Sox Come Back, Defeat Twins (4/30/71)

Its been a theme the whole month of April but the Boston Red Sox once again had to come from behind to win a game. This time their victim was the Minnesota Twins. Through 6 innings Twins ace Jim Kaat enjoyed a 3-0 lead over Mike Nagy and the Red Sox. Carl Yastrzemski drove in the first run in the bottom of the sixth and Reggie Smith delivered the knockout punch in the bottom of the eighth. Still thanks to some shoddy defense the Twins had men on second and third with one out in the top of the ninth. Sparky Lyle got the final two outs to win it for the Sox. The Sox ended the month of April on a high note, beating the Twins 4-3 at Fenway Park.

                                                    Posey and Jefferson approve of the win

The Twins wasted no time getting to Nagy in the top of the first inning. Cesar Tovar flied out to right to start before Steve Braun flied out to center. Tony Oliva beat out an infield single to center, Harmon Killebrew walked and Rich Reese singled home Oliva to put the Twins on the board. Brant Alyea flied out to right to end the inning with the Twins up 1-0.

                                                           Reese drives in a run

Twins ace Jim Kaat cruised in the bottom of the first as Luis Aparicio grounded out to third to start. Reggie Smith flied out to right and Carl Yastrzemski flied out to center to end the inning.

Nagy settled down in the top of the second as Leo Cardenas grounded out to short, George Mitterwald popped up to short and Kaat was retired on a squibber in front of the mound to end the inning. Rico Petrocelli grounded out to second to start the bottom of the second but George Scott singled to left. Duane Josephson banged into a double play to end the inning.

The Twins struck again in the top of the third as Tovar walked to start. Braun popped up to short but Oliva singled to right. Killebrew singled home Tovar to increase the lead and Oliva moved to third on the liner to center by Reese. Alyea singled home Oliva but Cardenas grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Twins up 3-0.

                                                            Killebrew takes the lead

Billy Conigliaro doubled to left to start the bottom of the third but Doug Griffin lined out to first. Billy C moved to third on the Nagy grounder and Aparicio flied out to right to end the inning.

Mitterwald singled to right to started the top of the fourth then moved to second on the sacrifice bunt by Kaat. Mitterwald moved to third on the grounder by Tovar and Braun flied out to right to end the inning. Smith singled to left to start the bottom of the fourth but Yaz popped up to third. Petrocelli flied out to right and Scott struck out to end the inning.

Nagy cruised in the top of the fifth as Oliva grounded out to first to start. Killebrew struck out and Reese grounded out to first to end the inning. Kaat cruised in the bottom of the fifth as Josephson grounded out to third to start. Billy C flied out to right and Griffin lined out to center to end the inning.

Nagy came back for one last inning as Alyea singled to left to start. Cardenas forced Alyea at second then Mittenwald popped up to short. Kaat struck out to end the inning. Nagy was solid for 6 innings allowing just 3 runs but got no run support.

                                               3 runs for the Twins, NOTHING FOR YOU!

The Sox began their comeback in the bottom of the sixth when Phil Gagliano pinch hit for Nagy to begin. Gagliano singled to left but Aparicio flied out to right. Gagliano took second on a wild pitch and Smith hit a routine grounder to third. Killebrew threw the ball away allowing the runners to move into scoring position and Gagliano scored on the Yaz sac fly. Petrocelli grounded out to short to end the inning.

                                                    Gagliano gets the rally started

Bill Lee came in for the top of the seventh and Tovar struck out to start. Braun grounded out to first and Oliva struck out to end the inning. Paul Powell came in for Alyea for the bottom of the seventh as the Sox beat the ball in the dirt. Scott and Josephson grounded out to short and Billy C grounded out to third to end the inning.

Killebrew walked to start the top of the eighth but Reese forced him at second. Powell struck out but Reese swiped second. Cardenas grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox finally rallied in the bottom of the eighth as Griffin singled to right to begin. Don Pavletich pinch hit for Lee and singled to left then John Kennedy pinch ran for him. Aparicio dropped down a bunt but Kaat threw the ball away, allowing Griffin to score. Smith then doubled home both runners to give the Sox the lead. Yaz was plunked and that was it for Kaat. Ray Corbin came in to pitch and Petrocelli sacrificed both runners into scoring position. Scott was intentionally walked to load the bases but Josephson banged into a double play to end the inning. The Sox had stolen the lead 4-3.

                                                     Pavletich adds to the rally

Bobby Bolin came in for the top of the ninth and Paul Ratliff pinch hit for Mitterwald grounded out to short to start. Jim Holt pinch hit for Corbin and hit a routine grounder to Scott....that he booted for an error. Tovar doubled Holt to third and that was it for Bolin. Sparky Lyle came in and Rick Renick pinch hit for Braun. Renick flied out to right and Oliva grounded out to second to end the game. The Sox had come from behind to win it 4-3.

Hero of the Night is Reggie Smith. He hit the big 2 run double to put the Sox up for good.

                                                          Last April Hero

The Good:

George Scott was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Billy Conigliaro was 1 for 3.

Doug Griffin was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Mike Nagy tossed 6 solid innings of 3 run ball.

Phil Gagliano singled and scored as a pinch hitter.

Don Pavletich singled as a pinch hitter.

John Kennedy scored a run as a pinch runner.

Bill Lee got the win with 2 scoreless innings.

Bobby Bolin got the first out of the ninth.

Sparky Lyle earned his 3rd save by getting the final two outs of the ninth.

The Bad:

Rico Petrocelli was 0 for 3.

Duane Josephson was 0 for 4.

The Ugly:

Luis Aparicio was 0 for 3 but scored a run.

Carl Yastrzemski was 0 for 2 but was hit with a pitch and drove in a run.

Final Thoughts:

Once again comeback wins are nice but it would help if they stopped having to do so to begin with. The Sox played 16 games this month in fell behind in at least 10 of them. Only a few times were they ahead from start to finish and that's not a recipe for success moving forward. Its one thing to beat the bad teams in the American League but when you face teams like the Baltimore Orioles, its going to be a lot harder to come from behind against teams that usually don't fall flat in the late innings. It was good to see Smith get the big hit and better to see the bullpen lock the lead down at least. The Sox traded Tony Conigliaro for Doug Griffin and Ken Tatum and that looks like a no-win trade right now. Griffin is hitting .213 and Ken Tatum has been outpitched this month by Sparky Lyle. Meanwhile Tony C is only hitting .243 with 2 home runs with is worse than Billy Conigliaro hitting .262 with 3 home runs. If Tony can't get it going in California and either Griffin or Tatum turn into an impact players, the Sox may win that trade. The Sox ended the month of April with a 12-7 record and look to continue their winning ways against the Twins tomorrow when they send Gary Peters (2-1) to the mound up against Jim Perry of Minnesota. The game begins at 1:00 PM at Fenway Park.

Red Sox Beat White Sox Late (4/24/71)

Don't look now but the Boston Red Sox have won 3 games in a row. Today they beat the Chicago White Sox in Game 2 of their three game set. Bart Johnson of the White Sox and Mike Nagy (1-0, 3.43 ERA) battled to a 2-2 tie after 6 innings when the Red Sox beat up old pal Vincente Romo. George Scott and Billy Conigliaro clubbed home runs in the bottom of the eighth to give the Sox the lead and Ken Tatum slammed the door in the ninth inning. Nagy won his first game of the season as the Red Sox beat the White Sox 4-2 at Fenway Park.

                                                          Ike Clanton approves of the win

Nagy got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jay Johnstone lined out to right to start. Mike Andrews lined out to right as well and Carlos May grounded out to second to end the inning. Johnson got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and John Kennedy popped up to first to start. Reggie Smith singled to right and took second on a wild pitch, but Carl Yastrzemski popped up to short. Rico Petrocelli struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Indians struck first in the top of the second inning as Bob Melton singled to left to start. Lee Maye walked but Rick Reichardt banged into a double play. Ed Herrmann singled to right to score Melton and Luis Alvarado singled to right. Smith booted the ball in right field which allowed Herrmann to score from first with another run. Johnson grounded out to third to end the inning but it was 2-0 White Sox.

                                                           Nice error Smith

George Scott popped up to second to start the bottom of the second but Duane Josephson singled to center. Josephson moved to second on the Billy Conigliaro ground out but Doug Griffin grounded out to third to end the inning.

Nagy cruised in the top of the third as Johnstone grounded out to first to start. Andrews struck out swinging and May grounded out to second to end the inning. Nagy took strike three to start the bottom of the third and Kennedy caught the White Sox asleep with a bunt single. Smith banged into a double play to end the inning.

Melton grounded out to short to start the top of the fourth but Maye flied out to right. Reichardt singled to center but Herrmann grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the fourth as Yaz caught the Sox asleep with a bunt single and Petrocelli smashed his second home run of the season to tie the game. Scott popped up to second but Josephson singled to left. Billy C doubled to left but Griffin was intentionally walked to load the bases. Nagy grounded out to short to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                              Petrocelli ties it up

Alvarado flied out to left to start the top of the fifth before Johnson flied out to center. Johnstone caught Petrocelli asleep with a bunt single but was forced at second by Andrews to end the inning. Ed Stroud took over for Johnstone in center to start the top of the fifth. Kennedy grounded out to third, Smith grounded out to first and Yaz flied out to right to end the inning.

May singled to left to start the top of the sixth but was thrown out at second by Yaz trying to stretch a double. Melton flied out to right and Maye popped up to third to end the inning. Tom Egan took over for May at first in the bottom of the seventh and Petrocelli walked to start. Scott took strike three and Josephson whiffed. Billy C grounded out to short to end the inning.

Nagy got out of a big jam in the top of the seventh as Reichardt singled to third and Herrmann singled to center to start. Lee Richard pinch ran for Herrmann and Alvarado moved both runners over with a sacrifice bunt. Rich McKinney pinch hit for Johnson and popped up to right. Stroud walked to load the bases but Andrews popped up to third to end the inning. Old friend Vincente Romo came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh with Chuck Brinkman now behind the plate. Griffin walked to start but Nagy somehow bunted into a double play. Kennedy and Smith drew back to back walks but Yaz lined out to center to end the inning.

Egan flied out to left to begin the top of the eighth before Melton popped up to short. Maye singled to left but Reichardt grounded into a force to end the inning. The Sox took the lead in the bottom of the eighth although Petrocelli struck out to start. Scott then belted his second home run of the season to give the Sox the lead. Josephson grounded out to third but Billy C crushed his third home run of the season for the insurance run. Griffin tripled to center but Nagy grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-2.

                                                        Scott and Conigliaro go yard

Nagy returned to finish the job in the top of the ninth and Rich Morales pinch hit for Brinkman. Morales singled to center and that was it for Nagy. 8 innings of 2 run ball is nothing to sneeze at. Ken Tatum came in and Alvarado singled to left. Walt Williams pinch hit for Romo and banged into a double play. Stroud flied out to center to end the game. The BoSox had won it 4-2.

Hero of the Night is Mike Nagy. He tossed 8 innings of 2 run ball to earn the victory, damn near going the distance.

                                                         Nagy is the Hero

The Good:

John Kennedy was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Rico Petrocelli was 1 for 3 with a walk and a 2 run homer.

Duane Josephson was 2 for 4.

Billy Conigliaro was 2 for 4 with a home run.

Doug Griffin was 1 for 2 with 2 walks.

Ken Tatum earned his 3rd save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

None

The Ugly:

Reggie Smith was 1 for 3 with a walk but his error led to the only 2 runs scoring.

Carl Yastrzmeski was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

George Scott was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was the go-ahead home run.

Final Thoughts:

It wasn't the Baltimore Orioles or Oakland Athletics but Mike Nagy pitched a great game today. Like has been mentioned all year, if the Sox are going to compete against the elite teams in the American League they're going to need SOMEBODY to step up and be an ace. Nagy had a good rookie season last season and if he takes a big step this season, they may very well challenge Baltimore for AL supremacy. This game was more timely hitting than an onslaught and sometimes that's all you need to win. Scott, Billy C and Petrocelli bashed the ball out of the yard but guys like Kennedy and Griffin got on base as well. You need a complete team effort and this was one of those games. The Sox have won third straight and look to sweep the Chicago White Sox out of Fenway tomorrow afternoon. Gary Peters goes for the Red Sox against old friend Wilbur Wood of Belmont, Mass. The game begins at 1 PM at Fenway Park.

Indians Outlast Sox in 13 Innings (4/19/71)

The Cleveland Indians have won 5 games this season and four of them have come against the Boston Red Sox. After sweeping the Sox out of Cleveland two weeks ago, the Indians came to Fenway and beat the Sox in extra innings. The Sox and Indians fought to a 3-3 tie by the eighth inning then were deadlocked  the next four innings. Roy Foster bashed a 2 run home run off Bill Lee (0-1, 4.15 ERA) to put the Indians ahead then survived a rally by the Sox in the bottom of the 13th. The Sox couldn't get the tying run in and the Indians had won it 5-4 at Fenway Park.

                                                    "DAMN INDIANS!!!!"

Mike Nagy got the start for the Sox in the top of the first inning and Ted Uhlaender struck out looking to start. Vada Pinson flied out to left but Ray Fosse singled to center. Graig Nettles popped up to first to end the inning. Alan Foster got the start for the Indians and Luis Aparicio started the bottom of the first with a fly out to left. Reggie Smith flied out to right and Carl Yastrzemski popped up a bunt back to Foster to end the inning.

Old pal Ken "Hawk" Harrelson grounded back to the mound to start the top of the second before John Lowenstein flied out to right. Larry Brown popped up to second to end the inning. The Sox threatened in the bottom of the second as Rico Petrocelli walked to start. George Scott struck out but Duane Josephson walked. Billy Conigliaro struck out but Doug Griffin walked. Nagy popped up to second to end the inning.

Buddy Bradford flied out to center to start the top of the third before Foster struck out looking. Uhlaender grounded out to first to end the inning. Aparicio grounded out to third to begin the bottom of the third but Smith singled to right. Smith was forced at second by Yaz and Petrocelli popped up to first in foul territory to end the inning.

The Indians struck first in the top of the fourth as Pinson singled to center to start. Pinson stole second but Fosse grounded out to short. Nettles walked and Harrelson clobbered a home run into the Charles River to give the Indians the lead. Lowenstein flied out to center and Brown grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Indians ahead 3-0.

                                                       Of course it had to be The Hawk

The Sox failed to answer in the bottom of the fourth as Scott grounded out to short to start. Josephson grounded out to third and Billy C flied out to center to end the inning.

The Indians ran themselves out of the top of the fifth as Bradford flied out to right to start. Foster grounded out to third but Uhlaender singled to right. Uhlaender was thrown out trying to steal by the alert Josephson to end the inning.

                                             "Hey Uhlaender, get the hell out of here" - DJ

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fifth as Griffin struck out to start. Nagy hit one up the elevator shaft and Aparicio flied out to center to end the inning.

Nagy got Pinson to ground out to first to start the top of the sixth but Petrocelli threw away a grounder by Fosse for an error. Nettles walked but Harrelson banged into a double play to end the inning. The Sox fought back in the bottom of the sixth as Smith walked to start. Yaz singled Smith to third and Petrocelli singled Reggie home...but was thrown out trying to stretch a double. Scott singled home Yaz to cut the lead and that was it for Foster. Chuck Machemehl came in and struck out Josephson before Billy C flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox had cut the lead 3-2 despite the Petrocelli blunder.

                                                         What the hell are you doing?

Lowenstein grounded out to second to start the top of the seventh before Brown flied out to center. Bradford grounded out to short to end the inning. Griffin flied out to right to begin the bottom of the seventh and Joe Lahoud pinch hit for Nagy. Lahoud flied out to center and Aparicio popped up to first to end the inning. Nagy was officially out of the game but had held the Indians to 3 runs in 7 innings.

                                                        One mistake cost him the win

Sparky Lyle came in for the top of the eighth and the pitcher Machemehl singled to center to start. Chuck Hinton pinch hit for Uhlaender and flied out to center before Pinson flied out to left. Fosse singled to left but Nettles flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the eighth with Ted Ford now in left. Smith walked to start the frame and Phil Gagliano ran for him. Yaz struck out but Petrocelli reached on an error by Nettles. Scott singled home Gagliano and Petrocelli advanced to third, but Josephson struck out. Billy C grounded out to first to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                           Gagliano ties the game

George Thomas took over in right for the top of the ninth and Harrelson singled to center to start. Roy Foster ran for Hawk and Lowenstein sacrificed him to second with a bunt. Sox manager Eddie Kasko brought Bobby Bolin in to pitch to Brown and Larry grounded out to third. Bradford struck out to end the inning. Griffin grounded out to third to start the bottom of the ninth and Mike Fiore pinch hit for Bolin. Fiore walked...but was thrown out at second trying to steal. Aparicio grounded out to short to end the inning.

                                                        Nice baserunning Fiore!

Ken Brett came in for the top of the tenth with Gomer Hodge pinch hitting for Machemehl to start. Hodge singled to left and Vince Colbert pinch ran for him. Ford sacrificed Colbert to second and Pinson walked, but Fosse flied out to center. Nettles grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox had a chance to end it in the bottom of the tenth although Thomas grounded back to the mound to start. Yaz grounded back to the mound but Petrocelli and Scott drew back to back walks. With the winning run at second....Josephson grounded out to third to end the inning.

Foster popped up to second to start the top of the eleventh but Lowenstein doubled to left. Brown popped up to first and Bradford was intentionally walked. Eddie Leon pinch hit for Colbert and flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox had a chance to end it again in the bottom of the eleventh against Steve Mingori but Billy C watched strike three go by to start. Griffin flied out to left and Don Pavletich pinch hit for Brett. Pavletich and Aparicio drew back to back walks and with the winning run at second....Thomas popped up to first to end the inning.

Bill Lee came in to pitch the top of the 12th and Ford grounded out to third to start. Pinson grounded out to second and Fosse struck out to end the inning. Yaz popped up to second to start the bottom of the 12th before Petrocelli grounded out to short. Scott also grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Indians took command in the top of the 13th as Nettles walked to start. Foster hit a home run all the way to Alaska to give Cleveland the lead. Lowenstein struck out looking and Brown whiffed. Bradford swung at air to end the inning but the Indians now led 5-3.

                                                        Indians take the lead

The Sox didn't go quietly in the bottom of the 13th as Josephson singled to to center to start. Billy C singled to left and Griffin walked to load the bases with nobody out. Sox manager Eddie Kasko sent the pitcher Gary Peters to pinch hit for Lee and he took strike three. Aparicio beat out a double play ball to score Josephson and put runners at the corners. With the tying run at third....Thomas flied out to center to end the game. The Indians had held on to win 5-4 in 13 innings.

Jackass of the Night is a tough one but I'll go with George Thomas. He was 0 for 3 and failed twice with a chance to win or tie the game.

                                                             Thomas the Jackass

The Good:

Reggie Smith was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and a run scored.

Phil Gagliano scored a run as a pinch runner.

George Scott was 2 for 5 with a walk and 2 rbis.

Don Pavletich walked as a pinch hitter.

Mike Nagy tossed 7 solid innings of 3 run ball. His only mistake was the home run by Harrelson.

Sparky Lyle tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Bobby Bolin retired the only two men he faced.

Ken Brett tossed 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Joe Lahoud was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Gary Peters struck out as a pinch hitter.

Bill Lee took the loss by allowing a 2 run homer in the top of the 13th.

The Ugly:

Luis Aparicio was 0 for 6 but walked and drove in a run.

Carl Yastrzemski was just 1 for 6 but scored a run.

Rico Petrocelli was just 1 for 4 but walked twice and drove in a run.

Duane Josephson was just 1 for 5 but walked and scored a run.

Billy Conigliaro was just 1 for 6.

Doug Griffin was 0 for 4 but walked twice.

Mike Fiore walked as a pinch hitter but was thrown out trying to steal.

Final Thoughts:

Sox manager Eddie Kasko needs his head examined. Why in the world would you pinch run George Thomas for Reggie Smith? Thomas ended up going 0 for 3 after Smith was out of the game, you don't think Reggie could have made a difference? Also with the bases loaded in the 13th why would you pinch hit Lee with another pitcher? There was nobody out, you could have had Lee bunt and catch everyone asleep. The Sox had plenty of chances to win this one but just couldn't get out of their own way. Mike Fiore getting thrown out trying to steal, Petrocelli getting thrown out trying to stretch a double...it all added up to a 13 inning defeat. Kasko was supposedly better to the players than Dick Williams was but I'd rather have Dick right now, at least he made moves that made sense even if he was a jerk to the players. Mike Nagy gave it his all and you can't even blame Lee for giving up the bomb if the game was over long before that. Once again, the Indians have won 5 games this year and beat the Sox for 4 of them. The Sox look to avoid another ignominious defeat to the Indians tomorrow afternoon when they send Gary Peters (1-1) against Camilo Pasqual at 1 PM at Fenway Park.

Senators Six Run Rally Sinks Sox (4/14/71)

For 6 innings it looked like the Boston Red Sox were going to sweep the Washington Senators out of Washington. Mike Nagy had tossed 6 shutout innings and the Sox enjoyed a 5-0 lead....but the wheels fell off. The Senators exploded for 6 runs in the bottom of the seventh, 4 off Nagy and 2 off his replacement Bobby Bolin (0-1, 27.00). The Sox offense were shellshocked the remaining 2 innings and the Senators avoided a sweep with a 6-5 win at RFK Stadium.

                                                       "They lost? To the Senators?"

Jim Shellenbeck got the start for Washington in the top of the first and Luis Aparicio grounded out to second to start. Reggie Smith struck out but Carl Yastrzemski tripled to center. Rico Petrocelli walked but George Scott flied out to right to end the inning. Mike Nagy made his season debut in the bottom of the first and Del Unser popped up to left in foul territory to start. Tim Cullen flied out to right and Mike Epstein flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second as Duane Josephson grounded out to short to start. Billy Conigliaro walked and Doug Griffin dropped down a bunt to advance him to second. Nagy helped his own cause with an rbi double to center. Aparicio singled home Nagy to increase the lead but Smith grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox up 2-0.

                                                 Aparicio drives in a run

Joe Foy flied out to right to start the bottom of the second but Frank Howard walked. Richie Scheinblum lined out to second but Howard swiped second base. Jim French walked but Toby Harrah popped up to second to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the third as Yaz singled off the pitcher to start. Petrocelli singled to second and Scott singled home Yaz. Josephson singled home Petrocelli to increase the lead but Billy C forced Scott at third. Griffin beat out a double play ball but Nagy struck out to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-0.

                                                          Scott drives in a run

Curt Flood pinch hit for Shellenbeck in the bottom of the third and grounded out to second to begin. Unser walked and Cullen banged into a double play to end the inning.

Joe Grzenda came in to pitch the top of the fourth and made the Sox beat the ball in the dirt. Aparicio grounded out to short, Smith grounded out to third and Yaz grounded out to short to end the inning. Epstein singled to center to begin the bottom of the fourth but Foy banged into a double play. Howard grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox ran themselves out of the top of the fifth inning but Petrocelli doubled to left to start. Petrocelli made a mad dash to third on a base hit by Scott and George took second on the throw over. Josephson grounded out to third and Billy C was intentionally walked to load the bases. Griffin hit a sac fly to score Petrocelli but Billy C was foolishly thrown out at second base to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-0.

                                                            What were you thinking?

Scheinblum walked to start the bottom of the fifth but French took strike three. Smith made a great diving catch off a Harrah liner and doubled off Scheinblum at first to end the inning.

Nagy grounded out to second to start the top of the sixth before Aparicio grounded out to third. Smith flied out to center to end the inning. Bernie Allen pinch hit for Grzenda to start the bottom of the sixth and flied out to center. Unser singled to right but Cullen banged into a double play to end the inning.

Darold Knowles came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Yaz struck out to start. Petrocelli took strike three and Scott grounded out to third to end the inning. The wheels fell off in the bottom of the seventh as Epstein walked to start. Foy singled to left and Howard singled Epstein home. Scheinblum singled home Foy and that was it for Nagy. He ran out of gas big time and Bobby Bolin came in to pour gas on the fire. French dropped down a bunt and Bolin threw it completely out of RFK Stadium to load the bases. Tommy McCraw pinch hit for Harrah and walked home Howard. Elliott Maddox pinch hit for Knowles and walked home the tying run to chase Bolin. Bill Lee came in and Dick Billings pinch hit for Unser. Billings forced French at home on a grounder but Cullen singled home Maddox and McCraw to put the Senators on top. Epstein took strike three and that was it for Lee. Ken Tatum came in and walked Foy to re-load the bases. Howard flied out to right to end the inning but the Senators knocked around four Sox pitchers to take the lead 6-5.

                                                              Nagy gets no relief help

Horacio Pina took over on the mound with Tom Ragland in for Billings for the top of the eighth inning. Josephson flied out to center and Billy C grounded out to short but Joe Lahoud pinch hit for Griffin. Lahoud singled to center and Mike Fiore pinch hit for Tatum. Fiore lined out to second to end the inning. Ken Brett came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth with John Kennedy taking over at second base. Scheinblum popped up to first but French doubled to center. McCraw flied out to center but Maddox was intentionally walked. Ragland struck out to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the ninth as Aparicio and Smith struck out to start. Denny Riddleberger came in to pitch to Yaz and Carl walked. Gerry Janeski came in to pitch to Petrocelli and Rico grounded out to short to end the game. The Senators had stunned the Sox 6-5.

Jackass of the Night is Bobby Bolin. He walked in two crucial runs, made an error and was charged with two runs of his own to take the loss.

                                                         Bolin the Jackass

The Good:

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

Rico Petrocelli was 2 for 4 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

George Scott was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

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

Doug Griffin dropped down a perfect bunt and drove in a run.

Joe Lahoud singled as a pinch hitter.

Ken Brett tossed a scoreless inning.

The Bad:

Reggie Smith was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Mike Fiore was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

Luis Aparicio was just 1 for 5 but drove in a run.

Duane Josephson was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Mike Nagy was charged with 4 runs in 6 plus innings of work. He was 1 for 3 at the plate with an rbi single.

Bill Lee allowed two inherited runners to score but none of his own in 2/3 of an inning.

Ken Tatum only retired one of the two men he faced.

Honorable Mention:

John Kennedy played second base in the bottom of the eighth.

Final Thoughts:

That was one to forget. It looked like the Sox were about to sweep the Senators on the road but the bullpen blew that to smithereens. That's the third time in 7 games the bullpen blew a big lead and this time it proved fatal. How are the Sox supposed to compete with Baltimore this season if they have bullpen issues already? Sox manager Eddie Kasko used 4 pitchers in one inning and barely got through it, how are they supposed to get Frank & Brooks Robinson out down the road? The offense did what they could to put 5 runs on the board but it just wasn't enough. The Sox continue their road trip Friday afternoon in Detroit. Gary Peters (0-1) goes for the Sox up against Joe Niekro of the Tigers. The game begins at 2:00 PM Eastern time at Tiger Stadium.

Yankees Turn Tables on Sox (6/20/70)

After the Boston Red Sox defeated the New York Yankees yesterday, today it was the Yankees turn to stick it to the Sox. The Yankees bats pounded out 15 hits and 8 runs, knocking out Sox starter Mike Nagy (1-1, 4.67 ERA) in 4 innings. The Sox bullpen didn't do Nagy any favors by allowing 4 runs of their own. Mel Stottlemyre went the distance for the Yankees as the Bombers knocked out the Sox 8-3 at Fenway Park.

                                               Joel doesn't like bad pitching

The Yankees wasted no time getting to Nagy in the top of the first inning. Horace Clarke struck out to begin the game but Jerry Kenney singled to center. Kenney swiped second and Bobby Murcer singled to right. Tony Conigilaro booted the ball in right which allowed Kenney to score and advance Murcer to third. A wild pitch by Nagy allowed Murcer to score another run. Roy White popped up to third but Danny Cater and Curt Blefary stroked back to back singles. Rob Hansen popped up to first to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 2-0.

                                                          Dammit Tony

The Sox answered in the bottom of the first against Stottlemyre as Mike Andrews led off by dumping a base hit to left. Reggie Smith flied out to center but Carl Yastrzemski walked. Tony C struck out but Rico Petrocelli singled home Andrews to cut the lead. George Scott struck out to end the inning with the Sox down 2-1.

                                                            Petrocelli drives in a run

The Yankees countered in the top of the second as Jake Gibbs flied out to center to begin. Stottlemyre walked and Clarke flied out to left. Kenney doubled home Stottlemyre to increase the lead. Murcer walked but White flied out to left to end the inning with the Yankees up 3-1.

Billy Conigliaro grounded out to second to open the bottom of the second before Jerry Moses grounded out to short. Nagy struck out to end the inning.

The Yankees kept up the attack in the top of the third inning as Cater popped up to second to begin. Blefary grounded back to the mound but Hansen singled to right. Gibbs doubled home Hansen to push the Sox down further. Stottlemyre popped up to second but it was now 4-1 Yankees.

Andrews walked to begin the bottom of the third but Smith grounded out to second. Andrews moved to second on the out then to third on the grounder by Yaz. Tony C flied out to center to end the inning.

Nagy finally kept the Yankees off the board in the top of the fourth as Clarke popped up to second to begin. Kenney took strike three but Murcer doubled to left. White grounded back to the mound to end the inning. The Sox had a chance to come back in the bottom of the fourth although Petrocelli flied out to center to start. Scott flied out to right but Billy C walked and Moses singled to bring the tying run to the plate. Sox manager Eddie Kasko had rookie Mike Derrick pinch hit for Nagy... only to strike out to end the inning.

                                                That's not how you pinch hit, Derrick

Lee Strange came in for the top of the fifth inning and got hammered as well. Cater singled and Blefary was hit with a pitch to start the inning. Hansen singled home Cater and moved Blefary to third, Blefary scoring on the sac fly by Gibbs. Stottlemyre popped up to short but Clarke singled Hansen to third. Kenney flied out to center to end the inning but the game was in hand for the Yankees 6-1.

                                                        Nice relief Lee

The Sox went quietly in the bottom of the fifth as Andrews grounded out to third to start. Smith grounded out to first and Yaz popped up to short to end the inning.

Strange cruised in the top of the sixth as Murcer popped up to third to start. White flied out to left and Cater grounded out to third to end the inning. The Sox got a run back in the bottom of the sixth although Tony C lined out to left to start. Petrocelli smashed his 12th home run of the season to cut the deficit. Scott singled but Billy C forced him at second and Moses lined out to short to end the inning with the Sox down 6-2.

                                                        Home run Rico

Strange came back for the top of the seventh and Blefary popped up to third to start. Hansen lined out to center but Gibbs singled to left. Stottlemyre took strike three to end the inning. Jim Lyttle took over for Blefary with Dick Schofield pinch hitting for Strange to begin the bottom of the seventh. Dick grounded out to first before Andrews flied out to right. Smith doubled to left but Yaz grounded out to second to end the inning.

                                              Not the best pinch hitting by Schofield

Jose Santiago took over for the top of the eighth and the Yankees got to him too. Clarke flied out to left but Kenney walked. Murcer popped up to third but White doubled home Kenney. Cater singled home White to increase the lead. Lyttle took strike three to end the inning with the Yankees up 8-2.

                                                             Bad relief Jose

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the eighth as Tony C flied out to right to start. Petrocelli lined out to center and Scott struck out to end the inning.

Santiago came back for the top of the ninth and Hansen flied out to center to begin. Gibbs popped up to short but Stottlemyre singled to center. Clarke grounded out to first to end the inning. Stottlemyre came back to complete the game but the Sox had one last raspberry to blow in the bottom of the ninth. Billy C of all people smashed his 5th home run of the year just to stick it to the Yankees. Moses grounded out and Tom Satriano pinch hit for Santiago, only to fly out to left. Andrews popped up to short to end the game. The Yankees had won it 8-3.

Jackass of the Night is Mike Nagy. He got lit up for 4 runs in just 4 innings in a clear sophomore slump to take the loss.

                                                           Jackass Nagy


The Good:

Rico Petrocelli was 2 for 4 with 2 total rbis and a home run.

Billy Conigliaro was 1 for 3 with a walk and a solo home run.



The Bad:

Tony Conigliaro was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Mike Derrick struck out as a pinch hitter.

Dick Schofield grounded out as a pinch hitter.

Tom Satriano was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter

Lee Strange allowed 2 runs in 3 innings of work.

Jose Santiago allowed 2 runs in 2 innings of work.



The Ugly:

Mike Andrews was just 1 for 4 but walked and scored.

Reggie Smith was just 1 for 4.

Carl Yastrzemski was 0 for 3 but walked.

George Scott was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Jerry Moses was just 1 for 4.




Final Thoughts:

If you wonder why the Sox are a game under .500, the regression of Nagy has to be one of the main reasons. Lots of fans thought he was going to be the second coming of Jim Lonborg but it hasn't worked out this season. The offense has been fine for the most part but the Sox simply dont have the pitching to match some of the great teams in baseball. Maybe they can make a trade but as of right now it doesnt look good moving forward this season. The loss dropped the Sox to 30-31, 10 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for 1st place in the American League East. Tomorrow afternoon the Sox are back in action against the Yankees with Gary Peters going for the Sox up against Fritz Peterson at 2:05 PM at Fenway Park.