Sox Bash Angels For Fifth Straight Win (5/1/94)

It was good news all around as the Boston Bruins won Game 1 of their NHL second round series against the New Jersey Devils and the Boston Red Sox swept the California Angels for their fifth straight win. The Boston bats pounded Brian Anderson and the California bullpen for 16 hits and ten runs, most of the damage coming from a seven run rally in the third inning. Lee Tinsley, Mo Vaughn and Tim Naehring all had 3 hits apiece with Mo scoring three runs as well. On the other side of the ball, Joe Hesketh (1-1, 3.63 ERA) dominated the Angels with seven shutout innings, holding the Angels to just 5 hits. It was a total domination by the red hot Sox as they plastered the Angels 10-1 at Anaheim Stadium.

                                              Ray Bourque and Jon Casey approve of the win

Anderson got the ball in the top of the first inning and Otis Nixon grounded out to first to start. Billy Hatcher flied out to left and Mike Greenwell also flied out to left to end the inning. Hesketh got the ball in the bottom of the first and Damion Easley struck out swinging on a high slider to start. Chad Curtis blooped a base hit to right but Tim Salmon was rung up for strike three by first base umpire Larry Young. Curtis stole second but Chili Davis struck out swinging on a nasty slider to end the inning.

Andre Dawson struck out swinging to start the top of the second but Mo Vaughn grounded a base hit up the middle. Tim Naehring got a base hit to right on a hit and run to move Vaughn to third. Scott Cooper hit a sac fly to right to score Vaughn and Dave Valle blooped a base hit just over the head over Gary DiSarcina. Scott Fletcher struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                            Vaughn scores a run

Apparently Nixon got hurt running to first in the first inning so Lee Tinsley took his place in center for the bottom of the second. Bo Jackson struck out swinging on another slider but Eduardo Perez got a seeing eye single up the middle. Chris Turner forced Perez at second but Rex Hudler also got a base hit to center. ESPN analyst Jon Miller claimed Billerica native Gary DiSarcina took the number 33 in honor of Larry Bird and he struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox exploded in the top of the third as Tinsley hit a 404 foot double off the wall in center to start. Lee took third on a passed ball and scored on the Hatcher base hit to left. Greenwell got a base hit to center and Hatcher moved to third on the Dawson fly ball to left. Vaughn was hit with a pitch to load the bases. Naehring drilled a base hit to center to score Hatcher but nobody else advanced for some reason. Cooper hit a double play ball to Perez who flipped to DiSarcina, but Gary threw the ball away for an error to score Greenwell and Vaughn. Valle walked and Fletcher dumped a base hit to left to score Cooper. That was it for Brian Anderson as Scott Lewis came in to pitch to Tinsley. Lee got a broken bat single in the hole at short to load the bases and Hatcher got a base hit to center. Valle and Fletcher scored on the hit but Greenwell grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-0.

                                                               What a massacre

Easley flied out to center to start the bottom of the third and Jon Miller started singing "Woomp, down and in! Woomp, down and in!" Tinsley made a sliding catch to rob Curtis of a hit and Salmon flied out to right to end the inning.

The Sox got another one in the top of the fourth as Dawson flied out to center to start. Vaughn doubled down the left field line and Naehring drilled a double to the right field wall to score Mo. Cooper got a base hit to right but Tim stopped at third. Valle grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-0.

                                                 Naehring drives in a run

Davis got a broken bat base hit to center to start the bottom of the fourth but Tinsley made another sliding catch to rob Jackson of a base hit. Perez grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Fletcher grounded out to third to start the top of the fifth before Tinsley flied out to left. Hatcher flied out to center to end the inning. Turner hit a routine grounder to Hesketh to start the bottom of the fifth and not only did Joe boot it, he threw it wide for an error. Hudler grounded into a double play and DiSarcina grounded out to third to end the inning.

Old friends Spike Owen came in for Easley and John Dopson came in to pitch the top of the sixth. Greenwell grounded out to first to start before Dawson struck out swinging. Vaughn also went down hacking to end the inning. Bob Zupcic took over for Greenwell for the bottom of the sixth and Owen flied out to center to start. ESPN showed a hilarious interview with Eduardo Perez (Tony's son) saying Joe Morgan's glove was too small for even him when he was six years old. Curtis grounded out to short and Salmon struck out swinging on an 86 mph fastball to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the seventh as Naehring flied out to center to start. Cooper drilled a base hit to center and Valle walked before Fletcher beat out a double play ball. Tinsley got a base hit up the middle to score Cooper then took second on the throw home. Hatcher grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox up 10-0.

                                                             Heads up play by Tinsley

Hesketh returned for the bottom of the seventh as Davis doubled over the head of Zupcic to start. Jackson grounded out to third and Jon Miller told a hilarious story of Hesketh getting called for a balk in his ML debut in 1984 before even throwing a pitch. Then in 1985, Hesketh, with the Expos at the time, pitched a complete game shutout against Nolan Ryan and the Houston Astros while the newspaper headline read "Expos Win, Ryan Strikes out 15". Perez walked, Turner popped up to third and Hudler grounded out to third to end the inning. That was it for Hesketh who tossed 7 innings of shutout ball allowing just 5 hits and a walk.

                                                        Good work by Hesketh

Joe Grahe took over on the mound in the top of the eighth and Zupcic lined out to first. Rich Rowland pinch hit for Dawson and took strike three before Vaughn hit a ground rule double down the right field line. Naehring grounded back to the mound to end the inning. The Angels got on the board in the bottom of the eighth against Paul Quantrill as DiSarcina grounded out to short to begin. Owen got a base hit to left then moved to second on a grounder to second by Curtis. Salmon ripped a base hit to left to score Owen. Davis grounded out to second to end the inning with the Angels down 10-1.

                                                            There goes the shutout

Cooper grounded out to second to start the top of the ninth before Valle took strike three. Fletcher grounded out to third to end the inning. Quantrill came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Jackson grounded out to short to start. Perez grounded out to third and Turner flied out to left to end the game. The Sox had won it 10-1.

                                                                  Sox win

Hero of The Night is Joe Hesketh. He threw 7 shutout innings allowing 5 hits and a walk while striking out six

                                                           Hero Hesketh

The Good:

Mo Vaughn was 3 for 4 with a hit by pitch and 3 runs scored.

Lee Tinsley was 3 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Billy Hatcher was 2 for 5 with 3 rbis and a run scored.

Tim Naehring was 3 for 5 with 2 rbis.

Scott Cooper was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis and 2 runs scored.

Dave Valle was 1 for 3 with 2 walks and a run scored.

The Bad:

Otis Nixon was 0 for 1 before leaving the game.

Bob Zupcic was 0 for 1.

Andre Dawson was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Rich Rowland struck out in his only at-bat.

The Ugly:

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

Scott Fletcher was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but drove in a run and scored a run.

Paul Quantrill allowed a run in 2 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

It doesn't get much better if you're a Red Sox fan. The Sox have been red hot on both sides of the ball, mainly the pitching. The last five games Aaron Sele, Roger Clemens, Frank Viola. Joe Hesketh and Danny Darwin all held their opponents to just 1 run. Obviously that hot streak isn't going to last but its the main reason the Sox are in first place right now. Its too bad Otis Nixon had to leave the game but Lee Tinsley filled in admirably. The Sox put this one away early and cruised the rest of the way. What more can be said about the offense other than hope it lasts. Vaughn, Naehring, Greenwell, etc are red hot and could be a contender if this keeps up. The only low point was Bob Zupcic being put in for defense and couldn't make two plays, he might be gone pretty soon if Sox brass want to give Greg Blosser another chance. All in all it was a good win and the Sox are rolling. After an off-day tomorrow, the Sox look now travel to Seattle for a two game set with the Mariners, gunning for their sixth straight win. Frank Viola goes for the Sox up against Dave Fleming of the Mariners. The game begins Tuesday night at 10:05 PM Eastern time at the Kingdome.

Clemens, Sox Power Past Angels (4/30/94)

Hopefully the Boston Red Sox starting pitching holds up this season because so far this year, the Red Sox are a wagon with them. Roger Clemens (3-1, 3.16) tossed an eight inning gem allowing just 1 run to keep the Sox in the game. The Boston bats were held to just 7 hits by Mark Leiter but the Sox made them count. Andrew Dawson drove two big runs while Scott Cooper batted in another. It was the Clemens show as he dazzled the Angels before giving way to the bullpen. Ken Ryan and Greg Harris finished the game off as the Sox ended the month of April on a hot streak with a 4-1 victory over the Angels at Angels Stadium.

                                                       Jeannine Taylor approves of the win

The Sox jumped on Leiter in the top of the first inning as Otis Nixon lined out to left to start. Mike Greenwell doubled to center but Tim Naehring grounded out to third. Mo Vaughn was hit with a pitch and Andre Dawson pounded a ground rule double down the left field line to score Greenwell. Scott Cooper walked and Billy Hatcher popped up to third to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                              Dawson drives in a run

Clemens got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Damion Easley grounded out to second to start. Dwight Smith popped up to short and Tim Salmon struck out swinging to end the inning.

Damon Berryhill popped up to short to start the top of the second inning and Scott Fletcher grounded out to short. Nixon also grounded out to short to end the inning. Chili Davis got hit with a pitch to start the bottom of the second but Eduardo Perez grounded into a double play. Chad Curtis grounded out to short to end the inning.

Greenwell struck out swinging to start the top of the third before Naehring singled to left. Vaughn popped up to third in foul territory and Dawson flied out to right to end the inning. The Angels tied it in the bottom of the third as Jorge Fabregas struck out swinging to start. Harold Reynolds walked, stole second and scored on the Gary Disarcina base hit to right. Easley took strike three but Disarcina stole second as well. Smith grounded out to second to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                                 Disarcina ties it

The Sox struck back in the top of the fourth as Cooper doubled to left to start. Hatcher hit a routine grounder to Easley who threw the ball away for an error to score Cooper. Berryhill grounded out to first to move Hatcher to third but Fletcher flied out to center. Nixon struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 2-1.

                                                                 Cooper scores a run

Salmon singled to center to start the bottom of the fourth but Davis struck out swinging. Perez struck out swinging and Curtis lined out to right to end the inning.

The Sox added on in the top of the fifth as Greenwell popped up to third to start. Easley made another error to allow Naehring to reach first and Vaughn got a base hit to right. Dawson got a base hit to right to score Naehring and move Vaughn to third. Cooper beat out a double play ball to score Vaughn with another run but Hatcher popped up to third to end the inning with the Sox up 4-1.

                                                                  Vaughn scores a run

Fabregas lined out to second to start the bottom of the fifth and Reynolds struck out swinging. Disarcina flied out to center to end the inning.

Berryhill flied out to center to start the top of the sixth before Fletcher singled to left. Fletcher swiped second but Nixon grounded back to the mound. Greenwell was intentionally walked but Naehring flied out to right to end the inning. Easley popped up to second to start the bottom of the sixth but Smith got a base hit to right. Smith was thrown out at second trying to steal and Salmon grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Vaughn struck out swinging to start the top of the seventh before Dawson also went down hacking. Cooper walked but Hatcher flied out to left to end the inning. Davis took strike three to start the bottom of the seventh and shouted invectives at home plate umpire Fieldin Culbreth. Fieldin threw Davis out of the game and Perez flied out to right. Curtis grounded out to third to end the inning.

                                                                     Yerrrrr out!

Berryhill flied out to right to open the top of the eighth and Fletcher lined out to center. Nixon grounded out to first to end the inning. Clemens returned for one final inning in the bottom of the eighth as Fabregas popped up to third to start. Reynolds doubled to right but Disarcina struck out swinging. Easley grounded out to short to end the inning. Clemens was outstanding, allowing just 1 run in 8 strong innings allowing 4 hits and a walk.

                                                             The Rocket delivered

Craig Lefferts came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Greenwell grounded back to the mound to start. Naehring flied out to left and Lefferts dropped the throw from Disarcina on Vaughn's grounder for an error. Dawson was intentionally walked and Lee Tinsley pinch ran for him. Cooper flied out to center to end the inning. Ken Ryan came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Smith lined out to short to start. Salmon lined out to right but Bo Jackson pinch hit for Davis. Jackson walked and Perez got a base hit to center. Suddenly Sox manager Butch Hobson kicked over a gatorade jug and threw a bat at Ryan before needing to be restrained by arm security as Ryan ran over to take a swing at him. Greg Harris tiptoed to the mound to pitch to Curtis and got him to fly out to right to end the game. The Sox had won the game 4-1.

Hero of The Night is Roger Clemens. He allowed just 1 run in 8 innings while allowing 4 hits and walk. He also struck out 8 batters

                                                                Rocket Hero

The Good:

Andre Dawson was 2 for 4 with a walk and 2 rbis.

Scott Cooper was 1 for 3 with 2 walks, an rbi and a run scored.

Ken Ryan got the first two outs of the ninth inning.

Greg Harris earned the save by getting the final out of the game.

The Bad:

Otis Nixon was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

Billy Hatcher was 0 for 4.

Damon Berryhill was 0 for 4.

The Ugly:

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

Mo Vaughn was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but was hit with a pitch and scored a run.

Scott Fletcher was just 1 for 4.

Honorable Mention:

Lee Tinsley ran for Dawson in the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

For the second year in a row the Red Sox have had a strong April but this year has a different vibe. The offense is gelling incredibly and the starting pitching has held up so far. Clemens was his normal self and he dominated the Angels tonight. Combined with the efforts of Danny Darwin and Frank Viola, Clemens added to the Sox win streak big time. Ken Ryan looked a little shaky but Harris got the final out nicely. Billy Hatcher and Otis Nixon have cooled off a little but can't argue that the Sox have gotten the hits they needed to win games lately. Hopefully everyone stays healthy because good things are in store at this pace. The win improved the Sox to 17-7, 1.5 games ahead of the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox look for the series sweep and fifth consecutive win tomorrow night against the Angels. Joe Hesketh (0-1) looks for his first win of the season against Brian Anderson of the Angels. The fame begins at 8:05 PM eastern time at Angels Stadium.

Darwin, Sox Beat A's (4/28/94)

A week ago Boston Red Sox fans were complaining that the Red Sox were relying on aging starting pitching and it would come back to haunt them. Well the last two days Frank Viola and Danny Darwin (4-1, 5.17 ERA) have combined for 12 2/3 innings and 1 run allowed. Darwin held the Oakland A's to just one measly run in 6 2/3 gutty innings as the Sox tagged Todd Van Poppel for four runs in this one. Scott Cooper was the offensive star in this one, driving in all four of the Sox runs while the only run Darwin allowed was a home run by Mike Aldrete. The Sox bullpen held the A's scoreless the rest of the way as the Sox knocked off the A's 4-1 at Oakland Coliseum.

                                                       Lorna Luft approves of the win

Van Poppel got the ball in the top of the first inning as Otis Nixon grounded out to short to start. Billy Hatcher struck out swinging and Mike Greenwell grounded out to second to end the inning. Darwin got the ball in the bottom of the first as Stan Javier flied out to center to begin. Hatcher dropped a pop up by Mike Aldrete for an error and Aldrete moved to third on a grounder to second by Troy Neel. Geronimo Berroa struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second as Mo Vaughn walked to start. Andre Dawson doubled to center and Scott Cooper doubled to left to score both runners. Tim Naehring struck out swinging, Damon Berryhill took strike three and John Valentin popped up to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                              Cooper drives in a pair

Ruben Sierra flied out to center to start the bottom of the second and Terry Steinbach also flied out to center. Mike Brumley struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the third as Nixon singled to left to start. Nixon stole second and Hatcher walked before Greenwell took strike three. Vaughn got a base hit to right but Nixon stopped and had to turn back to third, causing Naehring to go back to second. Vaughn got thrown out at first on the play. Dawson grounded out to third to end the inning. Scott Brosius grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the third and Mike Bordick flied out to center. Javier grounded out to second to end the inning.

Cooper grounded out to second to start the top of the fourth before Naehring flied out to right. Berryhill popped up to short to end the inning. The A's struck back in the bottom of the fourth as Aldtrete hit a home run all the home run to South Carolina to cut the lead. Neel flied out to left, Berroa watched strike three go by and Sierra hit a double to left....but was thrown out at third trying to stretch a triple to end the inning with the A's down 2-1.

                                                                 Aldrete tags Darwin

Valentin flied out to right to start the top of the fifth before Nixon grounded out to short. Hatcher flied out to left to end the inning. Steinbach singled to center to start the bottom of the fifth but Brumley struck out swinging. Brosius went down hacking but Bordick caught Cooper asleep with a bunt single. Javier flied out to right to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the sixth as Greenwell popped up to third to start. Vaughn singled to center but Dawson popped up to short. Cooper struck his sixth home run of the season to double the lead. Naehring was hit with a pitch but Berryhill struck out swinging. Valentin popped up to short to end the inning with the Sox up 4-0.

                                                       Another home run by Cooper

Aldrete was frozen for strike three to start the bottom of the sixth before Neel doubled to right. Berroa flied out to right and Sierra lined out to center to end the inning. 

Valentin popped up to second to begin the top of the seventh before Nixon flied out to center. Hatcher also flied out to center to end the inning. Steinbach flied out to center to start the bottom of the seventh before Brumley struck out swinging. Brosius got a base hit to center and Bordick got a base hit to right to chase Darwin. Danny did well, allowing just 1 run in 6 2/3 innings off 7 hits. Ken Ryan came in and got Javier to fly out to center to end the inning.

                                                               Good work Darwin

Vince Horsman came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Greenwell flied out to center to start. Vaughn struck out swinging but Dawson singled to center. Bob Zupcic pinch ran for Dawson and was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning. Lee Tinsley came in to play right with Tony Fossas now on the mound to start the bottom of the eighth. A's manager Tony La Russa pinch hit Ricky Henderson for Aldrete but he took strike three. Neel singled to right to chase Fossas. Greg Harris came in and Berroa singled to right, but Sierra grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Junior Noboa came in for Henderson with old buddy Dennis Eckersley now on the mound for the top of the ninth. Cooper grounded out to first before Naehring grounded out to short. Berryhill grounded out to first to end the inning. Jeff Russell came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Steinbach grounded out to second to start. Brumley walked then took second on defensive indifference. Brosius flied out to center but Bordick walked. Javier walked to load the bases and Mark McGwire pinch hit for Noboa. McGwire struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 4-1.

Hero of The Night is Scott Cooper. He drove in all four of the Sox runs including a two run home run.

                                                                   Hero Cooper

The Good:

Mo Vaughn was 2 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Andre Dawson was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Danny Darwin tossed 6 2/3 innings of 1 run ball to earn the win. He allowed 7 hits and struck out 7.

Ken Ryan got the final out of the seventh inning.

Tony Fossas got the first out of the eighth inning.

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

Jeff Russell earned his 8th save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Bob Zupcic got thrown out at second trying to steal as a pinch runner.

Mike Greenwell was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Damon Berryhill was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

John Valentin was 0 for 3.

The Ugly:

Otis Nixon was just 1 for 4 but stole a base.

Billy Hatcher was 0 for 3 with a strikeout and an error but walked.

Tim Naehring was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but was hit with a pitch.

Honorable Mention:

Lee Tinsley played right field in the final innings.

Final Thoughts:

Turns out the old pro's aren't washed up yet. Frank Viola pitched a shutout yesterday and Darwin allowed just 1 run in this one. The Sox bats have somewhat cooled off since their hot streak last week but the pitching has held up big time. The lefty/righty combo with Fossas and Harris is working and Russell had one bad game this month, otherwise he's been fine. Cooper made the all-star team last year and so far he's trying to do it again with six home runs already. If it wasn't for the equally red hot New York Yankees, the Sox would be leaving April with a commanding lead in the AL East. As it is, they just have to keep on winning. The Sox look to continue their winning ways in Anaheim as they travel there to play a three game set with the California Angels. Aaron Sele (2-0) gets the start for the Sox against Phil Leftwich of the Angels. The game begins tomorrow night at 10:00 PM at Anaheim Stadium.

Johnson Outduels Clemens, Sox (4/25/94)

It was bad news all around as the Boston Bruins lost Game 5 of their first round NHL playoff series to the Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Red Sox were beaten by the Seattle Mariners. Randy Johnson spun a beauty, hurling a complete game 5 hitter against the formerly red hot Boston bats. Sox ace Roger Clemens (2-1, 3.63 ERA) was mortal in this one although his defense let him down. The Mariners took the lead in the bottom of the third on back to back errors by Clemens and Dave Valle but Andre Dawson answered with a home run in the fourth. Ken Griffey Jr hit a home run in the bottom of the fifth but Scott Fletcher of all people took Johnson deep in the sixth. The Mariners got a big insurance run against Tony Fossas in the bottom of the eighth and Johnson slammed the door in the ninth. It all added up to the Mariners beating the Sox 4-2 at the Kingdome.

Johnson got the ball in the top of the first and Scott Fletcher took strike three to start. Billy Hatcher singled to left but was thrown out at second trying to steal. Tim Naehring struck out swinging to end the inning. Clemens got the ball in the bottom of the first and Rich Amaral grounded out to short to start. Reggie Jefferson grounded out to first but Ken Griffey Jr got a base hit to left. Jay Buhner flied out to center to end the inning.

Andre Dawson grounded out to second to start the top of the second before Mo Vaughn struck out swinging. John Valentin hit a triple to center and Dave Valle drew a walk.....but Bob Zupcic struck out swinging to end the inning. Eric Anthony singled in the hole at short to begin the bottom of the second but got picked off. Tino Martinez walked and Torey Lovullo doubled to right before Mike Blowers walked to load the bases. Dan Wilson grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Lee Tinsley struck out swinging to start the top of the third but Fletcher lined out back to Johnson. Hatcher grounded out to second to end the inning. Things fell apart in the bottom of the third as Amaral singled to right and promptly stole second. Jefferson walked and Griffey beat out a roller to third to load the bases. Buhner popped up to second and Anthony hit a roller to Clemens who....spiked the ball like a football and did the funky chicken for an error to score Amaral. Martinez hit a squibber in front of the plate fielded by Valle who....also spiked it like a football and did a boogie woogie for an error to score Jefferson. Lovullo grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Sox down 2-0.

                                                    Live look at the Red Sox

The Sox fought back in the top of the fourth as Naehring struck out swinging to start. Dawson clobbered his fourth home run of the season to cut the lead but Vaughn grounded back to the mound. Valentin lined out to right to end the inning with the Sox down 2-1.

                                                              Home run Dawson

Blowers hit one up the elevator shaft to start the bottom of the fourth before Wilson took strike three. Amaral grounded out to first to end the inning.

Valle flied out to center to start the top of the fifth and Zupcic lined out to center. Tinsley took strike three to end the inning. The Mariners struck again in the bottom of the fifth as Jefferson flied out to left. Griffey Jr then hit a home run through the roof of the Kingdome to ice the game. Buhner and Anthony both struck out swinging to end the inning with the Mariners up 3-1.

                                                              Junior does it again

Somehow Fletcher of all people hit his first home run of the season off Johnson to cut the lead to begin the top of the sixth. Hatcher popped up to second but Amaral threw a grounder by Naehring away for an error. Dawson grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Sox down 3-2.

                                                                   Home run Fletcher

Martinez flied out to center to start the bottom of the sixth and Lovullo struck out swinging. Blowers took strike three to end the inning.

Vaughn grounded out to first to start the top of the seventh before Valentin was retired on a squibber in front of the plate. Valle flied out to right to end the inning. Clemens returned for one final inning in the bottom of the seventh as Wilson popped up to first to start. Amaral grounded out to short and Jefferson took strike three to end the inning. Clemens pitched 7 innings but allowed 3 runs, one of them due to an error on himself.

                                                               Not his best stuff

Zupcic grounded out to second to start the top of the eighth and Rich Rowland pinch hit for Tinsley. Rowland struck out swinging and Fletcher singled to right. Hatcher grounded out to short to end the inning. Tony Fossas came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Griffey Jr struck out swinging to begin. Buhner doubled to center but Anthony struck out swinging. Martinez ripped a double to left to score Buhner and Lovullo was intentionally walked. Sox manager Butch Hobson ran out of the dugout screaming and chased Fossas into the bullpen while Scot Bankhead took his place on the mound. Darren Bragg pinch hit for Blowers but a wild pitch moved the runners over. Bragg was also intentionally walked and Wilson forced him at second to end the inning with the Mariners up 4-2.

                                                            Martinez adds to the misery

Johnson came back to complete the game in the top of the ninth with Felix Fermin now at short. Naehring earned the hat trick by striking out swinging before Dawson flied out to left. Vaughn grounded out to second to end the game. The Mariners had won it 4-2.

Jackass of The Night is Tony Fossas. He turned a one run game into a two run game by allowing a run in the eighth inning.

                                                                  Jackass Fossas

The Good:

Scott Fletcher was 2 for 4 with a home run.

John Valentin was 1 for 3.

Scott Bankhead got the final out of the eighth inning.

The Bad:

Tim Naehring was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Mo Vaughn was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Bob Zupcic was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Lee Tinsley was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

Rich Rowland struck out as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

Billy Hatcher was just 1 for 4.

Andre Dawson was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a home run.

Dave Valle was 0 for 2 with an error but walked.

Roger Clemens took the loss but went 7 strong innings allowing 3 runs off 6 hits and 3 walks. His error led to two runs scoring but struck out six.

Honorable Mention:

Otis Nixon played center in the bottom of the eighth.

Final Thoughts:

I know the conventional thinking is to put as many right handed hitters you can against a lefty but this was ridiculous. The lineup Butch Hobson had for the past few weeks had been tearing the cover off the ball and tonight he benches Mike Greenwell, Scott Cooper and Otis Nixon. If it wasn't for the heroics of Scott Fletcher, this game might have gotten even worse. Clemens got beat by Johnson and that's a bad sign of things to come. Its been a bad sign his whole career of never being able to outpitch great pitchers, especially in October. Tony Fossas didn't get the job done although they had all sorts of lefties coming up. Still, the Sox have had an incredible month so far so hopefully this was just a minor hiccup. Hopefully Hobson learns from this and just goes with his normal guns the next time he has to face Johnson or another lefty ace. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow night when Joe Hesketh of the Sox takes on Chris Bosio of the Mariners. The Sox are looking to avenge last year's no-hitter at 10:00 PM Eastern time at the Kingdome.

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.