Jays Beat Sox in 13 Innings (4/20/92)

Well this game was a kick in the ass. The Toronto Blue Jays were leading the Boston Red Sox 4-2 going into the bottom of the seventh inning when the Sox mounted a comeback. Tony Pena clocked a home run in the bottom of the seventh and Ellis Burks drove in a run in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game. The Sox bullpen kept the game scoreless through the next four innings but the Sox bats failed to score. Tom Bolton allowed an rbi double to Roberto Alomar and Joe Carter singled off of Peter Hoy to score Alomar. Bob MacDonald slammed the door in the bottom of the frame to give the Jays a hard fought 6-4 vicory in 13 innings at Fenway Park.

                                                "Start WINNING IN EXTRAS WILL YA???"

Sox starter Joe Hesketh got the ball in the top of the first inning and Devon White grounded out to second to start. Roberto Alomar flied out to center and Joe Carter flied out to left to end the inning. Jimmy Key got the ball in the bottom of the first and Wade Boggs lined out to right to start. Jody Reed lined out to center and Mike Greenwell struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Jays struck first in the top of the second inning as Dave Winfield singled to center to start. Kelly Gruber walked but John Olerud lined out to short. Candy Maldonado walked to load the bases and Pat Borders flied out to center but Winfield scored to give the Jays the lead. Manuel Lee singled up the middle to re-load the bases but White forced Lee at second to end the inning with the Jays up 1-0.

                                                         Borders puts the Jays on top

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the second as Ellis Burks flied out to center to start. Jack Clark grounded out to first and Phil Plantier grounded out to second to end the inning.

Hesketh recovered in the top of the third as Alomar grounded out to short to start. Carter and Winfield both flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the third as Tim Naehring grounded out to third to start. Mo Vaughn grounded out to second and Tony Pena grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Jays struck again in the top of the fourth as Gruber doubled to left to start. Olerud grounded out to second to move Gruber to third and Maldonado scored Kelly with a sac fly to increase the lead. Borders flied out to center to end the inning with the Jays up 2-0.

                                                           Maldonado makes it 2-0

The Sox blew a huge rally in the bottom of the fourth as Boggs doubled to left to start. Reed popped up to first in foul territory but Greenwell scored Boggs with a base hit to right. Burks flied out to right but Clark singled to center. Key booted a grounder by Plantier to load the bases but Naehring forced Phil at second to end the inning with the Sox down 2-1.

                                                             Greenwell drives in a run

The Jays knocked Hesketh out in the top of the fifth although Lee grounded out to short to start. White singled in the hole at short before stealing second base. Alomar singled to left and Carter singled to left as well to score White with another run. Winfield grounded out to second to move both runners along and Gruber was intentionally walked to load the bases. Olerud then walked home Alomar to increase the lead and chase Hesketh. Joe sucked today as he allowed 4 runs in 4 2/3 innings. Greg Harris came in and got Maldonado to line out to second to end the inning with the Jays up 4-1.

                                                            "I sucked tonight" - JH

The Sox did try to fight back in the bottom of the fifth as Vaughn flied out to left to start. Pena doubled to left and Boggs singled to left to put runners at the corners. Reed singled to center to score Pena but Greenwell grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Sox down 4-2.

                                                             Reed drives in a run

Harris cruised in the top of the sixth as Borders struck out swinging to start. Lee took strike three and White grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the sixth as Burks grounded out to third to start. Clark grounded out to short and Plantier grounded out to first to end the inning.

Harris got in trouble in the top of the seventh inning as Alomar singled in the hole at second to begin. Carter forced Alomar at second but Winfield singled Joe to third. Gruber lined out to third but a wild pitch moved Winfield to second. Olerud was intentionally walked to load the bases but  Maldonado took strike three to end the inning. The Sox got a run back in the bottom of the seventh although Naehring struck out swinging to start. Vaughn grounded out to second but Pena belted his first home run of the year to cut the lead. Boggs grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox down 4-3.

                                                         Pena's first home run of the season

Borders ripped a base hit to left to open the top of the eighth but Lee bunted foul for strike three. White struck out swinging and Alomar flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the eighth as Reed doubled to left to start. Greenwell grounded out to first to move Reed to third and that was it for Key. Pat Hentgen was brought in to face Burks and Ellis scored Reed with a sac fly to tie the game. Clark singled to left to put the go-ahead run on and Luis Rivera pinch ran for him. Plantier flied out to right to end the inning with the game tied 4-4.

                                                           Burks ties the game up

Jeff Reardon came in for the top of the ninth and Carter struck out swinging to start. Winfield grounded out to short and Gruber went down hacking to end the inning. Hentgen cruised in the bottom of the ninth as Naehring went down swinging to start. Vaughn struck out swinging and Pena grounded out to short to end the inning to send the game to extras.

Reardon returned for the top of the tenth and Olerud lined out to short to start. Maldonado flied out to right and Borders flied out to left to end the inning. Bob MacDonald came in to pitch the bottom of the tenth and Boggs flied out to center to begin. Reed grounded out to short and Greenwell flied out to left to end the inning.

Tom Bolton came in to pitch the top of the eleventh inning and Lee flied out to center to begin. White grounded out to short but Alomar walked. Carter grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Burks lined out to left to start the bottom of the eleventh and Rivera flied out to right. Plantier popped up to third in foul territory to end the inning.

Winfield grounded out to short to start the top of the 12th inning but Gruber singled in the hole at second. Gruber made a mad dash to third on a little roller to third by Olerud but Maldonado lined out to right to end the inning. Naehring lined out to short to begin the bottom of the 12th and Vaughn struck out swinging. Pena singled to left to put the winning run on but Boggs lined out to center to end the inning.

The Jays took command in the top of the thirteenth inning as Borders singled to center to start. Alfredo Griffin pinch hit for Lee and dropped down a bunt but Borders threw Borders out at second. White struck out swinging but Griffin moved to second on a balk. One out away from getting out of the inning....Alomar doubled in the hole at third to score Griffin with the go-ahead run. Peter Hoy came in to pitch to Carter and Joe singled up the middle to score Alomar with the insurance run. Winfield struck out swinging to end the inning with the Jays ahead 6-4.

                                                    Not the best situation to put Hoy in

MacDonald came on to finish off the Sox in the bottom of the 13th and Reed grounded out to second to start. Greenwell also grounded out to second and Burks flied out to left to end the game. The Jays had won it 6-4 in 13 innings.

Jackass of the Night is Tom Bolton. He allowed the go-ahead run to score and was charged with another run in the 13th inning.

                                                                    Jackass Bolton

The Good:

Wade Boggs was 2 for 6 with a run scored.

Jody Reed was 2 for 6 with an rbi and a run scored.

Jack Clark was 2 for 4.

Tony Pena was 3 for 5 with an rbi and 2 runs scored.

Greg Harris tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings.

Jeff Reardon tossed 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Luis Rivera was 0 for 1.

Phil Plantier was 0 for 5.

Tim Naehring was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Mo Vaughn was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Joe Hesketh got rocked for 4 runs in 4 2/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Mike Greenwell was just 1 for 6 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Ellis Burks was 0 for 5 with an error but drove in a run.

Peter Hoy allowed an inherited runner to score in 1/3 of an inning.

Final Thoughts:

Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! After the Sox worked hard to come back in the seventh and eighth inning and shut down the Jays for the next four innings you'd think they would have won the game. Nope, not this team. Scoring 4 runs in 13 innings seems to be par for the course with this crew. It didn't help that the trio of Naehring, Plantier and Vaughn went 0 for 15 with 4 strikeouts. Those are supposed to be the future stars of the Sox and they sure didn't look like it in this one. Still its only one game and there's plenty of chances for those three to redeem themselves. After all, Ellis Burks went hitless and he's a veteran. On the other side of the ball, Joe Hesketh stunk the joint out but kudos to the bullpen that kept the Jays off the board from the sixth inning to the 12th. Its a shame Bolton ran out of juice and Hoy couldn't keep Carter off the bases. The Sox now travel to Milwaukee for a three game set against the Brewers. Mike Gardiner (1-0) gets the ball for Boston against Ricky Bones of the Brewers. The game begins at 8:05 PM Eastern time at County Stadium.

Sox Outlast Indians in 19 Inning Marathon (4/11/92)

Holy mother of God that was downright torture for anybody that watched tonight's game between the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians. The Sox broke out to a 5-0 lead in the fourth inning but couldn't hold it. Sox starter Joe Hesketh lasted just 5 innings and allowed 3 runs to keep the game close. The Indians tied the game off Tom Bolton and Greg Harris in the bottom of the seventh then played an 11 inning game of futility with the Red Sox. Tony Fossas, Danny Darwin, Jeff Reardon and Mike Gardiner held the fort for the Red Sox long enough to get to the 19th inning. Tim Naehring hit a 2 run shot off Eric Bell and Gardner slammed the door in the bottom of the 19th to win the marathon 7-5 in 19 innings at Cleveland Stadium.

                                                 Boston Billy Rodgers approves of the win

Indians starter Dennis Cook got the ball in the top of the first and the Sox wasted no time getting to him. Wade Boggs led off with a double to left then took third on the Jody Reed base hit to right. Mike Greenwell popped up to short and Ellis Burks struck out swinging. As Burks struck out, Reed took off for second and stopped. As the Indians were chasing him, Boggs ran home to score a run before Reed was tagged out to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                            Boggs with a heads up play

Hesketh got the ball in the bottom of the first and Kenny Lofton grounded out to second to start. Glenallen Hill flied out to right but Carlos Baerga singled to center. Albert Belle grounded into a force to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the second as Jack Clark struck out swinging to start. Tom Brunansky flied out to right but Mo Vaughn crushed his second home run of the season to increase the lead. Tony Pena struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                                 Vaughn goes yard

Mark Whiten flied out to center to start the bottom of the second and Paul Sorrento took strike three. Sandy Alomar Jr doubled to left but Brook Jacoby struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the third as Luis Rivera doubled to left to start. Boggs singled in the hole at first to score Rivera but was thrown out at second trying to stretch a double. That mistake proved costly as Reed cracked his first home run of the season to increase the lead. Greenwell grounded out to first and that was it for Dennis Cook. Rod "Not Reid" Nichols came in and Burks grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-0.

                                                                 Reed hits one out

Mark Lewis grounded out to third to start the bottom of the third but Lofton beat out a bunt down the third base line. Hill banged into a double play to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the fourth as Clark and Brunansky stroked back to back singles to start. Vaughn struck out swinging but Vaughn hit a double play ball to short. Lewis threw to Baerga but Carlos threw the ball away to allow Clark to score. Rivera singled Pena to third but Boggs flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-0.

                                                                   Clark scores a run

The Indians began their comeback in the bottom of the fourth as Baerga singled in the hole at short to start. Belle doubled Baerga over to third and Carlos scored on the grounder by Whiten to put the Indians on the board. Sorrento flied out to right and Alomar flied out to left to end the inning with the Indians down 4-1.

Ted Power came in to pitch the top of the fifth and Reed flied out to center to start. Greenwell grounded back to the mound and Burks popped up to first to end the inning. The Indians roared back in the bottom of the fifth although Jacoby flied out to left to start. Lewis doubled to center and Lofton drove him in with a base hit. Hill doubled home Lofton but Baerga grounded out to third. Belle was intentionally walked but Whiten struck out swinging to end the inning with the Indians down 5-3. That was it for Hesketh who lasted 5 innings but left with the lead by allowing 3 runs.

                                                       Hesketh leaves with the lead

Clark lined out to center to start the top of the sixth but Brunansky walked. Vaughn popped up to third and Pena grounded back to the mound to end the inning. 25 year old rookie Peter Hoy made his Major League debut in the bottom of the sixth and Sorrento flied out to center to start. Alomar and Jacoby stroked back to back singles but Lewis banged into a double play to end the inning. Welcome to Boston, Hoy.

                                                                 Good debut

Rivera walked to start the top of the seventh but Boggs took strike three. Reed flied out to left and Greenwell grounded out to first to end the inning. Tom Bolton came in to crap his pants in the bottom of the seventh as Lofton walked to start. Hill singled to left and Baerga beat out an infield single to third to load the bases with nobody out. Sox manager Butch Hobson stumbled out of the dugout and went to take the ball from Tony Pena before he had to be pointed in the direction of the mound. Greg Harris came in and Belle hit a sac fly to center to score Lofton. Whiten walked to reload the bases and Sorrento grounded out to first to score Hill with the tying run. Alomar lined out to second to end the inning but the game was tied 5-5.

                                                                Nice going Bolton

Brad Arnsberg came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Burks walked to start. Clark banged into a double play and Brunansky struck out swinging to end the inning. Harris returned for the bottom of the eighth and Alex Cole pinch hit for Jacoby, only to strike out swinging. Lewis grounded out to short and Lofton flied out to right to end the inning.

Tony Perezchica took over for Cole at third to begin the top of the ninth and Vaughn walked to start. Vaughn was doubled off first on a bullet hit by Pena to Sorrento, but Rivera singled in the hole at short. Herm Winningham came in to pinch run for Rivera and Derek Lilliquist came in to pitch to Boggs. Winningham then got thrown out trying to steal second to end the inning. Tim Naehring took over at short for the bottom of the ninth and Harris froze Hill for strike three to start. Baerga singled to right but was thrown out trying to steal second. Belle struck out looking to end the inning to send the game to extras.

Boggs took strike three to begin the top of the tenth inning and Reed grounded out to third. Mike Greenwell flied out to left to end the inning. Harris came back briefly in the bottom of the tenth but Whiten chased him with a base hit to left. Tony Fossas came in to pitch to Sorrento who dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Whiten to second. Danny Darwin was brought in to pitch and Alomar struck out swinging. Dave Rohde pinch hit for Perezchica and flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the eleventh inning as Burks walked to chase Lilliquist. Steve Olin came in to pitch and Clark struck out swinging. Phil Plantier pinch hit for Brunansky and popped up to third. Vaughn lined a base hit to center but Pena popped up to center to end the inning. Darwin cruised in the bottom of the eleventh as Lewis took strike three to start. Lofton popped up to Darwin and Hill took strike three to end the inning.

The Sox blew another rally in the top of the 12th inning as Naehring lashed a base hit to left to start. Boggs forced Tim at second and Reed forced Boggs at second after. Greenwell blooped a single to right to move Reed to third but Burks struck out swinging to end the inning. Baerga flied out to left to begin the bottom of the 12th and Belle struck out swinging. Whiten also went down hacking to end the inning.

Clark grounded out to short to start the top of the 13th inning but Plantier was plunked. Vaughn banged into a double play to end the inning. Sorrento lined out to left to start the bottom of the 13th but Alomar doubled to center. Rohde was intentionally walked and the gamble worked as Darwin snared a line drive by Lewis and doubled off Sorrento to end the inning.

Pena flied out to left to begin the top of the 14th inning and Naehring grounded out to third. Eric Bell came in to pitch and Boggs flied out to center to end the inning. Lofton flied out to left to begin the bottom of the 14th and Hill struck out looking, but Baerga singled to left and Belle hit a roller past Naehring for a base hit. That was it for Darwin as Sox closer Jeff Reardon came in to get Whiten to fly out to left to end the inning. Darwin had tossed nearly 5 shutout innings.

                                                          Darwin keeps the Sox in it

Reed popped up to third to start the top of the 15th but Greenwell walked. Burks banged into a double play to end the inning. The Indians threatened in the bottom of the 15th as Sorrento walked to start. Alomar flied out to center and Rohde popped up to left, but Lewis blooped a single to left to send Sorrento to third. With the winning run 90 feet away, Lofton popped up to first to end the inning.

Bell cruised in the top of the 16th inning as Clark struck out swinging to start. Plantier and Vaughn both grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Reardon plunked Hill to start the bottom of the 16th but Baerga popped up to first. Belle banged into a double play to end the inning.

Pena grounded out to third to start the top of the 17th and Naehring took strike three. Boggs grounded out to first to end the inning. Mike Gardiner came in to pitch the bottom of the 17th and Whiten took strike three to start. Sorrento grounded out to short and Alomar took strike three to end the inning.

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the 18th as Reed walked to start. Greenwell flied out to left and Burks struck out swinging, but Clark walked. Plantier grounded out to second to end the inning. The Indians almost won it in the bottom of the eighth as Rohde walked to start. Lewis popped up to third but Lofton walked. Hill struck out swinging but Baerga singled in the hole at short to load the bases. With the winning run 90 feet away, Belle struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                                          Way to go Gardiner

The Sox finally broke the deadlock in the top of the 19th inning as Vaughn walked to start. Pena dropped down a bunt to move Vaughn to second and Naehring blasted his first home run of the season to give the Sox the lead. Boggs lined out to third and Reed flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-5.

                                                        Naehring gives Boston the lead

Gardiner came back to finish the bottom of the 19th and Whiten struck out swinging to start. Sorrento doubled to left but Alomar lined out to left. Rodhe grounded out to second to end the game. The Sox had survived the marathon 7-5 in 19 innings.

Hero of the Night is Tim Naehring. His 2 run homer in the 19th inning helped the Sox win

                                                         Hero Naehring

The Good:

Jody Reed was 2 for 8 with a walk and a home run.

Luis Rivera was 3 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Tom Brunansky was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Mo Vaughn was 2 for 6 with 2 walks, a home run and 2 runs scored.

Joe Hesketh went 5 innings and allowed just 3 runs.

Peter Hoy made his ML debut with a scoreless sixth inning.

Tony Fossas retired the only man he faced.

Danny Darwin tossed 4 1/3 scoreless innings.

Jeff Reardon tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings.

Mike Gardiner got the win with 3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Tony Pena was 0 for 7 with a strikeout.

Herm Winningham was caught stealing as a pinch runner.

Tom Bolton was charged with 2 runs without retiring a batter.

The Ugly:

Wade Boggs was just 2 for 9 but drove in a run and scored a run.

Mike Greenwell was just 1 for 7 but walked.

Ellis Burks was 0 for 6 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked twice.

Jack Clark was just 1 for 7 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Phil Plantier was 0 for 3 but was hit with a pitch.

Greg Harris tossed 3 scoreless innings but allowed 2 inherited runners to score.

Final Thoughts:

That was a chore to sit through but at least the Sox won. They may not be right for a week but a W is a W. Its hard to imagine two teams not scoring for 12 consecutive innings but it happened. Kudos to the Sox pitching to keep the Indians down just long enough for them to take the lead. The trio of Darwin, Reardon and Gardiner tossed 9 2/3 scoreless innings with Gardiner picking up the win. Offensively the Sox were cruising but tip your caps to the Indians bullpen for holding the Sox down from the 5th inning all the way to the 18th. It was a long, drawn out war but the Sox prevailed. Unfortunately a game like this depletes the bullpen and tires anyone that played it so don't expect much tomorrow. Here's the worst part for both teams, tomorrow is a doubleheader! Not only did they play essentially two games tonight, they're playing two games tomorrow. Matt Young makes his season debut tomorrow afternoon against Charles Nagy of the Indians at 2:05 PM Eastern time at Cleveland Stadium.

Angels Sweep Sox (8/25/91)

Well this west coast trip began with a thud now didn't it? With the Boston Red Sox desperately needing some momentum heading into the home stretch, the Sox got swept out of Anaheim by the mediocre California Angels. Joe Hesketh (8-3, 3.69 ERA) had one of his worst starts all year as he allowed 7 runs and got knocked out in the fifth inning. Dennis Lamp gave up two big insurance runs and the normally light hitting Angels earned the sweep with a 9-5 victory at Anaheim Stadium.

                                            Judge Doom hates getting swept

Mark Langston got the start for the Angels and Wade Boggs started the top of the first with a ground out to first to start. Jody Reed grounded out to short but Carlos Quintana drew a walk. Jack Clark grounded out to third to end the inning. Hesketh got the Angels to beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the first inning. Luis Polonia grounded out to first, Gary Gaetti grounded out to short and Wally Joyner grounded out to first to end the inning.

Phil Plantier walked to begin the top of the second but Ellis Burks banged into a double play. Tom Brunansky grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Dave Winfield doubled to begin the bottom of the second and moved to third on the Lance Parrish fly out. Hesketh got a big out when Junior Felix grounded out to third and Shawn Abner whiffed to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the third inning as John Marzano flied out to center to begin. Luis Rivera and Boggs stroked back to back singles before moving into scoring position on the Reed grounder. Quintana hit a routine fly to right but Felix dropped it to allow both runners to score and Carlos to reach second. Clark doubled home Quintana to increase the lead but got picked off to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                           Quintana scores a run

The Angels struck back in the bottom of the third as Luis Sojo flied out to right to start. Dick Schofield grounded out to third but Polonia walked. Gaetti pounded a home run to left to cut the lead. Joyner grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-2.

                                                           Home run Gaetti

The Sox answered in the top of the fourth as Plantier walked to start. Burks went down swinging but Bruno crushed his 14th home run of the year to increase the lead. Marzano singled to center but Rivera flied out to left. Boggs grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-2.

                                                 Brunansky hits one out

The Angels countered in the bottom of the fourth although Winfield grounded out to third to start. Parrish and Felix stroked back to back singles before the light hitting Abner crushed a 300,000,000 foot home run into the Fiji Islands to tie the game. Sojo grounded out to third but Schofield singled to center. Polonia popped up to third to end the inning with the game tied 5-5.

                                                     The light hitting Abner ties it

Mike Fetters took over for the top of the fifth and Reed lined out to third to begin. Quintana got a base hit up the middle but Clark banged into a double play to end the inning. The Angels knocked Hesketh out in the bottom of the fifth as Gaetti flied out to left to start. Joyner doubled and Winfield walked to chase Hesketh. He lasted just 4 1/3 innings and was charged with 7 runs. Dennis Lamp came in and poured gas on the fire as Parrish singled home Joyner, Felix singled home Winfield and Abner doubled home Parrish. Sojo flied out to left and Schofield flied out to center to end the inning with the Angels up 8-5.

                                                        Terrible effort by Hesketh

The Sox had one last chance to come back in the top of the sixth but Plantier grounded out to first to start. Burks took strike three but Brunansky walked. Marzano singled to bring the tying run to the plate but Rivera grounded out to second to end the inning. The Angels iced the game in the bottom of the sixth as Polonia took strike three to start. Gaetti hit one up the elevator shaft but Joyner tripled and Winfield doubled him home to wrap up the scoring. Parrish swung and missed for strike three but the Angels were up 9-5.

                                                     Not much relief tonight

Boston went quietly in the top of the seventh as Boggs popped up to short to start. Reed and Quintana both grounded out to third to end the inning. Tom Bolton came in for the bottom of the seventh inning and Felix grounded out to third to start. Abner whiffed and Sojo grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Clark flied out to right to start the top of the eighth before Plantier singled to center. Burks banged into a double play to end the inning. Bolton returned for the bottom of the eighth and cruised. Schofield grounded out to short, Polonia whiffed and Gaetti grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox did try to rally in the top of the ninth although Bruno popped up to second to begin. Marzano grounded out to second but Rivera beat out an infield single to second. Boggs drew a walk to chase Fetters. Mark Eichhorn came in to pitch with "Psycho" Steve Lyons pinch hitting for Reed. Lyons grounded out to first to end the game. The Angels completed the sweep over the frazzled Sox with a 9-5 win.

Jackass of the Night is Dennis Lamp. He allowed 2 inherited runners to score and two of his own to put the game out of reach.

                                                       Lamp the Jackass



The Good:

Carlos Quintana was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Phil Plantier was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and a run scored.

Tom Brunansky was 1 for 3 with a walk and a 2 run home run.

John Marzano was 2 for 4.

Luis Rivera was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Tom Bolton tossed 2 scoreless innings.



The Bad:

Jody Reed was 0 for 4.

Steve Lyons was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Ellis Burks was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Joe Hesketh got creamed for 7 runs in just 4 1/3 innings. He gave up 7 hits and walked two batters.



The Ugly:

Wade Boggs was just 1 for 4 but walked and scored a run.

Jack Clark was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.



Final Thoughts:

Well this west coast trip is off to a caterwauling of nonsense. The Sox needed to win 2 of 3 to keep pace with the Toronto Blue Jays and instead they fell further behind. Unless the Sox go on a tear in September, it doesn't look like the Sox will be repeating as AL East champions. If they kept Mike Boddicker and left Matt Young on the scrap heap, maybe they'd be frontrunners for the playoffs. As it is, they may not have enough to get it done this year. Its too bad their two big free agent signings on the pitching side, Young and Danny Darwin, fell flat on their faces. The loss dropped the Sox back to .500 at 62-62, 5.5 games behind the Detroit Tigers for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow the Sox travel to Oakland to continue their road trip and Roger Clemens (12-8) goes up against Mike Moore at 10:05 PM Eastern Time at Oakland Coliseum.

Sox Survive Scary Ninth, Beat Royals (4/27/91)

The bad news was the Boston Bruins lost Game 6 of their NHL Playoff second round series against the Montreal Canadiens. The good news was Jack Clark finally got his head on straight and helped the Boston Red Sox defeat the Kansas City Royals. Tom Bolton (2-0, 1.47 ERA) tossed 6 solid innings of 1 run ball to keep the Sox in front. Kevin Romine broke a 1-1 tie in the sixth with a 2 run pinch hit single and Clark hit the 3 run killshot in the eighth inning. The Royals put up a huge fight in the ninth inning but Jeff Reardon was able to slam the door on the 6-4 victory over the Royals at Royals Stadium.

                                                                 Peg Bundy approves of the win

Royals starter Kevin Appier took the ball in the top of the first inning and Wade Boggs flied out to left to start. Jody Reed flied out to center and Mike Greenwell grounded out to first to end the inning. Bolton started strong in the bottom of the first as Jim Eisenreich grounded out to short to start. Gary Thurman also grounded out to short and Danny Tartabull struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second as Jack Clark grounded back to the mound to start. Ellis Burks singled to center but Tom Brunansky took strike three. Mike Marshall doubled home Burks to give the Sox the lead. Tony Pena singled to center but Marshall was thrown at home to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                                YERRRR OUT!

The Royals answered in the bottom of the second as Kirk Gibson flied out to right to start. Mike Macfarlane singled and took second on the ground out by Russ Morman. Bill Pecota singled in the hole at short to score Macfarlane to tie the game. Kurt Stillwell grounded out to short to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                           MacFarlane scores to tie it

Tim Naehring took strike three to start the top of the third but Boggs drew a walk. Reed flied out to center but Greenwell singled up the middle. Clark walked to load the bases but Burks popped up to right to end the inning. Terry Shumpert grounded out to third to begin the bottom of the third and Eisenreich flied out to center. Thurman walked but Tartabull flied out to center to end the inning.

Brunansky led off the top of the fourth with a pop up to second to begin. Marshall singled to center and moved to second on the grounder by Pena. Naehring grounded out to short to end the inning. Bolton froze Gibson for strike three to start the bottom of the fourth and Macfarlane flied out to left. Morman popped up to second to end the inning.

Boggs took strike three to start the top of the fifth and Reed grounded out to third. Greenwell and Clark drew back to back walks but Burks whiffed to end the inning. Pecota lined out to right to start the bottom of the fifth and Stillwell took strike three. Shumpert walked but Eisenreich took strike three to end the inning.

Brunansky started the top of the sixth by walking to chase Appier. Steve Crawford came in and both Marshall and Pena singled to load the bases with nobody out. Steve Lyons came in to pinch hit for Tim Naehring but the Royals countered by bringing in Dan Schatzeder to pitch. Sox manager Joe Morgan countered by pulling back Lyons and sending in Kevin Romine to pinch hit. Romine lined a base hit to score Marshall and Brunansky to give the Sox the lead. Boggs banged into a double play and Reed popped up to right to end the inning but the Sox led 3-1.

                                                               Romine gives the Sox the lead

Luis Rivera came in to play short in the bottom of the sixth as Thurman grounded out to short to start. Tartabull flied out to left and Gibson popped up to second to end the inning.

Greenwell grounded out to short to begin the top of the seventh but Clark walked to chase Schatzeder. Luis Aquino came in and Burks was plunked but Brunansky flied out to left. Marshall singled to right to load the bases but Pena flied out to center to end the inning. A frustrated Marshall left the game and was replaced by Carlos Quintana to start the bottom of the seventh. The Royals chased Bolton when Macfarlane doubled to left and Morman hit a bloop single to short. Joe Hesketh managed to Houdini his way out of trouble after Pecota sacrificed both runners along with a bunt. Stilwell walked to load the bases but Shumpert and Eisenreich both whiffed to end the inning. Bolton ended up tossing 6 innings while being charged with just one run.

                                                            Bolton does a good job

The Sox looked to have put the game away in the top of the eighth although Rivera grounded back to the mound to start. Boggs walked but was forced at second by Reed. Greenwell walked but Clark smashed his third home run of the year to put the Sox up big. Burks drilled a single to right but Brunansky flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-1.

                                                                  Big home run by Clark

Thurman began the bottom of the eighth by striking out swinging. Tartabull also went down hacking but Gibson walked. Macfarlane flied out to center to end the inning.

Quintana doubled to center to start the top of the ninth and moved to third on the Pena grounder. Quintana was stranded as Rivera grounded out to second and Mike Magnante came in to pitch. Boggs grounded out to short to end the inning. Hesketh returned for the bottom of the ninth and all hell broke loose. Morman struck out swinging but Pecota walked. Stillwell doubled to right and Shumpert singled home Pecota. Hesketh picked off Pecota but Eisenreich singled home Stillwell to cut the lead in half and chase Hesketh. Jeff Reardon was summoned to close out the game and Warren Cromartie pinch hit for Thurman. Cromartie hit a routine grounder to Quintana...UNDER HIS GLOVE. The should be game ender ended up bringing the tying run to the plate. Tartabull singled home Eisenreich to put the tying runs on. Brian McRae pinch ran for Tartabull but Gibson whiffed to end the game. The Sox had hung on to win it 6-4.

Hero of the Night is Jack Clark. His three run home run was the difference in the game

                                                                  Jack The Hero

The Good:

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

Ellis Burks was 2 for 4 with a hit by pitch and a run scored.

Mike Marshall was 4 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Tony Pena was 2 for 5.

Kevin Romine knocked in two runs with a pinch hit single.

Tom Bolton picked up the win with 6 innings of 1 run ball.

Jeff Reardon earned his sixth save by getting the final out of the bottom of the ninth.

The Bad:

Tim Naehring was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Luis Rivera was 0 for 2 at the plate.

Joe Hesketh allowed 3 runs in 2 2/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Wade Boggs was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked twice.

Jody Reed was 0 for 5 but scored a run.

Tom Brunansky was 0 for 4 with with a strikeout but walked and scored.

Carlos Quintana singled in his only at-bat but his error led to a run scoring in the bottom of the ninth.

Honorable Mention:

Steve Lyons "pinch hit" for Tim Naehring in the top of the sixth.

Final Thoughts:

As the month comes to a close, its very obvious the Sox are in desperate need of some offense to match the pitching. Roger Clemens had one of the best months in Major League history but he can only go once every few days. The other starters including Tom Bolton stepped up big and so did the trio of Tony Fossas, Jeff Gray and Jeff Reardon. The Sox offensive woes need to be addressed if they have any hope of repeating as AL East champs. Bolton pitched well tonight and Clark finally delivered a meaningful longball for the first time since Opening Day really. Hopefully after he got fined a grand for going nuts on a toilet, it woke him up to start getting it together. Hesketh got lit up but it was his first bad game in almost 3 weeks so hopefully that was just a hiccup. It was a good win and the Sox look to make it two in a row tomorrow night on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball. The Sox don't know who's pitching because its supposed to be Roger Clemens, but his suspension may or may not be served starting tomorrow. Storm Davis of the Royals will be pitching for KC at 9:05 PM Eastern time at Royals Stadium.

Bolton, Sox Beat Royals (4/17/91)

The city of Boston got a double dose of good news as the Boston Bruins defeated the Montreal Canadians in Game 1 of their second round NHL playoff series and the Boston Red Sox defeated the Kansas City Royals in today's game. Tom Bolton (1-0, 1.46 ERA) tossed 7 solid innings, allowing just 2 runs to keep the Sox in the game. The offense once again provided a spark with Jack Clark and Mike Greenwell slugging home runs. Tom Brunansky also drove in two runs as the Sox enjoyed their second straight victory over the Royals 6-2 at Fenway Park.

                                                          Cam Neely approves of the win

The Royals struck first in the top of the first against Bolton as Gary Thurman singled to right to start. Kevin Seitzer forced Thurman at second then advanced to second on the George Brett grounder. A wild pitch moved Seitzer to third and he scored on the Danny Tartabull double to right. Kirk Gibson lined out to first to end the inning with the Royals ahead 1-0.

                                                 Jose Tartabull would be proud of his son

Storm Davis got the ball in the bottom of the first and Wade Boggs led off with a grounder to short. Jody Reed popped up to short and Mike Greenwell flied out to center to end the inning.

Russ Morman flied out to right to start the top of the second and Mike Macfarlane grounded out to short. Bill Pecota took strike three to end the inning. The Sox tied it up in the bottom of the second as Jack Clark doubled to center to begin. Ellis Burks moved Clark to third with a grounder and Tom Brunansky scored Jack with a sac fly to tie the game. Mike Marshall lined out to right to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                             Bruno ties it up

Shumpert lined out to center to start the top of the third and Thurman flied out to right. Seitzer grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the third as Tony Pena singled blooped a single to right to start. Luis Rivera made his season debut by moving Pena to third with a base hit and Boggs scored Tony with a grounder to give the Sox the lead. Reed banged into a double play to end the inning but it was 2-1 Sox.

                                                               First game, first hit

The Royals answered in the top of the fourth as Brett grounded out to second to start. Tartabull singled to left and took second on a wild pitch. Gibson walked and Morman singled home Tartabull to tie the game. Macfarlane grounded into a double play to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                                  Tartabull scores a run

The Sox took the lead back in the bottom of the fourth as Greenwell walked to start. Clark then mashed his second home run of the season to give Boston the lead. Burks grounded out to short and Brunansky grounded out to third, but Marshall singled to right. Pena grounded into a force to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-2.

                                                                       Home run for Clark

Pecota popped up to second to start the top of the fifth and Shumpert grounded out to short. Thurman doubled to left and Seitzer grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fifth and Rivera grounded back to the mound to start. Boggs flied out to left and Reed grounded out to third to end the inning.

Brett grounded out to second to start the top of the sixth but Tartabull flied out to right. Gibson grounded out to first to end the inning. Greenwell singled to start the bottom of the sixth but Clark flied out to center. Burks singled to left but Brunansky popped up to short. Marshall grounded into a force to end the inning.

Bolton returned for one last inning in the top of the seventh and Morman lined out to center to start. Macfarlane doubled to left and moved to third on the grounder by Pecota. Shumpert flied out to center to end the inning. That was a great effort by Bolton to toss 7 innings of 2 run ball to keep the Sox in front.

                                                         Great effort by Bolton

Pena popped up to short to begin the bottom of the seventh and Rivera struck out swinging. Boggs grounded out to third to end the inning.

Jeff Gray came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Jim Eisenreich pinch hit for Thurman. Eisenreich lined out to center, Seitzer grounded out to short and Brett flied out to center to end the inning. Boston wrapped up the scoring in the bottom of the eighth as Reed grounded out to third to start. Greenwell then struck his first bomb of the year to increase the lead. Clark flied out to left but Burks walked to chase Davis. Luis Aquino came in to pitch and Burks moved to second on a wild pitch before scoring on the Brunansky single off the Monster. Marshall singled to center but Pena grounded into a force to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-2.

                                                                         Home run Greenwell

Gray returned to close out the top of the ninth and Tartabull grounded out to short to start. Gibson whiffed but Kurt Stillwell pinch hit for Morman. Stillwell flied out to left to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-2.

Hero of the Night is Tom Bolton. He tossed 7 innings of 2 run ball to earn the win. He allowed 6 hits and just one walk.

                                                                  Hero Tom

The Good:

Mike Greenwell was 2 for 3 with a walk, home run and 2 runs scored.

Jack Clark was 2 for 4 with a two run home run and 2 total runs scored.

Ellis Burks was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Tom Brunansky was 1 for 3 with 2 total rbis.

Mike Marshall was 2 for 4.

Luis Rivera was 1 for 3.

Jeff Gray got the save with 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Jody Reed was 0 for 4.

The Ugly:

Wade Boggs was 0 for 4 but drove in a run.

Tony Pena was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

Two straight games the Sox offense came to play and the Sox got a great effort for the third game in a row from their starter. Matt Young on Patriots Day, Danny Darwin yesterday and Tom Bolton today. Nobody expects Bolton to win 20 games but if he can be the air apparent to Bruce Hurst they've been missing for the last two years, that would be nice. As mentioned earlier, the offense is starting to pick up with two straight games of multiple home runs. If only they had this on Patriots Day but oh well. It was still a good win and hopefully the momentum carries them into tomorrow's game with the Kansas City Royals. Roget Clemens (2-0) goes for the Sox up against Bret Saberhagen of the Royals in what should be a pitching clinic. The game begins at 2:05 PM at Fenway Park.