Brewers Edge Sox Late (4/8/87)

It was bad news all around for Boston sports. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Boston Bruins in Game 1 of their first round NHL playoff series and the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Boston Red Sox. Al Nipper started for the Sox and lasted just 5 1/3 innings while allowing 2 runs. The Sox offense managed to score 2 runs of their own against Bill Wegman of the Brewers, but Billy Jo Robidoux drove home Glenn Braggs to hang the loss on Wes Gardner (0-1, 6.75 ERA). After the Brewers scored to go ahead, the Sox offense went quiet the rest of the day. For the second game in a row the Boston bats were silent as Milwaukee took the game 3-2 at County Stadium.

                                                "Hello operator? The Sox offense sucks"

Wegman got the ball in the top of the first inning and Wade Boggs grounded out to second to start. Marty Barrett flied out to right and Bill Buckner flied out to left to end the inning. Nipper got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Paul Molitor doubled to right to start. Robin Yount moved Molitor to second with a grounder to Barrett and Glenn Braggs drew a walk. Greg Brock popped up to third and Billy Jo Robidoux grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Jim Rice got a base hit to center to start the top of the second and Don Baylor drew a walk. Dwight Evans popped up to second, Dave Henderson flied out to right and Marc Sullivan flied out to left to end the inning. Rob Deer flied out to center to begin the bottom of the second but BJ Surhoff singled to center. Jim Gantner singled up the middle to move Surhoff to third but Dale Sveum banged into a double play to end the inning.

Spike Owen led off the top of the third with a ground out to short and Boggs also grounded out to short. Barrett flied out to right to end the inning. Molitor doubled to left to start the bottom of the third but Yount struck out swinging. Braggs went down hacking and Brock hit a routine grounder to Barrett...who went OLE! for an error. Robidoux struck out swinging to end the inning.

Wegman cruised in the top of the fourth as Buckner flied out to left to start. Rice took strike three and Baylor grounded out to short to end the inning. Nipper matched Wegman in the bottom of the fourth although Deer was plunked to start. Surhoff flied out to center, Gantner flied out to right and Sveum flied out to left to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the fifth as Evans singled to center to start. Evans moved to second on the Henderson grounder to second and scored on the double to left by Sullivan. Owen lined out to short but Boggs was intentionally walked. Barrett made the Brewers pay with a base hit to right to score Sullivan with another run. Buckner flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                    RBI double for Sullivan

The Brewers answered in the bottom of the fifth as Molitor walked to start. Yount singled to left and Braggs walked to load the bases with nobody out. Brock grounded out to first to score Molitor and Robidoux also grounded out to first to score Yount to tie the game. Deer struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                        Robidoux ties it up

Chuck Crim came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Rice struck out swinging to start. Baylor and Henderson both grounded out to third to end the inning. Nipper returned briefly for the bottom of the sixth and snuffed out a bunt by Surhoff to start. Gantner and Sveum stroked back to back base hits to chase Al after 5 1/3 innings and 2 runs allowed. Wes Gardner made his season debut and got Molitor to ground into a double play to end the inning. 

                                                          Nipper deserved better

Henderson grounded out to short to start the top of the seventh before Sullivan took strike three. Owen grounded out to second to end the inning. The Brewers took command in the bottom of the seventh as Yount grounded out to second to start. Braggs and Brock stroked back to back base hits and Robidoux singled home Braggs to give Milwaukee the lead. Deer took strike three and that was it for Gardner. Joe Sambito made his season debut by getting Surhoff to fly out to left to end the inning with the Brewers ahead 3-2.

                                                   Robidoux gives Milwaukee the lead

The Sox went quietly in the top of the eighth with Dan Plesac on the mound. Boggs flied out to left, Barrett grounded out to second and Buckner flied out to left to end the inning. Gantner took strike three to start the bottom of the eighth before Sveum struck out swinging. Calvin Schiraldi was brought in to pitch to Molitor and Paul grounded out to short to end the inning. 

Rick Manning took over in right to start the top of the ninth and Rice grounded out to short to start. Baylor grounded out to third and Henderson flied out to right to end the game. The Sox didn't have a baserunner after Barrett's hit in the fifth and the Brewers had won it 3-2.

Jackass of the Night is Wes Gardner. He allowed the go-ahead run to score in the seventh inning.

                                                          Jackass Gardner

The Good:

Marc Sullivan was 1 for 3 with an rbi and a run scored.

Al Nipper tossed 5 1/3 innings of 2 run ball. He allowed 7 hits and 3 walks.

Joe Sambito tossed a full scoreless inning.

Calvin Schiraldi retired the only man he faced.

The Bad:

Bill Buckner was 0 for 4.

Dave Henderson was 0 for 3.

Spike Owen was 0 for 3.

The Ugly:

Wade Boggs was 0 for 3 but walked.

Marty Barrett was just 1 for 4 with an error but drove in a run.

Jim Rice was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Don Baylor was 0 for 3 but walked.

Dwight Evans was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

That wasn't as bad as Opening Day but still frustrating. The offense hasn't been there the first two games of the season and hopefully that's just opening weekend rust. The Sox barely had time to recover with just 3 months off after the World Series so they may come out of the gate slow as molasses. They better wake up soon because now everyone in the American League is gunning for them. The Brewers have outplayed them in every phase of the game the past two games and the Sox look to be stuck in the mud. Wegman only lasted 5 innings but the Milwaukee bullpen tossed 4 scoreless innings and retired 13 in a row to end the game. Hopefully the Sox can bounce back soon and get some key pieces healthy because right now, they're in trouble and its only two games into the season. The Sox look to avoid a sweep tomorrow night when Jeff Sellers makes his season debut against Mike Birkbeck of the Brewers. The game begins at 2:05 PM Eastern time at County Stadium.

Sox Collapse, Mets Take Series in Seven (10/27/86)

Most of the world saw this coming after the Boston Red Sox committed an all-time collapse in Game 6 but it doesn't make it hurt any less. After a rainout postponed Game 7, the New York Mets finally pounded the final nail in the Red Sox coffin with an 8-5 comeback victory to win the 1986 World Series. The Sox took a 3-0 lead and Bruce Hurst continued his dominance for 5 innings....then it all went to hell as the Mets got the last laugh in Shea Stadium.

                                                Doom and gloom all around

Ron Darling was scheduled to start Game 7 before the rainout and he took the mound to start the game. Wade Boggs lined out to short to start and Marty Barrett flied out to right. Bill Buckner got a mock standing ovation by the Mets crowd but he shut them up real quick with a base hit to right. Jim Rice flied out to right to end the inning. Oil Can Boyd was scheduled to start Game 7 before the rainout but Sox manager John McNamara decided to start Bruce Hurst on 3 days rest. At first the gamble worked in the bottom of the first when Mookie Wilson grounded out to second on the first pitch. Tim Teufel popped up to second and Keith Hernandez lined out to center to end the inning.

The Red Sox took out their frustrations of Game 6 on Darling in the top of the second inning. Dwight Evans and Rich Gedman crushed back to home runs, the Gedman homer popping out of the glove of Strawberry in right field. Dave Henderson walked but Spike Owen popped up to short. Hurst bunted Henderson over to second and Dave scored on the roller up the middle hit by Boggs to increase the lead. Barrett caught Ray Knight asleep at third with a bunt single. With a chance to break the game open early....Buckner flied out to center to end the inning. Still, the Sox shook off the effects of Game 6 to take a 3-0 lead.

                                              Gedman helps out with a home run

Hurst breezed through the bottom of the second as Gary Carter was snuffed out on a bunt single attempt to start. Darryl Strawberry popped up to left but Ray Knight singled. Kevin Mitchell grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Sox missed a chance to hit Darling hard in the top of the third when Rice singled off the left field wall but Mitchell gunned him down at second trying to stretch. Evans popped up to center and Gedman grounded out to first to end the inning. Hurst cruised in the bottom of the third as well, punching out Rafael Santana to start. Darling hit a ball hard to right but Evans snared it at the wall. Wilson flied out to right to end the inning.

The Sox knocked out Darling in the top of the fourth as Henderson was plunked to start. Owen flied out to right and Hurst sacrifice bunted Henderson over to second, shades of the second inning. That was it for Darling as Mets manager Davey Johnson pulled him in favor of Sid Fernandez. Boggs walked to put two men on and with another chance to break it open....Barrett flied out to right to end the inning. Hurst remained perfect in the bottom of the fourth as Teufel whiffed, Hernandez flied out to a running Evans in right and Carter grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Sox went quietly in the top of the fifth inning as Buckner flied out to right, Rice whiffed and Evans also swung and missed at strike three to end the inning. Hurst would not be denied in the bottom of the fifth as Strawberry flied out to center to begin. Knight grounded out to short and Mitchell whiffed to end the inning. At this point Hurst was working on a 1 hitter with 4 innings to go after already dominating his first two World Series starts. He could have been a legend in Boston if he could have gotten those last 12 outs.

                                                       1 hit through 5 for Hurst

Fernandez returned for the top of the sixth and froze Gedman to start. Henderson flied out to center and Owen watched strike three go by to end the inning. The wheels fell off for Hurst in the bottom of the sixth although Santana grounded out to short to start. Lee Mazzilli pinch hit for Fernandez and singled. Wilson singled and Teufel walked to load the bases. Sox manager John McNamara came out to chat with Bruce but to no avail as Hernandez dealt the crushing blow to Hurst with a base hit to center that scored Mazzilli and Wilson, moving Teufel to third. Wally Backman pinch ran for Teufel and he scored when Evans dove for a Carter flare and missed. Hernandez was tagged out at second but the game was tied. Strawberry flied out to left to end the inning but Hurst was done and the game was tied.

                                                   The Mets tie it up

Shea Stadium was in a frenzy as Roger McDowell took over on the mound with Tony Armas pinch hitting for Hurst. Armas whiffed on 3 pitches. Boggs grounded out to third and Barrett grounded out to short to end the inning. For some inane reason, Sox manager John McNamara brought in Calvin Schiraldi to pitch the bottom of the seventh despite getting rocked and rolled in Game 6. The gamble failed miserably for the Sox as Knight blasted a leadoff home run to put the Mets just 6 outs away from victory. Lenny Dykstra pinch hit for Mitchell and singled before a wild pitch moved him up to second. Santana singled home Dykstra to increase the lead as the crowd got even louder. McDowell bunted Santana to second as Sox manager John McNamara finally realized his mistake and pulled Schiraldi out of there.

                                               Knight gives the Mets the lead

Lefty specialist Joe Sambito was brought in but the idiot McNamara decided to intentionally walk Wilson, which begs the question why would you bring in the lefty only to intentionally walk the lefty batter? That move also backfired because Sambito walked Backman to load the bases. Hernandez flied out to center but Santana scored to give the Mets what seemed to be an insurmountable lead. That was it for Sambito as Bob Stanley was brought in to mop up the mess. Stanley did manage to get Carter to ground out to end the inning but the Mets were up 6-3 and on the verge of the title.

                                                      Another run, another nail in the coffin

With their backs to the wall, the Sox briefly sprang to life in the top of the eighth against McDowell. Buckner blooped a single to left to open the inning and Rice lined a base hit past Santana. Evans continued to torture Mets pitching by lining a double to center that scored both runners to cut the lead to 1. That meant if McNamara let Sambito pitch to Wilson, maybe the 6th run doesn't score and its now a tied game. Instead, Davey Johnson brought in lefty Jesse Orosco to face the lefties. Once again McNamara was asleep as Gedman didn't try to bunt Evans to third, instead he lined out to second, nearly getting Evans doubled off at second. There would be no magic for Henderson this time as he whiffed. Finally McNamara got his head out of his ass by pinch hitting the righty Don Baylor for Spike Owen to face Orosco. Unfortunatey Baylor grounded out to short to end the inning but the Sox had gotten within a run 6-5.

                                              One last moment of glory for the Sox

Inexplicably McNamara pulled off a double switch, putting Ed Romero at short but bringing in Al Nipper of all people to relieve Stanley. Oil Can Boyd was nowhere to be found and once AGAIN the move backfired as Strawberry smashed a solo home run off Nipper to kill any momentum the Sox generated. Knight singled and moved to second on the groundout by Dykstra. Santana was intentionally walked and Davey Johnson was going to live or die with Orosco, so he left him in to bat. As if anything else could go wrong this season, Orosco who had just 3 at-bats all season faked a bunt and singled up the middle with the entire infield breaking to field a bunt. Santana scored to ice the game. McNamara then pulled Nipper for Steve Crawford which begs the question why he didn't have Crawford start the inning? Wilson was plunked to load the bases but Crawford recovered to get Knight at home on a force by Backman. Hernandez grounded out to end the inning but it was all over, 8-5 Mets.

                               Nipper can't bear to watch anymore, neither can Roger Clemens

The season came to an end in the top of the ninth inning. Romero hit one up the elevator shaft, caught by Hernandez for the first out. Boggs grounded out to second and Orosco punched out Barrett to put the Sox out of their misery. The Mets had won the game and the World Series by a score of 8-5.

                                                                    Ugh


Jackass of the Night should be John McNamara just like in Game 6 for all his idiotic decisions but unfortunately it has to be a player so its Calvin Schiraldi. He was charged with the loss, allowing 3 runs that ended up being the difference in the game in just 1/3 of an inning pitched.

                                           Game 7 Jackass....same as Game 6


The Good:

Bill Buckner was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Jim Rice was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Dwight Evans did all he could, going 2 for 4 with a home run and 3 total rbi's.

Dave Henderson walked, was hit with a pitch and scored a run in 4 plate appearances.

Bob Stanley retired the only man he faced.

Steve Crawford got the final two outs of the eighth inning.



The Bad:

Spike Owen was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Tony Armas struck out as a pinch hitter.

Don Baylor was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Ed Romero was 0 for 1 in his plate appearance.

Al Nipper allowed 2 runs on 3 hits and a walk in just 1/3 of an inning.



The Ugly:

Wade Boggs was just 1 for 4 with a walk but drove in a run.

Marty Barrett was just 1 for 5.

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

Bruce Hurst fell apart in the 6th inning and was charged with 3 runs in his no-decision. Had he not fell apart, the Sox may have won the game.

Joe Sambito walked two and allowed an inherited runner to score in 1/3 of an inning.




Final Thoughts:

Is this team cursed? It sure feels like it after one of the greatest seasons in history with so many high points crashed harder than a 747 jet. If Game 6 wasn't bad enough, this was just as bad. The Sox had a 3-0 lead in the 6th inning and it blew away. Then John McNamara brought in the wrong pitcher 3 times and it cost the Sox the game. He brought in Schiraldi who sucked, Sambito who walked 2 guys (albeit one intentionally) and Nipper who sucked. For all the heat Bill Buckner took about Game 6, most of which wasn't his fault to begin with, he deserves no blame for Game 7. McNamara made one bumbling decision after another and Schiraldi couldn't get it done twice. Its a shame such a promising season came to an end like this. In 1967 and 1975 you could say the better team won and no hard feelings, but the Sox had the Mets dead to rights twice and couldn't put them away. As it is, this is one of the all-time chokes that may never be equaled. How can the Sox come back from this? You come within a strike of winning it all in Game 6 and 12 outs in Game 7 and lose both games. I dread to think what 1987 will be like with the world series hangover they're going to have. Give the Mets the credit they deserve for coming back down 2-0 going to Fenway, coming back in Game 6 and then again in Game 7. They earned their World Series title, too bad the Sox couldn't put them away.

Mets Strike Back, Take Game 3 (10/21/86)

There's a reason why the New York Mets won 108 games during the regular season and they showed it tonight. Their bats woke up for the first time all series and old friend Bob Ojeda pitched shut-down baseball. Sox starter Oil Can Boyd got pounded in the first inning and the Sox could never recover. When all was said and done, the Mets had won the game 7-1 to get back into the World Series.

                                                         Peeeee-you

The Mets set the tone right from the outset as Len Dykstra struck the third pitch of the game around the Pesky Pole for a leadoff home run. Wally Backman followed with a single and Keith Hernandez singled in the alley in center to move Backman to third. Gary Carter doubled to the wall to score Backman as NBC analyst Vin Scully said the Can was leaky. Boyd got a huge out by striking out Darryl Strawberry. Wade Boggs then fielded a routine grounder by Ray Knight and blew not one, but TWO run-downs as both Hernandez, then Carter scampered to their respective bases safely to load the bases. The failed rundown bit the Sox has Danny Heep lined a single to score Hernandez to increase the lead. Boyd blew Mookie Wilson away and Boggs made up for his mental error by snaring a hard hit ball by Rafael Santana, tossing to second for the force to end the inning. The Mets had jumped out to a 4-0 lead before the Sox could even come to bat.

                                 The botched run-down proved to be the difference

Old pal Ojeda got the ball to start the bottom of the first and Boggs led off with a comebacker to the mound. Marty Barrett followed with a comebacker of his own and Bill Buckner flied out to right to end the inning.

Boyd came back for the top of the second inning and retired Dykstra on a ground ball to second. Boyd froze Backman with a rainbow curveball for strike three and Hernandez grounded out to first to end the inning. Jim Rice took strike 3 to open the bottom the bottom of the second as Vin Scully says Ojeda's best friend on the Sox was Rich Gedman. Don Baylor was robbed of a home run by the top of the Monster and had to settle for a double. Baylor was stranded as Dwight Evans hit a squibber to short and Gedman watched strike three go by to end the inning.

Boyd began the top of the third inning by getting Carter on a broken bat pop up to left. Strawberry flied out to right-center and Knight popped up to end the inning. The Sox broke through in the bottom of the third as Scully reminded the fans that when the eventual 1984 World Champion Detroit Tigers started the season 35-5, one of the 5 losses was a shut-out pitched by Ojeda for the Red Sox. Dave Henderson was unimpressed and singled to left to lead off the inning. Spike Owen lined out softly to third but Boggs walked. Barrett singled home Henderson to put Boston on the board and Ojeda on the ropes. Buckner let him off by striking out on a pitch up in his eyes and Rice grounded into a force to end the inning, but the Sox were now down 4-1.

                                              Henderson is safe and the Sox are on the board

Could Boyd keep it a 4-1 game in the top of the fourth? Heep flied out to center to start. After Scully gave us a short history on the Green Monster and a map of Boston, Wilson grounded out to second. Santana grounded out to third to end the inning. That's 11 in a row retired by Boyd after the disastrous first. Ojeda matched Boyd in the bottom of the fourth as Baylor grounded out to short to begin. Evans was out on a swinging bunt in front of the plate before Gedman lined out to a running Wilson to end the inning.

Dykstra broke the string by Boyd with a bloop single to start the top of the fifth. He moved to second on the ground out by Backman then to third on the fly out by Hernandez. Carter popped up to short to end the inning. Henderson was caught looking on a changeup to open the bottom of the fifth as Scully compared Ojeda to diffusing a bomb. Backman made a great diving play to rob Owen of a hit but Boggs singled down the left field line. Barrett singled up the middle but Ojeda got out of it by getting Buckner to ground into a force to end the inning. Another chance wasted.

Boyd came back for the top of the sixth as Strawberry popped up to center to begin. Knight hit a ground ball to Owen that was dug out by Buckner for the second out. Heep popped up to right to end the inning. The Mets have had just one baserunner since Heep's rbi single with one out in the top of the first. The Sox tried to start a rally in the bottom of the sixth as Rice walked to start the inning. Baylor popped up to Knight who almost cleaned out Santana making the catch. Evans struck out but a wild pitch by Ojeda moved Rice to second. Gedman got caught looking on a curveball at the knees to end the inning, another runner left in scoring position.

Boyd returned for the top of the seventh inning and Wilson popped up to Buckner in foul territory to begin. Santana singled up the middle and Dykstra singled to right. Backman popped up to left but Hernandez walked to load the bases. Carter then iced the game with a base hit to score Santana and Dykstra before being thrown out in a run-down to end the inning. The Mets had put the game away 6-1. Boyd stayed in one batter too late even if he completed 7 innings.

                                            Carter gets thrown out after icing the game

Ojeda came back for the bottom of the seventh and walked Henderson to start. Owen banged into a double play on a great play by Backman then Boggs hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning.

Joe Sambito got the ball in the top of the eighth and Strawberry singled to center before taking second on a wild pitch. Darryl took third on a passed ball when Gedman dropped it then scored on the Knight double down the left field line. That was it for Sambito as Sox manager John MacNamara pulled him in favor of Bob Stanley, terrible outing by Joe. Lee Mazzilli pinch hit for Kevin Mitchell who was pinch hitting for Heep and grounded out, moving Knight to third. Stanley blew away Wilson who did a 360 on his way back to the dugout. Santana hit a comebacker to Stanley to end the inning with the lead now 7-1.

Roger McDowell took over for Ojeda in the bottom of the 8th inning as Scully claimed there hasn't been a complete game thrown by a lefty since Frank Viola in August of 1985. Barrett and Buckner were both retired on squibbers and Rice on a ground out to third to end the inning.

Stanley returned for the top of the ninth and Dykstra greeted him with a single in the hole at short. Dykstra was erased on the force by Backman but Hernandez singled. Carter banged into a double play to end the inning. McDowell returned for the bottom of the ninth and got Baylor to ground out to third after a lengthy at-bat. Evans flied out to right and Gedman grounded out to second to end the game. The Mets had won it 7-1.

                                                   The scoreboard says it all, 7-1


Jackass of the Night is Oil Can Boyd. It really should be John McNamara for leaving him in too long but he went 7 full innings giving up 6 runs the Sox could not recover.

                                                         Boyd is Jackass


The Good:

Wade Boggs was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Marty Barrett was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Dave Henderson was 1 for 2 with a walk and a run scored.

Bob Stanley tossed 2 scoreless innings.



The Bad:

Bill Buckner was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Dwight Evans was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Rich Gedman was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Spike Owen was 0 for 3.

Joe Sambito was charged with a run without retiring anyone.



The Ugly:

Jim Rice was 0 for 3 but walked.

Don Baylor was just 1 for 4.



Final Thoughts:

Damn....that's all that can be said. The Sox had a perfect chance to bury the Mets and they let them off the hook. The leadoff homer by Dykstra set the tone and the 4 run first inning was too much for the Sox to overcome. Yes they've overcome greater disadvantages in the past but these are the 108 win Mets, these guys are for real.  Tomorrow night Ron Darling goes on 3 days rest for the Mets against a rested Al Nipper. If only Tom Seaver was healthy, but hopefully Nipper can bury the Mets in Game 4.

Angels Take Game 3 With 7th Inning Rally (10/10/86)

For 6 innings it looked like the Sox could hang with the AL West champion California Angels in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series. Oil Can Boyd pitched well but the Angels rallied in the 7th inning with home runs from Dick Schofield and Gary Pettis. The Sox rallied in the 8th inning but the Angels hit the killshot against Calvin Schiraldi. When it was over the Angels took the crucial game from the Sox 5-3 at Anaheim Stadium.

                                                     Angels take Game 3

John Candelaria got the start for the Angels and Wade Boggs led the game off with a pop up to center. Marty Barrett grounded out to third and Bill Buckner whiffed with his bat flying to end the inning. Boyd started the bottom of the first by walking Gary Pettis but the alert Rich Gedman gunned him down trying to steal. Wally Joyner grounded out to second and Brian Downing looked at strike three to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second inning when Jim Rice drew a leadoff walk. Don Baylor singled through the hole at short but got himself picked off when he strayed too far down the path. Dwight Evans singled to left to send Rice to third and Gedman's base hit to center scored Rice to give the Sox the lead. Tony Armas popped up to first before Spike Owen grounded back to the mound to end the inning with Boston ahead 1-0.

                                                    Rice scores the first run

Reggie Jackson flied out to center to begin the bottom of the second before Doug DeCinces flied out to left. Ruppert Jones grounded out to second to end the inning.

Downing ran down a Boggs liner to left to start the top of the third before Barrett grounded out to short. Buckner whiffed again with his bat flying to end the inning. Boyd stayed tough in the bottom of the third as Grich popped up to third to start. Boggs made a great running play to nail Schofield at first before Boone grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fourth as Rice looked at strike three to start. Baylor flied out to center and Evans flied out to right to end the inning. The Angels threatened in the bottom of the fourth although Boyd snared a liner by Pettis to start. Joyner and Downing struck back to back singles but Jackson popped up to short. DiCences hit a squibber that hit the first base bag. Buckner fired home and Joyner was ruled safe. Sox manager John McNamara ran a gold medal worthy sprint out of the dugout to challenge the call along with an irate Gedman, Boyd & Buckner. Home plate umpire Terry Cooney ran for cover as third place umpire Rich Garcia correctly overruled the call, Joyner was out at home. Angels manager Gene Mauch ran out of the dugout with a crowbar and chased Garcia away as Cooney said Mauch was out of the game. When the mayhem ended the Sox still led 1-0.

                                        "HE WAS OUT GODDAMMIT!!!" - JM

The Sox had a golden chance to ice the game in the top of the fifth but pissed that away although Gedman singled to start. Armas doubled off the right field fence but Owen grounded out to first. Boggs walked to load the bases but Barrett squandered a chance by popping up to first. Buckner grounded out to first to end the inning and the Sox pissed away a big chance. Boyd navigated the bottom of the fifth as Jones grounded out to second to begin. Grich flied out to left but Schofield doubled into the gap. Boone popped up to third to end the inning.

Rice whiffed to begin the top of the sixth inning but Baylor walked. Evans and Gedman both flied out to center to end the inning. The Angels tied it in the bottom of the 6th although Boyd froze Pettis for strike three to start. Joyner walked and Downing hit a ground ball to third. Boggs went to second but Joyner slid in safely. Jackson turned back to clock and singled home Joyner to tie the game. Boyd started wrestling with himself for giving up the shutout as Gedman and McNamara had to come out and calm him down. The Angels fans went wild to try to rattle Boyd but it failed as DeCinces banged into a double play to end the inning. Boyd was furious with himself in the dugout as the game was tied 1-1.

                                             Mr. October does it again

Candelaria cruised in the top of the seventh inning as Armas flied out to center to start. Owen took strike three and Boggs flied out to left to end the inning. The Angels put the game away in the bottom of the seventh although Jones hit a comebacker to Boyd to start. Grich took strike three but Schofield crushed a 500,000 foot home run to give the Angels the lead. Boone stuck his bat out and singled to center and Pettis iced the game with a 2 run bomb halfway to Hawaii. That was it for Boyd who gave up two big mistakes in the 7th inning to seal his doom after 6 2/3 innings. Joe Sambito came in and got  Joyner to ground to second to end the inning but it was 4-1 Angels.

                                                     Dammit Boyd

The Sox refused to go quietly in the top of the eighth inning against Angels closer Donnie Moore. Barrett lashed a base hit to left but Buckner popped up to center. Rice doubled just out of the reach of Jones to put runners in scoring position before Moore was charged with a balk to advance Rice to third and score Barrett. Schofield ran into foul territory to reel in a pop up from Baylor but Evans drew a walk. Gedman ripped a single to right to score Rice and put the go-ahead run at first. With the game on the line...Armas lined out to center to end the inning with the Sox down 4-3. The Sox got close but couldn't get the knockout punch.

                                              Gedman inches the Sox closer

Just as soon as the Sox got back in the game, the Angels got the big insurance run off Calvin Schiraldi in the bottom of the eighth. Downing lined out to short to start but Jackson drew a walk. DeCinces hit a routine grounder to Boggs...under his glove as Jackson made a mad dash to third on the error. Armas made a great diving catch of a line drive by Jones but couldn't gun down the 40 year old Jackson at home. Grich lined out to left to end the inning with the Angels ahead 5-3.

                                                  Great catch...not the best throw

Mike Greenwell pinch hit for Owen to open the top of the ninth with Devon White now in right field. Greenwell popped up to Pettis before Boggs also flied out to center. Barrett lined a single to right to bring the tying

                                                                    Angels win


Jackass of the Night is Oil Can Boyd. He pitched well but couldn't finish the job, allowing 4 runs in 6 2/3 innings.

                                                                Oil Can Jackass



The Good:

Marty Barrett was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Jim Rice was 1 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Don Baylor was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Dwight Evans was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Rich Gedman was 3 for 4 with 2 rbi's.

Joe Sambito retired the only man he faced.



The Bad:

Bill Buckner was 0 for 5.

Spike Owen was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Mike Greenwell popped up as a pinch hitter.



The Ugly:

Wade Boggs was 0 for 4 with an error but walked.

Tony Armas was just 1 for 4.

Calvin Schiraldi gave up the insurance run but it was unearned due to the Boggs error.




Final Thoughts:

This was a really tough loss considering the prospect of having to pitch Roger Clemens on 3 days rest tomorrow. Basically if it wasn't for the Angels throwing up on themselves in Game 2, they essentially should be up 3-0 right now. The Sox couldn't hit Candelaria the same way they couldn't hit Witt in Game 1. The prospect of facing both of them again is frightening. Now they have to face Don Sutton tomorrow and hope they can crack him, otherwise they're down 3 games to 1 and forget about it. The Sox look to even the series tomorrow night when they send Roger Clemens to the mound on 3 days rest to take on Don Sutton in Game 4 at 8:00 PM eastern time at Anaheim Stadium.

Angels Rout Sox in Game 1 (10/7/86)

Well the American League Championship Series is off to a terrible start for the Boston Red Sox. In their first LCS action in 11 years, the California Angels stomped them into submission. Potential AL Cy Young champ Roger Clemens was lit up for 8 runs as Angels ace Mike Witt held the Sox to just 1 run in a complete game 5 hitter. Brian Downing outscored the Sox all by himself and the Angels ripped homefield away from the Sox with an 8-1 win at Fenway Park.

                                                          Angels strike first

Clemens got the ball in the top of the first inning an Ruppert Jones began the game by watching strike 3 go by right down the middle. Wally Joyner doubled into the right field corner but Brian Downling lined out softly to third. Reggie Jackson drew a walk but Doug DeCinces took Tony Armas to the wall for the third out to end the inning. Witt got the ball in the bottom of the first and Wade Boggs drew a walk to begin. Marty Barrett banged into a double play and Bill Buckner lined out to center to end the inning.

The Angels iced the game early in the top of the second although Clemens blew away Rob Wilfong to begin. Dick Schofield whiffed on a fastball right down the middle but Bob Boone and Gary Pettis drew back to back walks. Jones singled up the middle to score Boone to put the Angels on top. Joyner doubled into the left field corner to score Pettis with the deciding run. Downing also doubled into the left field corner to clear the bases. Clemens blew away Jackson but the game was out of reach already, 4-0.

                                                  Downing outscored the Sox by himself

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the second as Jim Rice grounded back to the mound to begin. Don Baylor popped up to first before Dwight Evans grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Angels struck again thanks to poor fielding by the Sox in the top of the third. Doug DeCinces grounded out to short before Wilforng hit a routine grounder to Spike Owen. Owen then threw the ball 400 feet completely out of Fenway for an error. Clemens recovered to punch out Schofield but Boone singled up the middle. Pettis grounded a base hit past the diving Buckner to score Wilfong with another run. World Middleweight boxing champion Marvin Hagler cheered when Jones popped up to short to end the inning but it was 5-0 Angels.

                                                              Nice throw Owen

Witt continued his domination in the bottom of the third as Rich Gedman popped up to center to start. Former Boston College quarterback Doug Flutie was shown in the crowd as Tony Armas grounded out to third. Owen whiffed on a pitch in the dirt to end the inning.

Clemens settled down in the top of the fourth as Joyner grounded out to first to begin. Downing flied out to left and Jackson grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox went quietly in the bottom of the fourth as Boggs lined out to left to start. Barrett flied out to right as Al Michaels said Bob Boone's father Ray signed Barrett to the Sox. Buckner popped out to center to end the inning.

DeCinces began the top of the fifth inning with a single to center but Wilfong flied out to center. Schofield popped up to left and Boone grounded out to first to end the inning. Rice led off the bottom of the 5th by grounding out to short. Baylor hit one up the elevator shaft before Evans was rung up for strike three to end the inning. Witt had thrown 5 no-hit innings.

Clemens came back for the top of the sixth in a silent Fenway and Pettis flied out to center to start. Jones grounded out to first and Joyner popped up to right to end the inning. Gedman led off the bottom of the sixth by popping up to center. Armas flied out to right but Owen walked to break up the streak of 16 in a row retired by Witt much to author Stephen King's delight. Boggs broke up the no hitter by beating out a chopper to third. Barrett lined a single to right to score Owen to break up the shutout. Buckner popped up to left to end the inning but the Sox were on the board 5-1.

                                                      "The Angels are scary" - SK

Clemens cruised in the top of the seventh inning as Downing flied out to center to start. Jackson popped up to third in foul territory but DeCinces grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox failed to come back in the bottom of the seventh inning as Rice popped up to Boone who reached into the stands to snare the ball. Baylor doubled off the Monster but was stranded when Evans grounded out to third. Downing made a great diving catch to rob Gedman of an rbi hit to end the inning.

The Downing catch sucked the life out of Fenway as the Angels added to the lead in the top of the eighth inning. Clemens came back to get Wilfong to ground out to second to begin. Clemens' 135th pitch was lined to right by Schofield for a base hit. Schofield swiped second and scored on the bloop single to right by Boone. Pettis singled to right off the exhausted Clemens to chase him. Clemens was game but had thrown over 140 pitches and ended up giving up 7 total runs in 7 1/3 innings.

                                               "Man oh man you sucked tonight" - JM

Joe Sambito was summoned to face old pal Rick Burleson pinch hitting for Jones. Burleson popped up to first but Joyner walked to load the bases. That was it for Sambito as Sox manager John McNamara brought in Bob Stanley to pitch to Downing. Sambito was probably the better option as Downing lined a base hit to left that scored both Boone and Pettis. Jackson grounded into a force to end the inning with the Angels ahead 8-1.

                                                       Pettis is safe and the Sox are done

The Sox tried to rally in the bottom of the eighth with Devon White now in right field. Armas popped up to left but Owen beat out an infield single to second. Boggs was robbed by a diving Joyner to advance Spike to second but Barrett also beat out an infield single to put runners at the corners. Buckner popped up to left to end the inning.

Stanley came back for the top of the ninth as DeCinces grounded out to short to start. Wilfong grounded out to second and Schofield popped up to center to end the inning. Witt came back to complete the game in the bottom of the ninth. The Sox went quietly as Rice whiffed to start before Baylor popped up to right. Evans also popped up to right to end the game. The Angels had taken Game 1 of the ALCS with a convincing 8-1 win.

                                                 Witt and the Angels celebrate


Jackass of the Night is Roger Clemens. Sure the offense did nothing against Witt but the frontrunner for AL MVP got shelled in his playoff debut. He lasted 7 1/3 innings but gave up 8 runs off 10 huts and 3 walks.

                                              Cy Young Clemens is LCS Jackass


The Good:

Wade Boggs was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Marty Barrett was 2 for 4 and drove in the Sox only run.



The Bad:

Bill Buckner was 0 for 4.

Jim Rice was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Dwight Evans was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Rich Gedman was 0 for 3.

Tony Armas was 0 for 3.



The Ugly:

Don Baylor was just 1 for 4.

Spike Owen was 1 for 2 with a walk and a run scored but his error allowed a crucial run to score.

Joe Sambito retired only one of the two men he faced.

Bob Stanley allowed an inherited runner to score but none of his own in 1 1/3 innings.




Final Thoughts:

That was GARBAGE. In the Sox first LCS action in 11 years they completely laid an egg. Clemens had his lunch handed to him and Witt completely shut down the Sox offense. Hopefully this was just opening game jitters because if the Angels take tomorrow's game then its adios muchachos. The Angels were the West Division champs for a reason and they pounded Clemens in this one. Everything they hit found a hole and sometimes there's nothing you can do about it but come back the next day. This puts the Sox in a huge hole with games 3-5 in Anaheim and needing to rely on Oil Can Boyd and Al Nipper in the absence of proven post-season starter Tom Seaver. The Sox better hope they can win tomorrow afternoon in Game 2 when Bruce Hurst takes on Kirk McCaskill at 3:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Stewart, A's Defeat Clemens and Sox (7/7/86)

Uh oh, it looks like Roger Clemens (14-2, 2.58 ERA) is human after all. After losing his first game all season last Wednesday against Toronto, the Oakland A's have come into Boston and beaten him as well in new manager Tony La Russa's Oakland debut. Clemens got lit up by rookie sensation Jose Canseco and old slugger Dave Kingman, allowing 6 runs five plus innings of work. Clemens gave up three runs early, the third on an rbi grounder by old pal Carney Lansford. The Sox got a run back on a wild pitch but Kingman and Canseco hit back to back jacks in the sixth to finish off Roger. The Sox did rally to pull close but couldn't deliver the knockout punch in the seventh inning. It all added up to a bitter 6-4 defeat by the Athletics at Fenway Park.

                                                            Dammit

Clemens got the ball in the top of the first and Tony Phillips flied out to center to start. Old buddy Carney Lansford got rung up for strike three and Jose Canseco struck out swinging to end the inning. Stewart got the ball in the bottom of the first and Marty Barrett grounded out to third to start. Wade Boggs flied out to center and Bill Buckner grounded out to first to end the inning.

The A's rallied in the top of the second although Dave Kingman struck out swinging to start. Bruce Botche singled to center but was forced at second by Mike Davis. Dwayne Murphy doubled off the Monster to score Botche and Alfredo Griffin doubled to center to score Murphy. Jerry Willard grounded out to second to end the inning with the A's up 2-0.

                                                            A's strike first

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the second as Jim Rice hit a ground ball up to middle that Phillips fielded but couldn't do anything with it for a "single". Don Baylor forced Rice at second before Dwight Evans flied out to left. Tony Armas struck out swinging to end the inning.

The A's struck again in the top of the third as Phillips chopped a base hit up the middle to start. Phillips took off for second and Gedman threw the ball into the bullpen for an error to move Tony to third. Phillips scored on the Lansford grounder to short to increase the lead and Canseco popped up to first. Kingman struck out swinging to end the inning with Oakland up 3-0.

                                                   Phillips scores another run

The Sox fought back in the bottom of the third as Rich Gedman flied out to center but Rey Quinones singled to center. Barrett drilled a base hit to right to move Quinones to third and a wild pitch scored Rey to put Boston on the board. Boggs and Buckner both flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox down 3-1.

                                                             Quinones scores a run

Bochte grounded out to second to start the top of the fourth before Davis struck out swinging. Murphy flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the fourth as Rice walked to start. Baylor got a base hit to left but Evans popped up to left. Armas struck out swinging and Gedman grounded out to first to end the inning.

Rice dopped a pop up by Griffin for a two base error to start the top of the fifth but was thrown out at third trying to steal. Willard grounded out to first and Phillips grounded out to second to end the inning. Quinones grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fifth but Barrett doubled to the left field wall. Boggs moved Barrett to third with a grounder to second but Buckner struck out swinging to end the inning.

The A's chased Clemens in the top of the sixth as Lansford singled in the hole at short. Canseco hit a home run all the way to the moon then Kingman hit one into the Charles River for back to back jacks. That was the end for Clemens as he got rocked for 6 runs in just 5 plus innings off 7 hits. Tim Lollar walked Botche and Davis blooped a single to left. Murphy grounded out to second to move the runners over but Botche was doubled off at third on a liner to Boggs by Griffin to end the inning with the Sox down 6-1.

                                                 "You sucked tonight, Rog" - Gedman

The Sox fought back in the bottom of the sixth as Rice ripped a base hit to center to start. Phillips slipped catching a pop up by Baylor and Rice took second in the confusion. Evans cracked his 11th home run of the season to cut the lead in half but Armas

                                                           Evans brings the Sox closer

Willard got a base hit to right to start the top of the seventh and was sacrificed to second by Phillips. That was it for Lollar as Sox manager John McNamara wanted Mike Brown to face the righties. Lansford grounded out to short but Canseco got a base hit to left. Willard tried for home but was thrown out by Rice to end the inning.

                                                           Yerrrrr out!

The Sox blew their best chance to get back in the game in the bottom of the seventh as Quinones got a base hit to left. Barrett walked to chase Stewart and Dave Van Ohlen came in to face Boggs. Wade drilled a base hit off the Monster to score Quinones and put the tying run at first. The play of the game occurred when Buckner bunted too hard to third to force Barrett and Buckner was thrown out at first for a double play. Doug Bair came in to face Rice and Jim grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox down 6-4.

                                                    Quinones scores a run

Kingman walked to start the top of the eighth but Botche grounded into a double play. Davis singled to right to chase Brown and Joe Sambito came in to pitch. Murphy struck out swinging to end the inning. Stan Javier came in to play center in the bottom of the eighth and Baylor popped up to first. Evans also popped up to first and Armas earned the hat trick with a swinging strikeout to end the inning.

The A's threatened in the top of the ninth as Griffin singled to center to start but was forced at second on Willard's bunt attempt. Phillips also dropped down a bunt but Buckner was pulled off the bag by Boggs' throw. Sox manager John McNamara stormed out of the dugout screaming his head off that Buckner's foot did NOT come off the bag. McNamara got the heave ho by first base umpire Ted Hendry. Pitching coach Bill Fischer lifted Sambito in favor of Steve Crawford. Lansford flied out to right but Canseco singled to left to load the bases. Kingman struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                                        "Get outta here you lunatic!" - Hendry

Gedman struck out swinging to start the bottom of the ninth and Mike Stenhouse pinch hit for Rey Quinones. Stenhouse flied out to center and Barrett grounded out to third to end the game. The A's had won it 6-4.

                                                            A's win

Jackass of The Night is Roger Clemens. He allowed 6 runs in just 5 plus innings and put the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of.

                                                               Jackass Clemens

The Good:

Marty Barrett was 2 for 4 with a walk.

Jim Rice was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Rey Quinones was 2 for 3 with 2 runs scored.

Tim Lollar tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Mike Brown tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Joe Sambito tossed 2/3 of a scoreless inning.

Steve Crawford pitched 2/3 of a scoreless inning.

The Bad:

Bill Buckner was 0 for 4 with a strikeout and an error.

Tony Armas was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Rich Gedman was 0 for 4 with a strikeout and an error.

Mike Stenhouse flied out as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

Wade Boggs was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Don Baylor was just 1 for 4.

Dwight Evans was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a 2 run home run.

Final Thoughts:

Uh oh. That's two losses in a row for Clemens and with Bruce Hurst still not back from his groin pull, the Sox are in a bit of trouble if Roger is coming back to earth. ABC analyst Al Michaels made a point if the offense scores four runs with your ace on the mound, usually you win. Not tonight they didn't, Clemens got pounded. The Sox did have a chance to tie it in the seventh but Rice couldn't get it done. Not being able to hit the A's bullpen was disappointing but the A's can't lose them all. Hopefully this is just a minor hiccup and not a major injury like last year. Kingman and Canseco are big home run hitters so maybe they just timed Roger better than others. Either way its just one loss and the all-star break is coming up to rest a bit. They still have a nice lead in the AL East marathon so let's see how they respond in the next one. The loss dropped the Sox to 52-29, 7 games ahead of the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow night when Oil Can Boyd (10-6) takes on Bill Mooneyham of Oakland. The game begins at 7:00 PM at Fenway Park.