs scored and a solo home run.

Scott Cooper was 1 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

John Valentin was 2 for 3 with a walk, 2 rbis, a stolen base and a run scored.

Paul Quantrill pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Joe Hesketh pitched a full scoreless inning.

Scott Bankhead got the win with 2/3 of a scoreless inning.

Jeff Russell got his first save of the year with a scoreless ninth inning.



The Bad:

Damon Berryhill struck out in his only plate appearance.

Scott Fletcher was 0 for 4.

Roger Clemens got lit up for 8 runs in just 4 2/3 innings. Not the best from the ace.



The Ugly:

Mike Greenwell was 0 for 4 but walked.

Mo Vaughn was just 1 for 5 but drove in a run and scored.

Dave Valle was 0 for 2 but walked.




Final Thoughts:

What a way to start the season. Your best pitcher lays an egg but the offense and the bullpen stepped up big. The offense was a bit of a let-down last year down the stretch but hopefully Nixon will help start the rallies that Dawson and Vaughn can finish as the season goes on. The fact Clemens got bombed is disconcerting considering the rotation is a bit thin after him. Hopefully Roger can turn it around and get back on track in his next start. The Sox are gonna need all the help they can get if they can hope to hang with the two time defending champion Toronto Blue Jays. After an off day, the Sox return to action Wednesday afternoon as Frank Viola makes his season debut opposite the portly David Wells. The game starts at 1:00 PM at Fenway Park.