Red Sox Hang On, Beat White Sox (4/18/90)

Any time Roger Clemens (3-0, 4.12 ERA) gets a 5 run lead he's sure to win right? That's what happened when the Boston Red Sox exploded for 6 runs in the top of the third inning to take a five run lead. It wasn't easy though, Clemens tired in the bottom of the seventh and the Chicago White Sox took advantage. The ChiSox scored 3 runs off Clemens in the bottom of the seventh and another run in the eighth against the bullpen. Still, the BoSox held on in the ninth inning to win the game 7-5 at Commiskey Park.

                                                             Talisa Soto approves of the win

White Sox starter Jack McDowell cruised in the top of the first as Wade Boggs grounded out to second to start. Marty Barrett grounded out to first and Ellis Burks struck out swinging to end the inning. Clemens got the ball in the bottom of the first and Lance Johnson flied out to left to start. Scott Fletcher flied out to right and Ivan Calderon struck out swinging to end the inning.

Mike Greenwell singled to center to open the top of the second but Dwight Evans flied out to right. Billy Jo Robidoux banged into a double play to end the inning. The White Sox struck first in the bottom of the second as Dan Pasqua doubled down the right field line and Carlton Fisk singled him home. Greg Walker singled in the hole at short and Robin Ventura moved both runners over with a sacrifice bunt. Clemens got a big out when he struck out Sammy Sosa swinging and got Ozzie Guillen to ground back to the mound to end the inning with the White Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                             Fisk puts Chicago on top

The floodgates opened in the top of the third when Tony Pena singled down the left field line to start. Jody Reed got a base hit to right and Randy Kutcher walked to load the bases with nobody out. Boggs put the BoSox on top with a base hit up the middle to score Pena and Reed. Boggs got picked off and Barrett hit a routine fly ball to center...but Sosa and Johnson collided and the ball was dropped. Kutcher scored on the error and Burks walked. Greenwell walked to load the bases and chase McDowell from the game. Bill Long came in and walked Evans to score Barrett with another run. Robidoux lined out to first but Pena lined a broken bat base hit to center to score two more runs. Both Pena and Evans moved up on the throw but Reed flied out to center to end the inning with Boston ahead 6-1.

                                                         Ooops!

Clemens cruised in the bottom of the third as Johnson flied out to right to start. Fletcher struck out swinging and Calderon flied out to center to end the inning.

Long cruised in the top of the fourth as Kutcher flied out to right to start. Boggs grounded out to short and Barrett grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Clemens blew away Pasqua to start the bottom of the fourth but Pena muffed a strike three swing by Fisk and Carlton took first on the passed ball. Walker struck out swinging and Ventura flied out to right to end the inning.

                                                    "I don't got it" - Pena

Wayne Edwards took over on the mound in the top of the fifth inning and Burks lined out to left to start. Greenwell grounded out to first and Evans took strike three to end the inning. Sosa began the bottom of the fifth by striking out swinging but Guillen lined a base hit to center. Guillen moved to second on the Johnson grounder and Fletcher flied out to right to end the inning.

Carlos Quintana pinch hit for Robidoux to start the top of the sixth and he walked to start. Pena banged into a double play and Reed grounded out to third to end the inning. Clemens blew away Calderon and Pasqua to start the bottom of the sixth but Burks dropped a routine fly ball by Fisk for an error. Walker lined out to left to end the inning.

                                                          Dammit Burks

Ron Karkovice took over behind the plate for the top of the seventh with Ken Patterson now on the mound. Kutcher cracked his first home run of the year to left to increase the lead but Boggs grounded out to short. Barrett grounded out to second but Burks got a base hit to left. Greenwell grounded out to second to end the inning with the BoSox ahead 7-1.

                                                   Kutcher's first of the season

The White Sox stormed back in the bottom of the seventh with Luis Rivera taking over for Boggs at third. Ventura hit a home run all the way to Wrigley Field to cut the lead and Darryl Boston pinch hit for Sosa. Boston grounded out to second but Guillen got a base hit to center. Johnson beat out an infield single to the mound and Fletcher walked to load the bases. That was it for Clemens as he would eventually be charged with 4 runs in 6 1/3 innings. Jeff Reardon came in and Calderon singled to center to score both Guillen and Johnson. Calderon was thrown out at second trying to steal but Pasqua walked. Karkovice popped up to left in foul territory to end the inning with the BoSox still ahead 7-4.

                                "I aughta take you out of this game and I think I will!" - Morgan

Don Pall came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Evans grounded back to the mound to start. Quintana flied out to center and Pena grounded out to third to end the inning. Rob Murphy made a mad dash to the mound to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Dave Gallagher pinch hit for Walker to start. Gallagher struck out swinging and Ventura took strike out inning. Carlos Martinez pinch hit for Boston and got a hit to right. Guillen singled to center and Murphy sprinted into the dugout, being replaced by Sox closer Lee Smith. Ron Kittle pinch hit for Johnson and dumped a base hit to left to score Martinez and put the tying run at first. Craig Grebeck pinch ran for Kittle and old friend "Psycho" Steve Lyons pinch hit for Fletcher. Lyons struck out swinging to end the inning with the BoSox barely hanging on to the lead 7-5.

                                                          Kittle drives in a run

Bobby Thigpen came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Reed flied out to left to start. Kutcher singled to right but Rivera banged into a double play to end the inning. Smith came back for the bottom of the ninth and Calderon grounded out to second to start. Pasqua walked to bring the tying run to the plate but Karkovice struck out swinging. Gallagher lined out to center to end the game. The BoSox had won it 7-5.

Hero of the Night is Randy Kutcher. His clutch home run ended up being the difference in the game.

                                                     Hero Kutcher

The Good:

Ellis Burks was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Mike Greenwell was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Carlos Quintana walked in his second plate appearance.

Tony Pena was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

The Bad:

Luis Rivera was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Billy Jo Robidoux was 0 for 2.

Rob Murphy was charged with a run in 2/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Wade Boggs was just 1 for 4 but drove in 2 runs.

Marty Barrett was 0 for 3 but drove in a run and scored a run.

Dwight Evans was 0 for 3 but walked and drove in a run.

Jody Reed was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Roger Clemens got the win but allowed 4 runs in 6 1/3 innings. He did strike out 9.

Jeff Reardon allowed an inherited runner to score in 2/3 of an inning.

Lee Smith got the save but alllowed an inherited runner to score in 1 1/3 innings.

Final Thoughts:

That was one of the ugliest wins ever. The BoSox took advantage of shoddy defense to score all those runs in the third inning and every pitcher brought in after Clemens allowed a run or let an inherited run to score. Clemens was mortal in this game but still gave the Sox 6 1/3 solid innings. I don't know what's with Murphy this season but thank goodness for Reardon and Smith. The offense wasn't much outside of the third inning but sometimes that's all you need to win a game. It was an ugly win but its better to win ugly than not win at all, especially against a team like the White Sox. Hopefully the bullpen has better days ahead this season. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox return to action Friday night in Milwaukee for a set with the Brewers. Mike Boddicker (1-1) goes for the Sox against Tom Filer of the Brewers. The game begins at 7:05 PM Eastern time at County Stadium.

Timely Pitching and Big 3rd Inning Defeats Tigers (4/10/90)

Starting the season 2-0 is always a good thing even if it wasn't pretty. Today the Boston Red Sox defeated the Detroit Tigers again behind a lights out Boston bullpen and some timely hitting from the offense to take a 4-2 victory at Fenway Park.

                                             Reginald Tarkington approves of the win

Mike Boddicker (1-0) made his season debut in the top of the first inning by getting Tony Phillips to ground out to short to start. Alan Trammell flied out to center and Lou Whitaker froze on strike three to end the inning. The Sox threatened in the bottom of the first against Kevin Ritz although Wade Boggs grounded out to short after the ball was deflected by Ritz. Marty Barrett and Mike Greenwell stroked back to back singles but Ellis Burks flied out to left. A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position but Dwight Evans watched strike three go by to end the inning.

The Tigers threatened in the top of the second inning although Cecil Fielder flied out to right to start. Lloyd Moseby singled but Matt Nokes flied out to right as well. Larry Sheets doubled Moseby to third but Boddicker punched out Chet Lemon to end the inning. Billy Jo Robidoux walked to lead off the bottom of the second and Tony Pena singled. Jody Reed dropped down a sac bunt to move both runners into scoring position but Kevin Romine lined out back to the mound. Tigers manager Sparky Anderson wisely intentionally walked Boggs to load the bases and Barrett failed to make them pay by grounding out to first to end the inning. That's 5 men left on base in the first two innings.

Boddicker remained tough in the top of the third inning as Dave Bergman flied out to center to start. Phillips grounded out to second and Trammell struck out to end the inning. The Sox exploded in the bottom of the third although Greenwell grounded out to second to start. Burks singled and stole second before advancing to third on the Evans single. Robidoux walked to load the bases and Pena lined a base hit to score Burks and Evans to put the Sox on top. Reed doubled home Robidoux to chase Ritz from the game. Dan Petry came in and got Romine to ground out, but Pena scored to increase the lead and moved Reed to third. Boggs was once again intentionally walked and Barrett walked the traditional way to re-load the bases. Greenwell started the inning with a ground out and he ended it with one. Even though the Sox had now left 8 men on base, they had a commanding 4-0 lead.

                                                     Pena got the rally started

Boddicker did his part to keep the Tigers off the board in the top of the fourth inning. Whitaker singled in the hole at short to start but Boddicker whiffed fielder. Moseby flied out to center and Nokes grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox finally went quietly in the bottom of the fourth inning.  Burks popped up to third, Evans grounded out to third and Robidoux struck out to end the inning.

The Tigers roared back in the top of the fifth inning. Sheets singled and Lemon was hit with a pitch to start. Bergman grounded out and both runners advanced into scoring position, where Sheets scored on the ground-out by Phillips. Trammell singled in the hole at short to score Lemon but Whitaker popped up to short to end the inning. The Tigers cut the lead in half 4-2. That was it for Boddicker who labored through 5 innings to leave with a 4-2 lead. Sox manager Joe Morgan wants to keep the starters fresh for better days. Sparky Anderson approves of the quick hook.

                                       "We scored? Well if that don't beat all..." - Sparky

The Sox failed to answer in the bottom of the fifth inning although Pena doubled to start. Reed whiffed and Romine grounded out while Boggs was intentionally walked again. Barrett popped up to left to end the inning. That's 10 men left on by the way.

Dennis Lamp took over for the top of the sixth and got Fielder to fly out to start. Moseby hit a comebacker to the mound and Nokes flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox once again failed with men in base in the bottom of the sixth inning. Greenwell grounded out to first but both Burks and Evans singled. A wild pitch moved both into scoring position and Sparky Anderson made the decision to walk Robidoux to load the bases but set up the double play. Right on cue guess what Pena did....ground into a double play to end the inning. 12 men left on but that is why Sparky is a future hall of fame manager.

Lamp returned for the top of the seventh but Sheets greeted him with a single. Sheets was erased on the force by Lemon but Bergman singled to chase Lamp. Rob Murphy made a mad dash from the bullpen and got both Phillips and Trammell to fly out to end the inning. The Sox mustered nothing in the bottom of the seventh as Reed flied out to center, Romine grounded back to the mound and Boggs grounded out to second to end the inning.

Murphy sprinted to the mound for the top of the eighth and got Whitaker to ground out to first to start. Murphy whiffed both Fielder and Moseby to end the inning before running as fast as he could off the mound, jumping into the dug-out and sprinting to the clubhouse.

                                                         Always in a hurry

Mike Henneman took the mound in the bottom of the eighth and Barrett flied out to right. Greenwell walked but Burks banged into a double play to end the inning.

Sox closer Lee Smith got the call to close it out in the top of the ninth. Nokes walked and was replaced by Johnny Parades. Smith struck out Sheets and got Lemon to fly out. With the tying run at the plate, Smith got Bergman to hit one up the elevator shaft to end the game. The Sox had won it 4-2.

Hero of the night is a tough one but I gotta go with Tony Pena. His 2 run single started the rally in the bottom of the third inning.

                                            Hero of the Night: Tony Pena


The Good:

Wade Boggs walked 3 times in 5 plate appearances.

Ellis Burks was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Dwight Evans was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Billy Jo Robidoux walked 3 times in 4 plate appearances and scored a run.

Jody Reed was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Mike Boddicker earned the win with 5 innings of 2 run ball while striking out 4.

Dennis Lamp tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings

Rob Murphy threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Lee Smith got his second save with a scoreless ninth inning.



The Bad:

None



The Ugly:

Marty Barrett was just 1 for 4 with a walk.

Mike Greenwell was also just 1 for 4 with a walk.

Kevin Romine was 0 for 4 but drove in a run.




Final Thoughts:

A win is a win even if the starter didn't last long and the Sox left a parade on base. Still, the bullpen was lights out and the offense produced when it had to. The Sox did enough to win but they're gonna have to do better than that if they have any hope of beating Toronto out for the division title this year. They need a spark on offense wherever that may come by. Boddicker and Clemens both picked up victories and now it gets interesting with the rest of the rotation now having to step up. Tomorrow afternoon at 1:05 PM John Dopson makes his season debut opposite Jeff Robinson as the Sox look to win again at Fenway Park.

Clemens Outduels Morris on Opening Day (4/9/90)

The 1990 season is off to a fast start as Roger Clemens and the Boston Red Sox outpitched Jack Morris and the Detroit Tigers to secure the team's first win on Opening Day. 2 years ago Morris and Clemens matched each other for 9 innings but this time Clemens got the duke. Dwight Evans provided the spark on offense as the Red Sox took the first game 5-2 in front of a sold out Fenway Park crowd.

                                   "Remember the time Roger Clemens beat Jack Morris?"

Clemens took the mound in the top of the first and retired Tony Phillips on a pop up to third. Alan Trammell flied out to center and Lou Whitaker grounded out to second to end the inning. The Red Sox wasted no time scoring in the bottom of the first inning as Wade Boggs singled to right to start the frame. Marty Barrett blooped a single to right that advanced Boggs all the way to third. Mike Greenwell popped up to left on the first pitch and the Sox caught a break when Ellis Burks popped up to first but Cecil Fielder dropped it. Burks walked to load the bases and Dwight Evans made the Tigers pay with a bases clearing double to put the Sox up early. Billy Jo Robidoux flied out to center and Tony Pena grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox up 3-0.

                                                    The bases are cleared and its 3-0

Clemens began the top of the second inning by striking out Fielder but walked Lloyd Moseby. Matt Nokes flied out to left and Gary Ward grounded into a force to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the second as Jody Reed struck out but Kevin Romine doubled. Boggs blooped a single to right to score Romine but was erased on the force by Barrett. Greenwell flied out to right to end the inning but the Sox were up 4-0.

                                               Romine scores!

Clemens got the Tigers to beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the third inning. Chet Lemon grounded to third while both Dave Bergman and Tony Phillips grounded out to second to end the inning. Morris finally held the Sox in check in the bottom of the third inning. Burks flied out to left, Evans popped up to third and Robidoux grounded out to second to end the inning.

Clemens remained tough in the top of the fourth inning. Trammell whiffed and Whitaker grounded out to third but Fielder walked. Moseby grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox threatened in the bottom of the fourth although Pena whiffed on a pitch in the dirt to start. Reed flied out to left but Romine doubled again. Realizing runs were at a premium against Clemens, Tigers manager Sparky Anderson had Boggs intentionally walked to get to Barrett. Morris punched out Marty on a check swing to end the inning.

Clemens froze both Nokes and Ward to begin the top of the fifth inning before Lemon lofted a routine grounder to Reed at short. Reed went OLE! and Lemon reached. Clemens got Bergman to ground out to end the inning. Morris finally had a shut-down inning in the bottom of the fifth as Greenwell flied out to right, Burks grounded out to short and Evans flied out to center to end the inning.

Suddenly the Tigers roared back in the top of the sixth inning. Phillips singled and Trammell doubled down the left field line before Phillips scored on the Whitaker sac fly that Burks had to slide to catch. Fielder hit a comebacker back to Clemens but Moseby singled home Trammell to cut the lead in half. Nokes grounded out to third to end the inning but it was now 4-2 Sox.

The Sox failed to answer in the bottom of the sixth as Robidoux grounded out weekly to first, Pena lined out to short and Reed grounded out to short to end the inning.

Clemens came back out for the top of the seventh and Burks had to run down a line drive by Ward. Lemon whiffed and with 101 pitches on Clemens' arm, Sox manager Joe Morgan decided to save him for better days by bringing in Rob Murphy. The Rocket had surrendered just 2 runs in 6 2/3 innings.

                                                  Clemens in line for his first win

Ken Williams pinch hit for Bergman and grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox took advantage of shoddy defense to get a run back in the bottom of the seventh inning. Romine was called out on a bang bang play at first that raised the ire of Sox manager Joe Morgan when replay showed he was safe. The mistake by the first base umpire was compounded when Boggs doubled, which would have scored Romine for sure. The double was also Wade's 1,600th career hit. Barrett flied out to right and for some reason Greenwell was intentionally walked to get to Burks. The move appeared to work when Ellis hit a lazy fly out to right field...AND LEMON DROPPED IT! Boggs ran home with the insurance run and Sparky Anderson was disgusted. That was it for Morris who settled down after a lousy first inning that shouldn't have happened had Fielder caught the ball. In fact, 4 of the 5 runs he allowed came after or from errors. Ed Nunez came in and got Evans to pop up to end the inning but it was now 5-2 Sox.

                                             "I got it, I got it...I don't got it" - Lemon

Murphy returned for the top of the eighth and suffered a massive headache after Reed once again went OLE! on a ground ball, this time by Phillips. Murphy recovered to get Trammell and Whitaker to fly out, but walked Fielder. With the tying run at the plate, Murphy got an irate Moseby to pop up to third to end the inning with no damage done. The Sox had a chance to put the game away in the bottom of the eighth but Robidoux grounded back to the mound to start. Pena blooped a single to right but Reed flied out to right. Romine walked to chase Nunez as Paul Gibson came in to get Boggs to fly out to the left field warning track to end the inning.

Murphy was asked to get the final three outs in the top of the ninth inning. Tracy Jones pinch hit for Nokes and flied out to right. Ward singled past the diving Reed at short but Lemon flied out to center. One out away from the save, Murphy walked Williams. Sox manager Joe Morgan took no further chances and brought in closer Lee Smith to finish it off with the tying run coming to the plate. Phillips singled in the hole at short when Reed threw to second unsuccessfully to load the bases, but Smith punched out Trammell to end it. The Sox had won it 5-2

Hero of the Night is Dwight Evans. His 3 run double was the difference in the game.

                                 Opening Day Hero: Dwight Evans



The Good:

Wade Boggs was 3 for 4 with a walk, rbi and 2 runs scored.

Kevin Romine was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Roger Clemens earned the win with 6 2/3 innings of 2 run ball while striking out 5.

Rob Murphy tossed 2 scoreless innings.

Lee Smith earned the save by striking out Trammell to end the game.



The Bad:

Billy Jo Robidoux was 0 for 4.

Jody Reed was 0 for 4 with a strikeout and 2 errors in the field.



The Ugly:

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

Mike Greenwell was 0 for 3 but walked.

Ellis Burks was 0 for 3 but walked and scored.

Tony Pena was just 1 for 4.




Final Thoughts:

Always great to win on Opening Day. The Sox are going to have to lean on Burks, Boggs, Evans and Pena to lead the way on offense and pray to God everyone besides Clemens doesn't suck. That doesn't seem like a recipe for success but stranger things have happened. Jody Reed was hot garbage today but there are 162 games a year and you're bound to have a stinker. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the rotation after Clemens holds up. Mike Boddicker usually delivers the goods but after that, better hope it rains or there's an off-day. Speaking of Boddicker, he goes tomorrow at 1:05 PM against Kevin Ritz and the same Tigers in Game 2 of this series at Fenway Park.

Clemens, Sox Beat Yankees (9/25/89)

This season has been an epic disaster for the Boston Red Sox but thankfully Roger Clemens (17-10, 3.17 ERA) is still with the team. Clemens was mortal tonight against the New York Yankees, allowing 4 runs and 11 hits against the Yankees in 6 innings of work. Thankfully the offense came to play in this one. The bats knocked Yankees starter Kevin Mmahat in the second inning and pounded out 7 runs off 12 hits. Dwight Evans got the party started with a 3 run homer in the first inning and Mike Greenwell drove in a few runs of his own. The Sox are trying to end the season on a hot streak and they beat the Yankees 7-4 at Fenway Park.

                                                         Gianna Amore approves of the win

The Yankees wasted no time getting to Clemens in the top of the first inning as Steve Sax singled to right to start. Luis Polonia doubled to left and Sax scored on the rbi groundout by Don Mattingly. Mel Hall lined out to second but Jesse Barfield singled to center to score Polonia. Randy Velarde singled in the hole at second but Roberto Kelly struck out swinging to end the inning with the Yankees up 2-0.

                                                     Barfield puts the Yankees up two runs

The Sox answered against Mmahat in the bottom of the first inning as Wade Boggs singled to left to start. Jody Reed walked and Dwight Evans smashed his 20th home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Mike Greenwell and Nick Esasky drew back to back walks but Nick was erased on a force by Carlos Quintana. Kevin Romine hit a sac fly to score Greenwell but Rivera flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-2.

                                                             3 run homer for Evans

Clemens settled down in the top of the second inning as Bob Geren struck out swinging to start. Alvaro Espinoza grounded out to second but Sax singled to center. Sax was thrown out trying to steal second to end the inning. The Sox knocked out Mmahat in the bottom of the second inning as Rick Cerone flied out to center to start. Boggs singled to center, Reed walked and Evans singled to left to load the bases. Greenwell scored Boggs by beating out a double play ball to increase the lead. Esasky walked to reload the bases and that was it for Mmahat. Danny Heep pinch hit for the injured Quintana and Clay Parker came in to pitch. Heep flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-2.

                                                           Greenwell drives in a run

The Yankees tagged Clemens in the top of the third inning as Polonia singled to center to start. Mattingly singled to center to move Polonia to third, Don taking second on the throw. Hall grounded out to second to score Polonia to cut the lead but Mattingly was thrown out at home on a grounder to Clemens by Barfield. Velarde singled to right but Kelly grounded out to third to end the inning with the Yankees down 5-3.

                                                                   Hall drives in a run

The Sox answered in the bottom of the third as Romine grounded out to short to start. Rivera flied out to left and Cerone hit a routine grounder to Espinoza....thrown away for an error to move Rick to second. Boggs doubled to center to score Cerone but Reed grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox up 6-3.

                                                             Boggs drives in a run

Geren singled to center to start the top of the fourth but Espinoza struck out swinging. Sax singled to right but Polonia banged into a double play to end the inning. Evans walked to start the bottom of the fourth but Greenwell hit into a double play. Esasky grounded out to short to end the inning.

Mattingly lined out to right to start the top of the fifth but Hall popped up to third. Barfield struck out swinging to end the inning. Heep lined out to center to start the bottom of the fifth before Romine lined out to short. Rivera singled to left but Cerone grounded out to second.

Velarde grounded out to second to start the top of the sixth but Kelly struck out swinging. Green struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox got another run in the bottom of the sixth as Boggs grounded out to short to start. Reed and Evans stroked back to back singles and Greenwell doubled home Reed to increase the lead. Esasky walked but Heep banged into a double play to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-3.

                                                      Greenwell drives in another run

Jeff Stone came in for Heep to start the top of the seventh and Espinoza hit a routine grounder to Reed to start. Reed kicked the ball and gave it the finger for an error then Espinoza took second on a wild pitch. Sax beat out an infield single to Cerone to put runners at the corners and that was it for Clemens. Roger was mortal tonight but still left with the lead. Steve Balboni pinch hit for Polonia and Rob Murphy sprinted from the bullpen to pitch to him. Balboni banged into a double play to score Espinoza and Mattingly grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-4.

                                                                  Clemens was mortal

Romine grounded out to second to start the bottom of the seventh but Rivera singled to left. Cerone took strike three but Boggs singled to left. Reed struck out swinging to end the inning.

Murphy made a mad dash to the mound just to get Hall to ground out to first leading off the top of the eighth. Murphy bolted into the dugout and into the clubhouse as closer Lee Smith came in for the 5 out save. Barfield struck out swinging and Velarde took strike three to end the inning. Evans singled in the hole at third to start the bottom of the eighth to chase Parker from the game. Lee Guetterman came in to pitch and Evans took second on a wild pitch. Greenwell struck out swinging and Esasky was intentionally walked. Stone banged into a double play to end the inning.

Smith returned to close out the top of the ninth and Kelly hit a little roller to Rivera. Luis dropped an elbow on the ball and pinned it for an error but Green struck out swinging. Espinoza struck out swinging and Sax grounded into a force to end the game. The Sox had won it 7-4.

 

Hero of the Night is Dwight Evans. This 3 run homer gave the Sox the lead they wouldn't relinquish.

                                                                  Hero Evans

The Good:

Wade Boggs was 4 for 5 with an rbi and 2 runs scored.

Jody Reed was 1 for 3 with 2 walks and 2 runs scored.

Nick Esasky walked 4 times.

Luis Rivera was 2 for 4.

Rob Murphy tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Lee Smith earned his 25th save with 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Carlos Quintana was 0 for 1 before leaving the game.

Danny Heep was 0 for 3.

Jeff Stone was 0 for 1.

The Ugly:

Mike Greenwell was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked, drove in 2 runs and scored a run.

Kevin Romine was 0 for 3 but drove in a run.

Rick Cerone was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Roger Clemens got the win but allowed 4 runs in 6 plus innings of work while allowing 11 hits.

Final Thoughts:

Clemens wasn't his usual self tonight and could be running out of gas this season. Thankfully we're at the end so he has all winter to rest. After Bruce Hurst left in free agency after the Wade Boggs trainwreck, who can blame him now? The team self destructed with bickering, locker room cliques and really bad pitching. Even Clemens suffered this season as he posted his highest ERA since 1985. Still, Rob Murphy and Lee Smith solidified a bullpen that can help more often to not if the starting rotation doesn't throw up on themselves. The Sox have a lot of work to do in the off-season to get back to where they were in 86 and 88. As for this game? Meh, who cares. At least the Sox have a chance to finish above .500....yay. The win improved the Sox to 79-77, tied with the Milwaukee Brewers for third place in the AL East. The Sox take on the Yankees again tomorrow night when Eric Hetzel (1-3) takes on Andy Hawkins of New York. The game begins at 7:30 PM at Fenway Park.

Yaz Inducted into HoF, Sox Beat White Sox (7/24/89)

It was a special day for Boston Red Sox fans as Carl Yastrzmeski was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame today. He needed just 6 years after he retired to be enshrined into Cooperstown and now he takes his place alongside Ted Williams in baseball immortality. As for the game itself, current future hall of famer Roger Clemens (11-7, 3.21 ERA) brought the Sox a game closer to .500 with his 11th win of the season. Clemens outwitted the Chicago White Sox, surrendering just 1 run in 7 innings of work. Randy Kutcher drove in more runs by himself than the entire White Sox team, Nick Esasky hit a home run and the BoSox knocked off the White Sox 8-2 in an economical 2 hours an 34 minutes at Fenway Park.

                                             Yaz approves of the win and his HoF plaque

The White Sox got to Clemens first in the top of the first inning as Dave Gallagher singled to right to start. Steve Lyons sacrificed him to second and Dave moved to third on the Harold Baines grounder. Ivan Calderon tripled home Gallagher to put Chicago on top. Dan Pasqua walked but Carlton Fisk grounded out to second to end the inning with the ChiSox up 1-0.

                                                   Clemens watches the triple fly

The Sox beat the ball in the dirt against Chicago starter Steve Rosenberg in the bottom of the first inning. Wade Boggs grounded out to third, Luis Rivera also grounded out to third and Kevin Romine grounded out to short to end the inning.

Clemens found his groove in the top of the second inning as he blew away Daryl Boston to start. Carlos Martinez took strike three but Ozzie Guillen beat out an infield single. Guillen was thrown out at second trying to steal by the alert Rick Cerone to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the second as Mike Greenwell hit a grounder up the middle for a base hit to start. Nick Esasky flied out to right but Jim Rice also singled to center. Randy Kutcher broke his bat on a blooper to right that scored Greenwell to tie the game and Cerone doubled home Rice. Ed Romero scored Kutcher with a sac fly and Boggs got a base hit to left. Rivera flied out to left to end the inning but it was 3-1 Red Sox.

                                                                Kutcher drives in a run

Gallagher flied out to right to start the top of the third inning before Lyons watched strike three go by. Baines grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the third although Romine grounded out to short to start. Greenwell drew a walk but Esasky flied out to right. Rice walked and Kutcher launched a 3 run home run into the centerfield bleachers to effectively end the game. Cerone hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning with the BoSox ahead 6-1.

                                                        No going back to Pawtucket now

Calderon tried to start a rally in the top of the fourth but Pasqua flied out to right and Fisk banged into a double play to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the fourth as Romero flied out to left to start. Boggs smacked a double to center and moved to third on the fly ball by Rivera. Romine singled home Boggs to increase the lead and chase Rosenberg. Ken Patterson got Greenwell to fly out to left to end the inning with the BoSox ahead 7-1.

                                                            Romine drives in a run

Clemens got Boston to fly out to second to begin the top of the fifth before Martinez grounded out to short. Guillen doubled to left but Gallagher got rung up for strike three to end the inning. The Sox wrapped up their portion of the scoring in the bottom of the fifth when Esasky launched a 454 bomb off Patterson to increase the lead. Rice popped up to first, Kutcher whiffed and Cerone went down hacking to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-1.

                                                      Esasky is all smiles

Lyons beat out a bunt to start the top of the sixth but Greg Walker pinch hit for Baines who hurt his wrist only to hit into a double play. Calderon grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the seventh as Romero popped up to first to start. Boggs took strike three and Rivera also popped up to first to end the inning.

Clemens cruised in the top of the seventh in his final inning. Pasqua flied out to center to start before Fisk went down swinging. Boston grounded out to first to end the inning. Clemens was great, tossing 7 innings of 1 run ball to earn the win.

                                                    Roger pitches very well

The BoSox threatened in the bottom of the seventh as Romine flied out to right to start. Greenwell singled to left but Esasky went down swinging. Rice got a base hit to left and Greenwell took third on a passed ball. Kutcher grounded out to short to end the inning.

Lee Smith came in for the top of the eighth and Martinez grounded out to third to start. Guillen grounded out to third and Gallagher lined out to right to end the inning. Shawn Hillegas got the call for the bottom of the eighth and Cerone lined out to left to begin. Romero popped up to second and Boggs whiffed to end the inning.

The White Sox rallied against Smith in the top of the ninth as Lyons singled to right to begin. Walker whiffed but Calderon walked and Pasqua singled home Lyons. Fisk forced Pasqua at second on a grounder and Boston popped up to short to end the game. The Sox had won the game 8-2.

Hero of the Night is Randy Kutcher. His 3 run bomb was all the Sox needed to win and he drove in another run to boot.

                                                          Kutch Potato Hero



The Good:

Wade Boggs was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Mike Greenwell was 2 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

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

Roger Clemens earned his 11th win with 7 innings of 1 run ball while striking out 5.



The Bad:

Luis Rivera was 0 for 4.



The Ugly:

Kevin Romine was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Nick Esasky was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was his 15th home run.

Rick Cerone was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

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

Lee Smith allowed a run in 2 innings of work.




Final Thoughts:

That was a great win but the team is still quite unpopular with the local press and fans. Still, winning games like that will help get rapport back after the awful first half this team had. Kutcher stepped up big today and the Sox need that from him with Ellis Burks and Marty Barrett sidelined. Speaking of Barrett, after being sidelined since June 6th with knee surgery, he begins his rehab with Pawtucket tomorrow. Clemens said after the game that this one was for Yaz and even though the season has been a mess, that was a nice touch. The Sox aren't too far behind to make a run as repeat AL East champions and they have a week to find another piece at the trade deadline to do it. The win improved the Sox to 45-48, 6.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for 1st place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox welcome the Kansas City Royals in for a set. Mike Boddicker (8-7) goes for the Sox up against Charlie Leibrandt at 7:35 PM at Fenway Park.

Rangers Walkoff Sox in 12 Innings (4/28/89)

For 5 innings the Boston Red Sox were in complete control of this game against the Texas Rangers. Mike Boddicker had held the Rangers to just 2 runs at that point while the Sox were ahead 6-2. Then the wheels fell off as the Rangers chased Boddicker in the sixth and tied the game off Bob Stanley in the bottom of the eighth. With the game well past midnight and no end in sight, the game was suspended until the following morning. When action resumed, Julio Franco hit a walkoff home run against Rob Murphy (0-2, 3.95 ERA) to end the game once and for all. The Rangers needed 12 innings to beat the Red Sox 7-6 at Arlington Stadium.

                                                     Doc Brown can't believe it

The Sox exploded against Rangers starter Kevin Brown in the bottom of the first inning as Wade Boggs walked to start. Ed Romero doubled to left and Ellis Burks walked to load the bases. Mike Greenwell whiffed but Jim Rice scored Boggs with a ground out. Dwight Evans walked to reload the bases and Nick Esasky pounded a grand slam to put the Sox up big early. Jody Reed beat out an infield single to third but Rick Cerone took strike three to end the inning. Things looked good with the Sox ahead 5-0 already.

                                                              Esasky with the grand slam

The Rangers wasted no time getting back in the game against Boddicker in the bottom of the first as Cecil Espy struck out looking to start. Scott Fletcher walked and Rafael Palmeiro doubled him to third. Ruben Sierra scored Fletcher with a sac fly and Julio Franco singled home Palmeiro. Franco swiped second but Geno Petralli flied out to center to end the inning with the Rangers down 5-2.

                                                      Why can't the Sox have guys like this?

The Sox did nothing in the top of the second as Boggs grounded back to the mound to start. Romero grounded out to third but Steve Buechele booted a grounder by Burks for an error. Greenwell grounded out to second to end the inning. Pete Incaviglia was plunked to start the bottom of the second but Rick Leach flied out to left. Incaviglia stole second but Buechele took strike three. Espy grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the third when Rice got a base hit to left to start and took second on the Evans strikeout. Esasky walked and that was it for Brown. Brad Arnsberg came in and Reed walked to load the bases. Cerone beat out a double play ball to score Rice and Boggs walked to re-load the bases. Naturally Romero grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-2.

                                                                  Rice scores a run

Boddicker cruised in the bottom of the third as Fletcher grounded out to second to start. Palmeiro lined out to first and Sierra popped up to center to end the inning.

Burks walked to start the top of the fourth and moved to second on the Greenwell grounder. Rice struck out swinging and Evans flied out to right to end the inning. Franco grounded out to second to begin the bottom of the second but Petralli and Incaviglia stroked back to back singles. Leach flied out to right and Buechele grounded out to short to end the inning.

Esasky flied out to right to start the top of the fifth then Reed flied out to left. Cerone walked to chase Arnsberg and Drew Hall got Boggs to strike out swinging to end the inning. Espy dropped down a bunt but then tackled Cerone trying to make the play, forcing the umpire to call him out on interference. Fletcher lined out to first but Palmeiro walked. Sierra flied out to right to end the inning.

Romero walked to start the top of the sixth but was thrown out trying to steal. Burks walked but Greenwell flied out to left and Rice flied out to center to end the inning. The Rangers fought back in the bottom of the sixth as Franco walked to start. Petralli flied out to right but Incaviglia singled to left to chase Boddicker. Bob Stanley came in and Leach singled home Franco to cut the lead. Buechele struck out swinging but both runners moved over on a wild pitch. Espy grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the seventh as Evans flied out to center to start. Esasky grounded out to third and Reed grounded out to second to end the inning. Fletcher walked to begin the bottom of the seventh but Palmeiro flied out to center. Sierra flied out to right and Franco grounded out to third to end the inning.

Kenny Rogers came in to pitch the top of the eighth and the Sox blew their best chance to ice the game. Cerone walked and Boggs singled to left to put two men on and nobody out. Marty Barrett pinch ran for Cerone and Romero moved both runners over with a sacrifice bunt. Burks was intentionally walked to set up the double play...and naturally Greenwell hit into one to end the inning. Dammit!

                                                           Good going Mike.

Rich Gedman took over behind the plate for the bottom of the eighth and things looked good when Petralli whiffed to start. Incaviglia walked and Leach doubled him home to cut the lead, but Buechele struck out swinging. One out away from escaping the jam....Espy singled home Leach to chase Stanley. Lee Smith came in and Espy stole second before scoring on the Fletcher base hit to left to tie the game. Fletcher was thrown out at second trying to stretch a double to end the inning but the Rangers tied it 6-6.

                                                        Nice going Stanley

Cecillo Guante came in to pitch the top of the ninth and struck out the side. Rice, Evans and Esasky all went down hacking in short order to end the inning. Palmeiro singled to center to put the winning run on in the bottom of the ninth but Sierrs flied out to right. Franco banged into a double play to end the inning.

Reed grounded back to the mound to start the top of the tenth and Gedman watched strike three go by. Boggs grounded out to short to end the inning. With the game heading toward 3 AM in Boston and well past midnight in Texas, the game was suspended until the following day. When action resumed in the bottom of the tenth, Rob Murphy was on the mound and Mike Stanley pinch hit for Petralli, getting a base hit to second. Jeff Stone pinch ran for Stanley and Incaviglia singled to center. Jeff Kunkel pinch hit for Leach and bunted both runners over. Murphy got a big out by striking out Buechele and Buddy Bell pinch hit for Espy and struck out swinging to end the inning.

Jim Sundberg took over behind the plate for the top of the eleventh and Romero struck out swinging to start. Burks whiffed but Greenwell walked. Rice went down hacking to end the inning. Fletcher grounded out to second to start the bottom of the eleventh and Palmeiro flied out to left. Sierra lined out to left to end the inning.

Evans grounded out to third to open the top of the 12th inning then Esasky flied out to right. Reed popped up to third in foul territory to end the inning. The game finally ended quickly in the bottom of the 12th inning. Franco hit a home run to South America to win the game. After all of that, the Rangers had won it 7-6.

                                                                  Damn it

Jackass of the Night is Rob Murphy. He allowed the home run to Franco to end the game.

                                                                     Nice going Jackass

The Good:

Ellis Burks walked 4 times and scored a run.

Rick Cerone walked twice and drove in a run.

Mike Boddicker was solid for 5 1/3 innings getting charged with 3 runs while striking out 2.

The Bad:

Rich Gedman struck out in his only plate appearance.

Bob Stanley allowed 3 runs of his own and let an inherited runner to score in 2 1/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Wade Boggs was just 1 for 4 but walked twice and scored a run.

Ed Romero was just 1 for 4 but walked and scored a run.

Mike Greenwell was 0 for 5 but walked.

Jim Rice was just 1 for 6 but drove in a run and scored.

Dwight Evans was 0 for 5 but walked and scored a run.

Nick Esasky was just 1 for 5 with a walk but the one hit was a grand slam.

Jody Reed was just 1 for 5 but walked.

Lee Smith allowed the tying run to score but none of his own in 1 1/3 innings.

Honorable Mention:

Marty Barrett pinch ran for Cerone in the top of the eighth.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox had a 6-2 lead and the Rangers starter out in the third inning yet still found a way to lose. The Rangers bullpen essentially tossed 9 2/3 scoreless innings. The Sox would have only needed 4 to have won the game. Hats off to the Rangers for pulling that off but that's terrible offense by the Sox to not score a single run after Kevin Brown was out of the game. Its not like the Rangers are known for their bullpen like the Oakland A's or New York Mets. Its been a bad month for the Sox as the Texas Rangers have been finding ways to win and the Sox finding ways to lose. Once again, give credit to the Rangers for not quitting when they lost their starter in the third inning. The Sox look to bounce back later tonight as it turns out when Wes Gardner (0-1) takes on Charlie Hough of the Rangers at 10:35 PM Eastern time at Arlington Stadium.