Sox Wipe Out, Sweep Senators (9/27/70)

Amazing how the Boston Red Sox flipped the switch too little, too late this season. The red hot Red Sox have now won 11 of their last 12 games including today's four game sweep of the lowly Washington Senators. Gary Peters (16-11, 4.06 ERA) finished his season strong by throwing a complete game 8 hitter while allowing just 1 run. The bats came to play big time by tagging Washington starter Dick Bosman for 4 runs before cracking the bullpen for another 6. George Scott, Tony Conigliaro and Peters himself all went deep as the Sox pounded out 14 hits and 10 runs against the hapless Senators. Poor Ted Williams could only watch as his Senators were swept with a 10-1 beat down at RFK Stadium.

                                                           Sharon Clark approves of the win

Bosman got the ball to start the top of the first inning and Luis Alvarado grounded back to the mound to start. Joe Lahoud popped up to third but Carl Yastrzemski singled to center. Tony Conigliaro grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Peters got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Ed Brinkman lined out to third to start. Tom Grieve grounded out to third and Frank Howard grounded out to second to end the inning.

George Scott took strike three to begin the top of the second inning before Billy Conigliaro struck out swinging. John Kennedy grounded out to third to end the inning. Rick Reichardt struck out swinging to begin the bottom of the second before Aurelio Rodriguez flied out to right. Mike Epstein struck out swinging to end the inning.

Bob Montgomery grounded out to short to start the top of the third inning before Peters grounded back to the mound. Alvarado struck out swinging to end the inning. Paul Casanova led off the bottom of the third with a base hit to center but Tim Cullen flied out to center. Bosman struck out swinging but Brinkman walked. Grieve flied out to left to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the fourth although Lahoud grounded out to second to start. Yaz singled to right, Tony C beat out a roller to first and Scott mashed his 15th home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Billy C singled to left and Kennedy doubled him to third, but Montgomery watched strike three go by. Peters took strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 3-0.

                                                            Scott hits a 3 run shot

Howard grounded out to short to begin the bottom of the fourth before Reichardt singled to right. Rodriguez and Epstein both struck out swinging to end the inning.

Alvarado struck out swinging to start the top of the fifth and Lahoud popped up to second. Yaz grounded out to second to end the inning. Peters cruised in the bottom of the fifth as Casanova popped up to second to start. Cullen flied out to right and Bosman grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the sixth when Tony C belted his 36th home run of the season to increase the lead. Scott grounded out to second, Billy C popped up tp short and Kennedy flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox up 4-0.

                                                          Number 36 for Tony C

Brinkman singled in the hole at short to begin the bottom of the sixth but Grieve banged into a double play. Howard walked but Reichardt struck out swinging to end the inning.

Darold Knowles came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Montgomery flied out to right to start. Peters grounded out to first and Alvarado grounded out to short to end the inning. Mike Fiore came in for Yaz to start the bottom of the seventh and Rodriguez singled to left to start. Epstein singled to center and Billy C threw himself on the ball and sang to it for an error to put runners at the corners. Casanova hit a fly ball to right and Rodriguez tried for home. Tony C came up gunning and Rodriguez was called out on the play. Cullen flied out to left to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the eighth as Lahoud grounded out to second to start. Fiore popped up to third but Tony C singled to left. Scott then blasted his second home run of the game to ice it. Billy C lined out to third to end the inning but it was 6-0 Red Sox.

                                                            Scott hits another one out

Greg Goossen pinch hit for Knowles to start the bottom of the eighth and flied out to right. Brinkman flied out to left and Grieve popped up to second to end the inning.

The Sox poured it on in the top of the ninth with Horacio Pina now on the mound. Kennedy singled to center, Montgomery singled to right and Peters himself mashed his first home run of the season to turn this into a laughter. Alvarado popped up to short but Lahoud doubled to right to chase Pina. Cisco Carlos came in to pitch and Fiore moved Lahoud to third with a ground out. Tony C blooped a single to center to score Lahoud to wrap up the scoring. Scott forced Tony C at second to end the inning with the Sox up 10-0.

                                                Gary driving in more runs than he's allowed

Peters returned to finish the job in the bottom of the ninth and Howard flied out to left. Reichardt hit a home run all the way to Walden Pond to break up the shutout and Rodriguez singled to left. Epstein struck out swinging but Casanova doubled to left. Cullen flied out to right to end the game. The Sox had won it 10-1.

Hero of the Night is Gary Peters. He threw a complete game while allowing just one run. He also hit a 3 run home run at the plate.

                                                           Peters The Hero

The Good:

Carl Yastrzemski was 2 for 3 with a run scored.

Tony Conigliaro was 4 for 5 with a two run homer and 3 total runs scored.

George Scott was 2 for 5 with two home runs and 5 total rbis.

John Kennedy was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

The Bad:

Luis Alvarado was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Mike Fiore was 0 for 2.

The Ugly:

Joe Lahoud was just 1 for 5 but scored a run.

Billy Conigliaro was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout and an error.

Bob Montgomery was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

Amazing how once the pressure was off, the Sox can't lose. This little hot streak proves to be meaningless when it comes to this season but hopefully it carries over into next season. There was no stopping the Baltimore Orioles this season and the Sox could never get good enough pitching to compete with them this season. As for this game, the Sox beat around one of the worst teams in the league and swept them out of their own stadium. Tony Conigliaro had a hell of a season and its nice to see Scott have a late season surge as well. The Sox have a great core with Reggie Smith, Yaz, Tony C, Petrocelli and Scott but every other spot is a black hole. The Sox need a stud catcher, second baseman and shortstop and another ace to compete with Baltimore next season. But that's next year, this year there's still two games left. The win improved the Sox to 86-74, 19 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox now return home to play their final two games of the season against the second place New York Yankees. Ken Brett gets the start for the Sox against Steve Kline of the Yankees. The game begins tomorrow night at 7:30 PM at Fenway Park.

Red Sox Smash Tigers (9/10/70)

That was a complete ass kicking by the Boston Red Sox in tonight's game against the Detroit Tigers. Carl Yastrzemski and Mike Andrews led a Boston attack with 9 rbis combined to pound out 15 total hits and 14 runs against Les Cain and the Tigers bullpen. Andrews and Yaz both hit home runs but the star of the show was Sox starter Ray Culp (15-13, 3.12 ERA). He tossed a complete game 3 hit shutout and scored two runs at the plate as well. The Sox got rbis from four other players as they played arguably their best all year with a 14-0 shutout over the Tigers at Tiger Stadium.

                                                          Carolyn Jones approves of the win

Cain got the ball in the top of the first inning and Mike Andrews popped up to first to start. George Thomas drew a walk but Carl Yastrzemski struck out swinging. Rico Petrocelli flied out to right to end the inning. Culp got the ball in the bottom of the first and Dick McAuliffe grounded out to second to start. Mickey Stanley and Gates Brown drew back to back walks but Jim Northrup popped up to third. Norm Cash walked to load the bases and old friend Dalton Jones popped up to third to end the inning.

The Sox blasted Cain in the top of the second as George Scott got a base hit to center to start. Scott took second on a passed ball and Billy Conigliaro walked. Joe Lahoud reached on an error to load the bases and Bob Montgomery scored Scott with a sac fly to center. Culp walked to re-load the bases and Andrews singled to right to score both Billy C and Lahoud. Thomas hit a grounder to the mound and Culp was thrown out at home. Yaz got a base hit to right to score Andrews, move Thomas to third and chase Cain. Bob Reed came in to pitch and Petrocelli grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox up 4-0.

                                                        Montgomery gets the party started

Gene Lamont grounded out to second to start the bottom of the second and Cesar Gutierrez struck out swinging. Reed struck out swinging to end the inning.

Scott singled to right to start the top of the third before Billy C forced him at second. Lahoud got a base hit to center but Montgomery grounded into a double play to end the inning. McAuliffe walked to start the bottom of the third but Stanley flied out to left. Brown got a base hit to left but Northrup struck out swinging. Cash grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Culp started a rally in the top of the fourth with a base hit to center to start. Andrews walked but Thomas took strike three. Yaz got a base hit to right to load the bases and chase Reed. Norm McRae came in and Petrocelli got a base hit to left to score Culp and Andrews. A wild pitch moved the runners over and Scott struck out swinging. Billy C flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox up 6-0.

                                                              Petrocelli drives in a pair

Jones walked to start the bottom of the fourth and Lamont was hit with a pitch before Russ Nagelson pinch hit for Gutierrez. Nagelson grounded out to second to move both runners over and Kevin Collins pinch hit for McRae. Collins walked but McAuliffe popped up to third. Stanley grounded out to third to end the inning.

Elliott Maddox took over at short with Daryl Patterson now on the mound to start the top of the fifth. Lahoud walked but Montgomery grounded back to the mound to move Joe to second. Culp reached on an error and Andrews bashed a three run home run to ice the game. Thomas flied out to right before Yaz drew a walk. Petrocelli walked and Scott ripped a base hit to left to score Yaz. Billy C walked but Lahoud struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 10-0.

                                                             Home run Andrews

Brown grounded out to first to start the bottom of the fifth before Northrup grounded out to first. Cash doubled to left but Jones flied out to right to end the inning.

Montgomery got a base hit to center to start the top of the sixth before Culp struck out swinging. Andrews walked but Thomas got a base hit to left to score Montgomery and chase Patterson. Fred Scherman came in to pitch and Yaz belted a three run home run to wrap up the scoring. Petrocelli popped up to first and Scott grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox ahead 14-0.

                                                           3 run bomb for Yaz

Mike Fiore took over at first for Yaz to start the bottom of the sixth. Lamont grounded out to second to start before Maddox struck out swinging. and Scherman grounded out to first to end the inning.

Billy C took strike three to begin the top of the seventh before Lahoud also watched strike three go by. Montgomery struck out swinging to end the inning. Luis Alvarado took over for Petrocelli and Carmen Fanzone took over for Scott to begin the bottom of the seventh. McAuliffe grounded out to first before Stanley doubled to left. Brown grounded out to second to move Stanley to third. Northrup struck out swinging to end the inning.

Culp grounded out to second to start the top of the eighth before Andrews singled to center. Thomas walked but Fiore forced Thomas at second. Alvarado popped up to short to end the inning. Cash flied out to center to start the bottom of the eighth and Jones lined out to first. Lamont flied out to center to end the inning.

Fanzone singled inside the bag at first to start the top of the ninth before taking second on a wild pitch. Billy C flied out to left but Lahoud walked. Montgomery flied out to center to move Fanzone to third and Culp struck out swinging to end the inning. Culp returned to finish the bottom of the ninth and Maddox took strike three to start. Ken Szotkiewicz pinch hit for Scherman and drew a walk, but McAuliffe flied out to right. Stanley flied out to left to end the game. The Sox had won it 14-0.

Hero of the Night is Ray Culp. He threw a complete game 3 hit shutout. He walked 7 and struck out six batters. At the plate he was 1 for 5 with a strikeout but walked and scored two runs.

                                                             Hero Culp

The Good:

Mike Andrews was 3 for 4 with 2 walks with a 3 run home run, 5 total rbis and 4 total runs scored.

Carl Yastrzemski was 3 for 4 with a walk, a 3 run homer, 4 total rbis and 2 total runs scored.

George Scott was 3 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.

Carmen Fanzone had a hit in his only at-bat.

The Bad:

Mike Fiore was 0 for 1.

Luis Alvarado was 0 for 1.

The Ugly:

George Thomas was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked twice, drove in a run and scored a run.

Rico Petrocelli was just 1 for 4 but walked and drove in 2 runs.

Billy Conigliaro was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked twice and scored a run.

Joe Lahoud was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked twice and scored 2 runs.

Bob Montgomery was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but drove in a run and scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

Good win by the Sox playing without Reggie Smith and Tony Conigliaro and another great game pitched by Culp. The Sox are going to need another ace pitcher if they hope to compete with Baltimore next year because that's Boston's achillies heel. Their offense is as good as anyone but they just don't have the pitching the Orioles do. The Tigers are right there with the Sox with Mickey Lolich and not much else. Still, the Sox scored 14 runs but its only one game. There's still 18 games left in the season but the Sox are one loss away from elimination. Its a shame the season turned out this way because they weren't half bad compared to the last two years. The win improved the Sox to 75-68, 17 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to stave off elimination tomorrow when they play the O's themselves. Sonny Siebert goes for the Sox against O's ace Jim Palmer at 8:00 PM at Memorial Stadium.

Indians Thrash Sox in Game 2 (9/7/70)

Well so much for the feel good win of Game 1. The Boston Red Sox defeated the Cleveland Indians in the first game of today's doubleheader but got creamed in Game 2. Dean Chance held the offense to just two runs in 7 innings of work. Cal Koonce (3-6, 3.55 ERA) got lit up for 6 runs in just 4 innings. Chuck Hartenstein and Dick Mills each got tagged for runs and the Indians cruised to an easy 8-2 victory at Cleveland Stadium.

                                          "Hey Koonce, yeah you...you stink!" - BB

The Sox did manage to strike first in the top of the first although Mike Andrews popped up to first to start. Joe Lahoud grounded out to first but Carl Yastrzemski clobbered his 37th home run of the year to put the Sox on top. Tony Conigliaro followed with his 29th homer of the year to increase the lead. Billy Conigliaro grounded out to short to end the inning. As sad as this sounds, the Sox would have just 2 hits the rest of the game but led 2-0.

                                                          Back to back jacks

Koonce made the Indians beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the first as Graig Nettles grounded out to second to start. Eddie Leon grounded out to short and Vada Pinson grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

John Kennedy grounded out to third to start the top of the second before Luis Alvarado flied out to center. Tom Satriano grounded out to second to end the inning. The Indians struck back in the bottom of the second although Ken Harrelson grounded out to short to start. Duke Sims walked and Ted Uhlaender singled him to third. Roy Foster walked to load the bases and Larry Brown cleared them with a triple to give the Indians the lead. Chance whiffed and Brown was picked off by the alert Satriano to end the inning but the Indians led 3-2.

                                                   Brown gives the Indians the lead

The Sox went quietly in the top of the third as Koonce flied out to right to start. Andrews singled to left but Lahoud banged into a double play to end the inning. Nettles grounded out to first to start the bottom of the third but Leon singled to center. Pinson struck out and Harrelson grounded into a force to end the inning.

Yaz grounded out to short to start the top of the fourth before Tony C flied out to right. Billy C struck out to end the inning. Sims walked to begin the bottom of the fourth but was forced at second by Uhlaender. Foster caught the Sox asleep with a bunt singled and Uhlaender moved to third on the fly ball Brown. Chance grounded into a force to end the inning.

Kennedy got a base hit to center to start the top of the fifth but Alvarado hit into a double play. Satriano popped up to short to end the inning. The Indians iced it in the bottom of the fifth when Nettles walked to start. Leon singled to right and Pinson smashed a 500,000 foot home run to chase Koonce. Chuck Hartenstein came in and Harrelson singled to right. Chuck Hinton pinch ran for Harrelson but Sims grounded into a double play. Uhlaender singled to right and scored on the double to left by Foster. Brown was intentionally walked and Chance struck out to end the inning with the Sox down 7-2.

Dick Schofield pinch hit for Hartenstein to start the top of the sixth but grounded out to second to start. Andrews took strike three and Lahoud grounded out to first to end the inning. Dick Mills got tagged in the bottom of the sixth as Nettles singled to right to start. Leon sacrificed Graig to second and he moved to third on the Pinson grounder. Hinton singled home Nettles to wrap up the scoring. Sims grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox down 8-2.

Chance cruised in the top of the seventh as Yaz flied out to center to start. Tony C grounded out to third and Billy C flied out to right to end the inning. Uhlaender singled to right to start the bottom of the seventh and Foster flied out to right. Brown walked and John Lowenstein pinch hit for Chance only to fly out to center. Nettles struck out to end the inning.

Vince Colbert came in for the top of the eighth and Kennedy grounded out to short to start. Alvarado struck out and Satriano flied out to center to end the inning. Leon doubled to center to start the bottom of the eighth but Pinson flied out to right. Hinton lined out to short but Sims walked. Uhlaender took strike three to end the inning.

Mike Fiore pinch hit for Mills to start the top of the ninth and grounded out to second to start. Andrews popped up to first but Lahoud walked. Yaz walked but Tony C lined out to second to end the game. The Indians had won it 8-2.

Jackass of the Night is Cal Koonce. The Sox offense did nothing after the first inning but Koonce giving up 6 runs didn't help.

                                                       Koonce you Jackass



The Good:

Carl Yastrzemski was 1 for 3 with a walk and a home run.

John Kennedy was 1 for 3.



The Bad:

Billy Conigliaro was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Luis Alvarado was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Tom Satriano was 0 for 3.

Dick Schofield was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Mike Fiore was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Chuck Hartenstein allowed a run in an inning of work.



The Ugly:

Mike Andrews was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Joe Lahoud was 0 for 3 but walked.

Tony Conigliaro was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a home run.

Dick Mills allowed a run in 3 innings of work.




Final Thoughts:

Good thing there are only 22 games left in this season. Watching the Sox throw guys like Koonce out to pitch while the Baltimore Orioles have four starters that could be an ace anywhere else is frustrating. The offense isn't really exciting apart from Yaz, Tony C and Reggie Smith either. The magic of 1967 is long gone and they have a long way to go to get back to the top. Koonce sucked today and using their bench in the second game because of the doubleheader wasn't going to yield much results. Still, the bright side is the season is almost over. Hopefully the Sox can make some moves in the off-season to shore up this mess and draft well. Say what you will about Dick Williams but he got the most out of the homegrown players on the 67 Sox. Hopefully Eddie Kasko can improve on this mediocre year with the right personnel. The loss dropped the Sox to 72-68, 17 games behind the Orioles for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night Ken Brett (6-7) goes for the Sox up against Steve Hargan of the Indians at 8:05 PM at Cleveland Stadium.

Sox Defeat Indians in Game 1 (9/7/70)

Today's doubleheader with the Cleveland Indians started well for the Boston Red Sox. Gary Peters (14-10, 4.15 ERA) won his fourteenth game of the season while Sparky Lyle earned his 20th save of the year. The Sox tag team of George's, Scott and Thomas, supplied the offense with three rbi's between them. The Sox haven't had much go right for them this season but as the season winds to a close, every win should be celebrated like today's 4-3 victory in Game 1 at Cleveland Stadium.

                                                  Roger Daltrey approves of the win

Sam McDowell got the start for Cleveland and Mike Andrews greeted him with a base hit to left. George Thomas drew a walk but Carl Yastrzemski banged into a double play. Tony Conigliaro struck out to end the inning. Peters took the mound in the bottom of the first and Graig Nettles popped up to first in foul territory to start. Eddie Leon also popped up to first and Vada Pinson struck out to end the inning.

Rico Petrocelli walked to start the top of the second but George Scott took strike three. Petrocelli moved to second on the grounder by Billy Conigliaro and Bob Montgomery grounded out to third to end the inning. Old pal Ken "The Hawk" Harrelson singled to left to start the bottom of the second before Roy Foster struck out. A wild pitch moved Harrelson to second but Buddy Bradford flied out to right. Duke Sims walked but Jack Heidemann took strike three to end the inning.

Peters whiffed to start the top of the third before Andrews grounded out to second. Thomas flied out to right to end the inning. McDowell bunted foul for strike three to start the bottom of the third before Nettles grounded out to short. Leon also grounded out to short to end the inning,.

Yaz walked to start the top of the fourth but was erased on the Tony C force. Petrocelli was plunked but Scott banged into a double play to end the inning. Pinson singled to right to start the bottom of the fourth but Harrelson popped up to right. Pinson was forced at second by Foster and Bradford flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the fifth although Billy C grounded out to third to start. Montgomery and Peters drew back to back walks before both moved over on the grounder by Andrews. Thomas got a base hit to left and Montgomery scored easily but Peters had to beat the tag home for the second run. Thomas advanced to second on the throw but Yaz struck out to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                               Thomas drives in a pair

Peters did his part in the bottom of the fifth as Sims struck out to start. Heidemann was plunked and moved to second on the McDowell grounder, but Nettles flied out to right to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the sixth as Tony C walked to start. Luis Alvarado pinch hit for Petrocelli and sacrificed Tony to second with a bunt. Scott lashed a base hit to center to score Conigliaro with another run. A passed ball moved Scott to second but he was thrown out trying to steal third. Billy C grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                    Scott drives in a run

The Indians struck back in the bottom of the sixth although Leon struck out to start. Pinson grounded out to second but Harrelson walked. Foster was hit with a pitch and Harrelson scored on the double by Bradford but Sims flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox still ahead 3-1.

                                                The Hawk scores a run

The Sox tried to rally when Montgomery singled to center to start the top of the seventh before moving to second on the sacrifice bunt by Peters. He was stranded as Andrews struck out and Thomas flied out to right to end the inning. John Kennedy took over for Andrews in the bottom of the seventh and Larry Brown pinch hit to Heidemann. Brown popped up to left in foul territory and Ted Ford pinch hit for McDowell only to strike out. Nettles grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the eighth with Jim Rittwage now on the mound. Yaz singled to center and took second on a passed ball before Tony C walked. Yaz moved to third on the fly out by Alvarado and Kennedy hit a pop up to Bradford...DROPPED! Conigilaro was forced at second but Yaz scored on the error to increase the lead. Billy C and Montgomery both walked to load the bases as Steve Mingori came in to pitch. Sox manager Eddie Kasko let Peters hit away and he struck out to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-1.

                                                      Yaz scored a run

The decision to let Peters hit came back to haunt Kasko as Leon singled to left to start the bottom of the eighth. Pinson then hit a home run all the way to Lake Michigan to cut the lead and chase Peters after 7 plus innings of 3 run ball. Gary Wagner came in and got Harrelson to fly out to left before Foster popped up to third. Bradford struck out to end the inning with the Sox still ahead 4-3.

                                                 7 good innings, 1 bad eighth

Vince Colbert came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Andrews flied out to right to start. Thomas singled to center but was picked off. Yaz flied out to center to end the inning. Wagner returned for the bottom of the ninth and Sims singled to right to start. Lou Camilli ran for Duke and Brown sacrificed Lou to second with a bunt. Ted Uhlaender was sent in to pinch hit for Colbert until Sox manager Eddie Kasko countered by bringing in Sparky Lyle. Uhlaender was called back and Chuck Hinton was put in to pinch hit. Hinton grounded out to third and Vern Fuller pinch hit for Nettles. Fuller grounded out to short to end the game. The Sox held on to win Game 1 by a score of 4-3.

Hero of the Night is George Thomas. He drove in 3 big runs to guide the Sox to victory.

                                                 Thomas the Hero


The Good:

Rico Petrocelli walked and was hit with a pitch before he left the game.

Tony Conigliaro walked twice and scored a run in 4 plate appearances.

George Scott was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Bob Montgomery was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and a run scored.

Gary Peters tossed 7 innings of 2 run ball to earn the victory. He was 0 for 2 at the plate but walked and scored a run.

Gary Wagner tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Sparky Lyle earned his 20th save by getting the final two outs of the ninth inning.



The Bad:

Luis Alvarado was 0 for 1.

John Kennedy was 0 for 1.



The Ugly:

Mike Andrews was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout.

Carl Yastrzemski was just 1 for 4 but walked and scored a run.

Billy Conigliaro was 0 for 3 but walked.




Final Thoughts:

As this ho-hum season draws to a close you have to look at any and all positives.....which aren't much. The Sox seem to be getting worse every year and can't come anywhere close to the Baltimore Orioles. The key to the game is pitching and the Sox just don't have enough to match Baltimore. They either need to make a trade or scout someone worth a damn if they hope to ever contend again. As for this game, good win by Peters and good on Lyle to get the final two outs. Everything else....yawn. The win improved the Sox to 72-67, nowhere near the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox are back in action shortly against these same Indians in Game 2. Cal Koonce (3-5) goes for the Sox against Dean Chance at 5:05 PM Eastern Time at Cleveland Stadium

Petrocelli Slams Royals in Game 2 (6/7/70)

For 7 innings it looked like the Kansas City Royals were going to avenge their Game 1 doubleheader loss against the Boston Red Sox. Reggie Smith drove home Gary Peters in the bottom of the sixth to take a 1-0 lead over Bob Johnson and the Royals. Pat Kelly then drove in two runs against Peters to chase him from the game and give the Royals the lead. With two out in the bottom of the eighth, Rico Petrocelli hit a grand slam to put the Red Sox up for good. Vicente Romo (4-0, 3.38 ERA) got the win and Sparky Lyle got the save and the Sox had won their fifth straight game 5-2 at Fenway Park.

                                                               Corinna Tsopei

Peters got the ball in the top of the first inning and Pat Kelly flied out to left to start. Paul Schaal and Amos Otis stroked back to back singles but Bob Oliver struck out swinging. Lou Piniella popped up to second to end the inning. Johnson got the ball in the bottom of the first and Mike Andrews grounded out to third to start. Reggie Smith popped up to third and Carl Yastrzemski grounded out to short to end the inning.

Luis Alcaraz flied out to left to start the top of the second before Jackie Hernandez singled to right. Ellie Rodriguez banged into a double play to end the inning. Tony Conigliaro struck out swinging to open the bottom of the second before Rico Petrocelli popped up to short. George Scott struck out swinging to end the inning.

Johnson struck out swinging to open the top of the third but Kelly singled to left. Schaal forced Kelly at second and Otis forced Schaal at second to end the inning. Don Pavletich popped up to first to start the bottom of the third but Luis Alvarado singled to right. Alvarado stole second but Peters struck out swinging. Andrews popped up to short to end the inning.

Oliver walked to begin the top of the fourth but Piniella flied out to center. Oliver moved to second on the grounder to third by Alcaraz and Hernandez flied out to center to end the inning. Smith grounded out to first to start the bottom of the fourth before Yaz popped up to first. Tony C was plunked but Petrocelli popped up to first to end the inning.

Rodriguez flied out to right to start the top of the fifth before Johnson took strike three. Kelly walked and stole second but Schaal grounded out to third to end the inning. Johnson cruised in the bottom of the fifth as Scott struck out swinging to start. Pavletich took strike three and Alvarado flied out to right to end the inning.

Otis flied out to center to start the top of the sixth and Oliver also flied out to center. Piniella grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the sixth as Peters singled to right to begin. Andrews dropped down a bunt to move Peters to second and Gary scored on the base hit to right by Smith. Reggie took second on a wild pitch and third on a passed ball but Yaz struck out swinging. Tony C struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                        Smith drives in a run

The Royals answered in the top of the seventh as Alcaraz and Hernandez got back to back base hits to start before moving over on a passed ball. Rodriguez walked to load the bases and Hawk Taylor pinch hit for Johnson. Taylor took strike three but Kelly lashed a base hit to left. Yaz then turned and threw the ball onto the Mass Pike for an error to score Alcaraz and Hernandez to give the Royals the lead. That was it for Peters who allowed 2 runs in 6 1/3 innings. Vicente Romo came in to pitch and Schaal walked to reload the bases, but Otis flied out to center. Oliver took strike three to end the inning with the Royals up 2-1.

                                                          "Dammit Yaz"

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the seventh with Al Fitzmorris now on the mound. Petrocelli and Scott both grounded out to third but Pavletich singled to left. Dick Schofield pinch hit for Alvarado but grounded out to first to end the inning.

Schofield moved to third with Petrocelli at short for the top of the eighth and Piniella grounded out to short to start. Alcaraz flied out to center and Hernandez popped up to short to end the inning. The Sox suddenly rallied in the bottom of the eighth as Mike Derrick pinch hit for Romo to begin. Derrick grounded back to the mound but Andrews ripped a base hit to left. Smith popped up to short but Yaz and Tony C drew back to back walks to load the bases. Petrocelli then smashed a grand slam to put the Sox on top. Scott flied out to right to end the inning with Boston ahead 5-2.

                                                     Grand slam Petrocelli

Sparky Lyle came in to close out the top of the ninth and Rodriguez grounded out to third to start. Rich Severson pinch hit for Fitzmorris and singled in the hole at short. Kelly lined out to left and Schaal flied out to right to end the game. The Sox had won it 5-2.

Hero of the Night is Rico Petrocelli. His two out grand slam in the bottom of the eighth put the Sox up for good.

                                                            Petrocelli The Hero

The Good:

Mike Andrews was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Don Pavletich was 1 for 3.

Luis Alvarado was 1 for 2.

Gary Peters tossed 6 1/3 innings of 2 run ball and was 1 for 2 at the plate with a run scored.

Vicente Romo got the win with 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Sparky Lyle got his eighth save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

George Scott was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Dick Schofield was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Mike Derrick was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

Reggie Smith was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Carl Yastrzemski was 0 for 3 with a strikeout and an error but walked and scored a run.

Tony Conigliaro was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts but walked, was hit with a pitch and scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

This season has been a disaster so far but today was fun. Winning both games of a doubleheader put the Sox back over .500 temporarily. Its a shame that back in April the Sox looked like they could hang with Baltimore but the Sox pitching never got untracked to help the offense. Peters did well today but his ERA is damn near 6.00. Maybe the Sox can turn it around this month but its highly unlikely. They also don't have much to trade to bring in some help unless they want to give up their 1967 core in the process. Still, they won the first game and they won this game with a timely grand slam from Petrocelli. The win improved the Sox to 25-25, 9 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox are back in action Tuesday night in Chicago to take on the hapless Chicago White Sox. Sonny Siebert (5-2) takes on Gary Janeski of Chicago at 8:05 PM Eastern time at Commiskey Park.

Sox Bash Sloppy Royals in Game 1 (6/7/70)

This was a win giftwrapped on a silver platter for the Boston Red Sox in the first game of a day night doubleheader against the Kansas City Royals. Old friend Dave Morehead didn't get out of the first inning as the Boston bats pounded out 7 runs including a home run from Ken Brett....yes, HIM. The Royals committed 3 errors and the Sox bullpen led by Brett and Lee Strange slammed the door as the Sox took Game 1 7-4 at Fenway Park

                                                   Jennifer Liano approves of the win

Sox starter Ray Culp got the ball in the top of the first inning and Pat Kelly beat out an infield single to third to start. Kelly was thrown out trying to steal before Rich Severson struck out swinging. Amos Otis popped up to third to end the inning. The Sox struck first against Morehead in the bottom of the first as Mike Andrews walked to start. Reggie Smith singled to right and Carl Yastrzemski walked to load the bases with nobody out. Tony Conigliaro ripped a base hit to left that got under the glove of left fielder Lou Piniella. Andrews and Smith scored, Yaz took third and Moreland had to leave the game. Royals manager Charlie Metro brought in Tom Burgmeier to pitch and Petrocelli walked to re-load the bases. George Scott banged into a double play but Yaz scored to increase the lead. Jim Campanis came in to catch for Ed Kirkpatrick and Tom Satriano grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                             Conigliaro drives in a pair

Culp got Bob Oliver to fly out to center to start the top of the second but Piniella got a base hit to left. Joe Keough flied out to left but Jackie Hernandez walked. Campanis struck out swinging to end the inning. Luis Alvarado flied out to right to start the bottom of the second but Culp struck out swinging. Andrews walked but Smith forced him at second to end the inning.

The Royals struck back in the top of the third inning as Burgmeier singled to center to start. Kelly clobbered a home run all the way to Utica to cut the lead. Severson singled to left but Otis struck out swinging. Oliver lined out to left but Piniella singled Severson to third. Keough walked to load the bases but Hernandez grounded into a force at second to end the inning with the Sox still ahead 3-2.

                                                         The pitcher scores a run

The Sox answered in the bottom of the third as Yaz lined one off Burgmeier but right to Hernandez who threw to first for the out. Tony C grounded out to short but Petrocelli tripled to center. Scott bashed a base hit to right to score Rico for another run but Satriano forced Scott at second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-2.

                                                            Scott drives in a run

Campanis was plunked to start the top of the fourth but Burgmeier struck out swinging. Campanis moved to second on the grounder to second by Kelly but Severson grounded out to short to end the inning. Alvarado struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth before Culp grounded out to short. Andrews singled to center but Smith forced him at second to end the inning.

Culp cruised in the top of the fifth inning as Otis struck out swinging to start. Oliver grounded out to short and Piniella flied out to left to end the inning. The sox blew a rally in the bottom of the fifth as Yaz grounded out to second to start. Tony C singled to center but was forced at second by Petrocelli. Scott singled to left and Satriano walked to load the bases. Alvarado flied out to center to end the inning.

The Royals chased Culp in the top of the sixth as Keough walked to start. Hernandez hit a home run all the way to Bismarck, North Dakota to tie the game and Campanis walked. That was it for Culp who left after allowing 4 runs in just 5 plus innings. Lee Strange came in and Burgmeier forced Campanis at second before Kelly walked. Both runners moved over on the grounder to first by Severson and Otis walked to load the bases. Oliver grounded out to third to end the inning with the game tied 4-4.

                                                          Culp couldn't get it done

The Sox struck back in the bottom of the sixth with Dick Schofield pinch hitting for Strange. Schofield walked and Burgmeier booted a grounder by Andrews for an error before throwing the ball away for another error to send Schofield to third. Smith hit a sac fly to score Schofield plus move Andrews to second but Yaz flied out to right. Tony C got a base hit to left to score Andrews with an insurance run and chase Burgmeier. Ken Wright came in and Petrocelli grounded into a force to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-4.

                                                       Schofield scores the go-ahead run

Ken Brett came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Piniella walked to start. Keough popped up to short but Hernandez walked. Campanis struck out swinging and Hawk Taylor pinch hit for Wright. Taylor struck out swinging to end the inning. Moe Drabowski came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Scott took strike three to start. Satriano flied out to right and Alvardo grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Mike Fiore came in to play first for Scott in the top of the eighth and Kelly grounded out to first to start. Severson flied out to center and Otis struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the eighth when Brett himself hit his first home run of the season. Andrews his one up the elevator shaft and Smith struck out looking, but Yaz walked. Tony C flied out to right to end the inning with Boston up 7-4.

                                                           Home run Brett

Brett returned to finish the job in the top of the ninth and Oliver struck out swinging to start. Piniella doubled to right and moved to third on the grounder to second by Keough, but Hernandez grounded out to second to end the game. The Sox had won Game 1 by a score of 7-4.

Hero of the Night is Ken Brett. He tossed 3 scoreless innings to get the save and hit a home run.

                                                        Hero Brett

The Good:

Mike Andrews was 1 for 3 with 2 walks and 2 runs scored.

Tony Conigliaro was 3 for 5 with 3 runs batted in.

Rico Petrocelli was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

George Scott was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Dick Schofield walked and scored a run as a pinch hitter.

Lee Strange got the win by pitching a scoreless sixth inning.

The Bad:

Luis Alvarado was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Ray Culp allowed 4 runs in just 5 plus innings. He was 0 for 2 with a strikeout at the plate.

The Ugly:

Reggie Smith was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run and scored a run.

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

Tom Satriano was 0 for 3 but walked.

Honorable Mention:

Mike Fiore played first base in the final two innings.

Final Thoughts:

Culp not lasting long wasn't good and neither was Scott getting yanked from the game after watching strike three go by. Kudos to Brett and Strange for holding the fort but the pitching on this team has been atrocious this season as a whole. Losing Jim Lonborg hurt but the Sox needed ace pitching from Sonny Siebert, Culp and Mike Nagy....but aren't getting it. The Baltimore Orioles have a huge lead and it doesn't look like the Sox can get out of their mediocrity even with their powerful offense. Its a shame considering the season Tony Conigliaro is having, hopefully the pitching improves as the season moves along. The win improved the Sox to 24-25. The Sox play Game 2 of the doubleheader in an hour against these same Royals. Gary Peters starts for the Red Sox against Bob Johnson of Kansas City. The game begins at 5 PM at Fenway Park.

Red Sox Walkoff White Sox (5/29/70)

What a comeback win for the Boston Red Sox. In danger of losing their fourth straight game, they snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox took a 3-0 over Sonny Siebert and the Red Sox due to the brilliant pitcher of Tommy John. Then a sac fly by Rico Petrocelli made the score 3-1 and Jim Lonborg (4-1, 3.09 ERA) held the fort in the top of the ninth. In the bottom of the ninth, old friend Wilbur Wood gave up a two run single to Billy Conigliaro to tie the game. Danny Murphy then allowed an rbi single by Jerry Moses to give the game to the Red Sox. Boston had won it 4-3 at Fenway Park.

                                                        Leslie Caron approves of the win

Siebert got the ball in the top of the first inning and Tommy McCraw flied out to left to start. Luis Aparicio grounded out to third but Gail Hopkins singled in the hole at short. Carlos May grounded out to second to end the inning. John got the ball in the bottom of the first and Mike Andrews grounded out to short to start. Reggie Smith grounded out to second but Carl Yastrzemski singled to center. Tony Conigliaro grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

The White Sox struck first in the top of the second as Duane Josephson flied out to right to start. Bill Melton doubled to center but Sid O'Brien grounded out to third. Buddy Bradford got a base hit to center to score Melton and John flied out to right to end the inning with Chicago up 1-0.

                                                                    Chicago strikes first

Rico Petrocelli flied out to right to start the bottom of the second and George Scott took strike three. Luis Alvarado grounded out to third to end the inning. 

McCraw flied out to left to start the top of the third and Aparicio did the same. Hopkins popped up to third to end the inning. Tom Satriano singled to right to start the bottom of the third and Siebert's bunt failed as Tom was out at second. Andrews forced Siebert at second but Smith walked. Yaz flied out to center to end the inning.

All of a sudden Smith was rushed to the local ICU for no reason and Billy Conigiliaro took over for him to start the top of the fourth. May got a base hit to right but Josephson grounded into a double play. Melton then bashed a home run all the way into the Charles River to increase the lead. O'Brien singled in the hole at short and Bradford took strike three to end the inning with the White Sox up 2-0.

                                                               Home run Melton

Tony C reached on an error by John to start the bottom of the fourth and pulled up lame, leaving the game as well, Jerry Moses ran for Tony and Petrocelli flied out to center. Scott walked but Alvarado flied out to center and Satriano grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

John walked to start the top of the fifth but McCraw hit one up the elevator shaft. Aparicio forced John at second but promptly stole second. Hopkins walked but May took strike three to end the inning. Siebert grounded out to short to start the bottom of the fifth and Andrews struck out swinging. O'Brien dropped a pop up by Billy C but Yaz grounded out to short to end the inning.

Josephson got a base hit to left to start the top of the sixth but Melton popped up to first in foul territory. O'Brien grounded into a double play to end the inning. O'Brien booted a grounder by Moses to start the bottom of the sixth but Petrocelli forced Jerry at second. Scott walked but Alvarado beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners. Don Pavletich pinch hit for Satriano and forced Alvarado at second to end the inning.

Bradford popped up to first to start the top of the seventh and John grounded out to first. McCraw got a base hit to left and Aparicio doubled to left as well. Hopkins grounded out to short to end the inning. Ken Berry came in for Hopkins to start the bottom of the seventh and Dick Schofield pinch hit for Siebert. Dick grounded out to short, Andrews grounded out to third and Smith lined out to short to end the inning.

Jim Lonborg came in to pitch the top of the eighth and May doubled to center to start. A wild pitch moved May to third and Carlos scored on the Josephson sac fly to center. Melton popped up to first but O'Brien got a base hit to right. O'Brien got picked off to end the inning with Chicago up 3-0.

                                                              Another run for Chicago

The Red Sox struck back in the bottom of the eighth with Bobby Knoop in for O'Brien. Yaz got a base hit to center and took second on a wild pitch. Moses flied out to center to move Carl to third and Petrocelli hit a sac fly to center to score Yaz. Scott grounded out to first to end the inning with the Red Sox down 3-1.

                                                              Petrocelli drives in a run

Bradford struck out swinging to start the top of the ninth and John flied out to center. McCraw got a base hit to right but Aparicio grounded back to the mound to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the ninth as Alvarado walked to start. Wilbur Wood came in to pitch with Ed Herrmann in to catch. Pavletich flied out to center but Jose Santiago pinch hit for Lonborg. Santiago got a base hit to left and Andrews walked to load the bases. Billy C got a base hit to left to score both Alvarado and Santiago to tie the game. Yaz walked to re-load the bases and Danny Murphy came in to face Moses. Jerry got a base hit to left to score Andrews to win the game. The Sox had won it 4-3.

Hero of The Night is Jerry Moses. He came off the bench to deliver the game ending blow.

                                                              Hero Moses

The Good:

Reggie Smith walked in two plate appearances.

Billy Conigliaro was 1 for 3 with 2 rbis.

Carl Yastrzemski was 2 for 4 with a walk and a run scored.

George Scott walked twice in four plate appearances.

Tom Satriano was 1 for 2.

Jose Santiago singled and scored as a pinch hitter.

Sonny Siebert allowed just 2 runs in 7 innings off 9 hits and 2 walks.

The Bad:

Tony Conigliaro was 0 for 2.

Don Pavletich was 0 for 2.

Dick Schofield was 0 for 1.

The Ugly:

Mike Andrews was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

Rico Petrocelli was 0 for 3 with an rbi.

Luis Alvarado was 0 for 3 but walked and scored.

Jim Lonborg got the win by allowing a run in 2 innings.

Final Thoughts:

The bad news was both Reggie Smith and Tony Conigliaro left the game but the good news was their replacements both helped win the game. Billy Conigliaro got the game tying hit and Moses got the winning hit. That was a hell of a rally in the ninth because the Sox had accomplished almost nothing the entire game. Siebert deserved the win but Lonborg got it instead. You're going to need your role players to step up eventually and today they did. Kudos to Eddie Kasko for making the balsy decision to have Santiago pinch hit for Lonborg. Santiago's single was integral to the game winning hit and every run counted. The Sox may be under .500 but you can't stay that game wasn't exciting. The win improved the Sox to 19-24, 12.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles in the AL East. The Sox look to make it two in a row against the White Sox tomorrow afternoon when Mike Nagy goes for the Sox against Bart Johnson of Chicago. The game begins at 2:05 PM at Fenway Park.