Sox Walkoff A's in Ninth, Sweep Series (4/21/94)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. The struggling Greg Blosser was sent down to Pawtucket and super utility man Bob Zupcic was called up to replace him. Blosser was 1 for 11 and the plan was to get the 22 year old more playing time in Pawtucket before bringing him back another time.

                                                                   OUT

                                                                     IN

It was a good day for Boston sports as the Boston Bruins defeated the Patrick Roy-less Montreal Canadiens in Game 3 of their first round NHL playoff series. As for baseball, woah, who saw THIS coming for the Boston Red Sox? A day after Roger Clemens beats the Oakland A's with a 2 hit shutout, the Red Sox offense comes alive and beats one of the best closers in the game. Sox starter Joe Hesketh got lit up for 5 runs and got knocked out in the fourth inning thanks to some pretty lousy defense. Trailing 4-0, the Sox mounted a comeback by getting four runs in the sixth thanks to John Valentin and Tim Naehring. With one out in the bottom of the ninth against old friend Dennis Eckersley, Andre Dawson smacked a pinch hit rbi double to tie the game and Otis Nixon knocked him in with a double of his own to win the game 6-5 at Fenway Park.

                                                  Neriah Davis approves of the win

Hesketh got the ball in the top of the first inning and Rickey Henderson led off by grounding out to third. John Wathan was shown to be the acting manager today as Butch Hobson was home mourning a death in the family. Stan Javier grounded back to the mound but Geronimo Berroa doubled to the left field wall. Mark McGwire walked but Ruben Sierra struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                                    No Hobson today

Bobby Witt got the start for Oakland and Otis Nixon led off the top of the first by grounding out to short. Billy Hatcher grounded out to third and Mike Greenwell flied out to center to end the inning.

Terry Steinbach grounded out to short to start the top of the second and Scott Brosius struck out swinging. Mo Vaughn dropped a pop up by Mike Bordick for an error but Hesketh struck him out swinging to end the inning anyway. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the second as Mo Vaughn got a base hit to right field to start. Tim Naehring walked but Damon Berryhill flied out to center. John Valentin popped up to third but Scott Cooper walked to load the bases. Dave Valle grounded into a force to end the inning.

The A's struck first in the top of the third as Scott Hemond hit a bullet to Valentin to start. Henderson walked but was forced at second by Javier. Sox analyst Bob Kurtz told fans that Sox pitching prospect Frankie Rodriguez was no-hitting the Columbus Clippers through six innings, good for him. Javier took off for second and Valle turned around and threw the ball into the net behind the plate for an error to advance Stan to third. Naturally Javier scored on the base hit by Berroa to give the A's the lead. McGwire took strike three to end the inning but it was 1-0 A's.

                                                       Javier scores.

Nixon tried to bunt his way on but Witt snuffed it out to start the bottom of the third. Hatcher was plunked and hobbled around in pain. John Wathan sprinted out of the dugout and asked if Billy was okay and Hatcher said he's good. Hatcher was thrown out trying to steal and Greenwell struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                                 Hatcher "Owwowowowowwwwwww!!!"

The A's struck back in the top of the fourth as Kurtz reported Columbus Clippers catcher Jorge Posada broke up Rodriguez' no hitter down in Pawtucket. Sierra flied out to center but Steinbach slapped a single to right. Brosius flied out to left but Nixon dropped a blooper by Bordick that counted as an rbi "double". Hemond hit a routine grounder to Cooper who threw his glove on the ball and dropped an elbow on it for an error to put runners at the corners. Henderson singled Hemond to third and stole second before both runners scored on the double down the left field line by Javier. That was it for Hesketh who got no help from his defense but was out after allowing 5 runs in 3 2/3 innings. Paul Quantrill came in and Berroa popped up to second to end the inning with the A's ahead 5-0.

                                                              Not Joe's best outing

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the fourth as Vaughn struck out swinging to start. Naehring took strike three but Berryhill walked. Valentin took strike three to end the inning.

McGwire walked to start the top of the fifth but Sierra flied out to left. Steinbach singled to center but Brosius banged into a double play to end the inning. Cooper flied out to center to start the bottom of the fifth and Valle struck out swinging. Nixon doubled to left but Hatcher flied out to center to end the inning.

Bordick singled to left to begin the top of the sixth and took second on a passed ball, but Hemond grounded out to short. Henderson struck out swinging and Javier took strike three to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the sixth as Greenwell walked to start. Vaughn dumped a base hit to center and Greenwell motored around to third, Vaughn taking second on the throw. Naehring hit a bullet off the Monster to score both runners to put the Sox on the board. Berryhill flied out to left but Valentin singled to left to chase Witt. Steve Ontiveros came in and Cooper hit a shot into the right field corner. Naehring and Valentin scored but Cooper was thrown out at third trying to stretch a triple. Valle took strike three to end the inning but the Sox were back in it 5-4.

                                                             Yerrrrr out!

Berroa grounded out to short to begin the top of the seventh and McGwire took strike three. Sierra flied out to center to end the inning. Nixon singled to left to start the bottom of the seventh and A's manager Tony La Russa took Ontiveros out. John Briscoe came in and Hatcher flied out to right. Greenwell banged into a double play to end the inning.

Scott Bankhead came in to pitch the top of the eighth inning and Steinbach flied out to right to start. Brosius grounded out to second but Bordick singled to center. Hemond flied out to center to end the inning. Vaughn flied out to center to begin the bottom of the eighth but Naehring walked. Berryhill banged into a double play to end the inning.

Bankhead returned for the top of the ninth and Henderson flied out to left to start. Javier blooped a single past a diving Naehring and Berroa walked. Old buddy Mike Brumley pinch ran for Berroa but McGwire struck out swinging. Sierra grounded out to short to end the inning.

                                                         Good work Bankhead

Dennis Eckersley came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Valentin flied out to center to start. Cooper grounded a base hit to right that was bobbled by Sierra, Cooper taking second on the error. Lee Tinsley pinch ran for Cooper and Roger Clemens gave Cooper an interesting look in the dugout.

                                                    Insane Roger Clemens

Andre Dawson pinch hit for Valle and doubled off the right field barrier on the first pitch to tie the game. Scott Fletcher pinch ran for Dawson and Nixon doubled just inside the first base bag to score Fletcher with the winning run. The Sox had beaten Eckersley and the A's 6-5.

                                                         Sox win, Eck can't believe it

The Co-Heroes of the Night are Andre Dawson and Otis Nixon. Dawson came off the bench ice cold to tie the game and Nixon won it one at-bat later.

                                                      Hero 1: Dawson

                                                     Hero 2: Nixon

The Good:

Mo Vaughn was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Tim Naehring was 1 for 2 with 2 walks, 2 rbis and a run scored.

Scott Cooper was 2 for 3 with a walk and 2 rbis.

Lee Tinsley scored the tying run as a pinch runner

Scott Fletcher scored the winning run as a pinch runner.

Paul Quantrill tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings.

Scott Bankhead got the win with 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Dave Valle was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Joe Hesketh got lit up by allowing 5 runs in 3 2/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Billy Hatcher was 0 for 3 but was hit with a pitch.

Mike Greenwell was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked and scored.

Damon Berryhill was 0 for 3 but walked.

John Valentin was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

Not much was expected of the Boston Red Sox this year considering their misery the last two seasons, but at least they're starting April pretty well so far. Clemens looked great last night and knocking off Dennis Eckersley tonight is nothing to sneeze at. The defense needs to be cleaned up but there shouldn't be too many games with 3 errors. Kudos to Quantrill and Bankhead for holding the fort after Hesketh was knocked out. They tossed a combined 5 1/3 shutout innings and kept Oakland off the scoreboard the rest of the way. Dawson's got a pretty bad knee so for him to contribute like that deserves a lot of credit. The hardest job in baseball is to come off the bench ice cold and hit one of the best closers in the game. Nixon carried the offense today with all his hits and the Sox are going be in good shape if he can get back to where he was with the Atlanta Braves. Sweeping the A's out of Fenway was fun but the California Angels come to town next for a set. Frank Viola goes for the Sox against Chuck Finley of the Angels tomorrow night at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Clemens Pitches Gem, Shuts Out A's (4/20/94)

Looks like The Rocket is back. After a sub-standard 1993 season, Roger Clemens (2-0, 4.23 ERA) looked like himself in tonight's game against the Oakland A's. Clemens was masterful, tossing a complete game 2 hit shutout against the A's while Scott Cooper and John Valentin knocked in the only runs needed. It was a brilliant pitcher's duel between Clemens and Steve Karsay with the Sox coming out on top 2-0 at Fenway Park.

                                                Simon Phoenix approves of the win

Clemens took the ball in the top of the first and Rickey Henderson led the game off with a full count walk. Stan Javier struck out swinging as Sox broadcaster Bob Kurtz pointed out the last time Clemens beat the A's. Ruben Sierra popped up to Tim Naehring in foul territory before Troy Neel lined out to a running Lee Tinsley to end the inning. Karsay took the mound in the bottom of the first and Otis Nixon swung and missed for strike three to begin. Billy Hatcher singled down the left field line but was called out at second trying to steal. Replays showed Hatcher was safe but the call stood as Greenwell grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Clemens turned up the heat in the top of the second and Mike Aldrete swung halfheartedly for strike three to begin. Terry Steinbach went down swinging and Mike Brumley was frozen for strike three to end the inning. Mo Vaughn walked to begin the bottom of the second but Tim Naehring flied out to center. Scott Cooper and John Valentin both struck out swinging to end the inning.

Mike Bordick led off the top of the third by grounding out to second to start. Scott Hemond was rung up for strike three on the inside corner before Henderson grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the third as Lee Tinsley grounded out to second to start. Dave Valle fell down while striking out swinging before Nixon popped up to left to end the inning.

                                                      Down goes Valle

Javier led off the top of the fourth by dumping a base hit to right but Tinsley ran down a Sierra liner. Javier took second on a grounder to Naehring by Neel before Aldrete grounded out to Vaughn to end the inning with Clemens at 69 pitches. Hatcher grounded out to short to begin the bottom of the fourth before Greenwell grounded out to second. Vaughn was rung up on a nasty pitch on the corner to end the inning.

Steinbach led off the top of the fifth by popping up to Vaughn in foul territory to start. Brumley poked a base hit to center before Hatcher ran down a liner by Bordick, losing his hat and exposing his bald head in the process. Hemond was so distracted by Hatcher's head that he took strike three to end the inning.

                                                  Hatcher's head

Karsay stayed tough in the bottom of the fifth as Naehring was thrown out by Bordick on a bang bang play at first to start. Cooper flied out to left but Valentin broke his bat on a bloop single to center. Tinsley whiffed to end the inning.

Henderson accidently check swinged a liner to Vaughn to start the top of the sixth before Javier damn near beat out a routine grounder to Naehring. Sierra was rung up for strike three to end the inning. Javier robbed Valle of a hit with a great running catch to start the bottom of the sixth before Nixon was called out on strikes. Hatcher motored around for a scintillating triple but Greenwell grounded out to first to end the inning.

Clemens remained strong in the top of the seventh as Neel whiffed to begin. Aldrete grounded out to second but Steinbach drew a walk. Brumley grounded into a force to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the seventh as Vaughn doubled off the ladder hanging from the Monster to start. Naehring dropped down a bunt to move Vaughn to third and he scored on the sac fly by Cooper. Valentin then cracked his second home run of the year into the screen in left to increase the lead. Tinsley grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                  Valentin goes yard

Could Clemens pitch with the lead in the top of the eighth? YES! Bordick grounded out to short on a nice pick by Vaughn before Geronimo Berroa pinch hit for Hermond. Berroa grounded out to second before Henderson took his sweet time getting in the batter's box. Clemens let him know by buzzing him high and inside before Rickey grounded out to third to end the inning. Junior Noboa took over at second for the bottom of the eighth as Valle beat out an infield single to start. Nixon popped up a bunt attempt but Hatcher singled to left. Greenwell popped up to short before Vaughn whiffed to end the inning. Karsay pitched well but just wasn't good enough.

Clemens returned to finish his masterpiece in the top of the ninth as Javier was rung up for strike three much to Stan's chagrin. Sierra grounded out to short and Neel was called out on strikes to end the game. That was the 55th time Clemens struck out at least ten batters and the Sox had won the game 2-0.

                                                    Another shutout for Roger


Hero of the Night is Roger Clemens. He tossed a complete game 2 hit shutout while walking two and striking out 10 batters.

                                                         Rocket Hero


The Good:

Billy Hatcher was 3 for 4.

Mo Vaughn was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

John Valentin was 2 for 3 with a solo home run.

Dave Valle was 1 for 3.



The Bad:

Otis Nixon was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Mike Greenwell was 0 for 4.

Tim Naehring was 0 for 2.

Lee Tinsley was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.



The Ugly:

Scott Cooper was 0 for 2 but drove in a run.




Final Thoughts:

Lousy offense today but a wonderful pitcher's duel with some good catches thrown in. Clemens looked like himself for the first time all season and that's a good thing considering what the rest of the rotation looks like. Unless Aaron Sele is the next stud, it doesn't look good for this year moving forward. One thing for sure is the Sox need to draft a catcher or something because they haven't had much out of that spot once Tony Pena deteriorated. As for this game, not much to say other than Clemens looked great. A win is a win and it was a good one. Tomorrow afternoon Joe Hesketh goes for the Sox against Bobby Witt of the A's as the Sox look to sweep the series at 1:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Survive Scary Ninth (4/15/94)

That was too close for comfort for the Boston Red Sox. On a night when Roger Clemens (1-0, 6.27 ERA) rediscovered his form against the Chicago White Sox, the White Sox almost pulled off a comeback. Clemens held the ChiSox to just 1 run in 8 dominant innings while the BoSox got to their starter Alex Fernandez. Tim Naehring opened the salvo with a home run in the second inning while Otis Nixon knocked in another run. Clemens surrendered a Frank Thomas home run but a two run double by Billy Hatcher and sac fly by Mike Greenwell seemed to put the game out of reach. Then in the ninth inning, Greg Harris gave up a two run bomb to Julio Franco to cut the lead. Jeff Russell got the final out and BoSox beat the ChiSox 5-3 at Fenway Park.

                                                    Alyssa Milano approves of the win

Clemens got the ball in the top of the first inning and Tim Raines led off with a grounder to second. Joey Cora flied out to center but Frank Thomas walked. Julio Franco forced Frank at second to end the inning. Fernandez got the ball in the bottom of the first as Otis Nixon lined out to center to begin. Hatcher beat out a roller to short but Mike Greenwell forced Billy at second. Mo Vaughn drew a walk but Andre Dawson forced Mo at second to end the inning.

Robin Ventura took strike three to start the top of the second but some idiot grabbed a ball hit by Dan Pasqua for a ground rule double. Lance Johnson lined out to left and Mike Lavalliere grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Boston struck first in the bottom of the second as Scott Cooper grounded out to second to start. Naehring then clubbed his second home run of the season to put the BoSox on top. Damon Berryhill doubled to right, John Valentin walked and Nixon got a base hit to left to score Damon for another run. Hatcher grounded into a double play to end the inning but Boston now led 2-0.

                                                               Naehring hits one out

Ozzie Guillen grounded out to third to start the top of the third and Raines took strike three. Cora grounded out to short to end the inning. Greenwell struck out swinging to open the bottom of the third but Vaughn ripped a base hit to left. Dawson hit into a double play to end the inning.

Thomas popped up to second to start the top of the fourth before Franco grounded out to short. Ventura grounded out to second to end the inning. Cooper flied out to right to start the bottom of the fourth before Naehring flied out to right. Berryhill took strike three to end the inning.

Clemens blew away Pasqua and Johnson to start the top of the fifth and LaValliere flied out to center to end the inning. Valentin flied out to center to start the bottom of the fifth and Nixon lined out to short. Hatcher singled to center but Greenwell struck out swinging to end the inning.

Guillen grounded out to short to start the top of the sixth before Raines struck out swinging. Cora struck out swinging to end the inning. Vaughn hit a seeing eye single up the middle to start the bottom of the sixth but Dawson popped up to third in foul territory. Cooper lined out to center and Vaughn was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning.

The White Sox got one back in the top of the seventh as Thomas hit a home run all the way to El Savador to cut the lead. Franco grounded out to first, Ventura grounded back to the mound and Pasqua flied out to center to end the inning with the White Sox down 2-1.

                                                                Thomas drives in a run

The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the seventh as Naehring singled to right to start. Berryhill popped up the bunt to the catcher but Valentin ripped a base hit to center to put runners at the corners. Nixon walked to load the bases and Hatcher scored Naehring and Valentin with a double to left. That was it for Fernandez as Paul Assenmacher came in to face Greenwell. Mike scored Nixon with a sac fly but Vaughn popped up to third to end the inning with the Sox up 5-1.

                                                              Hatcher with a big double

Johnson grounded out to short to start the top of the eighth and LaValliere singled to left. Guillen popped up to short and Raines grounded out to second to end the inning. Jose DeLeon came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Dawson grounded out to short to start. Cooper singled to right but Naehring flied out to center. Berryhill doubled to left and Valentin was hit with a pitch to load the bases, but Nixon struck out swinging to end the inning.

For some reason Red Sox manager Butch Hobson brought in Greg Harris to close out the top of the ninth and Cora grounded back to the mound to start. Thomas walked and Franco belted a home run to the moon to cut the lead. Hobson brought in Tony Fossas to face Ventura and Tony struck him out swinging. White Sox manager Gene Lamont sent Joe Hall to pinch hit for Pasqua but Hobson countered by bringing in closer Jeff Russell to face him. Lamont countered with Warren Newson to pinch hit for Hall but Russell got him to line out to left to end the game. The Red Sox had won it 5-3.

Hero of The Night is Roger Clemens. He powered past the White Sox allowing just 1 run in 8 innings of work. He allowed 3 hits and a walk while striking out six batters.

                                                                  Rocket Hero

The Good:

John Valentin was 1 for 2 with a walk, hit by pitch and a run scored.

Billy Hatcher was 3 for 4 with 2 rbis.

Mo Vaughn was 2 for 3 with a walk.

Tim Naehring was 2 for 4 with a home run and 2 total runs scored.

Damon Berryhill was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Tony Fossas struck out the only man he faced.

Jeff Russell retired the only man he faced to earn the save.

The Bad:

Andre Dawson was 0 for 4.

Greg Harris allowed 2 runs in 1/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Otis Nixon was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked, drove in a run and scored a run.

Mike Greenwell was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run.

Scott Cooper was just 1 for 4.

Final Thoughts:

I don't know why Sox manager Butch Hobson keeps playing with fire in the ninth inning. Jeff Russell is supposed to be the closer so why did he have Harris in there? Having Tony Fossas come in for one batter is fine but Russell is your guy. Things worked out this time but, have mercy. The offense was a balanced attack for this one and the combination of speed, contact and power is working to perfection so far this season. Hatcher, Vaughn and Naehring are hot right now and it comes at a good time as the Sox look to have a damn good April. Clemens finally looked like himself and the Sox needed it big time. Not much to complain about in this one apart from Hobson using Harris to start the ninth instead of Russell. The Sox really let Joe Morgan go after the 91 season for him? The Sox look to make it two in a row against the White Sox tomorrow afternoon when Frank Viola takes on Scott Sanderson of Chicago. The game begins at 1:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Off-Day News (4/14/94)

On this day in Boston Red Sox Basebawful History: 

1915 - Pennock, A's blank Sox

1930 - Sox win Opening Day

1970 - Sox crush Yankees in Fenway Opener

1971 - Senators rally past Sox

1973 - Sox drop Yankees

1974 - Sox smash Tigers

1982 - White Sox rally past Red Sox

1989 - Dopson, Evans guide Sox past Baltimore

1991 - Indians shut out Sox

1993 - Sox outslug Indians

The Sox now welcome the Chicago White Sox in for a four game set beginning tomorrow night. Roger Clemens goes for Boston against Alex Fernandez of Chicago. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Royals Walkoff Red Sox (4/13/94)

For eight innings it looked like the Boston Red Sox were headed for their seventh victory in nine games and a three game sweep of the Kansas City Royals. Aaron Sele had tossed a seven inning gem allowing no runs while an Andre Dawson sac fly scored Mike Greenwell. The Sox blew a chance for another run in the top of the ninth and then came the fateful bottom of the ninth. Jeff Russell (0-1, 10.80 ERA) got the first out but John Valentin threw a grounder by Dave Henderson away and Bob Hamelin hit a backbreaking two run home run to win the game. The Royals stole one 2-1 at Kauffman Stadium.

                                                       Barnaby hates blown saves

Tom Gordon got the start for Kansas City in the top of the first and Otis Nixon grounded out to short to start. Billy Hatcher grounded out to short and Mike Greenwell flied out to left to end the inning. Sele got the ball in the bottom of the first and Vince Coleman grounded out to second to start. Brian McRae grounded out to third and Wally Joyner singled to center. Dave Henderson forced Joyner at second to end the inning.

Mo Vaughn grounded out to first to start the top of the second but Andre Dawson drew a walk. Tim Naehring flied out to right but Dawson stole second. Scott Cooper took strike three to end the inning. Bob Hamelin grounded out to first to start the bottom of the second before Cooper threw a ball by Gary Gaetti away for an error. Brent Mayne grounded into a double play to end the inning.

John Valentin struck out swinging to start the top of the third before Dave Valle grounded out to third. Nixon singled to left but was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning. Jose Lind grounded out to third to start the bottom of the third before David Howard caught Vaughn asleep with a bunt single. Coleman forced Howard at second but McRae grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the fourth as Hatcher grounded out to second to start. Greenwell doubled to center then Vaughn swung and missed for strike three....only for the ball to get away, allowing Mo to reach first. Greenwell took third on the passed ball and scored on the Dawson sac fly to put the Sox on top. Naehring flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                                Dawson drives in a run

Joyner walked to begin the bottom of the fourth before Henderson flied out to right. Joyner was thrown out trying to steal second and Hamelin grounded out to second to end the inning.

Cooper took strike three to start the top of the fifth before Valentin lined out to short. Valle grounded out to third to end the inning. Gaetti struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth but Mayne singled to left. Lind forced Mayne at second and Howard flied out to center to end the inning.

Nixon grounded back to the mound to begin the top of the sixth before Hatcher walked. Greenwell took strike three but Hatcher stole second. Vaughn struck out swinging to end the inning. Coleman grounded out to short to begin the bottom of the sixth but McRae walked. Joyner flied out to right and Henderson popped up to second to end the inning.

Dawson flied out to left to start the top of the seventh but Naehring singled to center. Naehring moved to second on a grounder to first by Cooper and Valentin grounded out to third to end the inning. Hamelin walked to start the bottom of the seventh but Gaetti grounded into a double play. Mayne struck out swinging to end the inning.

Valle walked to open the top of the eighth but Nixon struck out swinging. Hatcher forced Valle at second and that was it for Gordon. Billy Brewer came in to face Greenwell and Mike grounded out to second to end the inning. Hubie Brooks pinch hit for Lind to start the bottom of the eighth and struck out swinging to start. Mike Macfarlane pinch hit for Howard and got a base hit to left. Greg Gagne pinch ran for Macfarlane and that was it for Sele. He pitched a gem, allowing no runs in 7 1/3 innings. Greg Harris came in to pitch and Coleman popped up to second. McRae struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                                               Good work Sele

Terry Shumpert took over at second for the top of the ninth and Vaughn walked to start. Dawson flied out to right and two straight wild pitches moved Vaughn to third. With a chance for an insurance run....Naehring lined out to short and Cooper grounded out to second to end the inning. Sox manager Butch Hobson started the bottom of the ninth with lefty Tony Fossas in to face Joyner. Wally grounded out to second and Hobson then went to the closer Jeff Russell. Henderson hit a routine grounder to Valentin....who threw the ball away for an error. Naturally Hamelin hit a home run all the way to Neptune to win the game. The Royals had walked off the Sox 2-1.

                                                                  Royals win

Jackass of the Night is Jeff Russell. The error didn't help but Jeff allowed the two run home run to lose the game.

                                                                Jackass Russell

The Good:

Aaron Sele pitched great, tossing 7 1/3 innings of shutout ball allowing four hits and 3 walks while striking out three.

Greg Harris got the final two outs of the eighth inning.

Tony Fossas got the first out of the ninth inning.

The Bad:

Scott Cooper was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts and an error.

John Valentin was 0 for 3 with a strikeout and an error.

The Ugly:

Otis Nixon was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Billy Hatcher was 0 for 3 but walked and stole a base.

Mike Greenwell was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Mo Vaughn was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Andre Dawson was 0 for 2 but walked, stole a base and drove in a run.

Tim Naehring was just 1 for 4.

Dave Valle was 0 for 2 but walked.

Final Thoughts:

Hopefully by the end of the season this game doesn't come back to haunt the Red Sox. They have been playing well to start the season and were two outs away from a sweep of Kansas City and then this happens. Valentin's error was big but Russell can't give up a big fly in that situation. Still, the problem all game was the offense failing to score runs apart from the one they scratched out against Gordon. Cooper and Valentin had bad games but they'll bounce back another day, its a shame things ended the way they did. Hats off to Aaron Sele who pitched a gem, just deserved a win for his effort. Harris and Fossas did his job but Russell didn't. Oh well, hopefully the Sox can shake this one off and not turn it into a losing streak. After an off day, the Sox now come home to take on the Chicago White Sox with Roger Clemens looking for his first win of the season. Roger is set to take on Alex Fernandez of the White Sox on Friday night at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Win Shootout With Royals (4/12/94)

That was one of the craziest games in Boston Red Sox history. If you were told before the game the Kansas City Royals would get 15 hits and score 11 runs, you'd think the Sox lost right? Wrong! The Sox managed to DOUBLE the production of the Royals as they scored TWENTY-TWO runs off 15 hits. The Sox as a team hit 5 home runs in the onslaught as pitching was at a premium. Shockingly, Sox starter Danny Darwin (2-0, 4.91 ERA) pitched relatively well allowing just 4 runs in 6 innings. The bullpen allowed the remaining five runs but the Sox pounded Kevin Appier and the Kansas City bullpen. The big hero was Scott Cooper who hit for the cycle, totalling five hits and five rbi's as the Sox smacked the Royals 22-11 at Kauffman Stadium.

                                                    Talisa Soto approves of the win

The Sox wasted no time getting to Appier in the top of the first as Otis Nixon led off by catching KC asleep with a bunt single to short. Billy Hatcher walked and Mike Greenwell doubled to right to score Nixon. Mo Vaughn tripled into the right field corner to clear the bases and scored on the Andre Dawson base hit to left. Dawson stole second, Tim Naehring drew a walk and Scott Cooper doubled to right to score both runners. That's 6 runs without even making an out but the streak ended as John Valentin lined out to third. Dave Valle took strike three and Nixon grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-0.

                                                                Vaughn hits a triple

Darwin got the ball in the bottom of the first and Vince Coleman dropped down a bunt but was snuffed out by Vaughn. Brian McRae grounded out to second and Wally Joyner flied out to left to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the second as Hatcher crushed his first home run of the season to increase the lead. Greenwell popped up to short, Vaughn struck out swinging and Dawson grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox up 7-0.

                                                             Hatcher hits his first

The Royals struck back in the bottom of the second as Mike Macfarlane grounded out to third to start. Dave Henderson, Bob Hamelin and Jose Lind hit three straight singles to score Henderson. David Howard moved both runners over with a grounder to second and Terry Shumpert struck out swinging to end the inning with the Royals down 7-1.

                                                             Lind drives in a run

The Sox played home run derby in the top of the third although Naehring flied out to left to start. Cooper belted his first home run of the season to increase the lead but Valentin flied out to left. Valle mashed his first home run of the season and Nixon struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-1.

                                                               Home run Valle

The Royals answered in the bottom of the third as Coleman flied out to center to start. McRae grounded out to second but Joyner doubled to right. Macfarlane walked and Henderson hit a three run home run all the way to St. Louis to cut the lead. Hamelin flied out to left to end the inning with the Royals down 9-4.

                                                       Another home run for Henderson

Hipolito Pichardo came in to pitch the top of the fourth and Hatcher struck out swinging to start. Greenwell and Vaughn both grounded out to second to end the inning. Lind took strike three to start the bottom of the fourth and Howard also watched strike three go by. Shumpert singled to right but Coleman grounded out to short to end the inning.

Dawson struck out swinging to open the top of the fifth before Naehring grounded out to second and Cooper tried for an inside the park home run after belting a ball into the left field corner but was thrown out at home to end the inning. McRae popped up to first to start the bottom of the fifth before Joyner grounded out to first. Macfarlane popped up to center to end the inning.

The Sox exploded in the top of the sixth with Stan Belinda on the mound. Valentin walked and took second on the Valle grounder to short. Nixon walked and Hatcher doubled to right to score Valentin. Greenwell hit a sac fly to center to score Nixon and move Hatcher to third. Vaughn walked and Dawson was hit with a pitch to load the bases. Naehring hit a routine grounder to second but Lind booted it for an error to score Hatcher. Cooper then hit a routine grounder to Howard who booted that one for another error to score Vaughn and Dawson. Valentin hit the exclamation point with a 3 run blast to increase the lead. Valle walked but Nixon lined out to left to end the inning. The Sox scored eight runs and led 17-4.

                                                                   Home run Valentin

With the game well in hand Greg Blosser took over for Greenwell and Lee Tinsley replaced Nixon for the bottom of the sixth. Henderson grounded back to the mound to start. Hamelin singled to right before moving to second on the Lind grounder to first. Howard walked but Shumpert flied out to right to end the inning. That was it for Darwin who tossed 6 innings and allowed 4 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks.

                                                                Not great but it'll do

Brent Mayne came in to catch, Tom Goodwin came in for Henderson and Jeff Montgomery came in to pitch the top of the seventh. Hatcher popped up to third but Blosser walked. Vaughn then belted his first home run of the year to add to the Royals misery. Scott Fletcher pinch hit for Dawson and was hit with a pitch. Fletcher took second on defensive indifference and Naehring walked. Cooper cleared the bases with a double to right but Valentin flied out to right. Rich Rowland pinch hit for Valle and flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox up 21-4.

                                                           Home run Vaughn

Ricky Trlicek came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Coleman beat out a roller to first. Kevin Koslofski pinch hit for McRae and hit a line drive off Trlicek for a base hit. Joyner ripped a base hit to center to score Coleman before both runners moved over on the Mayne grounder to first. Goodwin popped up to short but Hamelin hit a home run all the way to El Paso to cut the lead. Lind grounded out to third to end the inning with the Royals down 21-8.

                                                     Hamelin jacks one

Gary Gaetti came in for Hamelin to start the top of the eighth and Tinsley walked to start. Hatcher hit a routine fly ball to Koslofski who dropped it for an error. Hatcher was thrown out at second on the play but Blosser walked. Vaughn walked to load the bases and Fletcher singled to right to score Tinsley to wrap up the scoring. Naehring banged into a double play to end the inning with the Sox up 22-8.

                                                           Rbi for Fletcher

Howard popped up to third in foul territory to start the bottom of the eighth and Shumpert grounded out to third. Coleman singled to center and took second on defensive indifference. Koslofski grounded out to second to end the inning.

Cooper singled to center to complete the cycle to start the top of the ninth and Valentin walked. Rowland flied out to left and Tinsley beat out a double play ball. Hatcher walked to load the bases but Blosser flied out to center to end the inning. Joyner singled to right to start the bottom of the ninth and Mayne walked. Goodwin struck out swinging but a balk moved the runners over. All of a sudden Sox manager Butch Hobson fell down coming out of the dugout and brought in Tony Fossas to pitch who hadn't even been warming up. Gaetti laughed as he doubled to left to clear the bases but Lind flied out to right. Howard doubled to right to score Gaetti but Shumpert grounded out to second to end the game. The Sox won the slugfest 22-11.

Hero of the Night is Scott Cooper. He was 5 for 6 and hit for the cycle. He also had 5 total rbis and 2 total runs scored.

                                                           Cycle Hero Cooper

The Good:

Lee Tinsley walked and scored a run in two plate appearances.

Billy Hatcher was 2 for 5 with 2 walks, 2 rbis, a home run and 3 runs scored.

Mike Greenwell was 1 for 3 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Greg Blosser walked twice and scored a run.

Mo Vaughn was 2 for 4 with a home run, 2 walks, 4 total rbis and 3 total runs scored.

Andre Dawson was 1 for 3 with a hit by pitch, stolen base, rbi and two runs scored.

Scott Fletcher was 1 for 1 with a hit by pitch, rbi and a run scored.

Dave Valle was 1 for 3 with a home run and a walk.

The Bad:

Rich Rowland was 0 for 2.

Ricky Trlicek allowed 6 runs in 2 1/3 innings.

Tony Fossas allowed a run in 2/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Otis Nixon was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked and scored two runs.

Tim Naehring was 0 for 4 but walked twice and scored 3 runs.

John Valentin was just 1 for 4 but walked twice, drove in 3 runs and scored two runs.

Danny Darwin got the win but allowed 4 runs in just 6 innings allowing 7 hits and 2 walks.

Final Thoughts:

Chalk that one up as one of the most insane games in Red Sox history. The Sox allowed 11 runs on 15 hits and managed to double up the Royals run production. Cooper hit for the cycle, the Sox played home run derby and the entire team except for Rowland scored at least one run. Darwin didn't pitch that great but still kept the Sox in the game, but Trlicek was AWFUL. Still, its only one game so he'll bounce back next time. Moving forward the Sox are going to need more out of Darwin but it'll do today. The Sox are more than likely going to have trouble scoring runs tomorrow but today was clearly not so hard. The Sox go for the series sweep tomorrow in Kansas City when Aaron Sele gets the start for Boston. Tom Gordon goes for Kansas City and the game begins at 8:05 PM Eastern time at Kauffman Stadium.

Sox Deck Royals in 10 Innings (4/11/94)

What an ending to tonight's game between the Boston Red Sox and the Kansas City Royals. The Sox and Royals battled to a 2-2 tie through seven innings when the Sox rallied against Hipolito Pichardo and Mike Magnante for three runs in the top of the eighth. In the bottom of the ninth, the Royals rallied against closer Jeff Russell for two runs before Paul Quantrill allowed a game tying double to Brian McRae. In the top of the tenth, Otis Nixon and Tim Naehring both tripled and the Sox scored three runs to take a commanding lead. Quantrill returned to slam the door in the bottom of the tenth and the Sox had won it 8-5 in 10 innings at Kauffman Stadium

                                          Lawler "Sox blew the lead"  Luger "Still won"

The Sox wasted no time getting to Royals starter Mark Gubicza in the top of the first inning as Otis Nixon struck out swinging to start. Billy Hatcher singled to left and stole second but Mike Greenwell flied out to center. Mo Vaughn doubled to right to score Nixon with the game's first run. Andre Dawson flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                                  Vaughn drives in a run

The Royals answered against Boston starter Frank Viola in the bottom of the first as Vince Coleman caught everyone asleep with a bunt single. Coleman stole second but Wally Joyner popped up the bunt to Dave Valle. Brian McRae singled to center to score Coleman to tie the game but Mike Macfarlane popped up to second. Gary Gaetti flied out to center to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                                 McRae ties it up

The Sox struck again in the top of the second as Tim Naehring doubled to left to start. Nahering reached third on the Scott Cooper single to right and John Valentin ripped a base hit to center to score Tim. Dave Valle banged into a double play and Nixon lined out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-1.

                                                                   Valentin drives in a run

Hubie Brooks took strike three to start the bottom of the second before old pal Dave Henderson grounded out to short. Jose Lind walked but David Howard popped up to first in foul territory to end the inning.

Hatcher popped up to second to start the top of the third before Greenwell grounded back to the mound. Vaughn grounded out to first to end the inning. Coleman grounded out to third to start the bottom of the third before Joyner flied out to center. McRae grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Dawson grounded out to third to start the top of the fourth before Naehring grounded back to the mound. Cooper flied out to right to end the inning. Macfarlane popped up to second to start the bottom of the fourth and Gaetti grounded out to short. Brooks flied out to center to end the inning.

Valentin doubled to left to start the top of the fifth before taking third on a wild pitch. Valentin got doubled off third on a liner to short by Valle and Nixon flied out to left to end the inning. The Royals tied it in the bottom of the fifth as Henderson doubled to center to start. Dave moved to third on the Lind grounder to first and Howard scored Henderson with a sac fly to right. Coleman singled to left and stole second, but Joyner flied out to right to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                                Henderson scores

Hatcher flied out to right to start the top of the sixth before Greenwell grounded out to first. Vaughn struck out swinging to end the inning. McRae grounded out to second to start the bottom of the sixth but Macfarlane struck out swinging. Gaetti grounded out to second to end the inning.

Hipolito Pichardo came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Dawson popped up to second to start. Naehring lined out to first and Cooper grounded out to short to end the inning. Brooks grounded out to short to start the bottom of the seventh before Henderson flied out to right. Lind tripled into the right field corner and Howard walked to chase Viola. Frank hung in there to toss 6 2/3 innings of 2 run ball while allowing5 hits and two walks. Scott Bankhead came in and got Coleman to pop up to short to end the inning.

                                                                     Viola pitched well

The Sox rallied in the top of the eighth as Valentin singled to center to start. Valle hit a routine grounder to Gaetti who booted it for an error to move Valentin to third. Nixon hit a sac fly to left to score John and Hatcher singled to right to chase Pichardo. Mike Magnante came in and Lee Tinsley pinch ran for Valle. Greenwell singled to right to load the bases and Vaughn singled to left to score Tinsley and Hatcher. Greenwell moved to third on the play and Dawson struck out swinging. Vaughn stole second but Naehring flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-2.

                                                                      Nixon with a sac fly

Greg Harris took over on the mound with Damon Berryhill behind the plate to start the bottom of the eighth. Joyner grounded out to second but McRae walked. Macfarlane walked but Gaetti beat out a double play ball. Brooks popped up to first to end the inning.

Cooper flied out to left to start the top of the ninth but Valentin popped up to second. Berryhill grounded out to third to end the inning. Jeff Russell came in to close out the bottom of the ninth but Henderson doubled to right to start. Lind singled to right and the ball went under Hatcher's glove to score Dave, moving Jose all the way to third. Howard struck out swinging but Coleman doubled to left to score Lind. Sox manager Butch Hobson had enough of Russell and brought in Tony Fossas to face Joyner. Fossas did strike Wally out but Hobson brought in Paul Quantrill to face McRae. This time Brian doubled to left to score Coleman with the tying run. Macfarlane grounded out to third to end the inning with the game tied 5-5.

                                                           Russell couldn't get it done

The Sox took their frustrations out on Magnante in the top of the 10th as Nixon tripled to right to start the inning. Hatcher scored Nixon with a sac fly to give the Sox the lead back. Greenwell singled to center and moved to second on the grounder to first by Vaughn. Dawson was intentionally walked and Scott Fletcher came in to run for him. Naehring stepped up with another triple to right to clear the bases. Cooper and Valentin both walked to load the bases but Berryhill force Valentin at second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-5.

                                                           Naehring with a big triple

Quantrill came back for the bottom of the tenth and Gaetti grounded out to short to start. Brooks grounded out to first and Henderson flied out to center to end the game. The Sox had won it 8-5 in 10 innings.

Hero of the Night is Otis Nixon. His leadoff triple and run scored in the top of the tenth was all the Sox needed to win in extras.

                                                                Hero Nixon

The Good:

Billy Hatcher was 2 for 4 with an rbi, stolen base and 2 runs scored.

Mike Greenwell was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Mo Vaughn was 2 for 5 with 3 rbis and a stolen base.

Scott Fletcher scored a run as a pinch runner.

Tim Naehring was 2 for 5 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

John Valentin was 3 for 4 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Lee Tinsley scored a run as a pinch runner.

Frank Viola allowed just 2 runs in 6 2/3 innings. He allowed 5 hits and 2 walks.

Scott Bankhead retired the only man he faced.

Greg Harris pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Tony Fossas retired the only man he faced.

The Bad:

Dave Valle was 0 for 3.

Damon Berryhill was 0 for 2.

Jeff Russell blew the save in the ninth by getting charged with 3 runs in 1/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Andre Dawson was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked.

Scott Cooper was just 1 for 4 but walked.

Paul Quantrill allowed the game tying run to score but slammed the door in the 10th inning for the win.

Final Thoughts:

Blowing a 3 run lead in the ninth sucks but a win is a win. Jeff Russell getting pounded put Paul Quantril in an impossible situation but he redeemed it all in the tenth. Hats off to the Sox for not losing focus despite Russell's meltdown. Viola pitched a good game while he was there but the offense is starting to gel. Valentin, Naehring, Cooper and Vaughn are all 26-27 while Nixon, Hatcher and Greenwell look to still have gas left in the tank. The Sox do have a catcher in the minors named Scott Hatteberg but he's going to need time to develop. Hopefully the pitching can match the offense as the season goes on. The Sox look to make it two in a row against the Royals tomorrow night when Danny Darwin (2-0) takes on Kevin Appier of Kansas City. The game begins at 8:05 PM Eastern time at Kauffman Stadium.