Sox Beat Yankees in 11 Innings (4/23/85)

The bad news was the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of their first round NBA playoff series but the good news was the Boston Red Sox knocked off the New York Yankees in extra innings. The Sox jumped out to a 3-0 lead on Joe Cowley and the Yankees but New York fought back to score two runs against Oil Can Boyd. Dwight Evans drew a bases loaded walk but the Yankees tied it by knocking out Boyd in the seventh and getting a run off Bob Stanley in the eighth. In the top of the eleventh, Evans knocked in Barrett to give the Sox the lead and Bob Ojeda (2-0, 2.35 ERA) slammed the door to win the game for the Sox 5-4 in 11 innings at Yankee Stadium.

                                                    Donna Smith approves of the win

Cowley got the ball in the top of the first instead of the sick Dennis Rasmussen and Wade Boggs walked on a pitch to the backstop to start. Dwight Evans walked but Jim Rice struck out swinging. Mike Easler grounded into a double play to end the inning. Boyd got the ball in the bottom of the first and Rickey Henderson made his season debut by popping up to third to start. Willie Randolph drew a full count walk but Don Mattingly struck out swinging. Dave Winfield popped up to right to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second as Tony Armas golfed a base hit past Bob Meachem to start. Bill Buckner drew a walk but was forced at second by Rich Gedman to put runners at the corners. Marty Barrett scored Armas hit a sac fly to score Armas to put the Sox on top. Jackie Gutierrez sliced a base hit to right but Boggs flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                          Armas scores the first run

Don Baylor led off the bottom of the second by striking out swinging on a big curveball to start. Ken Griffey flied out to right but Mike Pagliarulo walked. Butch Wynegar grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the third inning although Evans struck out swinging to start. Rice also went down hacking but Easler cranked his second home run of the season to right to increase the lead. Armas popped up to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                  Easler goes deep

Meachem led off the bottom of the third with a bloop hit to left and moved to second on the Henderson grounder to third. Randolph grounded back to the mound and Mattingly struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fourth as Randolph knocked down a Buckner grounder and threw him out to start. Gedman popped up to short and Barrett popped up to center to end the inning. Winfield hit one up the elevator shaft to start the bottom of the fourth before Baylor flied out to left. Griffey flied out to right to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the fifth as Gutierrez singled off the glove of Meachem to begin. Gutierrez took off for second and Wynegar bounced the throw into center to advance Jackie to third on the error. Boggs scored Gutierrez with a sac fly to left to increase the lead but Evans grounded out to second. Rice flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                        Sac fly for Boggs

The Yankees threatened in the bottom of the fifth as Pagliarulo doubled to the right field wall to start. Wynegar flied out into the right field corner and Evans told the umpires that somebody threw trash at him while he was trying to make the catch. Meachem caught Boyd asleep with a bunt single to put runners at the corners. Henderson popped up to Buckner and Randolph flied out to the left field warning track to end the inning.

                               "There, that linguini eating stugotz, that's the one!" - Evans

Bob Shirley replaced Cowley to start the top of the sixth and Easler grounded out to short to start. Armas flied out to center and Buckner struck out swinging to end the inning. The Yankees began their comeback in the bottom of the sixth although Mattingly lined out to short to start. Winfield singled over the head of Gutierrez and Baylor hit a hanging curve into the left field stands to cut the lead. Griffey flied out to deep right and a fan tried to throw beer at Evans making the catch. Alert Yankee Stadium security seized the beer thrower and wrestled him to the ground. Pagliarulo struck out swinging to end the inning but the Yankees were back in it down 3-2.

                                                       Baylor takes Boyd deep

The Sox answered in the top of the seventh as Gedman singled down the first base line to start. Barrett dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Gedman to second and Randolph booted a grounder by Gutierrez for an error. Boggs walked to load the bases and Evans walked to score Gedman with another run. With a chance to break the game open....Rice banged into a double play to end the inning. The Sox led 4-2 but the double play cost them dearly.

                                                       Gedman scores on a walk

The Yankees knocked Boyd out in the bottom of the seventh although Wynegar popped up to first to start. Meachem walked and Henderson singled down the left field line to chase Boyd. Bob Stanley replaced Boyd and Randolph forced Henderson at second, but Mattingly singled home Meachem to cut the lead. Winfield went down swinging to end the inning with the Yankees down 4-3.

                                                   Boyd leaves with the lead

Easler hit a routine pop up to Griffey who dropped it for an error to leave Mike at second base to start the top of the eighth. Armas grounded out to short and Meachem dove into the stands to catch a pop up by Buckner. Gedman struck out swinging to end the inning. The Yankees tied it in the bottom of the eighth although Baylor grounded out to second to start. Griffey and Pagliarulo drew back to back walks before Wynegar doubled to right to score Griffey to tie the game. Meachem was intentionally walked and Henderson banged into a double play to end the inning with the game tied 4-4.

                                                        Tie game

Barrett hit a routine grounder to Meachem who booted it for an error to start the top of the ninth. Gutierrez moved Barrett to second with a sacrifice bunt and Dave Righetti came in to pitch. Boggs and Evans both struck out swinging to end the inning. Stanley cruised in the bottom of the ninth as Randolph struck out swinging to start. Mattingly popped up to short and Winfield flied out to a running Rice to end the inning.

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the tenth as Rice grounded back to the mound to start. Easler struck out swinging but Armas ripped a base hit to left. Steve Lyons pinch ran for Armas and Buckner sliced a base hit to left to advance Steve to third. Reid Nichols pinch hit for Gedman but grounded out to third to end the inning. Baylor struck out swinging to start the bottom of the tenth with Marc Sullivan now behind the plate. All of a sudden Sox manager John McNamara brought in Bob Ojeda to pitch and Griffey flied out to left. Pagliarulo struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox rallied against Righetti in the top of the eleventh as Barrett lined a base hit to center to begin. Gutierrez dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Marty to second and Boggs singled in the hole at short to put runners at the corners. Evans slashed a base hit to left to score Barrett to give the Sox the lead. Rice banged into a double play to end the inning but the Sox were ahead 5-4.

                                                          Evans with the go-ahead hit

Ojeda came back to close out the bottom of the eleventh but Wynegar lined a base hit to right to start. Henry Cotto pinch ran for Wynegar and Meachem sacrificed Henry to second. Henderson lined out to short and Randolph grounded out to second to end the game. The Sox had won it 5-4 in 11 innings.

Hero of the Night is Dwight Evans. His rbi single in the eleventh inning was the difference in the game.

                                                                 Dwight Hero

The Good:

Wade Boggs was 1 for 3 with 2 walks and an rbi.

Tony Armas was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Marty Barrett was 1 for 3 with an rbi and a run scored.

Jackie Gutierrez was 2 for 3 with a stolen base and a run scored.

Oil Can Boyd pitched well, allowing just 3 runs in 6 1/3 innings. He allowed 6 hits and 3 walks.

Bob Ojeda got the win with 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Jim Rice was 0 for 6 with 2 strikeouts.

Reid Nichols grounded out as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

Mike Easler was just 1 for 5 but the one hit was a home run.

Bill Buckner was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked.

Rich Gedman was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Bob Stanley allowed an inherited runner to score and one of his own in 3 innings of work.

Honorable Mention:

Steve Lyons pinch ran for Armas and played center in the final inning.

Marc Sullivan caught the final two innings.

Final Thoughts:

It wasn't easy but a win is a win, especially on the road. The Sox could have broken this game open when it was 4-2 but instead the Yankees came back to tie the game. Hats off to the Sox to keep the game tied after that with Stanley and Ojeda giving New York nothing after the eighth inning. Evans had an eventful night dealing with rowdy fans and still managed to deliver the game winning hit. The Sox are treading water in April and hopefully their pitching can hold up the whole season to match the offense. Boyd looked good tonight and its a shame Stanley couldn't hold the lead. Ojeda coming out of the bullpen was interesting but at least it worked tonight. The Sox look to make it two in a row against the Yankees tomorrow night when Al Nipper takes the mound against Ron Guidry of New York. The game begins at 7:00 PM at Yankee Stadium.

Sox Romp Yankees on Opening Day (4/8/85)

Say hello to the 1985 Boston Red Sox. The good offense they had in 84 carried over to this season, for one game anyway. The offensive attack was led by Tony Armas, Dwight Evans and Jim Rice who all homered. Oil Can Boyd (1-0, 2.57 ERA) got the Opening Day start and tossed 7 tough innings allowing just 2 runs to the visiting New York Yankees. The Sox hope the pitching can match the offense this year and for one day it did as the Sox cruised to a 9-2 win over the Yankees at Fenway Park.

                                                    Eat that, YBN

Boyd got the ball in the top of the first and Omar Moreno grounded back to the mound to start. Willie Randolph walked and took second on a passed ball on a strikeout by Don Mattingly. Dave Winfield flied out to left to end the inning. 46 year old Phil Niekro took the ball in the bottom of the first and Wade Boggs hit a chopper off the glove of Niekro up the middle for a hit. Dwight Evans banged into a double play and Jim Rice grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Yankees struck first in the top of the second although Don Baylor grounded out to third to start. Ken Griffey took strike three but Mike Pagliarulo walked. Butch Wynegar smacked a double down the right field line that scored Pagliarulo to put the Yankees on top. Bob Meachum singled in the hole at second to score Wynegar with another run. Moreno grounded out to short to end the inning but the Yankees were up 2-0.

                                               Yankees take an early lead

The Sox instantly fought back in the bottom of the second as Mike Easler lined a high fastball into right for a hit to start. Tony Armas clobbered his first home run of the season into the screen in left to tie the game. Bill Buckner drew a walk and Rich Gedman hit a perfect double play ball but Meachum fell down after Buckner was forced. Marty Barrett lined out to right and Jackie Gutierrez lined out softly to Meachum to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                 Armas ties it up

Boyd settled down in the top of the third as Randolph flied out to right to start. Mattingly popped up to Boggs in foul territory but Winfield walked. Griffey whiffed on a breaking ball to end the inning. The Sox took advantage of a wild Niekro to take the lead in the bottom of the third although Boggs flied out to left to start. Evans doubled past Winfield in right before Rice drew a walk. Easler walked to load the bases but Armas was rung up for strike three. Buckner walked to score Evans to give the Sox the lead and Gedman walked to score Rice with another run. Barrett's bat went flying as he struck out to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-2.

                                                  Evans and Rice walk home

Griffey singled up the middle to start the top of the fourth but Pagliarulo lined out to Buckner, who doubled off Ken for the double play. Wynegar walked but Meachum whiffed badly to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the fourth although Gutierrez grounded out to third to start. Boggs grounded out to short but Evans clobbered his first homer of the year onto Landsdowne Street to increase the lead. Rice went down swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-2.

                                                Kiss it goodbye

Moreno dumped a base hit in front of Armas to start the top of the fifth but was erased on the force by Randolph. Mattingly flied out to deep left and Randolph chased strike three to end the inning. Bob Shirley took over for the bottom of the fifth and the Sox struck again. Easler stuck his bat out and singled up the middle to start but Armas popped up to second. Buckner dropped a base hit to left and Gedman drove a base hit to right. Easler came around to score but Buckner got caught in a rundown coming around third. Barrett grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-2

                                           The hell were you thinking Buckner?

Gedman muffed a pop up by Baylor in foul territory to start the top of the sixth and Don made him pay with a base hit to left. Griffey lined out to right and Pagliarulo banged into a double play to end the inning. The Sox tacked it on in the bottom of the sixth as Gutierrez dropped a base hit to center to start. Boggs whiffed but Gutierrez stole second on the play. Yankees manager Yogi Berra brought in Joe Cowley to pitch and Evans drew a walk. Rice lit up the crowd with a 3 run bomb to dead center to increase the lead. Easler and Armas both grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-2.

                                                      Touch em all Rice

Buckner made a great diving stab of a Wynegar grounder and flipped to Boyd for the out to start the bottom of the seventh. The fired up Boyd got Meacham and Moreno to pop up to short to end the inning. That was it for Boyd who delivered the goods with 7 innings of 2 run ball.

                                                       Boyd with the Opening Day win

The Sox went quietly in the bottom of the seventh as Buckner grounded out to first to start. Gedman flied out to left and Barrett grounded out to third to end the inning.

Bob Stanley came in to pitch the top of the eighth and the Yankees beat the ball in the dirt. Randolph grounded back to the mound, Mattingly grounded out to first and Winfield grounded out to short to end the inning. Dale Murray came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and it was their turn to beat the ball in the dirt. Gutierrez grounded out to short, Boggs also grounded out to short and Evans grounded out to second to end the inning.

Stanley returned for the top of the ninth and Baylor grounded out to third to start. Griffey whiffed badly but Pagliarulo doubled off the Monster in left. Wynegar grounded out to second to end the game. The Sox had won Opening Day by a score of 9-2.

                                                   Opening Day winners                 


Hero of the Night is Jim Rice. He outscored the Yankees by himself with a 3 run homer and by scoring 2 runs

                                                             Opening Day Hero



The Good:

Dwight Evans was 2 for 4 with 3 runs scored, a walk and a home run.

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

Bill Buckner was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and an rbi.

Rich Gedman was 1 for 3 with a walk and 2 rbis.

Oil Can Boyd got the win with 7 innings of 2 run ball. He walked 4 and struck out 5.

Bob Stanley tossed 2 scoreless innings.



The Bad:

Marty Barrett was 0 for 4.



The Ugly:

Wade Boggs was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout.

Tony Armas was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a 2 run homer.

Jackie Gutierrez was just 1 for 4 but stole a base and scored a run.




Final Thoughts:

Its always fun to win on Opening Day and start the season on a high note. New Red Sox manager John McNamara got his first win and hopefully the first of at least 95-100. Its wishful thinking to hope Boston's pitching can improve from last year but it could happen. The Sox have a young corps in Bruce Hurst, Roger Clemens and Boyd so hopefully they can be a trio of terror this season. If the Sox offense can match last year they'll be just fine this season as well. As for this game, good to see Boyd throw a good game and the offense made mincemeat out of the Yankees pitching. The Yankees finished a game better than the Sox last year so it would be nice for the Sox to beat them up this year. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox and Yankees go at it again Wednesday afternoon. Bruce Hurst makes his season debut against Ed Whitson at 1:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Beat Yankees In Season Series Finale (9/16/84)

With the Detroit Tigers running away with the American League East crown, the only thing the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees have to play for is finishing in front of each other. The Red Sox did themselves a favor by beating the Yankees and putting themselves just one game behind them. Oil Can Boyd (11-10, 4.45 ERA) tosses a complete game 7 hitter, Jim Rice drove in 4 runs by himself and the Sox look to finish strong this season with a 5-3 win over the Yankees at Yankee Stadium.

                                                           Ira Flagstead approves of the win

The Red Sox wasted no time scoring against Yankees starter Dennis Rasmussen in the top of the first inning. Wade Boggs grounded out to second but Dwight Evans walked. Rice then pounded his 27th home run of the year to give the Sox the quick lead. Tony Armas lined one off Rasmussen and he threw the ball away to allow Tony to reach second. Mike Easler walked but was doubled off first on the fly out by Bill Buckner to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                       Rice hits a 2 run homer

Boyd got the ball in the bottom of the first and the Yankees struck back. Willie Randolph and Bob Meacham drew back to back walks before Meacham was doubled off first on the liner to first by Don Mattingly. Dave Winfield doubled home Randolph to cut the lead in half. Don Baylor walked but Ken Griffey struck out to end the inning with the Sox up 2-1.

Marty Barrett flied out to center to start the top of the second before Marc Sullivan got a base hit. Jackie Gutierrez struck out before Boggs flied out to left to end the inning. Boyd had a much easier top of the second inning as Butch Wynegar hit one up the elevator shaft to start. Mike Pagliarulo struck out and Omar Moreno grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Sox tried to rally when Evans walked to start the top of the third but he was caught stealing second. Rice drew a walk before Armas and Easler both struck out to end the inning. The Yankees were shut down in the bottom of the third as Randolph grounded out to third to start. Meacham flied out to center but Mattingly doubled. Winfield grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fourth as Buckner grounded out to first to start. Barrett flied out to right and Sullivan flied out to left to end the inning. The Yankees took command in the bottom of the fourth although Baylor struck out to start. Griffey lined out to first but Wynegar singled. Pagliarulo then crushed a 800,000 foot bomb to give the Yankees the lead. Moreno flied out to left to end the inning but the Yankees were up 3-2.

The Sox fought back in the top of the fifth as Gutierrez doubled to start. Boggs flied out to left but Evans walked. Rice followed his home run earlier with a bases clearing triple to give the Sox the lead back and chase Rasmussen. Mike Armstrong came in and struck out Armas before Easler grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-3.

                                                            Sox take the lead

Sullivan muffed a pop up by Randolph to start the bottom of the fifth but Willie flied out to left anyway. Meacham struck out and Mattingly flied out to left to end the inning.

Buckner struck out to begin the top of the sixth before Barrett grounded out to short. Sullivan popped up to second to end the inning. The Yankees threatened in the bottom of the sixth although Winfield grounded out to third to start. Baylor singled but Griffey flied out to center. Wynegar singled Baylor to third but Pagliarulo struck out to end the inning.

Gutierrez grounded out to short to open the top of the seventh but Boggs got a base hit. Boggs moved to second on the grounder by Evans and that was it for Armstrong.. Jay Howell came in and Rice flied out to center to end the inning. Boyd cruised in the bottom of the seventh as Moreno flied out to left to start. Randolph grounded out to third and Meacham struck out to end the inning.

                                                   Boyd stepping up big time

The Sox got a big insurance run in the top of the eighth as Armas and Easler stroked back to back singles to start. Buckner struck out and Barrett flied out to center but Sullivan singled home Armas. Easler and Sullivan both moved up on the throw home. Gutierrez flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-3.

                                                        First career rbi for Sullivan

Boyd cruised in the bottom of the eighth as Mattingly flied out to center to start. Winfield and Baylor both grounded out to short to end the inning.

Dale Murray came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Boggs struck out to start. Evans doubled but Rice flied out to right. Armas struck out to end the inning. Boyd came back to finish the job in the bottom of the ninth although Griffey singled to start. Wynegar flied out to right, Pagliarulo struck out and Moreno flied out to left to end the game. Boyd went the distance and the Sox had ended their season series with the Yankees with a 5-3 win.

Hero of the Night is Jim Rice. He outproduced the Yankees by himself with a 2 run triple and a 2 run home run.

                                                             Rice the Hero


The Good:

Dwight Evans was 1 for 2 with 3 walks and 2 runs scored.

Tony Armas was 2 for 5 with a run scored and a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Mike Easler was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Marc Sullivan was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Oil Can Boyd earned his 11th win with a complete game, allowing just 3 runs on 7 hits while striking out 7.



The Bad:

Bill Buckner was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Marty Barrett was 0 for 4.



The Ugly:

Wade Boggs was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout.

Jackie Gutierrez was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.




Final Thoughts:

As the disappointing season comes to an end, there still is optimism on the horizon. The Sox offense is as good as anyone, they just need better pitching if they hope to contend in the AL East with the likes of the Detroit Tigers. Someone has to step up and be an ace in 1985 whether its Bob Ojeda, Roger Clemens, Bruce Hurst or Oil Can Boyd....SOMEBODY has to be that good, right? As for the game, good to see Sullivan get his first career rbi and Rice beat the Yankees by himself. Great to see Boyd hang in after getting rocked early as well. The win improved the Sox to 78-70, one game behind the Yankees for absolutely nothing. Tomorrow night the Sox travel to Toronto to take on the Toronto Blue Jays. Bob Ojeda goes for the Sox up against Doyle Alexander at 7:05 PM at Exhibition Stadium.

Ojeda Spins Beauty, Tames Tigers (5/3/84)

The Detroit Tigers are red-hot at the moment but temporarily they have been cooled off. Bob Ojeda (2-2, 3.86 ERA) and the Boston Red Sox squeezed by with a pressure-packed 1-0 victory over the Tigers due to a late home run by Dwight Evans at Tiger Stadium.

                                                  ET approves of the win

Detroit's Jack Morris got the start for the Tigers as Marty Barrett led off with a ground out to short. Dwight Evans popped to short but Wade Boggs worked a walk. Jim Rice popped up to third to end the inning. Ojeda began his day by allowing a single to Lou Whitaker to begin the bottom of the first. Alan Trammell walked but the alert Rich Gedman cut down Whitaker at third on a double steal. Barbaro Garbey grounded to third and Lance Parrish flied out to center to end the inning.

Morris stayed tough in the top of the second as Mike Easler hit a comebacker to Morris for the first out. Tony Armas and Gedman both struck out to end the inning. Ojeda matched Morris in the bottom of the second as Larry Herndon struck out to start. Chet Lemon and Kirk Gibson both grounded out to end the inning.

Morris got Reid Nichols to ground to third to open the top of the third before Jackie Gutierrez grounded to first. Barrett flied to right to end the inning. Gedman again bailed out Ojeda as Tom Brookens singled to open the bottom of the third only to be thrown out trying to steal. Rusty Kuntz struck out as did Whitaker to end the inning.

                                                         Way to go Ojeda!

The Sox threatened in the top of the fourth but Evans led off by striking out. Boggs walked and Rice singled to put the pressure on but Easler struck out. Armas grounded into a force to end the inning, what a waste. Luckily Ojeda was ready for the bottom of the fourth. Trammell flied out and Garbey grounded out, but Parrish singled. Ojeda recovered to strike out Herndon to end the inning.

Once again the Sox threatened in the top of the fourth but could not score. Gedman walked but Nichols flied out to center. Gutierrez singled but Barrett struck out. Evans flied out to right to end the inning. It was the Tigers turn to threaten in the bottom of the fifth although Lemon flied out. Gibson singled but Brookens walked. Gibson moved to third on the fly out by Kuntz, but Whitaker also flied out to end the inning.

                                                 Ojeda gets it done in the 5th

Once again the Sox put two men on in the top of the sixth inning. Boggs singled but was erased on the force by Rice. Easler flied out to center but Armas singled Jim to third. With runners at the corners....Gedman struck out to end the inning, damn. Ojeda began the bottom of the sixth by getting Trammell to fly out before Garbey hit a routine grounder to Gutierrez....who he kicked over to second base for absolutely no reason, allowing Garbey to reach on the error. Gedman stepped up AGAIN on a strike em out, throw em out double play to get Garbey at second after Parrish struck out to end the inning.

The Sox failed to capitalize on the double play in the top of the seventh inning. Nichols grounded out to short, Gutierrez flied out to right and Barrett popped up to short to end the inning. Ojeda matched Morris in the bottom of the seventh although Herndon led off with a single. Bob turned up the heat to strike out Lemon, Gibson and Brookens all in order to end the inning.

The Sox finally struck first in the top of the eighth when Evans crushed a solo home run to put the Sox on top. Boggs grounded out and Rice struck out before Easler flied out to end the inning. Still, the Sox were 6 outs from victory thanks to the Dewey home run.

                                                   Evans puts the Sox on top 1-0

Could Ojeda pitch with the lead? You bet your bippy he could. Kuntz flied to center, Whitaker struck out and Trammell grounded out to end the inning.

Morris returned for the top of the ninth and struck out Armas to begin. Gedman and Nichols both grounded to third to end the inning. Ojeda came back to finish the job in the bottom of the ninth. Garbey flied out but things got hairy when Parrish singled and Herndon walked to put the winning run at first. Ojeda got Lemon to fly out and struck out Gibson to end the game. The Sox had beaten the Tigers 1-0 after an amazing start by Ojeda.

Hero of the Night is Bob Ojeda. He was masterful pitching a 6 hit complete game shut-out while striking out 10.

                                                               Ojeda The Hero



The Good:

Wade Boggs was 1 for 2 with 2 walks.

Jackie Gutierrez was 1 for 3.



The Bad:

Marty Barrett was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Mike Easler was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Reid Nichols was 0 for 4.



The Ugly:

Dwight Evans was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a home run that ended up being the difference.

Jim Rice was just 1 for 4.

Tony Armas was just 1 for 4.

Rich Gedman was 0 for 3 but walked and made 3 great throws to nab basestealers.



Final Thoughts:

The Tigers are red hot but that was quite a nice roadblock put up by Bob Ojeda. The Sox need an ace to step up with Dennis Eckersley struggling, could Ojeda be the one? The offense was asleep but Jack Morris is pretty damn good, so not much you can do there. Thank God for Dwight Evans right? The unsung hero of this game was Rich Gedman, throwing out 3 would be base-stealers to preserve the shut-out plus calling the game that Ojeda pitched. With all the runs the Sox pitching have been given up, it was nice to see a shut-out for once. The win improved the Sox to 11-14, 9 games behind the Tigers for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow the Sox return to Fenway to take on old friend Carlton Fisk and the Chicago White Sox. It looks like a Monster match with Tom Seaver going up against Dennis Eckersley (2-2, 5.94 ERA) who beat the ChiSox the last time he pitched in Chicago.

Sox Hold On, Defeat Tigers (5/2/84)

It was a good day for Boston sports. The Boston Celtics defeated the New York Knicks in Game 2 of their second round NBA playoff series and the Boston Red Sox defeated the AL East leading Detroit Tigers. Dwight Evans and Jim Rice powered the Sox offense to 5 runs and Mike Brown (1-2, 5.19 ERA) held the fort for 5 2/3 innings to earn his first win of the season. Bob Stanley ran out of gas in the 9th inning but still held on to earn the save. The Tigers are the team to beat this season and the Sox did just that as they held on to win 5-4 at Tiger Stadium.

                                                     Cedric Maxwell approves of the win

The Sox wasted no time getting to Tigers starter Juan Berenguer as Jerry Remy walked to start. Dwight Evans clobbered his second home run of the season to put Boston on top two batters into the game. Wade Boggs flied out to center, Jim Rice popped up to first and Mike Easler flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                         Evans with a home run

Brown got the ball in the bottom of the first and Lou Whitaker grounded out to second to start. Alan Trammell grounded out to short and Kirk Gibson flied out to right to end the inning.

Tony Armas grounded out to short to start the top of the second and Rich Gedman popped up to third. Reid Nichols got a base hit but Glenn Hoffman struck out to end the inning. Darrell Evans popped up to short to start the bottom of the second and Johnny Grubb popped up to third. Chet Lemon singled but Dave Bergman grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the third as Remy walked to start. Remy was thrown out trying to steal and Evans struck out. Boggs walked and Rice smashed his second home run of the season to increase the lead. Easler grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-0.

                                                            Rice is getting hot

Brown cruised in the bottom of the third as Howard Johnson popped up to first to start. Dwight Lowry flied out to right and Whitaker grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

The Sox blew a chance to add to the lead in the top of the fourth as Armas struck out to start. Gedman motored around for a triple but Nichols popped up to right. Hoffman popped up to first to end the inning. Brown got in trouble in the bottom of the fourth as Trammell popped up to first to start. Gibson singled but Evans flied out to left. Grubb walked and Lemon whiffed to end the inning.

Nothing happened in the top of the fifth as Remy popped up to short to start. Evans popped up to first and Boggs popped up to left in foul territory to end the inning. Brown got in trouble again as Bergman and Johnson both singled to start the bottom of the fifth. Lowry flied out to right, Whitaker struck out and Trammell grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the sixth as Rice grounded out to short to start. Easler drew a walk but Armas hit one up the elevator shaft. Easler swiped second and Gedman was intentionally walked to get to Nichols. Nichols would have none of it as he got a base hit to score Easler with another run. Hoffman popped up to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-0.

                                                 "Walk Gedman again, I DARE you!" - Nichols

Brown ran out of gas in the bottom of the sixth as Gibson and Evans both singled to start. Grubb flied out to left and Lemon struck out, but Bergman singled home Gibson to chase Brown. Sox manager Ralph Houk decided to pull Brown before it got any worse after 5 2/3 innings of 1 run ball. Bob Stanley got Johnson to pop up to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-1.

                                                        Brown with a good start

Doug Bair came in for the top of the seventh and Remy grounded out to third to start. Evans got a base hit but Boggs flied out to center. Rice struck out to end the inning. Stanley cruised in the bottom of the seventh as Lowry struck out to start. Whitaker lined one off of Stanley but Hoffman threw him out at first. Trammell grounded out to second to end the inning.

Easler tried to start a rally with a base hit to start the top of the eighth but Armas and Gedman both struck out to kill that. Nichols grounded into a force to end the inning. The Tigers struck back in the bottom of the eighth as Gibson tripled to start and scored on the Evans grounder to cut the lead. Grubb singled but was forced at second by Lemon. Bergman singled but Johnson struck out to end the inning with the Tigers down 5-2.

                                                            Dammit Stanley!

Willie Hernandez took over for the top of the ninth and Hoffman singled to start. Remy sacrifice bunted Hoffman to second but Evans struck out. Boggs grounded out to third to end the inning. The Tigers made it interesting in the bottom of the ninth when Barbaro Garbey pinch hit for Lowry. Garbery singled and Whitaker doubled him home. Whitaker moved to third on the fly out by Trammell and Gibson doubled him home. With the tying run on second, Evans grounded out to short. Stanley struck out Grubb to end the game. It got hairy at the end but the Sox had won it 5-4.

Hero of the Night is Mike Brown. He held the powerful Tigers to just 1 run in 5 2/3 innings to pick up his first win of the season.

                                                          Brown gets the Hero



The Good:

Jerry Remy walked twice, dropped down a perfect bunt and scored a run.

Dwight Evans was 2 for 5 with a 2 run home run.

Mike Easler was 1 for 3 with a stolen base, walk and a run scored.

Rich Gedman was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Reid Nichols was 2 for 4 with an rbi.



The Bad:

Tony Armas was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.



The Ugly:

Wade Boggs was 0 for 4 but walked and scored a run.

Jim Rice was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a 2 run home run.

Glenn Hoffman was just 1 for 4.

Bob Stanley allowed 3 runs in 3 1/3 innings but earned his fourth save of the season.




Final Thoughts:

The Tigers are for real this season but the Sox aided their cause by winning the game. If they're the team the beat the Sox have to match them on both sides of the ball. The Sox are gonna need an elite starter if they hope to catch the Tigers this season. Its only May so the Sox have 3 months to come up with a trade or hope one of their prospects become an ace. Otherwise the Sox have no chance to catch the Tigers if their starters don't step up. Mike Brown was good today and they're going to need more of that going forward. The win improved the Sox to 10-14, 10 games behind the Tigers for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow afternoon the Sox look to take the series when they send Bob Ojeda (1-2) to the mound up against Tigers ace Jack Morris at 3:05 PM Eastern Time at Tiger Stadium.

Tigers Maul Sox in Series Opener (5/1/84)

Well if there was any doubt who the beast of the AL East was this season, the Detroit Tigers have proven to be the team to beat. The Tigers have played 21 games this year and have won 19 of them. The latest victims were the Boston Red Sox. The Tigers pounced on Red Sox starter Bruce Hurst (3-3, 2.27 ERA) for 6 runs and knocked him out in the fourth inning. Oil Can Boyd came on in relief and allowed 5 runs of his own to the seemingly invincible Tigers. Meanwhile Tigers starter Milt Wilcox held the vaunted Sox offense to just 2 runs in 8 innings as the Tigers cruised to an 11-2 win at Tiger Stadium.

                                               "Ok Detroit, you're the beast of the East"

The Sox did manage to strike first in the top of the first against Wilcox as Jerry Remy grounded out to second to start. Dwight Evans singled and moved to second on the grounder by Wade Boggs. Jim Rice got a base hit to score Boggs with the game's first run. Rice then ran himself into an out trying to "steal" to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                  What the hell are you doing, Rice?

Hurst got in trouble immediately in the bottom of the first when Rusty Kuntz singled and Alan Trammell walked to start. Barbaro Garbey struck out, Lance Parrish flied out to left and Larry Herndon struck out to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the second as Mike Easler struck out to start. Tony Armas flied out to center and Rich Gedman popped up to first to end the inning. The Tigers struck in the bottom of the second although Chet Lemon grounded out to short ton start. Tom Brookens singled and stole second before Rod Allen hit a routine grounder to Glenn Hoffman. Glenn dove on the ball and wrestled with it for an error to put runners at the corners. Marty Castillo struck out but Allen swiped second but Kuntz singled home both runners to give the Tigers the lead. Trammell singled and Garbey singled home both runners to increase the lead. Parrish singled but Herndon grounded into a force to end the inning with the Tigers ahead 4-1.

                                                             Nice error Glenn

The Sox tried to fight back in the top of the third when Reid Nichols got a single but Glenn Hoffman hit into a double play. Hoffman popped up to first to end the inning. Hurst recovered to get the Tigers to beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the third inning as Lemon grounded out to third to start. Brookens grounded out to second and Allen grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

The Sox struck back in the top of the fourth when Evans drew a walk to start. Dwight moved to second on a passed ball and to third on the Boggs fly out to center. Rice lashed a base hit to score Evans with another run. Easler banged into a double play to end the inning but the Sox cut the lead in half, trailing 4-2.

                                                           Evans scored a run

The Tigers were personally offended the Sox had the unmitigated audacity to score a run against them so they clobbered Hurst in the bottom of the fourth. Castillo doubled and took third on a balk before Kuntz doubled him home. Trammell struck out but Garbey doubled home Kuntz to chase the ineffective Hurst. Hurst had pitched well in April but was clearly not ready for prime time against the East's best team, surrendering 6 runs in just 3 1/3 innings. Oil Can Boyd came in and Parrish grounded out to short before Herndon struck out to end the inning. The Tigers had iced the game and led 6-2.

                                                         Not Bruce's best stuff

The Sox went quietly in the top of the fifth as Armas grounded out to short to start. Gedman flied out to center and Nichols popped up to third to end the inning. For some reason Tigers manager Sparky Anderson decided to pinch hit for everyone in the bottom of the fifth. Lemon started with a single and Brookens walked before Darrell Evans pinch hit for Allen. Evans popped up to second and Lou Whitaker pinch hit for Castillo only to fly out to center. Kirk Gibson pinch hit for Kuntz and popped up to short to end the inning.

Hoffman singled to start the top of the sixth and moved to second on the Remy grounder, but Evans struck out. Boggs flied out to left to end the inning. Boyd cruised in the bottom of the sixth as Trammell grounded out to second to begin. Garbey struck out and Parrish grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Sox tried to fight back when Rice and Easler stroked back to back singles to begin the top of the seventh, but Armas struck out. Gedman flied out to right and Nichols grounded out to third to end the inning. The Tigers pounced in the bottom of the seventh although Herndon popped up to second to start Lemon blasted a home run all the way to Finland to increase the lead. Brookens grounded back to the mound but Evans singled. Whitaker popped up to short to end the inning with the Tigers up 7-2.

Rick Miller pinch hit for Hoffman to start the top of the eighth and struck out. Remy flied out to left and Evans struck out to end the inning. The Tigers feasted on Boyd in the bottom of the eighth with Jackie Gutierrez now at short. Gibson struck out but Trammell doubled. Garbey singled home Trammell but Parrish flied out to left. Herndon singled and Gedman threw a pickoff throw away to advance the runners. Naturally Lemon crushed a 40,000 foot 3 run homer to wrap up the scoring. Brookens flied out to center to end the inning with the Tigers ahead 11-2.

                                                       Boyd gets lit up

Aurelio Lopez had mop up duty in the top of the ninth and Boggs singled to start. Rice banged into a double play and Easler grounded out to third to end the game. The Tigers had cruised to an 11-2 win.

Jackass of the Night is Bruce Hurst. The Tigers feasted on him for 6 runs in just 3 1/3 innings putting the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of.

                                                      Bruce Jackass



The Good:

Dwight Evans was 1 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Jim Rice was 3 for 4 with 2 rbis.

Reid Nichols was 1 for 3.



The Bad:

Jerry Remy was 0 for 4.

Tony Armas was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Rich Gedman was 0 for 3 with an error.

Rick Miller struck out as a pinch hitter.

Oil Can Boyd allowed 5 runs in just 4 2/3 innings.



The Ugly:

Wade Boggs was just 1 for 4.

Mike Easler was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Glenn Hoffman was 1 for 2 but his error allowed the floodgates to open in the bottom of the second.



Honorable Mention:

Jackie Gutierrez played short in the bottom of the eighth.




Final Thoughts:

So much for the Sox trying to battle back in the AL East race. The Tigers look unstoppable and its not just the offense that smacked the Sox into submission, Wilcox and Lopez held the Sox to just 2 runs from the pitching side. The good news is if this is the team to beat, the Sox now know what the formula is in order to get the pieces they need to compete. If the Sox can get a proven starter for some of their younger guys, maybe they have a chance to get back in the race. The Tigers may cool off but there's a chance they won't. Hurst going to pieces after the Hoffman era was frightening, if he had gotten the next guy out maybe the floodgates don't open. It just wasn't meant to be tonight, that's for sure. The loss dropped the Sox to 9-14, 11 games behind the Tigers for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back in game two of this set when they send Mike Brown (0-2) out against Juan Berenguer at 8:05 PM Eastern time at Tiger Stadium.