Disco Denny Lit Up By Yankees, Remy Lost (7/1/79)

Dennis Eckersley may very well be the ace of the Boston Red Sox but he pitched like absolute garbage this afternoon at Yankee Stadium. Reportedly Eckersley was spotted at the infamous Studio 54 last night so its possible he wasn't his sharpest. Eck allowed FIVE...yes FIVE home runs to the New York Yankees as the Yankees knocked off the Sox 6-5. What's worse, Jerry Remy was injured on a collision at the plate and had to be carried out.

                                  Who thought THIS would be the downfall of the Sox today

Things went bad right from the start as Jerry Remy tripled to open the game, but Randolph made a great diving catch to rob Rick Burelson of a hit. Remy broke for home and collided with catcher Jerry Narron. Remy was hurt and had to be carried out on a stretcher as a sign of what was to come. Fred Lynn popped to short to end the inning but losing Remy was not good.

                                                         Poor Remy

The Yankees pounced on the shaken up Sox and starter Eckerseley in the bottom of the first inning with Jack Brohamer moving to second with Butch Hobson taking Remy's spot in the order while playing third. Roy White flied out but Randolph pounded a home run to give the Yankees the lead. Graig Nettles flied out to center and Reggie Jackson grounded out to second to end the inning, although it was 1-0 Yankees.

The Sox struck back in the top of the second inning as Rice was hit with a pitch and he scored on the double by Carl Yastrzemski. Bob Watson walked but was stranded as Brohamer flied out to right. Evans whiffed and Bob Montgomery popped up to second to end the inning, but it was tied 1-1.

                                                         Yaz ties it up

Eckersley ran into some trouble in the bottom of the second inning as Chris Chambliss singled to start the inning. Jim Spencer whiffed but Bobby Murcer singled. Narron struck out and Bucky Dent grounded to short to end the inning.

The Sox threatened in the top of the third inning but could not score. Hobson flied out to right but Burelson doubled. Lynn flied out to center but Rice walked. Yaz struck out to end the inning, what a waste. White grounded out to open the bottom of the third but Randolph singled. The alert Eck picked off Randolph and got Nettles to ground out to first to end the inning.

The Sox surged ahead in the top of the fourth inning although Watson struck out to begin. Brohamer clobbered a solo home run off Yankees starter Catfish Hunter to give the Sox the lead. Evans grounded out to short and Montgomery lined out to third to end the inning with the Sox up 2-1.

                                                    Jack makes it 2-1 Sox

The Yankees immediately tied the game in the bottom of the fourth. Jackson grounded out to first and Chambliss struck out, but Spencer blasted a solo home run to tie the game. Murcer popped up to left but it was now 2-2.

The Sox fought back in the top of the fifth inning although Hobson flied out to center to start. Burelson grounded out to second but Lynn belted a solo home run to give the Sox the lead back. Rice flied out to left to end the inning but it was now 3-2 Sox.

                                                  Lynn gives the Sox the lead back

The Yankees struck back in the bottom of the fifth inning as Narron worked a leadoff walk. Dent flied out to right but White clobbered a 2 run home run to put the Yankees back on top. Randolph flied out to left and Nettles struck out but it was now 4-3 Yankees.

Once again the Sox battled back in the top of the sixth inning although Yaz flied out to start. Watson singled but Brohamer lined out to second. Evans walked to chase Hunter as Ron Davis was brought in only for Montgomery to single home Watson to tie the game. Hobson singled in Evans to give the Sox the lead back. Burelson struck out but it was 5-4 Sox.

                                     Hobson comes off the bench and puts Boston in front

As usual Eckersley coughed up the lead in the bottom of the sixth. Jackson pounded a home run, New York's fourth, to tie the game immediately. Eck recovered to get Chambliss to ground out to second, Spencer to fly out to left and Murcer to strike out to end the inning with the game tied 5-5.

This time the Sox failed to answer in the top of the seventh as Lynn popped to short to start. Rice struck out and Yaz lined out to second to end the inning. Eckersley returned for the bottom of the seventh and guess what Narron did....he homered to give the Yankees the lead. Dent popped up to short but Red Sox manager Don Zimmer stumbled out of the dugout, beer cans falling out of his pocket to make the pitching change. Tom Burgmeier replaced Eck and got White to fly out. Randolph watched strike three go by to end the inning but the Yankees led 6-5, nice going Eck.

                                         Juror Number 3 dislikes blown leads

The Sox tried to fight back in the top of the eighth inning when Watson singled to put the tying run on. Jim Dwyer pinch ran for Watson but Brohamer flied out. Evans walked to chase Davis and put the go-ahead run on first. Tom Poquette was going to pinch hit for Montgomery, but when the Yankees brought in Jim Kaat, Sox manager Don Zimmer sat Poquette in favor of Carlton Fisk. Both Fisk and Hobson popped up to first to end the inning. Nice going fellas. Gary Allenson took over behind the plate with Dwyer now at first to open the bottom of the eighth. Nettles hit a routine grounder to Dwyer who tossed his glove away and tried to catch it bare handed, instead the ball went off his hands and rolled away for an error. Jackson singled and Chambliss sacrificed them into scoring position. Lou Pinella pinch hit for Spencer and was intentionally walked to load the bases. Rookie Chuck Rainey was brought in to pitch to pinch hitter Thurman Munson and somehow got him to bang into a double play to end the inning.

Kaat remained in the game to close it out in the top of the ninth. Burelson hit a comebacker to the mound but Lynn walked. Lynn was erased on the force by Rice and with the tying run on....Yaz grounded out to end the game. The Yankees held on to win it 6-5.

Jackass of the Night is Dennis Eckersley. He allowed not one, not two, not three, not four but FIVE home runs in this game. I'm sure Catfish Hunter would have taken him deep as well if there was no DH. The Sox put runs on the board so shame on Eck for being flat as a pancake today.

                                 Disco Denny didn't have it, the Jackass



The Good:

Jerry Remy was 1 for 1 before leaving the game.

Bob Watson was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Dwight Evans walked twice in 4 plate appearances and scored a run.

Bob Montgomery was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Tom Burgmeier pitched a full scoreless inning.

Chuck Rainey got the final two outs in the bottom of the eighth.



The Bad:

Jim Dwyer committed an error in the 9th inning.

Carlton Fisk was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.



The Ugly:

Butch Hobson was 1 for 4 with an rbi after coming in for Remy.

Rick Burelson was just 1 for 5.

Fred Lynn was just 1 for 4 but walked, drove in a run and scored.

Jim Rice was 0 for 3 but walked and scored.

Carl Yastzremski was just 1 for 5 but walked and drove in a run.

Jack Brohamer was just 1 for 4 but scored a run and drove one in.



Honorable Mention:

Tom Poquette was penciled in to pinch hit for Montgomery before he was replaced by Fisk.

Gary Allenson caught the ninth inning.




Final Thoughts:

Maybe Eckersley should stay in his hotel room and watch Barnaby Jones instead of going out and doing the boogie woogie before a huge game against the Yankees. The team is reeling with a serious world series hangover and the Sox NEED to win these games to get closer to Baltimore in the division standings. Hopefully the Sox can come back tomorrow. The loss dropped the Red Sox to 47-28, 5.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow Joel Finch of the Red Sox takes on Tommy John of the Yankees.

Sox Blast Indians on Opening Day (4/5/79)

That's one way to get off on the right foot. After the 1978 season came to a crashing halt at the hands of the New York Yankees, the Boston Red Sox came back with a flurry to begin the 1979 season. Riding the hot hand of ace Dennis Eckersley (1-0, 0.00 ERA) pitching 7 shut-out innings, the Sox smashed the Cleveland Indians 7-1. Home runs by Jim Rice, Dwight Evans and Fred Lynn paced the offense against old pal Rick Wise as the Sox won their season debut in front of 34,433 fans at Fenway Park.

                                                   Pete Clemenza approves of the win

Eck took the mound in the top of the first and began the season by getting Toby Harrah to hit one up the elevator shaft to start. Jim Norris doubled to center but Eck came back to strike out both Bobby Bonds and Andre Thornton to end the inning. Old friend Rick Wise got the start in the bottom of the first and Jerry Remy grounded out to second to start. Rick Burleson flied out to right but Fred Lynn walked. Jim Rice singled to left but Carl Yastrzemski popped up to third to end the inning.

Eck pitched a clean top of the second as Gary Alexander grounded out to second to begin. Ted Cox grounded out to short and Duane Kuiper flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox wasted a chance to crack Wise in the bottom of the second as George "Boomer" Scott walked to begin the frame but was picked off. That came into play as Alexander muffed a pop up by Jack Brohamer and Jack made the Indians pay by doubling to right. Brohamer moved to third on a grounder by Dwight Evans but Bob Montgomery looked at strike three to end the inning.

The Indians threatened in the top of the third inning although Tom Veryzer grounded out to third to begin. Horace Speed struck out but Harrah walked and stole second.  Norris singled Harrah to third but Bonds whiffed to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the third as Remy singled and stole second to start. Burleson grounded back to the mound but Lynn walked. Rice then crushed a three run bomb to give the Sox the lead. Yaz flied out to left and Scott grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                          Rice puts the Sox on top

Eck kept pace in the top of the fourth as Thornton grounded out to third to begin. Alexander and Cox both flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox broke the game open in the bottom of the fourth inning. Brohamer flied out to right but Evans belted his first home run of the year to extend the lead. Somehow Montgomery tripled to center but Remy looked at strike three. Veryzer went OLE! on a ground ball by Burleson and Montgomery scored on the error. Lynn popped up to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-0.

                                                           Evans adds to the lead

There was no stopping Eck in the top of the fifth inning as Kuiper grounded out to third to begin. Veryzer popped up to short but Speed walked. Harrah grounded out to third to end the inning. The Sox were finally tamed in the bottom of the fifth as Rice whiffed to start before Yaz popped up to second. Scott grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Eck got in trouble in the top of the sixth as Norris walked and stole second to begin. Bonds popped up to third but Thornton walked. Alexander popped up tp short but Norris took third on a wild pitch. Cox flied out to center to end the inning. Wise came out briefly in the bottom of the sixth but Brohamer chased him with a triple. Victor Cruz replaced Wise but Evans whiffed. Montgomery singled home Brohamer to add to the lead. Remy popped up to left and Burleson whiffed to end the inning but it was 6-0 Sox.

                                                   Montgomery makes it 6-0

Eckersley came back for one more inning in the top of the seventh and Kuiper grounded out to second to start. Veryzer walked but was erased on the force by Speed. Harrah grounded out to third to end the inning. Eckersley was outstanding in tossing 7 shut-out innings allowing just 2 hits while striking out 4. Lynn wrapped up the scoring in the bottom of the seventh with a solo shot to begin the frame. Rice whiffed but Yaz singled only to be erased on a strike em out, throw em out double play by Scott to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-0.

                                                         Lynn finishes off the Indians

Dick Drago got the call to pitch the top of the eighth and Norris watched strike three go by to start. Bonds whiffed and Thornton grounded out to short to end the inning. Sid Monge took over for the bottom of the eighth and Brohamer nearly went yard but was robbed at the wall in right. Evans popped up to first but Montgomery doubled to left. Remy whiffed to end the inning.

Drago came back to finish off the game but was tagged in the top of the ninth. Alexander walked and Remy went OLE! on a ground ball by Cox. Kuiper lined out to center as both runners moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. Veryzer singled home Alexander and Wayne Cage pinch hit for Speed...only to bang into a double play to end the game. The Sox had won Opening Day going away 7-1.

Hero of the night is Dennis Eckersley. With everyone on offense contributing, Eck gave them the cushion with 7 shutout innings where he allowed 2 hits and 5 walks while striking out 4.

                                                         Dennis The Hero


The Good:

Fred Lynn was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and 2 runs scored including a solo home run.

Jim Rice was 2 for 4 with a 3 run home run.

Jack Brohamer was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Bob Montgomery was 3 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.



The Bad:

Rick Burleson was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.



The Ugly:

Jerry Remy was just 1 for 5 with an error but stole a base and scored a run

Carl Yastrzemski was just 1 for 4.

George Scott was 0 for 3 with a walk.

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

Bob Stanley allowed a run in 2 innings of work.



Final Thoughts:

Nothing like a win on Opening Day to start the year off right. Virtually nothing went right last year beginning with the collapse and ending with the departures of Luis Tiant and Bill Lee. Whether Steve Renko can replace Lee's production is up in the air but losing the beloved Tiant is going to hurt. Still, a win is a win and there's 161 games to go to find out what this team is made of. Eck looked great and the offense was clicking so hopefully they can keep this up all year. After an off-day the Sox are back in action Saturday afternoon in Cleveland against these same Indians. Mike Torrez makes his season debut for Boston opposite Rick Waits of Cleveland at 3:00 PM Eastern Time at Cleveland Stadium.

Royals Pound Marichal, Sox Drop Fifth Straight (4/27/74)

Looks like the Boston Red Sox are limping toward the end of the month of April. The Sox have now lost their fifth straight game and this one was utter domination by the Kansas City Royals. "The Dominican Dandy" Juan Marichal (0-1, 10.13 ERA) may want to call it a career after getting pounded in this one. The Royals got 4 runs off Marichal in the bottom of the first and took a 5-3 lead into the bottom of the eighth. Things fell apart as the Royals scored five runs off Marichal, Lance Clemons and Diego Segui to put the game on ice. The Sox mustered just three runs off Al Fitzmorris and Doug Bird pulled a Houdini in the top of the ninth as the Royals won the game 10-3 at Royals Stadium.

                                                      "Five straight losses"

The Sox wasted no time getting to Fitzmorris in the top of the first inning as Rick Miller flied out to left to start. Doug Griffin got a base hit to left. Cecil Cooper grounded out to second to move Griffin to second and a wild pitch moved Doug to third. Carl Yastrzemski drew a walk and Danny Cater hit a rocket to left for a bases clearing double. Dwight Evans grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                              Cater drives in a pair

Marichal got pounded in the bottom of the first as Freddie Patek got a base hit to center. A balk moved Patek to second and Cookie Rojas hit a routine grounder to Mario Guerrero. Mario tried to throw to third and the ball sailed into the stans for an error to score Patek. Amos Otis singled to center to score Rojas but John Mayberry popped up to third. Fran Healy hit a home run all the way to South Korea to put the Royals up for good already. Jim Wohlford got a base hit to center but was immediately picked off. Vada Pinson lined out to right to end the inning with the Royals ahead 4-2.

                                                     Home run Healy

Bob Montgomery grounded out to short to start the top of the second before Dick McAuliffe flied out to left. Guerrero grounded out to short to end the inning. The Royals beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the second as Hal McRae grounded out to third to start. Paul Schaal grounded out to short and Patek also grounded out to short to end the inning.

Miller singled to right to start the top of the third but was doubled off first on a line drive to short by Griffin. Cecil Cooper flied out to left to end the inning. Rojas grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the third before Otis flied out to left. Mayberry grounded out to first to end the inning.

Yaz grounded out to second to begin the top of the fourth and Cater popped up to second. Evans flied out to right to end the inning. Healy popped up to third to start the bottom of the fourth and Wohlford struck out swinging. Pinson grounded out to first to end the inning.

Montgomery flied out to left to start the top of the fifth but Rojas booted a grounder by McAuliffe for an error. Guerrero flied out to right but Miller singled to center, only for Griffin to force Rick at second to end the inning. The Royals struck again in the bottom of the fifth as McRae doubled to center to start. Schaal flied out to right and Patek flied out to center, but Rojas tripled to center to score McRae. Otis hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning with the Royals up 5-2.

                                                             Rojas drives in a run

Cooper flied out to center to start the top of the sixth and Yaz also flied out to center. Cater grounded out to third to end the inning. Mayberry flied out to left to start the bottom of the sixth before Healy also flied out to left. Wohlford flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox struck back in the top of the seventh as Evans doubled to center to start. Montgomery lined out to first but McAuliffe flied out to center. Rico Petrocelli pinch hit for Guerrero and hit a grounder to Patek who threw the ball away for an error to score Evans. Terry Hughes pinch ran for Petrocelli but Miller grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox down 5-3.

                                                            Evans scores a run

Pinson popped up to second to start the bottom of the seventh and McRae grounded out to first. Schaal grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

The Sox blew another rally in the top of the eighth as Griffin grounded out to third to start. Cooper singled to center but a wild pitch moved him to second. Yaz popped up to third and Cater grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Suddenly the Royals exploded in the bottom of the eighth as Patek grounded out to third to start. Rojas doubled to center and Otis tripled to left to chase Marichal. Juan would be charged with 7 runs in 7 1/3 innings allowing 9 hits. Lance Clemons came in to pour gas on the fire as Mayberry doubled to left to score Otis and Healy doubled to right to score Mayberry. Wohlford was intentionally walked and Pinson was plunked to load the bases. Sox manager Darrell Johnson facepalmed as he removed Clemons in favor of Diego Segui. McRae walked to score Healy and Schaal scored Wohlford with a sac fly to left. Patek walked to load the bases again and Tony Solaita pinch hit for Rojas. Solaita struck out swinging to end the inning but the Royals blew it open 10-3.

                                             "GADZOOKS! This pitching is bad" - DJ

Frank White took over at second to start the top of the ninth and Evans got a base hit in the hole at short to start. Montgomery also beat out a roller to short and McAuliffe walked to load the bases. That was it for Fitzmorris as Doug Bird came in to close the game out. Guerrero struck out swinging and Miller grounded into a double play to end the game. The Royals had won the game 10-3.

Jackass of the Night is Juan Marichal. He was charged with 7 runs in 7 1/3 innings to put the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of.

                                                                      Jackass Marichal

The Good:

Rick Miller was 2 for 5.

Dwight Evans was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

The Bad:

Rico Petrocelli was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Terry Hughes struck out as a pinch hitter.

Lance Clemons allowed 3 runs without getting an out.

The Ugly:

Doug Griffin was just 1 for 4 with a run scored.

Cecil Cooper was just 1 for 4.

Carl Yastrzemski was 0 for 3 but walked and scored a run.

Danny Cater was just 1 for 4 but drove in two runs.

Bob Montgomery was just 1 for 4.

Dick McAuliffe was 0 for 3 but walked.

Diego Segui allowed 2 inherited runners to score but none of his own in 2/3 of an inning.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox just can't get any consistency. Some days they can't score, some days they can't pitch. They lose 1-0, they lose 10-3, they just lose. The injury to Carlton Fisk and earlier injury to Rico Petrocelli hurt but they can't generate any offense. Tommy Harper, Mario Guerrero and others just aren't getting it done. If that doesn't change soon, the season is going to go down the drain by the middle of May. Hopefully the Sox have some reinforcements in Pawtucket because what they have now aren't getting it done. Marichal looks old and it may be time for him to retire. Its a shame because on paper the Sox had a good rotation but who saw Rick Wise getting hurt trying to pitch in the snow or Marichal washing up. The less said of this game, the better. The Sox look to avoid a sweep tomorrow afternoon against the Royals when Roger Moret gets the start for Boston against old buddy Marty Pattin. The game begins at 2:00 PM Eastern time at Royals Stadium.

Busby, Royals Defeat Sox (4/26/74)

For the third game in a row the Boston Red Sox were knocked off in a complete game effort by an opposing starter. This time it was the Kansas City Royals and Steve Busby that dominated the Sox. Busby tossed a complete game 6 hitter allowing just two runs to the punchless Sox offense. Bill Lee (2-2, 2.35 ERA) was game but got tagged for four runs by the Royals. The only silver lining was the return of Carlton Fisk from injury as he scored a run in his first game back. Unfortunately he didn't score enough as the Sox dropped their fourth straight game 4-2 to the Royals at Royals Stadium.

                                                "HOW DO YOU LOSE IN FISK'S RETURN?"

Busby got the ball in the top of the first and Tommy Harper grounded out to short to start. Rick Miller doubled to left and a wild pitch moved him to third. Doug Griffin struck out swinging but Carl Yastrzemski walked. Yaz stole second but Bernie Carbo struck out swinging to end the inning. Lee got the ball in the bottom of the first and Freddie Patek grounded out to first to start. Cookie Rojas got a seeing eye single into right but Amos Otis forced him at second. Otis stole second and John Mayberry was hit with a pitch. Fran Healy struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox took the lead in the top of the second as the returning Carlton Fisk walked to begin. Bob Montgomery doubled to center to score Fisk but was thrown out at third on a Terry Hughes grounder back to Busby. Mario Guerrero grounded into a double play to end the inning but the Sox were up 1-0.

                                                                     Welcome back Fisk

Jim Wohlford singled in the hole at short to begin the bottom of the second and promptly stole second. Hal McRae dropped down a bunt to move Wohlford to third but Paul Schaal took strike three. Al Cowens grounded out to short to end the inning.

Harper beat out a roller to start the top of the third but Miller grounded into a double play. Griffin struck out swinging to end the inning. Patek popped up to first to start the bottom of the third before Rojas grounded out to third. Otis tripled to left but Mayberry grounded out to second to end the inning.

Yaz walked to begin the top of the fourth but Carbo grounded back to the mound to move Carl to second. Fisk beat out a roller to third to put runners at the corners but Montgomery grounded into a double play to end the inning. The Royals fought back in the bottom of the fourth as Healy struck out swinging to start. Wohlford lined out to right but McRae hit a home run all the way to Osaka, Japan to tie the game. Schaal grounded out to short to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                              Home run McRae

The Sox blew a big rally in the top of the fifth as Hughes singled past the first base bag to start. Guerrero dropped down a bunt but it got Hughes thrown out at second and Harper popped up to second. Miller and Griffin both walked to load the bases but Yaz flied out to right to end the inning. The Royals took command in the bottom of the fifth as Cowens lined out to center to start. Patek tripled into the left field corner and Rojas lashed a base hit to center to score Freddie. Otis singled to center and both runners moved over on the Mayberry grounder to second. Healy grounded out to second to end the inning.

                                                               Rojas drives in a run

Carbo struck out swinging to start the top of the sixth before Fisk lined out to left. Montgomery grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Wohlford singled to center to start the bottom of the sixth and promptly stole second. McRae got Wohlford thrown out at third on a force and he himself was picked off. Schaal grounded out to third to end the inning.

Hughes grounded out to third to start the top of the seventh and Dick McAuliffe pinch hit for Guerrero. McAuliffe walked but Harper grounded into the fourth double play of the game to end the inning. The Royals finished off Lee in the bottom of the seventh as Cowens got a base hit in the hole at short to start. Patek dropped down a bunt and Lee threw it away for an error to put runners at the corners. Rojas grounded into a double play but Cowens scored. Otis doubled to left and somehow stole third before Mayberry walked to chase Lee. Bill fought bravely but allowed 3 runs in just 6 2/3 innings. Diego Segui came in to pitch and Mayberry stole second. Healy flied out to left to end the inning with the Royals up 3-1.

                                         "Can Montgomery throw anyone out?" - Lee

The Sox did get a run back in the top of the eighth as Miller flied out to left to begin Carbo smacked a triple to left field and came home on the sac fly to center by Yaz. Carbo flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox down 3-2.

                                                              Yaz drives in a run

Wohlford beat out a roller to third to begin the bottom of the eighth and stole his third base of the game. McRae beat out a roller to short and Schaal dropped down a bunt to move the runners over. Vada Pinson pinch hit for Cowens and hit a sac fly to center to score Wohlford. Patek popped up to first and somehow Schaal tagged up and moved to second. Rojas grounded out to third to end the inning with the Royals up 4-2.

                                                               Pinson drives in a run

Fisk popped up to third to start the top of the ninth and Cecil Cooper pinch hit for Montgomery and struck out swinging. Rico Petrocelli pinch hit for McAuliffe and popped up to third to end the game. The Royals had won it 4-2.

Jackass of The Night is Bob Montgomery. He allowed SIX stolen bases, the last one leading to the insurance run scoring.

                                                             Jackass Montgomery

The Good:

Rick Miller was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Doug Griffin was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Carl Yastrzemski walked twice and drove in a run.

Carlton Fisk was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Terry Hughes was 1 for 3.

Dick McAuliffe walked as a pinch hitter.

The Bad:

Bernie Carbo was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Cecil Cooper struck out as a pinch hitter.

Rico Petrocelli was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Mario Guerrero was 0 for 2.

Diego Segui allowed a run in 1 1/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Tommy Harper was just 1 for 4.

Bill Lee took the loss but allowed just 3 runs in 6 2/3 innings. He allowed 11 hits and a walk while striking out three.

Final Thoughts:

That was bawful defined. The Sox grounded into four double plays, let the Royals steal SIX bags and Lee threw a ball away. They couldn't do anything right today and its a wonder Sox manager Darrell Johnson doesn't jump into the ocean after the game. The only bright spot is Carlton Fisk is back and as soon as he's ready to catch again, you can say goodbye to Montgomery behind the plate. The pitching has been solid with Rick Wise, Lee, Reggie Cleveland and Luis Tiant, they just need the bats and the defense to come around. Not every game will be as incompetent as this one....we hope. The less said of this, the better. The Sox look to snap their four game losing streak tomorrow afternoon when "The Dominican Dandy" Juan Marichal takes on Al Fitzmorris of Kansas City. The game begins at 2:00 PM Eastern time at Royals Stadium.

Rangers Blank Sox (4/25/74)

The good news was the Boston Bruins defeated the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 4 of their NHL Semifinal playoff series but the bad news was the Boston Red Sox got shut out by the Texas Rangers. Jim Bibby went the distance tossing a complete game, four hit shutout. The Sox blew a first inning rally and could never get on track offensively. Meanwhile the Rangers rallied for three runs against Luis Tiant (1-2, 5.29 ERA) as he only lasted five innings. The Rangers got another run off Roger Moret in the sixth inning and that was all the scoring for the rest of the game. The Sox couldn't touch Bibby as they were shut out by the Rangers 4-0 at Arlington Stadium.

Bibby got the ball in the top of the first and Tommy Harper flied out to center to start. Doug Griffin grounded out to short but Dave Nelson booted a grounder by Cecil Cooper for an error. Bibby threw the pickoff throw away for an error to move Cooper to third and Carl Yastrzesmski walked. Rico Petrocelli flied out to center to end the inning. Tiant got the ball in the bottom of the first and Nelson's bunt attempt to third was snuffed out to begin. Toby Harrah popped up to short and Alex Johnson popped up to first to end the inning.

Bernie Carbo struck out swinging to start the top of the second but Bob Montgomery doubled to center. Juan Beniquez flied out to right and Mario Guerrero struck out swinging to end the inning. Jeff Burroughs took strike three to start the bottom of the second but Tom Grieve singled down the third base line. Jim Spencer popped up to second and Joe Lovitto grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the third as Harper popped up to second to start. Griffin singled to left but Cooper forced him at second. Yaz walked but Petrocelli grounded out to first to end the inning, that's three men left on by Rico so far. Lenny Randle popped up to left to start the bottom of the third before Dick Billings singled to left. Nelson flied out to center and Harrah forced Billings at second to end the inning.

Carbo lined out to left to start the top of the fourth before Montgomery grounded back to the mound. Beniquez struck out swinging to end the inning. Johnson grounded out to third to start the bottom of the fourth before Burroughs walked. Grieve flied out to center and Spencer grounded out to first to end the inning.

Guerrero grounded out to short to start the top of the fifth and Harper popped up to first. Griffin singled to left but pulled up lame and had to leave the game. Dick McAuliffe ran for Griffin and Cooper flied out to left to end the inning. The Rangers struck first in the bottom of the fifth as Lovitto struck out swinging to start. Randle grounded a base hit just out of McAuliffe's reach and stole second. Billings popped up to second but Nelson dumped a base hit to center to score Randle. Harrah was decked by Tiant and Johnson singled to center to score Nelson. Burroughs lined another base hit to center to score Harrah. Grieve flied out to center to end the inning with the Rangers up 3-0. That was it for Tiant who got rocked in the fifth inning after allowing six hits and a walk.

                                                            Rangers take the lead

Yaz grounded out to second to start the top of the sixth before Petrocelli got a base hit to left. Terry Hughes ran for Rico and Carbo popped up to short, but Petrocelli took second on a wild pitch. Montgomery grounded out to short to end the inning. Roger Moret got tagged in the bottom of the sixth as Spencer lined out to center to start. Lovitto beat out a roller to short but Randle singled to left. Billings walked to load the bases and Nelson scored Lovitto with a sac fly to center. The Rangers pulled off a double steal but Harrah struck out to end the inning with the Rangers up 4-0.

                                                       Randle gets the Rangers started

Larry Brown took over for Randle to start the top of the seventh and Beniquez struck out swinging to start. Guerrero grounded back to the mound and Harper grounded out to short to end the inning. Johnson grounded out to second to begin the bottom of the seventh and Burroughs took strike three. Grieve grounded out to second to end the inning.

McAuliffe grounded back to the mound to begin the top of the eighth and Cooper popped up to short. Yaz grounded out to first to end the inning. Spencer got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the eighth and Lovitto sacrificed him to second with a bunt. Brown flied out to center and Billings grounded out to third to end the inning.

Bibby returned to finish the job in the top of the ninth and Hughes struck out swinging to start. Carbo struck out swinging and Montgomery popped up to left to end the game. The Rangers had won  4-0

                                                            Rangers win

Jackass of the Night is Luis Tiant. He got hammered in the fifth inning for 3 runs to put the game out of reach.

                                                         Jackass Tiant

The Good:

Doug Griffin was 2 for 3.

Carl Yastrzemski walked twice in four plate appearances.

The Bad:

Tommy Harper was 0 for 4.

Dick McAuliffe was 0 for 1.

Cecil Cooper was 0 for 4.

Terry Hughes struck out at the plate.

Bernie Carbo was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Juan Beniquez was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Mario Guerrero was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Rico Petrocelli was 1 for 3 but left three men on base.

Bob Montgomery was just 1 for 4.

Roger Moret allowed a run in 3 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

Looks like the Sox bats crashed down to earth after overachieving for the first two weeks of the season. The bottom of the order is a legitimate black hole with Carbo, Guerrero, Montgomery and Beniquez all hitting under .246 and Harper at just .175. Its only April but that's the reason they've been perfectly mediocre to start the year. The pitching has been fine except for Tiant but he'll turn it around. He only gave up three runs in this one and if the bats could have done ANYTHING, the outcome might have been different. The Sox are desperately missing Carlton Fisk's offense and it might be time to start Dwight Evans over Harper unless Tommy can turn it around. In terms of help from Pawtucket, the Sox might have something with 23 year old Fred Lynn and 21 year old Jim Rice but they're still a year away. They're going to have to get creative to score some runs until Harper turns it around or Fisk gets back. The Sox now travel to Kansas City for a three game set with the Royals. Bill Lee (2-1) takes on Steve Busby of Kansas City and the game begins tomorrow night at 8:00 PM Eastern time at Royals Stadium.

Jenkins Outduels Cleveland, Sox (4/24/74)

The good news was the Boston Celtics eliminated the New York Knicks in Game 5 of their NBA East Finals series but the bad news was the Boston Red Sox lost to the Texas Rangers. Rangers ace Fergie Jenkins was almost unhittable for Texas, tossing a complete game 6 hitter against the hapless bats. Reggie Cleveland (1-2, 2.39 ERA) was the hard luck loser in this one, pitching his own complete game. Alex Johnson drove in Texas' first run in the bottom of the first but Rico Petrocelli tied it in the top of the seventh. Cleveland then got tagged by a two run Lenny Randle double in the bottom of the seventh to put the Rangers up for good. The Sox got the tying run on in the eighth but couldn't knock it in as the Rangers had won the game 3-1 at Arlington Stadium.

                                                      "THEY COULDN'T HIT JENKINS!"

Jenkins got the ball in the top of the first as Tommy Harper flied out to left to start. Cecil Cooper took strike three and Bernie Carbo grounded back to the mound to end the inning. The Rangers struck first against Cleveland in the bottom of the first as Dave Nelson singled in the hole at short to start. Toby Harrah grounded out to first to move Nelson to second then Dave took third on a passed ball. Alex Johnson beat out a roller to third to score Nelson to put Texas on top. Johnson was thrown out at second trying to steal and Jeff Burroughs grounded out to third to end the inning with Texas up 1-0.

                                                                 Rangers strike first

Carl Yastrzemski doubled to left to open the top of the second but Rico Petrocelli struck out swinging. Juan Beniquez flied out to left and Bob Montgomery grounded out to third to end the inning. Tom Grieve struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second and Jim Spencer flied out to center. Joe Lovitto grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Doug Griffin got a base hit to left to start the top of the third but was thrown out at second trying to steal. Mario Guerrero flied out to left and Harper popped up to first to end the inning. Lenny Randle grounded out to second to start the bottom of the third before Jim Sundberg also grounded out to second. Nelson caught the Sox asleep with a bunt down the third base line and moved to second when Cooper botched the pickoff throw for an error. Harrah grounded out to second to end the inning.

Cooper flied out to center to begin the top of the fourth before Carbo grounded back to the mound and Yaz struck out swinging to end the inning. Johnson flied out to center to open the bottom of the fourth before Burroughs grounded out to second. Grieve walked but Spencer grounded out to second to end the inning.

Petrocelli flied out to left to begin the top of the fifth before Beniquez popped up to center. Montgomery lined out to center to end the inning. The Rangers beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the fifth as Lovitto grounded back to the mound to start. Randle and Sundberg both grounded out to short to end the inning.

Griffin popped up to third to begin the top of the sixth and Guerrero popped up to second. Harper struck out swinging to end the inning. Nelson popped up to second to begin the bottom of the sixth and Harrah lined out to short. Johnson grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

The Sox struck back in the top of the seventh as Cooper doubled to left to begin. Cooper moved to third on the Carbo grounder to second and Yaz was intentionally walked. Petrocelli got a base hit to left to score Cooper but Yaz was thrown out at third to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                                RBI for Rico

The Rangers iced the game in the bottom of the seventh as Burroughs lined out to left to start. Grieve grounded out to short and Spencer doubled to center. Lovitto was intentionally walked but Randle hit a pop up to center. Harper and Yaz failed to call each other off and the ball dropped between them for a double to score both runners. Sundberg grounded out to short to end the inning with the Rangers up 3-1

                                                             "Dammit Yaz, I had it" - Harper

  

Larry Brown took over at third to start the top of the eighth but Montgomery got a base hit to center to start. Griffin popped up to center but Danny Cater pinch hit for Guerrero. Cater got a base hit to left and Dick McAuliffe pinch ran for him. Harper popped up to short and Cooper grounded out to second to end the inning. Cleveland returned for one final inning in the bottom of the eighth as Nelson caught the Sox asleep again with a bunt single to third then moved to second on the bunt by Harrah. Johnson walked but Burroughs beat out a double play ball. Grieve flied out to right to end the inning. Cleveland was game as he went 8 innings, allowing 3 runs of 6 hits and 3 walks.

                                                                Cleveland did well

Jenkins returned to close out the top of the ninth and Carbo grounded out to first to start. Yaz grounded out to second and Petrocelli struck out swinging to end the game. The Rangers had won it 3-1.

                                                                Rangers win

Jackass of The Night is Tommy Harper. He was 0 for 4 with a strikeout including popping up with the tying runs on.

                                                               Jackass Harper

The Good:

Carl Yastrzemski was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Doug Griffin was 1 for 3.

Danny Cater singled as a pinch hitter.

One of the rare times the winning pitcher ends up on the Good list but Reggie Cleveland allowed 2 earned runs (3 total) in 8 strong innings. He gave up 6 hits and 3 walks while striking out a batter.

The Bad:

Bernie Carbo was 0 for 4.

Juan Beniquez was 0 for 3.

Mario Guerrero was 0 for 2.

The Ugly:

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

Rico Petrocelli was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run.

Bob Montgomery was 1 for 3 but allowed a crucial passed ball.

Honorable Mention:

Dick McAuliffe ran for Cater in the eighth inning.

Final Thoughts:

Fergie is one of the best pitchers in the game and the Sox are missing Carlton Fisk but at some point the Sox are going to have to beat great pitchers. Cleveland pitched great but took the loss because the offense totally evaporated. As mentioned before, the bottom of the order is becoming a black hole. Beniquez is hitting .229, Montgomery at .195 and Guerrero at .224. The biggest surprise is Harper at .189. He may turn it around but when you have four out of nine hitters as automatic outs, that's not good. Getting Fisk back would be nice but the others have to step it up. Physical mistakes like the passed ball and Cooper's error didn't help either. The Sox did get men on base but just couldn't drive them in. Hopefully the Sox can turn it around moving forward. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow tonight against the Rangers when Luis Tiant (2-1) goes one on one with Jim Bibby. The game begins at 10:00 PM Eastern time at Arlington Stadium.

Royals Rally Late, Stop Sox (4/23/74)

It was bad news all around as the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Boston Bruins in Game 3 of their NHL Semifinal series and the Kansas City Royals defeated the Boston Red Sox. Dick Drago (1-1, 2.70 ERA) locked into a pitcher's duel with Al Fitzsimmons of the Royals for 8 innings. The Royals and Sox both got a run in the first inning then Tommy Harper scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the third. Hal McRae got an rbi double in the top of the sixth and then it was on to the ninth. The Royals battered a tired Drago for three runs with the third coming off a Jim Wohlford single off David Segui. The Boston bats could do nothing else with Fitzsimmons and the Royals beat the Red Sox 5-2 at Fenway Park.

                                                           "Ninth inning rallies....."

Drago got the ball in the top of the first and Freddie Patek walked to start. Patek took of for second and Sox catcher Bob Didier threw the ball over the first baseman's head for no reason to move Freddie to third on the error. Wohlford grounded out to second to score Patek and put Kansas City on top. John Mayberry and Hal McRae both grounded out to short to end the inning with KC up 1-0.

                                                                  Nice error Bob

The Sox answered against Fitzmorris in the bottom of the first as Tommy Harper grounded back to the mound to start. Juan Beniquez doubled off the Monster but Cecil Cooper grounded out to first. Carl Yastrzemski got a base hit to center to score Beniquez and took second on a wild pitch. Bernie Carbo was intentionally walked and John Kennedy struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                               Yaz ties it up

Cookie Rojas flied out to center to start the top of the second before Vada Pinson doubled off the Monster. Tony Solaita lined out to second and Buck Martinez flied out to left to end the inning. Dick McAuliffe grounded out to second to start the bottom of the second and Bob Didier flied out to right. Mario Guerrero grounded out to third to end the inning.

Frank White grounded out to third to start the top of the third before Patek flied out to right. Wohlford grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the third as Harper tripled into the centerfield triangle to begin. Harper scored on a wild pitch but Beniquez grounded back to the mound. Cooper flied out to left but Yaz doubled to right. Carbo was intentionally walked again and Kennedy struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 2-0.

                                                            Harper scores a run

Mayberry got a base hit to center to start the top of the fourth before McRae lined out to short. Rojas grounded into a double play to end the inning. McAuliffe grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the fourth before Didier struck out swinging. Guerrero got a base hit to left but Harper grounded out to third to end the inning.

Pinson popped up to short to start the top of the fifth and Solaita took strike three. Martinez walked but was forced at second by White to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the fifth as Beniquez struck out swinging to start. Cooper singled to right and Yaz drew a walk, but Carbo beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners. Sox manager Darrell Johnson had enough of Kennedy's incompetence at the plate so he sent Danny Cater to pinch hit for him. Cater walked to load the bases and Terry Hughes came in to run for him. With a chance to break the game open, McAuliffe grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Royals struck back in the top of the sixth as Patek grounded out to short to start. Wohlford got a base hit to center before stealing second. Mayberry struck out swinging but McRae doubled to left to score Wohlford. Rojas grounded out to second to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                                 McRae drives in a run

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the sixth as Didier grounded out to second to start. Guerrero flied out to right but Harper walked. Beniquez flied out to left to end the inning.

Pinson lined out to second to open the top of the seventh before Solaita walked. Al Cowens pinch ran for Solaita only for Martinez to hit into a double play to end the inning. Cooper flied out to center to start the bottom of the seventh but Yaz got a base hit to right. Carbo grounded into a double play to end the inning.

White grounded out to third to start the top of the eighth before Patek grounded out to short. Wohlford singled to right and Mayberry walked, but McRae forced John at second to end the inning. Hughes flied out to left to start the bottom of the eighth before McAuliffe grounded out to second. Bob Montgomery pinch hit for Didier and struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Royals sprang to life in the top of the ninth against a tired Drago as Rojas got a base hit to right to start. Pinson forced Rojas at second but swiped second base. Cowens got a base hit to center and Martinez got a base hit to right to score Pinson. Darrell Johnson kept Drago in and Amos Otis pinch hit for White. Otis got a base hit to center and finally Drago was pulled. Dick did a hell of a job up to this point but was removed after allowing 5 runs in 8 1/3 innings. Diego Segui came in to pitch and both runners moved over on a comebacker to Segui by Patek. Wohlford got a base hit to center to score Martinez to ice the game. Wohlford stole second but Mayberry struck out swinging to end the inning with the Royals up 5-2.

                                                 "I shoulda pulled em earlier" - Johnson

Fernanrdo Gonzalez took over at third for the bottom of the ninth with Rick Miller pinch hitting for Guerrero to begin. Miller grounded out to first before Harper got a base hit to center. Beniquez flied out to left and Cooper popped up to third to end the game. The Royals had won it 5-2.

Jackass of The Night should be Darrell Johnson but its Dick Drago. He allowed 5 runs in 8 1/3 innings to put the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of. He allowed 9 hits and walked four.

                                                             Jackass Drago

The Good:

Tommy Harper was 2 for 4 with a walk and a run scored.

Carl Yastrezmski was 3 for 5 with a walk and a run scored.

Bernie Carbo walked twice in four plate appearances.

Danny Cater walked as a pinch hitter.

Mario Guerrero was 1 for 3.

The Bad:

John Kennedy was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

Terry Hughes was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Dick McAuliffe was 0 for 4.

Bob Didier was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Bob Montgomery struck out as a pinch hitter.

Rick Miller was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

Juan Beniquez was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Cecil Cooper was just 1 for 5.

Diego Segui allowed an inherited runner to score but none of his own in 2/3 of an inning.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox have a huge problem going on and its not something easily fixable. They have a black hole at the bottom of their order with Carlton Fisk and Doug Griffin out. Royals manager Jack McKeon figured out to just walk Carbo because the bottom of the order can't hit. John Kennedy was only in with Griffin out and Didier is here because Fisk is out. Guerrero isn't exactly going to light it up either so the Sox need to pitch well. Johnson went with Drago way too long in this one and by the time Segui got in, it was too late. Still, the trio of Rick Wise, Luis Tiant and Bill Lee should be enough to win a lot of games this year. Hopefully Fisk and Griffin come back soon because this is going to be a very top-heavy lineup in the meantime. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow as they hit the road against the Texas Rangers. Reggie Cleveland (1-1) takes the mound for the Sox against Rangers age Fergie Jenkins. The game begins at 8:00 PM Eastern time at Arlington Stadium.