Sox Late Rally Defeats A's (5/22/82)

On a day when the Boston Red Sox removed their starter with 2 outs in the first inning, they still managed to come back to defeat the Oakland A's. Bob Ojeda lasted just 2/3 of an inning and the Sox trailed 3-0 before even coming to the plate. The Sox had come from behind to win 13 games already this year and this would be number 14. The Sox took advantage of miscues to take the lead in the 2nd inning. The A's tied it in the third but the Sox pulled away in the 8th. Bob Stanley (4-1, 2.83 ERA) pitched 8 1/3 innings of 1 run ball to beat the A's 7-4 at Fenway Park.

                                         President Millard Fillmore approves of the win

Ojeda got the ball in the top of the first and the A's tagged him. Ricky Henderson singled to right and stole second as Davey Lopes took strike three. Henderson swiped third and scored on the Cliff Johnson bloop single. Joe Rudi walked as Bob Stanley began warming in the bullpen. Jeff Newman grounded out to short but both runners moved into scoring position. Both men scored on the ground rule double by Mike Heath. Sox manager Ralph Houk had seen enough and removed Ojeda before it could get any worse. He lasted just 2/3 of an inning and had given up 3 runs. Bob Stanley came in and got Jimmy Sexton to ground into a force to end the inning with the A's ahead 3-0.

                                               Rough day for Ojeda

Bo McLaughlin got his first start in 3 years for the A's and Jerry Remy led off the bottom of the first by grounding out to second to start. Dwight Evans and Jim Rice drew back to back walks. Carl Yastrzemski flied out to right but Evans took third. Carney Lansford walked to load the bases but Dave Stapleton hit a soft line drive to second to end the inning,

Stanley got Rick Bosetti to ground out to third to start he top of the second inning. Fred Stanley singled up the middle before Henderson hit a double play ball to second. Remy flipped to Hoffman who fell down laughing for no reason for an error. Lopes beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners but Johnson grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox exploded in the bottom of the third due to some A's miscues. Rich Gedman hit a seeing eye single to right before Glenn Hoffman hit a routine grounder to Jeff Newman but instead of throwing to first, he panicked and threw the ball into left field for an error. Rick Miller blooped a single to center to load the bases before Remy hit a double play ball to second. Lopes flipped to Stanley WHO DROPPED IT! Gedman scored and everyone was safe on the error. Evans walked home Hoffman before Rice singled home Miller to tie the game. Yaz banged into a double play but Remy scored to give the Sox the lead. Lansford lined out to left but the Sox came back to lead 4-3.

                                                   Oops

The A's tied it in the top of the third inning as Rudi walked to begin. Rudi moved to second on the grounder by Newman and scored on the double to left by Heath. The A's made a boo-boo when Heath tried to steal third but was doubled off second when Sexton lined out to second to end the inning with the game tied 4-4.

                                                           Rudi scores the tying run

The Sox went quietly in the bottom of the third as Stapleton grounded out to third to start. Gedman grounded out to second and Hoffman popped up to short to end the inning.

The Sox got two radically different defensive plays in the top of the fourth inning. Hoffman booted a ground ball by Bosetti for an error but Bob Stanley fielded a bunt from Fred Stanley and somehow turned a double play. Henderson grounded out to third to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fourth inning as Miller lined out to center to start. Remy flied out to left but Evans lashed a single to left. Rice and McLaughlin suddenly had words and had to be separated by the benches. Then Billy Martin went out to talk to McLaughlin which prompted a pissed off Ralph Houk to run out of the dugout and demanded Billy be ejected. Rice then got into it with Heath before things calmed down. When play resumed Rice struck out to end the inning.

                                                         Things get testy

Stanley got Lopes to ground out to second to begin the top of the fifth before Johnson whiffed. Rudi singled to left before Newman grounded out to short to end the inning. Yaz led off the bottom of the fifth by flying out to left before Lansford popped up to first. Stapleton grounded out to short to end the inning.

Stanley returned for the top of the sixth and struck out Heath to start. Wayne Gross pinch hit for Sexton as NBC analyst Bob Costas told the story of how Ralph Houk was the third string catcher for the Yankees in the late 40's and 50's and Roger LaFrancois was the current Red Sox third string catcher. LaFrancois hadn't had an at-bat yet this season while Houk had 29 at-bat in the years he was 3rd string. Houk told Costas that LaFrancois is his own Ralph Houk. Not only that, in 1947 Houk hit a ball off the foul pole that landed in the foul territory stands. The rule at the time was if it bounced foul it was a ground rule double, denying Houk his only home run of his career. The very next year the rule changed to anyone striking the pole is a home run regardless of where it lands. Officially the foul pole rule is the "Ralph Houk rule". After the yarns were spun, Gross walked but Bosetti grounded into a double play to end the inning.

                                                  "I hate foul poles!" - Houk

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the sixth as Gedman grounded out to second to start. Hoffman flied out to center and Miller hit a bullet to first to end the inning.

Danny Goodwin pinch hit for Stanley to start the top of the seventh and struck out. Henderson grounded out to second and Lopes grounded out to short to end the inning. Tony Phillips took over for the bottom of the seventh and Remy whiffed to start. Evans flied out to right before Rice lined out t center to end the inning.

Stanley made the A's beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the eighth inning as Johnson grounded out to short to start. Rudi hit a roller to Lansford who threw wide of first but Stapleton grabbed it and tagged Joe out. Newman grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox rallied to take command in the bottom of the eighth and Yaz got the rally started with a line drive into the right field corner. Yaz caught Rudi asleep and stretched the hit into a double. Reid Nichols pinch ran for Yaz and made it to third on the fly ball by Lansford. Stapleton blooped a single to right to score Nichols with the go-ahead run. Gedman doubled off the Monster and Stapleton made a mad dash home for the insurance run. Hoffman lined out to left but Miller doubled into the right field corner to score Gedman to ice the game. Gross made a hell of a diving catch to rob Remy of a bloop single to end the inning but the Sox put the game away and led 7-4.

                                                Yaz enjoys the rally he started

Stanley came back to finish the job in the top of the ninth and Heath hit a 379 foot out to dead center to start. Gross took Evans to the wall but Dwight snared the out before Dan Meyer pinch hit for Bosetti. Meyer grounded out to second to end the inning. A hell of an effort by Stanley and the Sox rally in the 8th secured the 7-4 win.

                                                   Stanley gets mobbed


Hero of the Night is Bob Stanley. He came in for Ojeda in the first inning and went the distance, allowing just 1 run in 8 1/3 innings.

                                                                Stanley The Hero


The Good:

Dwight Evans was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and an rbi.

Jim Rice was 1 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

Reid Nichols scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth.

Rich Gedman was 2 for 4 with an rbi and 2 runs scored.

Rick Miller was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.



The Bad:

Bob Ojeda was tagged for 3 runs in just 2/3 of an inning.



The Ugly:

Jerry Remy was just 1 for 5 but drove in a run.

Carl Yastrzemski was just 1 for 4 but the one hit started the game winning rally.

Carney Lansford was 0 for 3 but walked.

Glenn Hoffman was 0 for 4 with an error but scored a run.

Dave Stapleton was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run and cored.




Final Thoughts:

That was a hell of an effort by Stanley and a great rally by the Red Sox offense. They needed to pick up Ojeda after he faltered and they did. Not only that, they saved Mark Clear and Luis Aponte for tomorrow if needed. Yaz is having an amazing season at his age and its unlikely he can keep it up all year so the Sox have to ride him while he's hot. Hoffman is on a cold streak but he should bounce of that soon. The Sox are in first place and it feels good to be in the driver's seat for once. The win improved the Sox to 27-13, 1 game in front of the Detroit Tigers for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow the Sox look for the series sweep when they send Dennis Eckersley (4-3) to the mound to take on Mike Norris. The game begins at 2 PM at Fenway Park.

Bannister, Mariners Blank Sox (5/18/82)

The good news was Dennis Eckersley of the Boston Red Sox tossed a complete game against the Seattle Mariners holding them to 3 runs and 7 hits. The bad news was Seattle starter Floyd Bannister pitched the game of his life against the Sox. He tossed a complete game 3 hit shutout allowing just 1 walk and striking out nine batters. Joe Simpson got a first inning rbi off Eckersley and that was all the runs Bannister would need. Bruce Botche hit a home run and Manny Castillo drove in a run in the top of the ninth for the insurance runs. The Sox never came close to doing any damage as the Mariners won this one 3-0 at Fenway Park. How many runs did the Sox score Dean Wormer?

The Mariners wasted no time getting to Eckersley in the top of the first as Bobby Brown got a base hit to right to start. Brown took off for second and catcher Gary Allenson threw the ball away allowing Bobby to take third. Joe Simpson grounded out to second to score Brown to put the Mariners up for good already. Bruce Bochte took strike three but Al Cowens doubled to left. Steve Stroughter flied out to left to end the inning with the Mariners up 1-0.

                                                            Mariners strike first

Bannister got the ball to start the bottom of the first and Jerry Remy struck out swinging to start. Dwight Evans grounded out to second and Jim Rice struck out swinging to end the inning.

Todd Cruz hit one up the elevator shaft to start the top of the second and Manny Castillo struck out swinging. Terry Bulling grounded out to short to end the inning. Tony Perez got a base hit to left to start the bottom of the second but Carney Lansford popped up to first in foul territory. Dave Stapleton grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Julio Cruz struck out swinging to start the top of the third and Brown grounded to first. Simpson flied out to left to end the inning. Glenn Hoffman walked to start the bottom of the third but Allenson struck out swinging. Reid Nichols grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Mariners got another run in the top of the fourth as Bochte hit a home run into the Charles River to ice the game. Cowens flied out to right, Stroughter lined out to first and Todd Cruz flied out to end the inning with the Mariners up 2-0.

                                                              Home run Bochte

Remy flied out to left to start the bottom of the fourth but Evans doubled to right. Rice flied out to center and Perez grounded out to second to end the inning.

Castillo grounded out to second to start the top of the fifth and Bulling popped up to first. Julio Cruz struck out swinging to end the inning. Lansford grounded out to short to start the bottom of the fifth and Stapleton grounded back to the mound. Hoffman struck out swinging to end the inning.

Brown popped up to first on a bunt attempt to start the top of the sixth and Simpson lined out to first. Bochte walked, stole second and took second when Cowens walked. Stroughter took strike three to end the inning. Allenson grounded out to third to start the bottom of the sixth and Nichols flied out to left. Remy took strike three to end the inning.

Todd Cruz grounded out to short to start the top of the seventh but Castillo singled to left. Bulling forced Castillo at second but Julio Cruz got a base hit to right. Brown flied out to right to end the inning. Evans hit one up the elevator shaft to start the bottom of the seventh and Rice flied out to center. Perez grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Simpson's bunt attempt was snuffed out by Eckersley to start the top of the eighth but Bochte singled to right. Cowens grounded into a double play to end the inning. Bannister dominated the bottom of the eighth as Lansford, Stapleton and Hoffman all struck out swinging in short order.

Eckersley returned to complete the game in the top of the ninth. Stroughter struck out swinging but Todd Cruz tripled to left. Castillo hit a sac fly to right to score Cruz but Bulling flied out to center to end the inning with the Mariners up 3-0. Eckersley held the Mariners to 3 runs off 7 hits.

                                                                    Eck deserved better

Bannister came back to finish the bottom of the ninth and Allenson struck out swinging to start. Nichols got a base hit to left but Remy popped up the bunt to second. Evans popped up to first to end the game. The Mariners had won it 3-0.

Jackass of The Night is Gary Allenson. He was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts and his error in the first allowed the first one to score.

                                                               Jackass Allenson

The Good:

Tony Perez was 1 for 3.

Reid Nichols was 1 for 3.

One of the rare times the losing pitcher ends up on the Good list but Dennis Eckersley tossed a complete game 7 hitter allowing just 3 runs.

The Bad:

Jerry Remy was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Jim Rice was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Carney Lansford was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Dave Stapleton was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Dwight Evans was just 1 for 4.

Glenn Hoffman was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Final Thoughts:

Not much you can do about this one but tip your cap to a hell of a game pitched by Bannister. He was damn near unhittable and the Sox barely got anyone to second base. Eckersley pitched solid but just didn't get any run support in this one. Allenson throwing the ball away in the first inning set the tone although the Sox weren't going to score much in this one. Once again, give all the credit in the world to the Mariners for getting the hits when they needed and the pitching of Bannister. The less said about this one, the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 23-13, percentage points behind the Detroit Tigers for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow night when Chuck Rainey goes for the Sox against Larry Andersen of Seattle. The game begins at 7:00 PM at Fenway Park.

Royals Blast Red Sox (5/13/82)

Maybe the Boston Red Sox are getting tired. In the midst of a ten game, three city road trip that's taken them from Texas to Minnesota, tonight the Kansas City Royals whacked the Red Sox real bad. Riding a six run bottom of the first, the Royals rode Dave Frost to victory as the ineffective Chuck Rainey (3-1, 3.62 ERA) failed to make it out of the first inning. Bruce Hurst took a beating in relief and the Royals rolled over the Sox 11-2 at Royals Stadium.

The Sox did nothing against Frost in the top of the first inning as Jerry Remy flied out to left to begin.  Dwight Evans whiffed and Jim Rice flied out to right to end the inning. Rainey had nothing in the bottom of the first as Willie Wilson singled and stole second to start. John Wathan caught the Sox napping with a bunt single to put runners at the corners before Wathan stole second. George Brett singled Wilson home and Willie Aikens singled home Wathan. Somehow Amos Otis looked at strike three before Hal McRae singled home Brett. Jerry Martin whiffed before Frank White doubled home Aikens. Onix Concepcion doubled home McRae and Sox manager Ralph Houk had finally seen enough. Chuck got hammered for 6 runs in just 2/3 of an inning, yuck! Bruce Hurst came in and got Wilson to ground back to the mound to end the inning but the game was over already 6-0.

                                                           "I sucked tonight" - Rainey

The Sox did nothing in the top of the second as Tony Perez popped up to second to begin.  Carney Lansford flied out to right but Dave Stapleton singled and took second on a wild pitch. Glenn Hoffman flied out to center to end the inning. Hurst cruised in the bottom of the second as Wathan grounded out to second to start. Brett grounded out to third before Aikens watched strike three go by to end the inning.

Frost cruised in the top of the third as Rich Gedman lined out to left to start. Rick Miller grounded out to short before Remy grounded out to first to end the inning. The Royals struck again in the bottom of the third as Otis doubled to start and McRae singled him home. Hurst recovered to get Martin to pop up to third before striking out White. Concepcion grounded out to short to end the inning with the Royals ahead 7-0.

The Sox finally got on the board in the top of the fourth although Evans popped up to short to begin. Rice grounded back to the mound but Perez drew a walk. Lansford doubled home Perez to put Boston on the board. Stapleton flied out to left to end the inning but it was 7-1 Royals.

                                                           Lansford isn't ready to quit

Wilson singled to open the bottom of the fourth but Wathan grounded into a double play. Brett grounded out to first to end the inning.

Frost cruised in the top of the fifth as Hoffman grounded out to third to start. Gedman grounded out to second before Miller flied out to left to end the inning. The Royals tagged Hurst in the bottom of the fifth although Aikens grounded out to second to begin. Otis doubled and McRae singled him in before Martin singled Hal to third. White scored McRae with a sac fly and a wild pitch moved Martin to third. Concepcion grounded out to short to end the inning but it was 9-1 Kansas City.

The Sox failed to score in the top of the sixth as Remy grounded out to second to begin. Evans singled to left but Rice popped up to first. Perez singled but Lansford popped up to second to end the inning. Wilson singled to start the bottom of the sixth and Wathan whiffed, but Brett drew a walk. Brett was so bored that he shook his head and left the game with Greg Pryor running for him. Aikens grounded back to the mound and Otis flied out to left to end the inning.

Frost cruised in the top of the seventh as Stapleton popped up to left, Hoffman popped up to third and Gedman popped up to left to end the inning. The Royals got to Hurst again in the bottom of the seventh although McRae grounded out to short to start. Martin whiffed before White doubled. Concepcion singled home White before he too got bored. He threw his hands up at the Sox and left the game, Tim Ireland running for him. Wilson doubled home Ireland to wrap up the scoring for Kansas City. Wathan flied out to center to end the inning but it was 11-1 Kansas City, what a massacre.

                                                          5 runs allowed by Hurst

Ireland moved to third with Pryor at short as the Sox actually got a run in the top of the eighth. Miller singled and took second on the grounder by Remy. Evans singled home Miller to cut the lead. Rice flied out to right and Perez popped up to second to end the inning with the Sox down 11-2.

                                                             Evans gets a run back

Luis Aponte relieved Hurst in the bottom of the eighth and struck out Pryor to start. Aikens struck out but Otis walked. McRae flied out to right to end the inning.

Grant Jackson came in to close it out in the top of the ninth. Lansford singled but Stapleton flied out to left. Hoffman and Gedman both struck out to end the game. The Royals plastered the Red Sox 11-2.

Jackass of the Night is Chuck Rainey. He got lit up for 6 runs in just 2/3 of an inning, woof!

                                                 Nice start, Jackass


The Good:

Dwight Evans was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Tony Perez was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Carney Lansford was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Rick Miller was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Luis Aponte pitched a scoreless 8th inning.



The Bad:

Jerry Remy was 0 for 4.

Jim Rice was 0 for 4.

Glenn Hoffman was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Rich Gedman was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Bruce Hurst allowed 5 runs in 6 1/3 innings.



The Ugly:

Dave Stapleton was just 1 for 4.




Final Thoughts:

What a disaster. Its been a long road trip for sure but the Sox looked tired in this one. They looked stuck in the mud on offense and neither Rainey nor Hurst could get anyone out. The Royals pounded out 11 runs on 17 hits and the Sox could muster just 2 runs on 7 hits. The Sox better hope Rainey can pitch better than THAT moving forward. Still, the Sox are still in first and that's all that matters for the moment. The loss dropped the Sox to 22-11, 2.5 games ahead of the Detroit Tigers for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow the Sox look to bounce back when Mike Torrez (2-2) battles Vida Blue at 1:30 PM at Royals Stadium.

Sox Edge Rangers (5/9/82)

In a game a little too close for comfort, the Boston Red Sox still found a way to win a non-conventional pitcher's duel against the Texas Rangers. John Tudor, Bob Stanley (3-1, 3.18 ERA) and Mark Clear combined on a 9 hit shutout of the Rangers. Tony Perez drove in the game's only run off old friend Frank Tanana and the Sox continued their winning ways by edging the Rangers 1-0 at Arlington Park.

                                                Officer Fish approves of the win

Tanana greeted Jerry Remy in the top of the first inning by getting him to fly out to left to start. Dwight Evans looked at strike three but Jim Rice singled to left. Tony Perez popped up to second to end the inning. Tudor took the mound in the bottom of the first and struck out George Wright to start. Bill Stein and Buddy Bell stroked back to back singles but Lamar Johnson hit one up the elevator shaft. Jim Sundberg walked to load the bases. Leon Roberts lined out to left to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the second inning as Carney Lansford grounded out to short to begin. Dave Stapleton grounded out to third and Glenn Hoffman whiffed to end the inning. Bob Johnson walked to start the bottom of the second but Larry Parrish struck out. The alert Tudor picked off Johnson before Mark Wagner popped up to first to end the inning.

Gary Allenson singled to open the top of the third and moved to second on the sacrifice bunt by Rick Miller. Remy lined out to second and Evans grounded out to short to end the inning. Tudor cruised in the bottom of the third as Wright flied out to left to begin. Stein grounded out to first and Bell grounded out to short to end the inning.

Tanana cruised in the top of the fourth inning as Rice struck out to start. Perez flied out to center and Lansford grounded out to third to end the inning. Johnson lined out to short to begin the bottom of the fourth but Sundberg singled to center. Sundberg was forced at second by Roberts before Johnson flied out to left to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fifth inning as Stapleton lined out to third to begin. Hoffman flied out to center and Allenson grounded out to third to end the inning. Tudor got in trouble in the bottom of the fifth as Parrish singled to left to begin. Wagner forced Parrish at seond but Wright doubled. Stein struck out but Bell was intentionally walked to load the bases. Sox manager Ralph Houk had seen enough and pulled Tudor. Bob Stanley came in and got Johnson to ground out to short to end the inning. Tudor wouldn't get credit for the win but did manage to pitch 4 2/3 innings of shutout ball.

                                                             Not great but it'll do

The Sox struck first in the top of the sixth inning although Miller grounded out to second to begin.  Remy popped up to third but Evans walked and Rice singled. Perez doubled home Evans for the only run of the game. Lansford walked before Stapleton grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                         Perez drives a run in

Sundberg singled to center to open the bottom of the sixth inning before being sacrificed to second by Roberts. Pat Putnam pinch hit for Johnson only to ground out to second. Johnny Grubb pinch hit for Parrish only to ground out to second to end the inning.

Grubb took over in left with Roberts moving to right to begin the top of the seventh inning. Hoffman flied out to left, Allenson grounded out to second and Miller flied out to right to end the inning. Stanley cruised in the bottom of the seventh as Wagner grounded out to third to begin. Wright looked at strike three before Stein flied out to right to end the inning.

Tanana came out for the top of the eighth inning and got Remy to fly out to center to end his outing. Tanana pitched well but didn't get any run support. Danny Darwin came in and walked Evans but Rice watched strike three go by. Perez grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Bell singled to  center to begin the bottom of the eighth but was erased at second on a failed bunt by Johnson. Billy Sample pinch ran for Johnson and was thrown out trying to steal by the alert Allenson. The pain in the ass Sundberg beat out an infield single to third but Roberts flied out to left to end the inning. Good work by Stanley to pick up where Tudor left off.

                                                          Stanley gets it done

The Sox did nothing in the top of the ninth as Lansford flied out to center to start. Stapleton grounded out to second and Hoffman grounded out to first to end the inning. Stanley returned for the bottom of the ninth and got Putnam to ground out to second to begin. Grubb doubled to left to chase Stanley and put the tying run at second. Houk took no chances and brought in Mark Clear to get the save. Lee Mazzilli pinch hit for Wagner and watched strike three go by. Wright struck out to end the game with the Sox holding on to win 1-0.

Hero of the Night is Tony Perez. His rbi double was the difference in the game.

                                                            Tony The Hero


The Good:

Dwight Evans walked twice in four plate appearances and scored the only run.

Jim Rice was 2 for 4.

Gary Allenson was 1 for 3.

John Tudor piched 4 2/3 scoreless innings.

Bob Stanley pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings to earn the win.

Mark Clear got his 5th save with 2/3 of a scoreless innings.



The Bad:

Jerry Remy was 0 for 4.

Dave Stapleton was 0 for 4.

Glenn Hoffman was 0 for 4.

Rick Miller was 0 for 2.



The Ugly:

Carney Lansford was 0 for 3 but walked.




Final Thoughts:

That was too close for comfort but a win is a win. As great as the Sox pitching was to hold the Rangers scoreless, the offense mustered just 4 hits and a single run. 9 times out of 10 that's not good enough to win but today was the tenth time. Houk made the right move by lifting Tudor as Stanley got the job done in relief. Hopefully the Sox get more runs tomorrow because they are going to need it. The win improved the Sox to 20-9, 2.5 games ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Sox head to Minnesota for a set with the Twins. Mike Torrez goes for the Sox up against Roger Erickson at 8:00 PM Eastern Time at the Metrodome.

Sox Drop Twins For Fifth Straight Win (5/4/82)

How about those first place Boston Red Sox? The Sox won their fifth straight game and second straight over the Minnesota Twins. Bruce Hurst (1-0, 2.66 ERA) won his first game of the season tossing 7 innings of 3 run ball although none of the runs were earned. A wild pitch by Minnesota starter Pete Redfern scored Dwight Evans in the bottom of the first but the Twins scored 3 runs in the second after a passed ball and an error by Jerry Remy. The Sox got four runs in the bottom of the third highlighted by a Glenn Hoffman two run single to put Boston ahead. Hurst held the fort for seven innings before giving way to Luis Aponte. Luis slammed the door in the top of the ninth and the Sox had won it 5-3 at Fenway Park.

                                                      Kirsten Baker approves of the win

Hurst got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jim Eisenreich grounded to short to start. John Castino flied out to center and Gary Ward flied out to right to end the inning. Redfern got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jerry Remy grounded back to the mound to start. Dwight Evans walked and Jim Rice got a base hit to right, moving Evans to third on a error by Ward. A wild pitch scored Evans and moved Rice to third and Carl Yastrzemski walked, but Carney Lansford hit a bullet to second. Yaz was doubled off first to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                                Evans scores a run

The Twins struck back in the top of the second as Kent Hrbek got a base hit to left to start. Jesus Vega  got a base hit to right and both runners moved over on a passed ball. Gary Gaetti hit a sac fly to center to score Hrbek to tie the game but Sal Butera lined out to center. Remy booted a grounder by Ron Washington for an error to score Vega and Lenny Faedo got a base hit to center. Eisenreich got a base hit to center to score Washington and moved up to second on the throw. Castino grounded out to short to end the inning with the Twins up 3-1.

                                                                Washington scores a run

The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the second as Dave Stapleton grounded out to short to start. Glenn Hoffman struck out swinging but Rich Gedman doubled to center. Rick Miller got a base hit to right to put runners at the corners but Remy struck out swinging to end the inning.

Ward flied out to right to start the top of the third and Hrbek did the same. Vega struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the third with Bobby Mitchell in for Eisenreich. Evans got a base hit to center and Rice reached on an error by Washington. Yaz grounded out to second to move the runners over but Lansford got a base hit to center to score Evans, moving Rice to third. Stapleton doubled to left to score Rice and Hoffman got a base hit to right to score both Dave and Lansford to put Boston ahead. Gedman grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-3.

                                                           Hoffman gives the Sox the lead

Gaetti grounded out to short to start the top of the fourth and Butera flied out to right. Washington singled in the hole at short and Faedo doubled off the Monster, but Mitchell struck out swinging to end the inning. Miller grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the fourth and Remy took strike three. Evans flied out to center to end the inning.

Castino struck out swinging to start the top of the fifth and Ward lined out to center. Hrbek grounded out to first to end the inning. Rice grounded out to second to open the bottom of the fifth but Yaz walked. Lansford forced Yaz at second and was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning.

Vega lined out to center to start the top of the sixth but Lansford booted a grounder by Gaetti for an error to move Gary to second. Butera flied out to right and Washington grounded out to third to end the inning. Stapleton doubled off the Monster to start the bottom of the sixth but Hoffman flied out to right. Gedman grounded out to first to move Stapleton to third but Miller also grounded out to first to end the inning.

Hurst returned for one final inning in the top of the seventh as Faedo grounded out to short to start. Mitchell walked but was forced at second by Castino. Ward grounded out to first to end the inning. That was it for Hurst who allowed 3 unearned runs off 7 hits and a walk in 7 strong innings.

                                                                   Great work Hurst

Remy grounded out to first to start the bottom of the seventh but Evans walked. Rice grounded out to third to move Dwight to second and that was it for Redfern. Ron Davis came in to pitch to Yaz and Carl grounded out to first to end the inning.

Luis Aponte came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Hrbek took strike three to start. Vega got a base hit to right but was forced at second by Gaetti. Butera flied out to right to end the inning. Lansford flied out to right to open the bottom of the eighth and Stapleton popped up to third. Hoffman lined out to second to end the inning.

Aponte returned to close out the top of the ninth and Randy Bush pinch hit for Washington. Bush grounded out to first and Rob Wilfong pinch hit for Faedo. Wilfong popped up to short but Mitchell walked to bring the tying run to the plate. Castino flied out to center to end the game. The Sox had won the game 5-3.

Hero of The Night is Bruce Hurst. He held the Twins to 3 runs in 7 innings and none of the runs were earned off 7 hits and a walk

                                                                      Hero Hurst

The Good:

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

Carl Yastrzemski walked twice in four plate appearances.

Dave Stapleton was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Rich Gedman was 1 for 3.

Rick Miller was 1 for 3.

Luis Aponte earned his third save with 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Jerry Remy was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts and an error.

The Ugly:

Jim Rice was just 1 for 4 with a run scored.

Carney Lansford was just 1 for 4 with an error but drove in a run and scored a run.

Glenn Hoffman was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in 2 runs.

Final Thoughts:

Good work by Hurst to pick up his first win of the season and the Sox are going to need him to take the next step if they hope to continue their winning ways. The Sox are still waiting for Dennis Eckersley to return to form but getting one of the young guns hot like Hurst could decide the AL East when all is said and done. The offense didn't do anything outrageous but they scored the runs when they had to and more importantly, kept them off the board. The Sox were an eyelash from the playoffs last year and that's fresh on their minds, they don't want another September collapse. One of the ways to avoid a collapse is not stink in the early part of the season. Hopefully the Sox can keep the momentum going because the Sox haven't had much to cheer about in years. The win improved the Sox to 17-7, 2 games in front of the Detroit Tigers for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it six wins in a row and a series sweep of the Twins tomorrow night when Mike Torrez (2-1) takes on Roger Erickson of the Twins. The game begins at 7:30 PM at Fenway Park.