Indians Down Sox in Season Finale (10/2/88)

The good news is the Boston Red Sox will play in the American League Championship Series this Wednesday night at Fenway Park. The bad news is they will be going into it losers of 6 of their last 7 games. The Cleveland Indians had nothing to play for but administered a whooping on the Sox. Boston manager Joe Morgan had a very peculiar pitching strategy by having Mike Boddicker start and Bruce Hurst in relief. The Indians feasted on Dennis Lamp (7-6, 3.48 ERA), Hurst and Tom Bolton as the Sox ended the season with a 6-5 defeat in front of a paltry crowd of 10,456 people at Cleveland Stadium.

                                                 "We lost? Meh"

Indians starter Tom Candiotti cruised in the top of the first inning as Spike Owen lined back to the mound to start. Marty Barrett flied out to center and Dwight Evans popped up to third to end the inning. Boddicker got the Indians to beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the first inning. Terry Francona and Andy Allanson both grounded out to second and Dave Clark grounded out to second to end the inning.

Jim Rice flied out to center to start the top of the second inning and Todd Benzinger grounded out to first and Ellis Burks flied out to center to end the inning. Luis Medina singled to center to start the top of the second and took second on a wild pitch. Mel Hall popped up to short, Brook Jacoby lined out to short and Ron Washington took strike three to end the inning. That was it for Boddicker who's now set to start Game 3 on Saturday.

                                                     Boddicker goes just 2 innings

It was the Sox turn to beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the third inning as Rich Gedman grounded out to second to start. Ed Romero grounded out to short and Kutcher grounded out to first to end the inning. Dennis Lamp came in for the bottom of the third inning as Paul Zuvella grounded out to second to start. Scott Jordan flied out to right and Francona grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the fourth inning as Owen grounded out to first to start. Barrett singled to left but Evans flied out to center. Rice then crushed his 15th and final home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Benzinger grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                           Rice hits one out

The Indians wasted no time taking command in the bottom of the fourth with Kevin Romine taking over for Evans in right. Allanson doubled to left and Clark singled him to third, but Medina went down swinging. Hall tripled home both runners and Jacoby singled him home to give the Indians the lead. Washington grounded out to first and Zuvella went down swinging to end the inning with the Indians up 3-2.

                                                           Dammit Dennis

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fifth as Burks flied out to center to start. Gedman popped up to Candiotti and Romero whiffed to end the inning. Sox manager Joe Morgan sent Bruce Hurst to the mound to get some work in before his Wednesday night start in the bottom of the fifth. Jordan took strike three as Rod Allen pinch hit for Francona, doubling to center. Allanson singled Allen to third and Allen scored on the Clark sac fly. Medina lined out to third to end the inning but the Indians were ahead 4-2.

                                                         Hurst makes a cameo

The Sox fought back in the top of the sixth as Kutcher doubled to center to start. Kutcher moved to third on the Owen grounder and Randy scored on the Barrett base hit to right. Evans whiffed and Rice grounded back to the mound to end the inning but the Sox trailed 4-3.

                                                             Barrett drives in a run

The Sox emptied their bench in the bottom of the sixth with Tom Bolton now on the mound, Rick Cerone behind the plate, Larry Parrish at first in Barrett's spot, Romero at second, Kutcher at third and Benzinger in left. Reggie Williams pinch hit for Hall and singled to start before scoring on the Jacoby double. Eddie Williams pinch ran for Jacoby but Washington grounded out to third. Zuvella took strike three but Jordan singled home Williams. Allen flied out to right to end the inning but the Indians were up 6-3.

                                                       Bolton giving up runs

The Sox fought back in the top of the seventh as Benzinger singled to left to begin. Burks doubled Todd to third but Cerone whiffed. Romero scored Benzinger with a sac fly but Kutcher took strike three to end the inning with the Sox down 6-4.

                                                            Benzinger scores a run

Bob Stanley came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Allanson flied out to center to start. Clark grounded out to second and Medina popped up to second to end the inning.

Bud Black came in for the top of the eighth and Owen whiffed to start. Parrish and Romine both flied out to right to end the inning. Lee Smith came in for the bottom of the eighth and Reggie Williams struck out swinging to start. Eddie Williams grounded out to third but Washington hit a ground rule double into the third base grandstand. Joe Carter pinch hit for Zuvella and flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox tried to rally in the top of the ninth with Jay Bell now at short. Rice singled to right but the ball went under Clark's glove, Rice motoring around to third. Benzinger grounded out to second but Rice scored to cut the lead. Burks whiffed but Cerone got a base hit to left. Carlos Quintana pinch ran for Cerone but Romero grounded out to second to end the game. The Indians had won the season finale 6-5.

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Jackass of the Night is Tom Bolton. His two runs allowed ended up being the difference in the game.

                                                            Bolton the Jackass

The Good:

Marty Barrett was 2 for 3 with an rbi and a run scored.

Jim Rice was 2 for 4 with a 2 run home run and two total runs scored.

Rick Cerone was 1 for 2 at the plate.

Randy Kutcher was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Mike Boddicker pitched 2 scoreless innings.

Bob Stanley pitched a scoreless inning.

Lee Smith pitched a scoreless inning.



The Bad:

Spike Owen was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Larry Parrish was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Dwight Evans was 0 for 2.

Kevin Romine was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Rich Gedman was 0 for 2.

Dennis Lamp took the loss with 3 runs allowed in 2 innings.

Bruce Hurst allowed a run in an inning of work.



The Ugly:

Todd Benzinger was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run and scored a run.

Ellis Burks was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

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



Honorable Mention:

Carlos Quintana pinch ran for Cerone in the top of the ninth.




Final Thoughts:

What a season this was. What started with Wade Boggs' shenanigans, the fight on the bus and John McNamara getting fired ended with Morgan Magic. Winning 12 in a row and 19 out of 20 improved team morale and jump started their run to the AL East crown. Trading Brady Anderson and the kid in AAA for Mike Boddicker worked tremendously and everything seemed to go right this year. Winning 8 out of 10 from September 4 to 14 was arguably the best baseball they played all season and its been fun to watch. The Sox are going to need all their guns if they want to go back to the World Series Standing in their way of a possible rematch with the New York Mets are the Oakland A's. They're going to need shut down pitching if they have any hope of winning that series. With any luck the Sox and Mets win their respective series so they can have a rematch. With Boddicker on the Sox, the advantage would shift to Boston this time around. That's all in the future but for now the Sox are AL East champs and play the Oakland A's this Wednesday night in the American League Championship Series. Bruce Hurst goes for the Sox up against Dave Stewart at 8 PM at Fenway Park.

Indians Shut Out Sox (10/1/88)

After the Boston Red Sox backed into the AL East Division title last night after their loss to the Cleveland Indians, the Sox offense remained asleep in today's matinee against the same Indians. With Marty Barrett dealing with a bad back and the division already clinched, Sox manager Joe Morgan took no chances in this one with the Oakland A's looming in the American League Championship Series. Jeff Sellers (1-7, 4.83 ERA) was the hard luck loser as he threw 7 no-hit innings only to run out gas in the eighth inning. His counterpart John Farrell of the Indians tossed 8 innings of shut out ball as the Indians took the meaningless game 1-0 at Municipal Stadium. How many runs did the Sox score Dean Wormer?

Farrell got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jody Reed led the game off by grounding out to first to start. Spike Owen doubled into the right field corner before Dwight Evans moved him to third with a grounder. Mike Greenwell popped up to first to end the inning. Sellers got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Ron Washington chased a nasty slider for strike three to start. Andy Allanson whiffed before Joe Carter popped up to short to end the inning.

Todd Benzinger dumped a single into right to begin the top of the second but Kevin Romine flied out to right. Rick Cerone struck out on a swinging on a changeup before Ed Romero swung and missed for strike three to end the inning after a fan got a standing O for pulling a foul ball out of the fence. Corey Snyder grounded out to short to start the bottom of the second inning before Sellers punched out Dave Clark. Luis Medina went down swinging to end the inning, good start for Sellers.

                                                         Sellers gets it done early

Rookie Carlos Quintana whiffed to begin the top of the third inning before Reed popped up to left. Owen grounded out to first to end the inning. Rod Allen grounded out to short to start the bottom of the third as the NBC announcers brought up the last time the Red Sox won in Oakland happened to be a Jeff Sellers start. Eddie Williams went down swinging as did Jay Bell to end the inning. That's 6 K's for Jeff in 3 innings.

Evans drew a leadoff walk in the top of the fourth inning before Greenwell beat out a double play ball. Randy Kutcher pinch ran for Greenwell but he was erased on the Benzinger force. Romine popped up to center to end the inning. Sellers kept up the pace in the bottom of the fourth as Washington whiffed on a nasty slider to begin. Allanson went down swinging as well before Carter grounded out to short to end the inning.

Cerone grounded out to second to start the top of the fifth before Romero grounded out to third. Two yahoos actually got married in the stands and Farrell was so distracted that Quintana drew a walk. Reed flied out to the left field warning track to end the inning.

                                                    Cheers to the happy couple

Sellers remained perfect in the bottom of the fifth as Snyder lined out to center to start. Clark went down swinging and Medina lined out to left to end the inning.

The Sox mustered nothing in the top of the sixth as Owen popped up to left. Evans grounded out to short and Kutcher grounded out to third to end the inning. Sellers got Allen to line out to second to begin the bottom of the sixth before Williams was out on a bang bang grounder to short. Bell broke up the perfect game by drawing a walk but Sellers kept up the no-hitter by striking out Washington to end the inning, that's 10 strikeouts as well.

The Sox failed to get Sellers any runs in the top of the seventh as Benzinger grounded out to first to start. Romine whiffed and Evans popped up to center to end the inning. Allanson hit one up the elevator shaft to start the bottom of the seventh before Carter popped up to right. Snyder lined out to center to end the inning. Sellers had tossed 7 no-hit innings while striking out 10, outstanding.

                                              "Can these bums score a run?" - JS

Too bad John Farrell was just as tough as Sellers in the top of the eighth with Scott Jordan now in center. Romero grounded out to third, Quintana whiffed and Reed grounded out to third to end the inning. Sellers returned for the bottom of the eighth and got Clark to pop up to short. 5 outs from a no-hitter, Medina crushed a 90,000 foot home run to break up the no-hitter and send Sellers to the showers. On any other day, this would have been just an annoyance but the home run was the difference in the game. Mike Smithson came in and got Allen to pop up to first but Williams caught the Sox asleep with a bunt single to third. Bell swung and missed and fell on himself to end the inning with the Indians up 1-0.

                                          Outstanding effort for Sellers gone to waste

The Sox did try to rally against Farrell in the top of the ninth as Owen dumped a single to right to start. Evans walked to chase Farrell. Closer Doug Jones was brought in to face pinch hitter Larry Parrish (for Kutcher). The worst thing happened as Parrish banged into a double play to kill the rally. Benzinger lined out to first to end the game. The Indians had just 2 hits and one run all game but it was enough to win the game 1-0.

           Indians celebrate


Jackass of the Night is Larry Parrish. Normally its unfair to bring in someone ice cold off the bench and have him hit, but the double play proved to be the difference in the game with Farrell on the ropes.

                  Nice double play, Jackass


The Good:

Spike Owen was 2 for 4.

Dwight Evans walked twice in 4 plate appearances.

Jeff Sellers took the loss but pitched incredibly well. He allowed 1 run on just 1 hit while striking out 10 in 7 1/3 innings.

Mike Smithson got the final two outs of the 8th inning.



The Bad:

Jody Reed was 0 for 4.

Mike Greenwell was 0 for 2.

Randy Kutcher was 0 for 1.

Kevin Romine was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Rick Cerone was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Ed Romero was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.



The Ugly:

Todd Benzinger was just 1 for 4.

Carlos Quintana was 0 for 2 but walked.




Final Thoughts:

Good thing this game means nothing because if the Sox lost a meaningful game on a solo home run and as double play in the ninth, this would have really hurt. Sellers pitched the game of his life but the JV offense failed to score a run. If Ellis Burks, Wade Boggs, Marty Barrett or Jim Rice played I'm sure they could have at least pushed across one run. As it is, its just an annoyance as the real goal is to stay healthy for the Oakland A's. The Sox already have their rotation set with Bruce Hurst going in Game 1 at Fenway, Roger Clemens in Game 2 and Mike Boddicker in Game 3 in Oakland. As for the regular season, tomorrow is the finale with Mike Boddicker (3.39 ERA) going for the Sox up against Tom Candiotti at 2:30 PM Eastern time at Cleveland Stadium.

Sox Snap Streak, Drop Yankees (6/6/88)

The Boston Red Sox losing streak has ended at four games thanks to a gutty win over the New York Yankees. Bruce Hurst (7-3, 3.77 ERA) tossed 8 dazzling innings, holding the Yankees to just two runs. The Yankees took the lead right away in the bottom of the first on rbi singles by Jay Buhner and Jack Clark but Mike Greenwell answered with a 2 run double off Neil Allen in the top of the third. Greenwell added a home run in the top of the fifth and Hurst led the way after. Lee Smith earned his 7th save of the season as the Sox beat the Yankees 3-2 at Yankee Stadium.

                                                             Take that, Yankees

Hurst got the ball in the top of the first and Wade Boggs led off with a base hit to left but Marty Barrett popped up to left. Ellis Burks flied out to right but Dwight Evans reached on a throwing error by Rafael Santana. Mike Greenwell popped up to third to end the inning. The Yankees got to Hurst quickly in the bottom of the first as Rickey Henderson walked to start. Willie Randolph dropped down the perfect bunt down the third base line for a single. Jay Buhner got a base hit to left to score Henderson to put New York on top. Jack Clark dumped a base hit to left to score Randolph with another run. Hurst got a huge out when Dave Winfield hit into a double play then Gary Ward struck out swinging with the Yankees up 2-0.

                                                             Yankees strike first

Jim Rice struck out swinging to start the top of the second before Rich Gedman grounded out to first and Pat Dodson got a base hit to center. Spike Owen walked and Boggs lined out to second to end the inning. Mike Pagliarulo grounded out to second to start the bottom of the second before Rafael Santana flied out to center. Joel Skinner took strike three to end the inning.

The Sox struck back in the top of the third as Barrett poked a single to left to start. Burks doubled to the left field wall but Evans popped up to second. Greenwell doubled down the first base line to score both runners to tie the game. Rice grounded out to first to move Mike to third and Gedman hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                               Sox tie it up

Burks made a great diving catch to rob Henderson of a hit to start the bottom of the third. Randolph took strike three and Buhner struck out swinging to end the inning.

Dodson grounded out to first to start the top of the fourth but Owen beat out a chopper over the mound. Boggs singled to center but Owen was thrown out at third. Barrett flied out to left to end the inning. Clark struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth before Winfield flied out to center. Ward grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the fifth as Burks lined out to second to start. Evans flied out to center but Greenwell crushed his seventh home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Rice grounded out to third to end the inning with Boston ahead 3-2.

                                                            Home run Greenwell

Pagliarulo flied out to left to start the bottom of the fifth but Santana got a base hit to center. Skinner forced Santana at second and Henderson forced Skinner at second to end the inning.

Hipolito Pena came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Gedman walked to start. Dodson struck out swinging and Owen grounded into a double play to end the inning. Randolph grounded out to third to start the bottom of the sixth before Buhner did the same. Clark walked and Winfield lined a base hit into right field off the glove of Dodson. Clark moved to third on the play but Ward grounded out to third to end the inning.

Boggs grounded out to second to start the top of the seventh but Barrett doubled down the left field line to chase Pichardo. Cecilio Guante took over on the mound and Burks struck out swinging. Evans grounded out to short to end the inning. Hurst struck out Pagliarulo swinging to start the bottom of the seventh before Santana grounded out to short. Skinner grounded out to short as well to end the inning.

Greenwell flied out to left to start the top of the eighth before Rice popped up to third. Gedman flied out to left to end the inning. Kevin Romine took over for Rice to start the bottom of the eighth and Henderson flied out to center to start. Randolph and Buhner both grounded out to short to end the inning. Hurst was outstanding, tossing 8 innings and allowed just 2 runs off 5 hits and 2 walks.

                                                        Way to go Hurst

Dave Righetti came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Dodson grounded out to first to start. Owen flied out to right but Boggs walked. Barrett forced Boggs at second to end the inning. Lee Smith came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Clark walked to start. Winfield singled off the gloves of both Smith and Barrett and Claudell Washington pinch hit for Ward. Washington struck out swinging and Pagliarulo moved Clark to third with a fly out to center. Jose Cruz pinch hit for Santana and forced Winfield at second to end the game. The Sox snapped their four game losing streak with a 3-2 win.

                                                            Sox win

Hero of the Night is Mike Greenwell. He drove in all three runs himself including the go-ahead home run.

                                                                Hero Greenwell

The Good:

Wade Boggs was 2 for 4 with a walk.

Marty Barrett was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Spike Owen was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Bruce Hurst got the win with 8 outstanding innings allowing 2 runs off 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out six.

Lee Smith earned his 7th save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Dwight Evans was 0 for 4.

Jim Rice was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Ellis Burks was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Rich Gedman was 0 for 3 but walked.

Pat Dodson was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Honorable Mention:

Kevin Romine played left field in the final two innings.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox needed that win as they lost four in a row previously. Hurst was the stopper in this one hurling 8 strong innings of 2 run ball. Mike Greenwell was a one man wrecking crew at the plate and he drove in all three runs. Lee Smith nailed down the save and three of those guys were the heroes of this one. Boggs and Barrett got a couple of hits too and Burks played great defense in the outfield. Its a shame the Sox can't get any kind of consistency this season because the talent on the team is too good not to produce every day. Still, instead of squawking about the games they don't win, they should enjoy this one because it was well earned. The win improved the Sox to 26-26, 8 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it two in a row against New York when Oil Can Boyd (5-4) takes on Charles Hudson of the Yankees. The game begins at 7:35 PM at Yankee Stadium.

Tigers Spoil Opening Day at Fenway (4/4/88)

The stench of 1987 carried over to 1988 as the Boston Red Sox dropped their Opening Day encounter with Sparky Anderson's Detroit Tigers in extra innings. Roger Clemens and Jack Morris matched each other for 9 innings before the Tigers won it in the 10th to spoil the festive day at Fenway Park.

                                           Kate is depressed but Allie is happy as a clam

Clemens got the opening day start in the top of the first and Gary Pettis greeted him by popping up to short on the very first pitch of the season. Lou Whitaker walked but Darrell Evans looked at a splitter on the outside corner for strike three. Alan Trammell popped up to second to end the inning. Tigers ace Jack Morris was equally tough as Clemens in the bottom of the first inning. Rookie Brady Anderson made his major league debut by whiffing, welcome to the big leagues kid. Marty Barrett grounded out to short but Wade Boggs doubled off the Monster for the first hit of the season. Jim Rice was rung up on a check swing  to end the inning.

Clemens turned up the heat in the top of the second by blowing away Matt Nokes to start. Pat Sheridan and Chet Lemon both were caught looking in short order. Morris answered by walking Mike Greenwell but he was erased on a strike em out, throw em out double play by Dwight Evans. Last year's hero Sam Horn grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Tigers struck first in the top of the third inning. Mike Heath froze on strike three but Tom Brookens walked after falling behind 0-2. Pettis popped up to left but Brookens advanced to second on a balk on Clemens. Whitaker made Roger pay with a single to score Brookens to give the Tigers the lead. ANOTHER balk moved Whitaker to second before Evans grounded out to second to end the inning with the Tigers up 1-0.

                                     "Walk this way? More like Balk this way!" - Steven Tyler

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the third inning. Rich Gedman grounded out to third and Spike Owen grounded out to second. Anderson legged out an infield single for his first career hit but only because Whitaker heaved the ball into the Red Sox dug-out, nearly killing Heath who tumbled into it. Barrett popped up to second to end the inning.

The Tigers struck again in the top of the fourth inning although Trammell flied out to right to start. Nokes grounded out to first but Sheridan walked. Lemon slapped a ball down the right field line that scored Sheridan all the way from first, Lemon making it to third with a triple to increase the lead. Heath flied out to right to end the inning but the Tigers were up 2-0.

                                       "DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT!" - Clemens

The Sox struck back in the bottom of the fourth when Boggs doubled off the Monster to start. Rice hit one up the elevator shaft but Greenwell singled past the diving Trammell to put runners at the corners. Evans doubled home Boggs but Greenwell held at third amidst a chorus of boos from the crowd. The boos turned to cheers when Horn lined a seeing eye single past Whitaker at second to score both runners and give the Sox the lead. Gedman whiffed on a splitter in the dirt and Owen flied out to right but the Sox now led 3-2.

                                                     Sam Horn gives the Sox the lead

The Tigers threatened in the top of the fifth inning when Brookens singled to right to start the frame. Pettis tried to sacrifice Tom to second but Clemens threw him out at second for the force. Gedman then gunned down Pettis trying to steal but Whitaker walked and and advanced on ANOTHER balk by Clemens. Sox analyst Bob Montgomery suggested manager John McNamara come out and calm down Clemens but Roger didn't need it, blowing away Evans to end the inning. Anderson blooped a single to right to give the bottom of the fifth some hope...but then he got picked off to end that. Barrett was retired on a squibber in front of the mound and Boggs watched strike three go by to end the inning.

                                                  Nice hit...lousy baserunning

The Tigers tied the game in the top of the sixth inning although Trammell flied out to right to start. Nokes blasted a line drive home run over the bullpen to tie the game. Clemens recovered to strike out Sheridan but Lemon blooped a single just out of the reach of a diving Rice in left. Heath was frozen for strike three to end the inning but the Tigers had tied it 3-3.

Rice whiffed to begin the bottom of the sixth amidst a chorus of boos but Greenwell singled to right. Evans flied out to the centerfield wall as Morris stopped to knock some dirt off his spikes while half the crowd went to get some nachos. Horn flied out to the left field warning track to end the inning.

Brookens continued to be a pain in the ass in the top of the seventh by doubling off the top of the Monster in center. In Detroit that ball was gone and Pettis sacrificed Brookens to third with a bunt. A foul ball made its way to the luxury boxes where wealthy paper mogul Bob Kraft made the catch. Whitaker was rung up for strike three and Evans grounded out to first to end the inning.

                                        Bob Kraft...wonder if he'll ever be known in Boston

Gedman led off the bottom of the seventh by grounding out to short. Owen grounded out to second but Anderson blooped a single to center for his third hit of the day. Barrett lined out to left to end the inning.

Clemens breezed through the top of the eighth inning. Trammell grounded out to second, Nokes lined out to left and Sheridan whiffed for Roger's 10th strikeout of the game. Morris was equally tough in the bottom of the eighth inning as Boggs grounded out to short to start. Rice flied out to center and Greenwell popped up to short to end the inning.

Clemens came back for one more inning in the top of the ninth. Lemon hit a comebacker to the mound, Heath grounded out to second and Roger finally got Brookens looking to end the inning. Clemens had thrown 9 innings of 3 run ball with 11 strikeouts but would need a ninth inning rally to get a win.

                                              Great effort by Clemens

It didn't come as Morris mowed the Sox down in the bottom of the ninth. Evans whiffed on a splitter in the dirt, Horn whiffed as well on a low splitter then Gedman whiffed to end the inning. Morris finished with a flurry to send this to extras.

The new Red Sox closer, Lee Smith took the mound in the top of the tenth to a standing ovation. Fans were THAT happy to get rid of Calvin Schiraldi apparently. The cheers didn't last long as Pettis hit a routine ground ball to Owen who tried to field it in his hat instead of his glove and the ball rolled through for an error. Whitaker dropped down a sacrifice bunt but Smith chose to get the easy out at first rather than try for second where he actually had a play. Evans then hit one to the right field wall but Greenwell hauled it in, advancing Pettis to third. That would have been the third out but it turned into a lost cause when Trammell crushed a home run onto Lansdowne Street to give the Tigers a 5-3 lead. Nokes flied out to the right field warning track to end the inning but the Tigers were up 5-3 as fans poured out of Fenway Park.

                                                 Welcome to Boston Smith...it sucks

Mike Henneman was brought in to pitch the bottom of the tenth inning where the Sox were done for the night. Owen was booed as he stepped to the plate and he didn't help himself as he lined out to right. Anderson hit a bullet but right to Trammell for the out. The Sox briefly caught a break when Barrett hit a routine grounder to Whitaker who pulled a Bill Buckner and let the ball go through his legs. The Sox failed to capitalize as Boggs grounded into a force to end the game. The Tigers stole one to spoil the Fenway opener 5-3.

Jackass of the Night is Spike Owen. He was 0 for 4 at the plate and his 10th inning error led to the game winning home run.

                                          Owen the Jackass misses the ball


The Good:

Brady Anderson was 3 for 5 in his Major League debut.

Wade Boggs was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

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

Roger Clemens tossed 9 innings of 3 run ball while striking out 11. Normally that would be more than enough to win the game.



The Bad:

Marty Barrett was 0 for 5.

Jim Rice was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Rich Gedman was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Lee Smith allowed the go-ahead 2 run homer after Owen's error.



The Ugly:

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

Sam Horn was just 1 for 4 but drove in 2 runs.




Final Thoughts:

That sucked. Clemens pitched his ass off and Brady Anderson got 3 hits in his first 5 at-bats but that damn Owen error was the difference. Then again, it didn't seem like the Sox were going to score anyway the way things were going even if it was tied going into the 11th. They're going to need HazMat teams to clean up the messes this season if Smith is no better than Schiraldi was. Still, its only one game and they can't lose them all. The Sox return to action Wednesday afternoon at 1:05 PM with Bruce Hurst making his season debut opposite Doyle Alexander at Fenway Park.

Sox Come Back to Beat Twins (8/23/87)

As this dreary season trudges on, the Boston Red Sox are looking for some signs of good prospects for the future. Today Jeff Sellers (5-6, 6.24 ERA) can stick a feather in his cap saying he beat the legendary Steve Carlton. The Twins big deadline acquisition took a 4-1 lead into the bottom of the fifth when the Sox exploded for a rally. Don Baylor hit a grand slam off Carlton and Dwight Evans followed with his 29th homer of the year off Juan Berenguer. Sellers hung in there until the eighth inning and Wes Gardner slammed the door in the ninth. The Sox aren't going anywhere this season but at least Sellers can say he beat Carlton with the 6-4 victory over the Twins at Fenway Park

                                                         Bobby Kennedy approves of the win

Sellers got the ball in the top of the first inning and Dan Gladden struck out swinging to start. Greg Gagne grounded out to short but Kirby Puckett doubled to center and Kent Hrbek flied out to center to end the inning. Carlton got the ball in the bottom of the first and Ellis Burks grounded out to short to start. Marty Barrett lined out to right and Wade Boggs' bunt attempt was snuffed out by Carlton to end the inning.

The O's tagged Sellers in the top of the second as Gary Gaetti and Roy Smalley stuck back to back home runs to give the O's the lead. Tom Brunansky struck out swinging, Steve Lombardozzi grounded back to the mound and Sal Butera flied out center to end the inning with the Twins up 2-0.

                                                                Gaetti hits one out

Don Baylor led off the bottom of the second by getting plunked. Baylor slid in safely at second on the grounder to short by Dwight Evans and moved to third on the grounder to first by Mike Greenwell. Dave Henderson grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Twins struck again in the top of the third as Gladden grounded out to second to start. Gagne singled to right but Puckett struck out swinging. Hrbek then hit a home run all the way to the Taj Mahal to increase the lead. Gaetti grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Twins ahead 4-0.

                                                                  Hrbek hits one out

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the third as Spike Owen popped up to a running Puckett to start. Marc Sullivan slapped a single to right but Burks was frozen on a looping curve for strike three. Barrett lining out to Brunansky to end the inning.

                                                        Sullivan gets on base

Sellers got Smalley to fly out to left to start the top of the fourth but Brunansky singled to left. Brunansky was caught stealing second and Lombardozzi flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox got a run back in the bottom of the fourth when Boggs lashed a base hit to right to start. Baylor struck a base hit to left but Evans was rung up for strike three. Evans went berserk and had to be restrained from attacking the umpires by Baylor and Sox manager Joe Morgan. When play resumed Greenwell walked to load the bases and Henderson walked home Baylor to put the Sox on the board. Owen banged into a double play to end the inning with the Sox down 4-1.

                                                Evans goes berserk!

Sellers turned up the heat in the top of the fifth as Butera struck out swinging to start. Gladden whiffed and Gagne went down hacking to end the inning. The Sox took command in the bottom of the fifth although Sullivan grounded out to short to start. Burks caught the Twins asleep with a bunt single to first and moved to second on a balk. Barrett singled Burks to third and Boggs walked to load the bases. Baylor responded with a grand slam into the left field screen to give the Sox the lead. That was it for Carlton and Juan Berenguer replaced the ancient lefty. Evans responded by clocking his 29th home run of the season to increase the lead. Greenwell walked but was doubled off of first on the line drive to short by Henderson to end the inning. The Sox turned a 4-1 deficit into a 6-4 lead.

                                                        Baylor clubs a grand slam

Sellers cruised in the top of the sixth as Puckett struck out swinging to start. Hrbek grounded out to second and Gaetti hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning. Owen lined out to left to begin the bottom of the sixth and Sullivan took strike three. Burks walked but Barrett flied out to right to end the inning.

Smalley grounded out to second to start the top of the seventh but Brunansky walked and took second on a passed ball. Lomardozzi struck out swinging and Randy Bush pinch hit for Butera. Bush struck out swinging to end the inning. Tim Laudner took over behind the plate for the bottom of the seventh as Boggs grounded out to short to start. Batlor and Evans both lined out to left to end the inning.

Sellers returned briefly in the top of the eighth just to strike out Gladden looking. Apart from the home runs, Sellers was downright dominant by striking out 10 batters. Wes Gardner came in and Gagne struck out swinging but Puckett doubled to right. Hrbek flied out to center to end the inning.

                                                          Sellers with a strong start

Greenwell grounded out to second to start the bottom of the eight and Henderson struck out swinging. For some reason Twins manager Tom Kelly brought in Jeff Reardon to pitch to Owen. Owen grounded out to first to end the inning.

Gardner came in to pitch the top of the ninth and got Gaetti to ground out to second to start. Smalley walked but Brunansky banged into a double play to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-4.

Hero of the Night is Don Baylor. His grand slam turned the game around and led the Sox to victory

                                                Hero Baylor

The Good:

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

Wade Boggs was 1 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Mike Greenwell walked twice in four plate appearances.

Marc Sullivan was 1 for 3.

Wes Gardner earned his 6th save with 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Spike Owen was 0 for 4.

The Ugly:

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

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

Dave Henderson was 0 for 3 but walked and drove in run.

Jeff Sellers got the win but allowed 4 runs in 7 1/3 innings. He allowed 6 hits and struck out 10.

Final Thoughts:

Not much to cheer about this season but that grand slam will be one for the highlight reel. Sellers pitched a good game even if he was allowing home runs left and right. Evans' quest for 40 home runs at age 35 continues. If only the rest of the offense carried over from last season....or the pitching for that matter. Gardner finally looked good and if the Sox expect him to be closer of the future, today was one of those days that showed promise. Beating up Carlton was good to see even if he's at the end of the line. As we head toward the end of August, the only hope for the season is to hopefully finish about .500. The win improved the Sox to 60-63 on the season, 13.5 games behind the Detroit Tigers for first place in the AL East. Carlton Fisk and the Chicago White Sox come to town next and tomorrow night Bruce Hurst (14-7) looks to quell the uprising. Jose DeLeon goes for the White Sox and the game begins at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Sellers Shuts Out A's (7/3/87)

Now THAT was impressive. Struggling Boston Red Sox starter Jeff Sellers (3-1, 6.86 ERA) turned in one of the best pitching performances of the season in tonight's game against the Oakland A's. Sellers tossed a complete game, 6 hit shutout to give the club a much needed shot in the arm. Steve Ontiveros was the hard luck loser for the A's as rbi's from Mike Greenwell and Ellis Burks were Boston's only offensive output of the night. It was enough thanks to the efforts of Sellers for a 2-0 Sox win at Oakland County Stadium.

                                              Eberhard Anheuser approves of the win

Ontiveros cruised in the top of the first inning as Ellis Burks grounded out to short to start. Marty Barrett popped up to third before Wade Boggs grounded out to short to end the inning. Sellers began his dominance in the bottom of the first as Luis Polonia flied out to left. Mike Davis struck out before Jose Canseco singled to left. Mark McGwire flied out to center to end the inning.

The Red Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the second inning as Mike Greenwell grounded out to second to start. Don Baylor grounded out to first and Dwight Evans grounded out to second to end the inning. Sellers got Reggie Jackson to strike out to open the bottom of the second before Carney Lansford popped up to second. Terry Steinbach flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the third although Bill Buckner popped up to second to begin. Spike Owen singled to right before moving to second on the "Mr. Nepotism" Marc Sullivan grounder. Burks singled home Owen to give the Sox the lead. Barrett grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                             Burks drives in a run

Sellers held up the lead in the bottom of the third as Tony Phillips flied out to left to begin. Alfredo Griffin flied out to left and Polonia struck out to end the inning.

Boggs singled to center to start the top of the fourth but was forced at second by Greenwell. Baylor banged into a double play to end the inning. The Indians threatened in the bottom of the fourth although Davis struck out to start. Canseco grounded out to second but McGwire singled to center and Jackson doubled to left. Sellers froze Lansford for strike three to end the inning.

The Sox threatened in the top of the fifth although Evans flied out to center to begin. Buckner grounded out to first but Owen walked. Sullivan beat out an infield single to second but Burks grounded into a force to end the inning. Steinbach grounded out to short to start the bottom of the fifth before Phillips flied out to left. Griffin popped up a bunt to end the inning.

The Sox got some bad news in the top of the sixth although Barrett singled to short to start. Boggs singled to left but Barrett fell on top of second base and passed out. Barrett was carried out on a stretcher and Ed Romero pinch ran for him. Both runners moved over on the grounder by Greenwell but Baylor popped up to left. Evans walked to load the bases but Buckner popped up to short to end the inning.

                                                        Bye bye Barrett

Sellers kept up the pace in the bottom of the sixth as Polonia grounded out to second to begin. Davis hit one up the elevator shaft before Canseco struck out to end the inning.

The Sox scored some insurance in the top of the seventh although Owen flied out to center to begin. Sullivan and Burks stroked back to back singles before Romero lined a base hit to left. Sullivan was thrown out at home but Burks made it to third. Boggs was hit with a pitch to load the bases and Greenwell walked in a run to chase Ontiveros. Gene Nelson came in and Baylor popped up to first to end the inning but the Sox was up 2-0.

                                                     Stop getting thrown out at home!

Sellers stayed tough in the bottom of the seventh inning as McGwire struck out to start. Jackson doubled to left but Lansford grounded out to third. Steinbach flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the eighth inning as Evans grounded out to third to begin. Buckner flied out to right and Owen flied out to left to end the inning. The A's threatened in the bottom of the eighth inning although Phillips grounded out to second. Griffin walked but Polonia flied out to left. Davis walked and Canseco beat out an infield single to load the bases. Sox manager John McNamara let Sellers stay in and he punched out McGwire to end the inning. Outstanding work Jeff!

Sullivan struck out to begin the top of the ninth before Burks took strike three. Romero popped up to first to end the inning. Dave Henderson took over for Greenwell in the bottom of the ninth and Jackson grounded out to second to begin. Lansford beat out an infield single to short but Steinbach hit into a double play to end the game. The Sox had won it 2-0 behind the complete game by Jeff Sellers.

Hero of the Night is Jeff Sellers. He tossed a complete game shutout allowing just 6 hits and 2 walks. Sellers struck out 8 and earned his 3rd win of the year.

                                                       Sellers The Hero



The Good:

Ellis Burks was 2 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.

Marty Barrett was 1 for 3 before leaving.

Ed Romero was 1 for 2.

Wade Boggs was 2 for 3 with a hit by pitch.

Spike Owen was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Marc Sullivan was 2 for 4.



The Bad:

Don Baylor was 0 for 4.

Bill Buckner was 0 for 4.



The Ugly:

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

Dwight Evans was 0 for 3 but walked.



Honorable Mention:

Dave Henderson played left field in the bottom of the 9th inning.




Final Thoughts:

This season is a disaster but that was a damn good win. Sellers has been a disappointment in his Sox career but that was impressive. The Sox are in a serious world series hangover but for one day, they took the Oakland A's and shut them down. Also it was nice to see Mr. Nepotism contribute for once. Its too bad the Sox aren't that good this year but the bright side is on the rare occasion things go well, its entertaining. Hopefully Burks and Greenwell can develop into starts because Rice and Evans are getting old. The win improved the Sox to 39-40, 10.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it 2 in a row in Oakland as they take on the A's in a 4th of July special. Jose Rijo goes for the A's up against Bruce Hurst (9-5) of the Sox at 4 PM Eastern Time at Oakland Coliseum.

Brewers Edge Sox Late (4/8/87)

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

                                                "Hello operator? The Sox offense sucks"

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

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

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

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

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

                                                    RBI double for Sullivan

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

                                                        Robidoux ties it up

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

                                                          Nipper deserved better

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

                                                   Robidoux gives Milwaukee the lead

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

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

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

                                                          Jackass Gardner

The Good:

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

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

Joe Sambito tossed a full scoreless inning.

Calvin Schiraldi retired the only man he faced.

The Bad:

Bill Buckner was 0 for 4.

Dave Henderson was 0 for 3.

Spike Owen was 0 for 3.

The Ugly:

Wade Boggs was 0 for 3 but walked.

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

Jim Rice was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Don Baylor was 0 for 3 but walked.

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

Final Thoughts:

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