Sox Rally Past Yankees (4/17/74)

For six innings it looked like the New York Yankees were going to beat the Boston Red Sox for the second game in a row. The Yankees got two early runs against Sox starter Bill Lee (2-1, 1.99 ERA) and Pat Dobson pitched a shutout through six. Then the Sox sprang to life in the seventh as Carl Yastrzemski hit a home run and Doug Griffin pulled off a safety squeeze to score Cecil Cooper, tying the game. In the eighth, Bernie Carbo drove in the go-ahead run and Bob Montgomery knocked home the insurance run. Lee ended up going the distance allowing just the two runs and five hits as the Sox beat the Yankees 4-2 at Yankee Stadium.

                                                        Claudia Jennings approves of the win

Dobson got the ball in the top of the first inning and Tommy Harper popped up to second to start. Juan Beniquez grounded out to short but Bernie Carbo walked. Carl Yastrzemski was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to end the inning. Lee got the ball in the bottom of the first and Roy White hit a comebacker to start. Walt Williams grounded out to second and Bobby Murcer flied out to right to end the inning.

Bob Montgomery grounded out to third to start the top of the second before Cecil Cooper walked. Dick McAuliffe grounded into a double play to end the inning. The Yankees struck first in the bottom of the second as Thurman Munson doubled to left to begin. Lou Piniella beat out a roller to short and Munson took third on a fly ball to center by Bill Sudakis. Nettles hit a comebacker to Lee who then inexplicably spiked the ball like a football and did the boogie woogie for an error to score Munson. Gene Michael also hit a comebacker to Lee who tossed to second for the force but Mario Guerrero threw the ball away for another error. Piniella scored on the play but Jim Mason grounded out to first to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 2-0.

                                                                A comedy of errors

Doug Griffin popped up to third to start the top of the third before Mario Guerrero struck out swinging. Harper grounded back to the mound to end the inning. White grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the third before Williams also hit a comebacker. Murcer flied out to center to end the inning.

Beniquez grounded out to third to start the top of the fourth but Carbo walked. Yaz popped up to second but Montgomery reached on an error by Mason. Cooper took strike three to end the inning. Munson struck out swinging to open the bottom of the fourth and Piniella flied out to right. Sudakis lined out to left to end the inning.

McAuliffe grounded out to second to start the top of the fifth and Griffin grounded back to the mound. Guerrero grounded out to third to end the inning. The Yankees beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the fifth as Nettles grounded out to second to start. Michael grounded out to third and Mason grounded out to second to end the inning.

Harper lined out to left to start the top of the sixth and Beniquez grounded out to short. Carbo struck out swinging to end the inning. White hit another comebacker to start the bottom of the sixth and Williams popped up to second. Murcer got a base hit to right but Munson forced him at second to end the inning.

The Sox finally rallied in the top of the seventh as Yaz belted his fourth home run of the year to cut the lead. Montgomery flied out to right but Cooper got a base hit to left. McAuliffe also got a base hit to left to move Cecil to third, and Griffin caught the Yankees asleep with a safety squeeze to score Cooper. Guerrero and Harper both struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                           Yaz hits one out

Lee caught Piniella looking to start the bottom of the seventh and Sudakis hit one up the elevator shaft. Nettles grounded out to third to end the inning.

Beniquez doubled to right to start the top of the eight but Williams threw the ball away to allow Juan to make third. Yankees manager Bill Virdon inexplicably put Williams in left field and brought in Elliott Maddox to play right. Carbo ripped a base hit to left to score Beniquez with the go-ahead run. That was it for Dobson as Sparky Lyle replaced him. Yaz greeted Sparky with a base hit to center to move Carbo to third and Bernie scored on the sac fly by Montgomery. Cooper got a base hit to left to move Yaz to third and Danny Cater pinch hit for McAuliffe. Cater grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-2.

                                                                     Sac fly for Bob

John Kennedy came in to play second in the bottom of the eighth and Michael grounded back to the mound to start. Horace Clark pinch hit for Mason and walked but Maddox grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Griffin grounded out to third to start the top of the ninth before Guerrero struck out swinging. Harper also struck out swinging to end the inning. Lee returned to finish the job in the bottom of the ninth and Williams flied out to center to start. Murcer hit a routine grounder to Cooper who booted it for an error but was forced at second by Munson. Piniella singled to center and Ron Blomberg pinch ran for him. Sudakis got a base hit to center to score Munson and put the tying run at second. Nettles grounded out to first to end the game. The Sox had hung on to win it 4-3.

Hero of the Night is Bernie Carbo. He drove in the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth inning.

                                                          Bernie Hero

The Good:

Carl Yasztremski was 2 for 4 with a home run.

Cecil Cooper was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Dick McAuliffe was 1 for 3.

Bill Lee went the distance for the win allowing 3 runs on 5 hits and a walk while striking out two.

The Bad:

Tommy Harper was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Danny Cater grounded into a double play in his only at-bat.

Mario Guerrero was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts and an error.

The Ugly:

Juan Beniquez was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Bob Montgomery was 0 for 3 but drove in a run.

Doug Griffin was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Honorable Mention:

John Kennedy played second base in the final two innings.

Final Thoughts:

Good comeback win for the Sox and kudos for Lee for going the distance despite the early troubles. The Yankees needed two errors to take the lead but once the Sox settled down, they took command of the game. Yaz' homer was clutch and the Carbo base hit put the Sox in a position to never look back. The Sox need to go on a nice winning streak to finish April strong and hopefully this could be the start. Luis Tiant and Rick Wise are pitching well and Reggie Cleveland had a good game recently, if Lee gets it going the Sox have a chance this season. The only drawback to this game was Mario Guerrero was completely useless but its only one game. The Sox look to take two of three from the Yankees tomorrow afternoon when Rick Wise (1-0) takes on Doc Medich of the Yankees. The game begins at 2:05 PM at Yankee Stadium.

Stottlemyre, Yankees Edge Sox (4/16/74)

The good news was the Boston Celtics defeated the New York Knicks in Game 2 of their NBA East Finals series but the bad news was the New York Yankees defeated the Boston Red Sox. It was a great pitcher's duel between Mel Stottlemyre of the Yankees and Luis Tiant (0-1, 5.85 ERA), its just too bad the Yankees had to win. Mike Hegan drew a bases loaded walk in the bottom of the second inning to put the Yankees on top but Tommy Harper tied it in the top of the fifth inning. Graig Nettles drove in a run in the bottom of the sixth and that was all the offense New York would need. The Sox would get the tying run on in the final three innings but couldn't drive it in as the Yankees took the game 2-1 at Yankee Stadium.

                                                      "We lost to Stottlemyre?"

Stottlemyre got the ball in the top of the first inning and Tommy Harper took trike three to start. Rick Miller got a base hit to left but Bernie Carbo grounded into a double play to end the inning. Tiant got the ball in the bottom of the first as Roy White took strike three to start. Mike Hegan singled to right but Thurman Munson struck out swinging. Bobby Murcer walked and Ron Blomburg popped up to second to end the inning.

Gene Michael booted a grounder by Carl Yastrzemski to start the top of the second but Bob Montgomery flied out to right. Cecil Cooper flied out to left and Dick McAuliffe grounded out to second to end the inning. The Yankees struck first in the bottom of the second as Graig Nettles got a base hit to center to start. Lou Piniella took strike three and Michael flied out to center, but Jim Mason singled to center. White was hit with a pitch and Hegan walked to score Nettles. Munson hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning with the Yankees 1-0.

                                                            Hegan walks on home

Doug Griffin flied out to right to start the top of the third before Mario Guerrero grounded out to short. Harper walked but Miller grounded out to third to end the inning. Murcer singled to center to begin the bottom of the third but Blomberg took strike three. Nettles singled to center but Piniella and Michael both froze for strike three to end the inning.

Carbo flied out to left to start the top of the fourth and Yaz grounded out to first. Montgomery grounded out to short to end the inning. Mason grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fourth before White flied out to right. Hegan hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning.

The Sox struck back in the top of the fifth as Cooper singled to center to start. McAuliffe flied out to left but Griffin knocked a base hit to center. Guerrero flied out to left but Harper got a base hit to right. Cooper scored easily but Griffin was thrown out at home to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                           Yerrrrr out!

The Yankees responded in the bottom of the fifth as Munson grounded out to second to start. Murcer singled to center but Montgomery threw a pickoff throw away for an error to move Bobby to second. Blomberg flied out to center but Nettles singled to center to score Murcer. Piniella doubled to center but Nettles was thrown out at home to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 2-1.

                                                                 Yerrrrrr out!

Miller flied out to left to start the top of the sixth before Carbo struck out swinging. Yaz singled to right but Montgomery struck out swinging to end the inning. Michael singled to right to start the bottom of the sixth but Montgomery mishandled a bunt by Mason. White popped up to second, Hegan took strike three and Munson forced Michael at third to end the inning.

Cooper flied out to left to start the top of the seventh before McAuliffe grounded out to second. Griffin singled to left but Guerrero was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to end the inning. Murcer grounded out to second to open the bottom of the seventh and Blomberg hit one up the elevator shaft. Nettles grounded out to second to end the inning.

Harper grounded back to the mound to start the top of the eighth before Miller flied out to right. Carbo walked but Yaz forced him at second to end the inning. Tiant returned for the bottom of the eighth and Piniella flied out to right to start. Michael grounded back to the mound and Mason struck out swinging to end the inning. Tiant ended up throwing a complete game allowing 2 runs off 9 hits. He deserved better.

                                                               Complete game loss

Elliott Maddox came in for Piniella to start the top of the ninth and Montgomery grounded out to second to begin. Cooper grounded back to the mound but McAuliffe singled to left to put the tying run on. Juan Beniquez pinch hit for Griffin and flied out to left to end the game. The Yankees had won it 2-1.

Jackass of The Night is Bob Montgomery. He went 0 for 4 with a strikeout and made a critical error to allow the go-ahead run to score.

                                                            Bob The Jackass

The Good:

Tommy Harper was 1 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

Doug Griffin was 2 for 3.

One of the rare times the winning pitcher ended up on the good list as Luis Tiant threw a complete game 9 hitter. He allowed 2 runs and struck out 8.

The Bad:

Juan Beniquez flied out to end the game.

Mario Guerrero was 0 for 3.

The Ugly:

Rick Miller was just 1 for 4.

Bernie Carbo was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Carl Yastrzemski was just 1 for 4.

Cecil Cooper was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Dick McAuliffe was just 1 for 4.

Final Thoughts:

That game was a kick in the ass and could have been won. Stottlemyre was damn good but the Sox had their chances with men on base. The Sox couldn't get a clutch hit to save their lives and that error by Montgomery was a killer. Griffin getting thrown out at home didn't help either. Its a shame because Tiant pitched very well as well for the first time all season. That was essentially the only highlight, even in defeat, is Luis getting back on track. A three headed monster of Tiant, Bill Lee and Rick Wise might actually be good this season. Hopefully the bats get back on track tomorrow against the Yankees as well. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow afternoon against the Yankees when Bill Lee (1-1) takes on Pat Dobson of New York. The game begins at 2:00 PM at Shea Stadium....yes you heard that right.

Coleman Outduels Cleveland, Tigers Blank Sox (4/15/74)

Today's game between the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers was a wonderful pitcher's duel. Too bad the wrong team won. Joe Coleman pitched a complete game 3 hit shutout for the Tigers while the hard luck loser was Reggie Cleveland (0-1, 2.19 ERA) who pitched better than he did allowing 3 hits without a walk. The only run scored in the game was on a Norm Cash home run in the fifth inning, otherwise both starters went the distance. The Sox did get the tying run on in the ninth but a Dick McAuliffe double play put the kibosh on that one. The Tigers beat the Sox 1-0 at Fenway Park. How many runs did the Sox score Mr. Wonka?

Cleveland got the ball in the top of the first inning and Ed Brinkman singled to center to start. Aurelio Rodriguez hit a double play ball to Doug Griffin who flipped to Mario Guerrero who....threw the ball away for an error. Jim Northrup forced Rodriguez at second and Al Kaline flied out to right to end the inning. Coleman got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Tommy Harper flied out to right to start. Rick Miller singled to left but was forced at second by Cecil Cooper. Carl Yastrzemski flied out to right to end the inning.

Willie Horton led off the top of the second by grounding out to short before Bill Freehan flied out to center. Norm Cash grounded out to first to end the inning. Bob Montgomery walked to start the bottom of the second and Bernie Carbo was hit with a pitch. Dick McAuliffe dropped down a bunt to move the runners over but instead Montgomery was forced at third. Doug Griffin banged into a double play to end the inning.

Mickey Stanley singled to center to start the top of the third but Gary Sutherland flied out to right. Brinkman struck out swinging and Stanley was gunned down at second trying to steal to end the inning. Guerrero struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third before Harper popped up to second. Miller walked and stole second but Cooper flied out to left to end the inning.

Rodriguez lined out to second to start the top of the fourth before Northrup flied out to left. Kaline grounded out to short to end the inning. Yaz flied out to right to start the bottom of the fourth before Montgomery also flied out to right. Carbo walked and took second on a wild pitch before McAuliffe walked. Once again with two men on....Griffin flied out to center to end the inning.

The Tigers struck first in the top of the fifth as Horton flied out to right to start. Freehan popped up to short but Cash hit a home run all the way to Albuquerque to put Detroit on top. Stanley took strike three to end the inning with the Tigers up 1-0. 

                                                              Cash hits one out

Guerrero flied out to center to start the bottom of the fifth before Harper walked. Harper stole second but Miller flied out to center. Cooper struck out swinging to end the inning.

Sutherland hit a rocket but right to Cleveland to start the top of the sixth and Brinkman flied out to left. Rodriguez flied out to center to end the inning. Yaz grounded out to second to start the bottom of the sixth before Montgomery struck out swinging. Carbo flied out to left to end the inning.

Northrup grounded out to short to start the top of the seventh and Kaline grounded back to the mound. Horton struck out swinging to end the inning. McAuliffe flied out to center to start the bottom of the seventh before Griffin singled to left. Guerrero singled to right but Harper hit into a double play to end the inning.

Freehan lined out to short to begin the top of the eighth before Cash flied out to center. Stanley struck out swinging to end the inning. Miller took strike three to start the bottom of the eighth and Cooper grounded out to second. Yaz flied out to center to end the inning.

Cleveland came back to finish the job in the top of the ninth as Sutherland grounded out to third to start. Brinkman took strike three and Rodriguez grounded out to first to end the inning. Cleveland threw a complete game 3 hitter allowing no walks while striking out 5.

                                                             Reggie did all he could

Coleman came back to finish the job in the bottom of the ninth and Montgomery grounded out to short to start. Carbo was hit with a pitch but McAuliffe grounded into a double play to end the game. The Tigers had won it 1-0.

Jackass of the Night is a tough one since everyone failed at one point or another but Doug Griffin hit into a double play and flied out with two men on base each time.

                                                             Jackass Griffin

The Good:

Rick Miller was 1 for 3 with a walk and a stolen base.

Bernie Carbo got hit with a pitch twice and walked.

Mario Guerrero was 1 for 3.

One of the rare times the losing pitcher ends up on the good list but Reggie Cleveland tossed a complete game 3 hitter and the Cash home run was the only run allowed in the game.

The Bad:

Cecil Cooper was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Carl Yastrzemski was 0 for 4.

The Ugly:

Tommy Harper was 0 for 3 but walked and stole a base.

Bob Montgomery was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Dick McAuliffe was 0 for 3 but walked.

Final Thoughts: 

That was a great game, only problem was the Sox didn't win it. Cleveland pitched very well and the Sox had men on base but couldn't get them in. They hit into way too many double plays and couldn't get that big home run when needed. The problem is Tommy Harper and Rick Miller just aren't hitting well and neither is Dick McAuliffe. Those three need to pick up the pace if the Sox have any hope of competing with anyone this year. Just cut down on the double plays, will ya? Sox manager Darrell Johnson should start doing more hit and runs. The Sox now travel to New York to play the Yankees and tomorrow afternoon Luis Tiant goes one on one with Mel Stottlemyre. The game begins at 2:05 PM at Shea Stadium....no that's not a typo.

Sox Outlast Tigers (4/14/74)

The city of Boston dominated the sports scene tonight as the Boston Bruins swept the Toronto Maple Leafs out of their NHL quarterfinal series, the Boston Celtics took Game 1 of their NBA East Finals series against the New York Knicks and the Boston Red Sox defeated the Detroit Tigers. The story of the game was the Boston bullpen. Sox starter Juan Marichal was knocked out in the fourth inning with Boston hanging on to a 6-5 lead. Thankfully the trio of Dick Drago (1-0, 0.00 ERA), Roger Moret and Diego Segui slammed the door on the Tigers. The Sox scored four runs in the bottom of the first with a Dwight Evans two run homer as the exclamation point. John Kennedy and Carl Yastrzemski both provided home runs as the Sox took the game 7-5 at Fenway Park.

                                                          Ken Hodge approves of the win

The Tigers got to Marichal in the top of the first inning as Ed Brinkman led off by flying out to right. Aurelio Rodriguez popped up to right but Jim Northrup walked. Al Kaline doubled to center to score Northrup to put the Tigers on top. Willie Horton grounded out to third to end the inning with Detroit up 1-0.

                                                                 Kaline puts Detroit up

The Sox rallied against Mickey Lolich in the bottom of the first as Tommy Harper struck out swinging to start. Juan Beniquez got a base hit to left and Danny Cater got a base hit to center before both scored on the Carl Yastrzemski double to right. Bob Montgomery grounded out to short but Dwight Evans smashed his first homer of the season to increase the lead. Doug Griffin flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-0.

                                                                Evans' first in 74

Norm Cash flied out to right to start the top of the second and Mickey Stanley popped up to first. Bill Freehan struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the second as John Kennedy smashed his first home run of the season to increase the lead. Mario Guerrero got a base hit to right but Harper grounded into a double play. Beniquez walked but was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning with the Sox up 5-0.

                                                                Home run Kennedy

The Tigers struck back in the top of the third as Gary Sutherland doubled to left to start. Brinkman singled to right to score Sutherland to put Detroit on the board. Rodriguez forced Brinkman at second but Northrup singled to right. Kaline walked to load the bases but Horton lined out to second. Cash walked to score Brinkman and Stanley grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox still ahead 5-3.

                                                             Brinkman singles and scores

The Sox struck again in the bottom of the fourth although Cater popped up to first to start. Yaz then belted his third home run of the season to increase the lead. Montgomery grounded out to short and Evans flied out to right to end the inning. with the Sox ahead 6-3.

                                                            Yaz hits one out

The Tigers knocked out Marichal in the top of the fourth as Freehan lined out to left to start. Sutherland walked and Brinkman hit a home run to Jupiter to cut the lead. Rodriguez singled to center and Sox manager Darrell Johnson finally had enough of Marichal. Juan lasted 3 1/3 innings and allowed 5 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks. Dick Drago came in to pitch and Northrup banged into a double play with the Sox still ahead 6-5.

                                                           Marichal gets hammered

Griffin flied to center to start the bottom of the fourth before Kennedy grounded out to third. Guerrero popped up to first in foul territory to end the inning.

Kaline singled to right to start the top of the fifth but Horton flied out to right. Cash struck out swinging and Stanley grounded out to first to end the inning. Harper walked to open the bottom of the fifth and Beniquez reached on an error by Cash. Cater popped up to second and Yaz struck out swinging.....as Beniquez was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning.

Freehan popped up to third to start the top of the sixth before Sutherland popped up to Evans. Brinkman flied out to center to end the inning. Montgomery lined out to third to start the bottom of the sixth but Evans singled to center. Griffin singled to right and Kennedy lined out to left before Evans got picked off to end the inning.

Dick McAuliffe took over for Griffin at third to start the top of the seventh and Rodriguez grounded out to short. Northrup grounded back to the mound and Kaline popped up to second to end the inning. The Sox got another run in the bottom of the seventh as Guerrero singled to center. Harper dropped down a bunt to move Mario to second and Beniquez singled to right to score Guerrero. That was it for Lolich as John Hiller came in to pitch. Cater hit a bullet to Rodriguez but he threw the ball away to allow Beniquez to move to third. Yaz hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-5.

                                                         RBI for Beniquez

Rick Miller came in to play left to start the top of the eighth and Horton singled to left to start. Cash flied out to center and Stanley forced Horton at second, but Freehan singled to left. Gates Brown pinch hit for Sutherland and hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning. John Knox took over at second to start the bottom of the eighth and Montgomery grounded out to third to start. Evans flied out to right and Griffin struck out swinging to end the inning.

Brinkman singled to left to start the top of the ninth and Rodriguez singled to right to chase Drago. Roger Moret was brought in just to pitch to Northrup and Moret got him to fly out to center. Diego Segui came in to pitch to Kaline and Al popped up to left. Horton beat out a roller to third to load the bases but Cash struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had held on to win 7-5.

Hero of the Night is Carl Yastrzemski. He started the rally in the first inning and hit a solo shot in the third inning.

                                                                 Hero Yaz

The Good:

Juan Beniquez was 2 for 2 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Dwight Evans was 2 for 4 with a 2 run home run.

John Kennedy was 1 for 3 with a home run.

Mario Guerrero was 2 for 3 with a run scored.

Dick Drago earned the win with 4 2/3 scoreless innings.

Roger Moret got the only man he faced.

Diego Segui got the save with 2/3 of a scoreless inning.



The Bad:

Bob Montgomery was 0 for 4.

Juan Marichal got hammered in his Sox debut. He allowed 5 runs off 6 hits and 4 walks in just 3 1/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Tommy Harper was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but walked.

Danny Cater was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Doug Griffin was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Honorable Mention:

Dick McAuliffe played third base in the final few innings.

Rick Miller played left field in the final few innings.

Final Thoughts:

That one was too close for comfort but the Sox managed to pull it off. Marichal looked like garbage in his first game but hopefully that was just rust. The Sox are going to need the Dominican Dandy to find his form if they have any hope of toppling the Baltimore Orioles this season. The relief pitching of Drago, Segui and Moret worked out this time but that's not sustainable. Still, the offense hit well today with Yaz and Evans leading the charge and even Kennedy got a home run. Its early in the season but if the Sox get consistent hitting to match Marichal, Luis Tiant, Bill Lee and Rick Wise....that could pay dividends come September or October. The Sox look for the series sweep tomorrow morning on Patriots Day Monday against the Tigers. Reggie Cleveland gets the start for the Sox against Joe Coleman of Detroit. The game begins at 11:00 AM at Fenway Park.

Wise, Sox Bash Tigers (4/13/74)

It was a great night for Boston sports as the Boston Bruins defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 3 of their NHL Quarterfinal series and the Boston Red Sox dominated the Detroit Tigers. The Sox blitzed Detroit starter Bill Slayback for six runs in the bottom of the first inning to chase him immediately. Carl Yastrzemski and Bernie Carbo added to the lead later in the game but the story was Rick Wise (1-0, 1.00 ERA). When the Sox unloaded Reggie Smith to the St. Louis Cardinals, the Sox were hoping Wise would be the 17 game winner he was back in 1971. So far he lived up to his billing as he tossed a complete game 6 hitter, holding the Tigers to just one run. If Luis Tiant is the ace of the rotation, Wise definitely put the American League East on notice as the Sox beat the Tigers 8-1 at Fenway Park.

                                                          Andre Savard approves of the win

Wise took the mound in the top of the first inning and Ed Brinkman struck out swinging to start. Aurelio Rodriguez grounded out to second but Jim Northrup doubled to left. Al Kaline grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox hammered Bill Slayback in the bottom of the first as Tommy Harper doubled to left to start. Rick Miller walked but Cecil Cooper struck out swinging. Carl Yastrzemski popped up to left but Bob Montgomery got a base hit to left to score Harper with the game's first run. Bernie Carbo doubled to left to score both runners and Dick McAuliffe was intentionally walked to get to Doug Griffin. Doug made Slayback pay with a triple into the right field corner and Mario Guerrero singled to center to score Doug. That was it for Slayback as Tigers manager Ralph Houck shook his head and brought in Luke Walker to pitch. Harper forced Guerrero at second to end the inning but it was 6-0 Red Sox.

                                                     Montgomery gets the rally going

Willie Horton struck out swinging to start the top of the second but Norm Cash walked. Mickey Stanley grounded into a double play to end the inning. Miller walked to start the bottom of the second but Cooper popped up the bunt attempt to Walker. A wild pitch moved Miller to second and Yaz ripped a base hit to left to score Rick. Yaz moved to second on a grounder to the mound by Montgomery and Carbo grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox up by a touchdown 7-0.

                                                                 Yaz drives in a run

Bill Freehan popped up to right to start the top of the third before Gary Sutherland grounded out to short. Brinkman flied out to center to end the inning. McAuliffe popped up to center to start the bottom of the third and Griffin grounded out to short. Guerrero grounded out to second to end the inning.

Rodriguez popped up to right to start the top of the fourth before Northrup flied out to center. Kaline popped up to right to end the inning. Harper struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth before Miller grounded out to second. Cooper also grounded out to second to end the inning.

Horton hit a routine grounder to Guerrero who threw himself on the ball and wrestled with it for an error to start the top of the fifth. Cash flied out to center but Stanley beat out a roller to third. Freehan forced Stanley at second to put runners at the corners but Sutherland popped up to right to end the inning. The Sox got another run in the bottom of the fifth as Yaz singled to right to start. Juan Beniquez pinch ran for Yaz and Montgomery singled to center. Carbo ripped a base hit to left to score Beniquez but Montgomery was thrown out at third. McAuliffe popped up to second and Griffin flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox up 8-1.

                                                               Carbo drives in a run

Brinkman grounded out to third to start the top of the sixth before Rodriguez also grounded out to third. Northrup singled in the hole at short but Kaline forced him at second to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the sixth as Guerrero grounded out to third to start. Harper singled to center but Miller popped up to third. Cooper beat out a roller to short and a wild pitch moved both runners over. Beniquez walked but Montgomery flied out to center to end the inning.

The Tigers struck back in the top of the seventh as Horton popped up to short to start. Cash singled to right but Stanley doubled off the Monster. Guerrero fell down catching a pop up by Freehan and Cash scored on the "sac fly". Sutherland struck out swinging to end the inning with the Tigers down 8-1.

                                                    Not Mario's best day in the field

John Knox came in for Brinkman, old pal Ben Oglivie came in for Horton and Dick Sharon took over for Stanley to start the bottom of the seventh. Carbo struck out swinging, McAuliffe flied out to left and Griffin grounded out to third to end the inning.

Knox grounded out to second to start the top of the eighth and Rodriguez took strike three. Northrup flied out to left to end the inning. Jim Ray came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Guerrero grounded out to third to start. Harper doubled to left but Miller popped up to left. Cooper grounded out to second to end the inning.

Wise returned to finish the job in the top of the ninth and Kaline doubled to center to start. Oglivie struck out swinging and Cash popped up to third. Sharon struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 8-1.

Hero of the Night is Rick Wise. He tossed a compete game six hitter allowing just one run.

                                                             Hero Wise

The Good:

Tommy Harper was 3 for 5 with a run scored.

Carl Yastrzemski was 2 for 3 with an rbi.

Juan Beniquez walked and scored a run as a pinch runner.

Bob Montgomery was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Bernie Carbo was 2 for 4 with 3 rbis and a run scored.

The Bad:

None

The Ugly:

Rick Miller was 0 for 3 but walked twice and scored two runs.

Cecil Cooper was just 1 for 5 with a run scored.

Dick McAuliffe was 0 for 3 but walked and scored a run.

Doug Griffin was just 1 for 4 but drove in 2 runs and scored a run.

Mario Guerrero was just 1 for 4 with an error but drove in a run

Final Thoughts:

For years the Sox had no one to go with Ray Culp and Sonny Siebert and it took until both of them were gone for Rick Wise to show up. Still, better late than never as Wise was outstanding. He took command of this game early and it was never in doubt. The Sox getting 6 runs in the first effectively ended the game but it was good to see the Sox add to the lead. Montgomery isn't as prolific a catcher as Carlton Fisk but he's filling in admirably. Carbo has been stepping it up at the plate recently and the hope is that continues. The Sox do have some work to do in the bottom of the order but as long as the top is hitting, they'll win some games. The Sox look to make it three in a row against the Tigers tomorrow afternoon when "The Dominican Dandy" Juan Marichal takes the mound against Tigers ace Mickey Lolich. The game begins at 2:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Hold On To Beat Tigers (4/12/74)

It was good news all around for the city of Boston as the Boston Celtics eliminated the Buffalo Braves in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference Semi-Final series and the Boston Red Sox defeated the Detroit Tigers. Bill Lee (1-1, 2.63 ERA) got his first win of the season by allowing just 1 run in 7 innings of work. Offensively the Sox got all they needed on a Bernie Carbo grand slam in the bottom of the first inning but got some insurance on a Carl Yastrzemski two run double in the third. The Tigers got a run against Lee and two against Reggie Cleveland but it wasn't enough as the Sox beat Detroit 6-3 at Fenway Park.

                                                         Don Chaney approves of the win

Lee got the ball in the top of the first inning and Ed Brinkman popped up to first to start. Aurelio Rodriguez grounded out to second and Jim Northrup grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox wasted no time getting to Detroit starter Lerrin LaGrow in the bottom of the first as Tommy Harper doubled to left to begin. Rick Miller flied out to center and Harper moved to third on a grounder to second by Cecil Cooper. Carl Yastrzemski walked and swiped second before Bob Montgomery walked to load the bases. Bernie Carbo then crushed a grand slam to put the Sox up big. Dick McAuliffe popped up to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-0.

                                                            "Grand slam Bernie!" - Bob

Al Kaline flied out to right to start the top of the second before Willie Horton drew a walk. Mickey Stanley got a base hit to center and Bill Freehan walked to load the bases but Ron Cash banged into a double play to end the inning. Doug Griffin grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the second but Mario Guerrero drew a walk. Harper grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Gary Sutherland doubled to right to start the top of the third but Brinkman popped up to left. Rodriguez grounded out to third and Northrup grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the third as Miller got a base hit to left to start. Cooper singled to right and Yaz doubled to right to score both runners, increasing the lead. That was it for LaGrow as Woodie Fryman came in to pitch to Montgomery. Bob moved Yaz to third with a grounder to first but Carbo grounded out to third. McAuliffe popped up to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-0.

                                                                  Yaz drives in a pair

Lee booted a grounder by Kaline to start the top of the fourth but Horton popped up to first. Stanley flied out to left but Freehan doubled to left to move Kaline to third but Cash grounded out to short to end the inning. Griffin popped up to short to start the bottom of the fourth but Guerrero walked again. Harper dropped down a bunt to move Guerrero to second but Miller took strike three to end the inning.

Sutherland grounded out to short to start the top of the fifth and Brinkman struck out swinging. Rodriguez flied out to center to end the inning. Cooper grounded out to short to start the bottom of the fifth before Yaz struck out swinging. Montgomery grounded out to third to end the inning.

Northrup grounded out to first to start the top of the sixth before Kaline hit one up the elevator shaft. Horton grounded out to third to end the inning. Carbo singled to left to begin the bottom of the sixth but was thrown out at second trying to steal. That proved costly as McAuliffe doubled to left but Griffin popped up to second. Guerrero grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Tigers struck back in the top of the seventh as Stanley grounded out to short to start. Freehan walked, Cash singled to right and Sutherland singled to left to load the bases just like that. Brinkman hit a comebacker to the mound and Lee fired home for the force but Montgomery turned and threw the ball into the bleachers for absolutely no reason for an error that scored Cash. Rodriguez lined out to first to end the inning with the Sox still ahead 6-1. That was it for Lee who allowed an unearned run in 7 innings of work. He was outstanding.

                                                                 Lee goes seven strong

Harper flied out to left to start the bottom of the seventh and Miller popped up to third. Cooper took strike three to end the inning.

Reggie Cleveland came in to take a beating in the top of the eighth as Northrup singled to left to start. Kaline hit a home run all the way to Cambridge to cut the lead in half. Horton and Stanley both grounded out to short but Freehan walked. Cash struck out swinging to end the inning with the Tigers down 6-3.

                                                                 Kaline hits one out

Yaz flied out to center to start the bottom of the eighth but Montgomery was thrown out at second trying to stretch a single into a double. Carbo popped up to right to end the inning.

Cleveland returned for the top of the ninth and Sutherland grounded out to third to start. Gates Brown pinch hit for Brinkman and walked, being replaced by John Knox on the bases. Rodriguez struck out swinging but Northrup singled to right to bring the tying run to the plate. Kaline grounded back to the mound to end the game. The Sox won it 6-3.

                                                             "Had em all the way" - Reggie

Hero of The Night is Bernie Carbo. His grand slam put the Sox up for good early.

                                                                     Bernie Hero

The Good:

Carl Yastrzemski was 1 for 3 with a walk, stolen base, 2 rbis and a run scored.

Bob Montgomery was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Dick McAuliffe was 1 for 3.

Mario Guerrero walked twice in three plate appearances.

Bill Lee earned the win by allowing an unearned run in 7 innings of work. He allowed 5 hits and 3 walks while striking out 1.

The Bad:

Doug Griffin was 0 for 3.

Reggie Cleveland allowed 2 runs in 2 innings of work.

The Ugly:

Tommy Harper was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Rick Miller was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Cecil Cooper was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

That was a good win for the Red Sox and Lee pitched a very good game. The Sox got some timely offense with Carbo's grand slam and Yaz' double but that was all they needed. It would be nice for Lee to transform into an ace pitcher to go with Luis Tiant. Cleveland had a rocky start in the eighth and nearly gave it away in the ninth but he still got out of it to close out the game. The Sox are missing Carlton Fisk but Bob Montgomery is filling in admirably. All in all its early in the season but a good win is a good win. The Sox look to make it two in a row against the Tigers tomorrow afternoon when Rick Wise makes his season debut against Bill Slayback of Detroit. the game begins at 2:30 PM at Fenway Park.

O's Beat Sox in 11 (4/11/74)

The good news was the Boston Bruins defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 2 of their Stanley Cup Quarterfinal series but the bad news was the Baltimore Orioles beat the Boston Red Sox in 11 innings after two games were postponed by rain. The Sox bolted out to a 3-0 lead but the O's tied it in the top of the fourth. The O's chased Boston starter Luis Tiant in the seventh with another run to put Baltimore ahead, but Boston rallied for two runs in the bottom of the seventh. Don Baylor tied the game with a sac fly off Diego Segui in the eighth before the game plunged into extra innings. Tommy Davis put the O's on top in the top of the 10th but Juan Beniquez tied it with a home run. In the top of the 11th the Sox looked to have turned the inning ending double play but Doug Griffin threw the ball away, allowing Elrod Hendriks to score the go-ahead run. The Sox did manage to get the tying run at second in the bottom of the 11th but Tommy Harper struck out to end the game. The O's had won it 7-6 in 11 innings at Fenway Park.

                                                   Lurch's reaction to Griffin's error

Tiant got the ball in the top of the first inning and Al Bumbry popped up to first to start. Rich Coggins hit one up the elevator shaft and Bobby Grich flied out to right to end the inning. Palmer got the ball in the bottom of the first and Tommy Harper flied out to center to start. Rick Miller and Cecil Cooper drew back to back walks but Carl Yastrzemski lined out to center. Bob Montgomery grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Tommy Davis grounded out to second to start the top of the second but Don Baylor took strike three, Brooks Robinson flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second as Bernie Carbo struck out swinging to start. Doug Griffin walked, Terry Hughes singled to center and Mario Guerrero singled to center to score Doug. Harper hit a routine grounder that was booted by Robinson for an error to score Hughes. Miller flied out to left and Cooper popped up to short to end the inning with the Sox up 2-0.

                                                                 Guerrero drives in a run

Earl Williams struck out swinging to start the top of the third before Paul Blair struck out swinging. Mark Belanger flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox got another run in the bottom of the third as Yaz flied out to center to start. Montgomery doubled to right before moving to third on the grounder to first by Carbo. Griffin got a base hit to center to score Montgomery but Hughes struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 3-0.

                                                                Griffin drives in a run

The Orioles fought back in the top of the fourth as Bumbry doubled to right to start. Coggins hit a home run all the way to the Azores and Grich smacked a triple to right. Davis hit a sac fly to right to score Grich with the tying run just like that. Baylor grounded out to short and Robinson popped up to third to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                                  Coggins hits one out

Guerrero tried to start a rally in the bottom of the fourth as he doubled to left to start. Harper grounded out to short and Miller hit a comebacker to Palmer who got Guerrero out in a run-down. Miller took second on the play but Cooper struck out swinging to end the inning.

Williams popped up to short to start the top of the fifth before Blair flied out to center. Belanger grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the fifth as Yaz walked to start. Montgomery flied out to center but Carbo doubled to left to move Yaz to third. With the go-ahead run at third....Griffin hit a grounder to third and Yaz retreated but Carbo ran right into Robinson for the out although Doug made it to second. Hughes flied out to right to end the inning.

Bumbry flied out to center to start the top of the sixth before Coggins lined out to center. Grich walked but was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning. The Sox blew another rally in the bottom of the sixth as Guerrero got a base hit to left to begin. Harper dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Guerrero to second. Miller walked but Cooper struck out swinging. Yaz grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

The O's rallied in the top of the seventh as Davis singled to left to start. Baylor flied out to center but Robinson drew a walk. Williams flied out to center but Blair ripped a base hit to center to score Davis with the go-ahead run. That was it for Tiant who allowed 4 runs in 6 2/3 innings of work. He allowed 5 hits and 2 walks. Diego Segui came in to pitch and Belanger grounded out to third to end the inning with the Orioles ahead 4-3.

                                                            Left trailing in the game

The Sox rallied in the bottom of the seventh as Montgomery got a base hit to center to begin. Carbo walked and that was it for Palmer as Doyle Alexander came in to pitch. Griffin flied out to right but Hughes walked to load the bases. Guerrero drew a walk to score Montgomery and tie the game and a passed ball scored Carbo to put the Sox ahead. In what turned out to be the play of the game, Harper struck out swinging. One more run might have ended it. Grant Jackson replaced Alexander and Sox manager Darrell Johnson countered by sending Juan Beniquez to pinch hit for Miller. Beniquez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-4.

                                                              Bob scores to tie it

Beniquez took over in center with Dwight Evans taking over for Carbo in right to start the top of the eighth. Bumbry singled to right to start as Coggins hit a grounder to Griffin.....who did nothing with it and everyone was safe. Grich singled to left to load the bases but Davis popped up to second. Unfortunately Baylor hit a sac fly to left to score Bumbry to tie the game. Robinson popped up to third to end the inning with the game tied 5-5.

                                                          Baylor ties the game again

Cooper struck out swinging to start the bottom of the eighth but Yaz singled to right. Montgomery flied out to right and Evans popped up to Grich in foul territory to end the inning.

Williams walked to start the top of the ninth and Enos Cabell pinch ran for him. Blair popped up a bunt to Cooper but Cabell stole second. Belanger struck out swinging but Bumbry was intentionally walked. Coggins grounded out to second to end the inning. Elrod Hendriks took over behind the plate with Cabell going to first and Baylor to left to start the bottom of the ninth. Griffin popped up to short to start before Hughes flied out to center. Guerrero struck out swinging to end the inning to send the game to extras.

The O's struck in the top of the tenth as Guerrero booted a grounder by Grich to start. Davis smacked a double to left to score Bobby with the go-ahead run. Baylor flied out to right and Robinson popped up to Cooper in foul territory, but Cabell was intentionally walked. Blair forced Cabell at second to end the inning with the O's up 6-5.

                                                                O's take the lead

The Sox answered in the bottom of the tenth although Harper flied out to left to start. Beniquez stepped up and clocked his first home run of the season to tie the game. Cooper got a base hit to center to put the winning run on but Yaz flied out to left. Bob Reynolds came in to pitch to Montgomery and Bob flied out to center to end the inning with the game tied 6-6.

                                                              Juan ties it up

The O's scored again in the top of the 11th although Belanger popped up to first to start. Hendriks hit a ball off Segui for a base hit and Coggins walked to chase Segui. Dick Drago came in to pitch and Grich hit a double play ball to Guerrero. Guerrero flipped to Griffin for the force at second AND HE THREW THE BALL AWAY! Hendriks scored and the O's had the lead again. Davis grounded out to second to end the inning but the O's led 7-6.

                                                             "DAMMIT GRIFFIN!" - Drago

The Sox tried to rally one last time in the bottom of the 11th as Evans singled to center to start. Griffin dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Dwight to second but Hughes struck out swinging. Guerrero walked to put the winning run on.....but Harper struck out swinging to end the game. The O's had won it 7-6 in 11 innings.

Jackass of the Night is Doug Griffin, his error led to the game winning run to score.

                                                                 Jackass Griffin

The Good:

Rick Miller walked twice in four plate appearances.

Juan Beniquez was 1 for 2 with a home run.

Bob Montgomery was 2 for 6 with 2 runs scored.

Bernie Carbo was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Dwight Evans was 1 for 2.

Mario Guerrero was 3 for 4 with 2 rbis, a hit by pitch and a walk.

Dick Drago got the final two outs of the eleventh inning.

The Bad:

Tommy Harper was 0 for 6 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Cecil Cooper was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked.

Carl Yastrzemski was just 1 for 5 with a walk.

Terry Hughes was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Luis Tiant allowed 4 runs in 6 2/3 innings of work. He allowed 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 3.

Diego Segui took the loss but was charged with only one earned run in 3 2/3 innings, being victimized  by two errors.

Final Thoughts:

That game should have been a win for the Sox but bad defense sealed their doom. The error in the 10th and the error in the 11th led to big runs by the O's. You can't give a team like that multiple chances to win a game, because they will. Tiant didn't pitch that great but the lack of clutch hitting for most of the game was a big reason why the game wasn't broke open. The role players like Beniquez, Evans and Guerrero stepped up big time but the errors were just two much. If Griffin doesn't throw the ball away, this game might have kept going. Two years ago a disheartening loss ended up being the difference in the season so hopefully this won't be a game you kick yourself for come September. The Sox look to rebound tomorrow afternoon against the visiting Detroit Tigers. Bill Lee (0-1) takes on Lerrin LaGrow of Detroit at 3:30 PM at Fenway Park.