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.

Mariners Walkoff Red Sox in 10 Innings (4/26/94)

What a way to lose a game if you're the Boston Red Sox. The Sox dropped their second straight game to Seattle after they jumped out to a 2-0 lead against Chris Bosio courtesy of an Andre Dawson two run home run. Mike Greenwell added another run but the Mariners mounted their comeback against Joe Hesketh. With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, Paul Quantrill gave up a game tying two run double to pinch hitter Reggie Jefferson. The Sox bats fell asleep and didn't touch Bosio or Bobby Ayala the rest of the way. The Mariners loaded the bases against Greg Harris (1-2, 4.02 ERA) and Torey Lovullo hit a grounder to Greg, failing to get anyone out to score the winning run. The Mariners had walked off the Sox 4-3 at the Kingdome.

                                                  "That damn Harris blew another one!"

Bosio got the ball in the top of the first and Otis Nixon took strike three to start. Billy Hatcher grounded out to short but Mike Greenwell walked. Andre Dawson pounded his fifth home run of the season to put Boston on top and Mo Vaughn drew a walk. Mo was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning with the Sox up 2-0.

                                                                     Home run Dawson

Hesketh got the ball in the bottom of the first and Brian Turang struck out swinging to start. Rich Amaral grounded out to second and Ken Griffey Jr grounded out to first to end the inning.

John Valentin grounded out to third to open the top of the second and Scott Cooper grounded out to short. Damon Berryhill got a base hit to right but Scott Fletcher flied out to center to end the inning. Jay Buhner walked to begin the bottom of the second and Greg Perkl popped up to right in foul territory. Mike Blowers singled to right but Tino Martinez grounded into a double play to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the third although Nixon doubled to left to start. Hatcher dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Nixon to third and Otis scored on the Greenwell grounder to short. Dawson flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox up 3-0.

                                                                 RBI for Greenwell

Dan Wilson flied out to right to begin the bottom of the third and Felix Fermin popped up to short. Turang grounded out to short to end the inning. 

Vaughn struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth and Valentin grounded out to third. Cooper grounded out to first to end the inning. The Mariners struck back in the bottom of the fourth as Amaral flied out to center to start. Griffey Jr singled in the hole at short but Buhner flied out to right. Perkl doubled to right to score Griffey but Blowers grounded out to third to end the inning with the Mariners down 2-1.

                                                                Griffey scores a run

Berryhill got a base hit to right to begin the top of the fifth but Fletcher banged into a double play. Nixon grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Martinez struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth and Wilson grounded out to short. Fermin grounded back to Hesketh to end the inning.

Hatcher grounded out to third to open the top of the sixth and Greenwell flied out to center. Dawson also flied out to center to end the inning. The Mariners tied it in the bottom of the sixth as Turang struck out swinging to start. Amaral doubled to center but Junior took strike three. All of a sudden Sox manager Butch Hobson stumbled out of the dugout and wobbled to the mound to take the ball from Hesketh, only problem was he forgot to tell the bullpen to get Paul Quantrill ready. Hesketh went 5 2/3 innings and would be charged with two runs. Quantrill came in ice cold and walked Buhner before Mariners manager Lou Piniella pinch hit Reggie Jefferson for Perkl. Jefferson doubled to center to score both runners to tie the game. Blowers grounded out to short to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                     "Hobson you idiot!" - Hesketh

Vaughn lined out to left to start the top of the seventh and Valentin grounded out to third. Cooper grounded out to first to end the inning. Martinez got a seeing eye single into left to begin the bottom of the seventh then was sacrificed to second on a bunt by Wilson. Fermin grounded back to the mound and that was it for Quantrill. Ken Ryan came in to face pinch hitter Darren Bragg (for Turant) and struck him out swinging to end the inning.

Amaral booted a grounder by Berryhill for an error to start the top of the eighth and Bob Zupcic ran for Damon. Fletcher dropped down a bunt to move Zupcic to third but Nixon struck out swinging. Hatcher grounded out to third to end the inning. Dave Valle took over behind the plate to start the bottom of the eighth and Amaral got a base hit to left. Tony Fossas was brought in to face Griffey Jr and got him to ground out to second to move Amaral over. Greg Harris came in to face Buhner and Jay grounded out to third. Jefferson was intentionally walked and Torey Lovullo pinch hit for Blowers. Lovullo grounded out to short to end the inning.

Bobby Ayala came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Greenwell grounded out to second to start. Dawson struck out swinging and Vaughn grounded out to short to end the inning. Martinez flied out to center to start the bottom of the ninth but Wilson singled to center. Fermin flied out to center and Eric Anthony pinch hit for Bragg. Wilson stole second but Anthony struck out swinging to end the inning.

Valentin struck out swinging to begin the top of the tenth and Cooper went down hacking as well. Valle flied out to left to end the inning. The end came in the bottom of the tenth as Amaral doubled to left to start. With Fossas gone, Hobson had no choice but to intentionally walk Griffey Jr. Buhner dropped down a bunt to move the runners over and Buhner was intentionally walked to load the bases. Lovullo hit a roller to Harris who fired home......safe! Amaral scored and the Mariners had won it 4-3 in 10 innings.

Jackass of The Night is Greg Harris. He fell apart in the bottom of the tenth to take the loss

                                                            Jackass Harris

The Good:

Damon Berryhill was 2 for 3.

The Bad:

Billy Hatcher was 0 for 3.

John Valentin was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Scott Cooper was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Dave Valle was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Scott Fletcher was 0 for 2 at the plate.

Joe Hesketh pitched well, allowing just 2 runs in 5 2/3 innings off 4 hits and a walk while striking out four.

Ken Ryan got the final batter of the seventh inning.

Tony Fossas retired the only man he faced.

The Ugly:

Otis Nixon was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

Mike Greenwell was 0 for 3 but walked, drove in a run and scored a run.

Andre Dawson was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but the one hit was a 2 run home run.

Mo Vaughn was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Paul Quantrill allowed a run in a full inning of work.

Honorable Mention:

Bob Zupcic pinch ran for Berryhill.

Final Thoughts:

That loss was a sucker punch to the go-nads. They had the game won but Hobson outsmarted himself. Hesketh had only thrown 75 pitches, had he got one more out the Sox would have had a two run lead with three innings to go. The Nixon strike out with Zupcic at third was also a killer. Had they got that run in, the Sox also could have won. They didn't....and that was a tough loss to take. The Mariners aren't that good this year but the Sox couldn't get it done. Hopefully Hobson learns his lesson and leaves Hesketh in to finish an inning at just 75 pitches next time. The Sox were having a great month but now they've lost two in a row to a bad team. Hopefully this doesn't turn into a losing streak because we all know what happened last year. The Sox continue their road trip tomorrow night when they head out to Oakland to face the struggling A's. In a rematch of their 1981 NCAA Tournament showdown, Ron Darling of the A's goes one on one with Frank Viola (0-1) at 10:30 PM Eastern time at Oakland Coliseum.

Royals Walkoff Red Sox (4/13/94)

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

                                                       Barnaby hates blown saves

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

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

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

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

                                                                Dawson drives in a run

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

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

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

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

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

                                                               Good work Sele

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

                                                                  Royals win

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

                                                                Jackass Russell

The Good:

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

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

Tony Fossas got the first out of the ninth inning.

The Bad:

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

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

The Ugly:

Otis Nixon was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

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

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

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

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

Tim Naehring was just 1 for 4.

Dave Valle was 0 for 2 but walked.

Final Thoughts:

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

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

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

                                                    Talisa Soto approves of the win

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

                                                                Vaughn hits a triple

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

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

                                                             Hatcher hits his first

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

                                                             Lind drives in a run

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

                                                               Home run Valle

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

                                                       Another home run for Henderson

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

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

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

                                                                   Home run Valentin

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

                                                                Not great but it'll do

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

                                                           Home run Vaughn

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

                                                     Hamelin jacks one

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

                                                           Rbi for Fletcher

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

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

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

                                                           Cycle Hero Cooper

The Good:

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

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

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

Greg Blosser walked twice and scored a run.

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

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

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

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

The Bad:

Rich Rowland was 0 for 2.

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

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

The Ugly:

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

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

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

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

Final Thoughts:

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

White Sox Rally Past Red Sox (4/9/94)

One of the problems that carried over for the Boston Red Sox from 1993 manifested itself in tonight's loss to the Chicago White Sox, Roger Clemens. The Rocket may have launched too many times between 1984 and 1992 because he was below average last year and hasn't looked good in two starts this season. The BoSox were searching for their fifth straight win to start the season and led 4-2 going into the bottom of the seventh on an Andre Dawson home run plus sac flies from Mike Greenwell & Scott Cooper. Clemens was lifted in the seventh and Greg Harris (0-1, 3.60 ERA) allowed two inherited runners to score plus one of his own to put Chicago up. The BoSox trailed 6-4 going into the final frame but rallied for a run and had runners on second and third. With the game on the line, Roberto Hernandez punched out Mo Vaughn to end it. It was a good game but the White Sox defeated the Red Sox 6-5 at Commiskey Park.

                                                               "Dammit Clemens"

Jack McDowell got the start for the White Sox and Otis Nixon led off the top of the first with a ground out to second. Billy Hatcher flied out to right and Mike Greenwell lined out to left to end the inning. Clemens got the ball in the bottom of the fifth and snuffed out a Tim Raines bunt attempt to start. Joey Cora flied out to left but Frank Thomas walked. Julio Franco flied out to left to end the inning.

The BoSox struck first in the top of the second inning as Mo Vaughn flied out to left to start. Andre Dawson doubled to left and Tim Naehring singled him to third. Scott Cooper scored Dawson with a sac fly but John Valentin took strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                             Cooper drives in a run

Clemens cruised in the bottom of the second as Robin Ventura grounded out to first to start. Dan Pasqua took strike three and Lance Johnson grounded out to first to end the inning.

Dave Valle grounded out to second to start the top of the third but Nixon lashed a base hit to right. Nixon swiped second but Hatcher hit one up the elevator shaft. Greenwell flied out to right to end the inning. The White Sox struck back in the bottom of the third as Mike LaValliere grounded out to second to start. Ozzie Guillen singled to left and Raines singled him to third to put runners at the corners. Cora popped up to Naehring down the right field line to score Guillen to tie the game. Thomas singled to center but Franco popped up to Naehring in foul territory to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                                Cora drives in a run

Vaughn struck out swinging to open the top of the fourth before Dawson grounded out to second. Naehring singled to right but Cooper lined out to second to end the inning. Ventura lined out to center to start the bottom of the fourth before Pasqua flied out to left. Johnson grounded out to short to end the inning.

Valentin flied out to right to start the top of the fifth before Valle popped up to second. Nixon walked and stole second but Hatcher lined out to right to end the inning. LaValliere singled to left to start the bottom of the fifth but Guillen flied out to center. Raines also flied out to center and Cora forced LaValliere at second to end the inning.

The BoSox struck back in the top of the sixth as Greenwell walked to start. Mike moved to second on the Vaughn grounder to first and Dawson smashed his 3rd home run of the season to put Boston on top.  Naehring singled to left and took second on a wild pitch but Cooper struck out swinging. Valentin grounded out to short to end the inning with the BoSox ahead 3-1.

                                                               Home run Dawson

Chicago struck back in the bottom of the sixth as Thomas smashed a home run all the way to Jupiter to cut the lead. Franco took strike three and Ventura flied out to center, but Pasqua doubled to right. Johnson grounded out to short to end the inning with the White Sox down 3-2.

                                                                Thomas hits one out

Boston struck again in the top of the seventh as Valle popped up to first in foul territory to start. Nixon caught the White Sox asleep with a bunt single and Hatcher doubled him to third. Greenwell hit a sac fly to score Nixon but Vaughn struck out swinging to end the inning with the Red Sox ahead 4-2.

                                                                Greenwell with a sac fly

The bottom fell out in the bottom of the seventh as LaValliere singled to right to start. Ron Karkovice pinch ran for LaValliere and Guillen singled to left to chase Clemens. Greg Harris came in and Raines bunted up the line for a hit to load the bases. Cora forced Karkovice at home and Thomas struck out swinging, but Franco singled in the hole at short to score Guillen and Raines. Ventura singled to right to score Cora to put the White Sox on top. Pasqua popped up to left in foul territory to end the inning but Chicago now led 5-4. Clemens left with a no-decision after allowing 4 runs in 6 innings.

                                                      Clemens gets lets down by Harris

Darrin Jackson came in for Raines with Roberto Hernandez taking over on the mound for the top of the eighth. Dawson struck out swinging, Naehring popped up to second and Cooper grounded out to short to end the inning. Tony Fossas came in for the bottom of the seventh and Johnson grounded back to the mound. Karkovice hit a home run all the way to Gotham City to increase the lead before Guillen struck out swinging. Ricky Trilicek came in to walk Jackson but Cora lined out to short to end the inning with the White Sox up 6-4.

                                                                       Fossas allows a run

The Sox rallied in the top of the ninth although Valentin flied out to center to start. Damon Berryhill pinch hit for Valle and singled to right. Scott Fletcher ran for Beryhill and Nixon walked. Greg Blosser pinch hit for Hatcher and took strike three before Greenwell hit a grounder back to the mound....THROWN AWAY BY HERNANDEZ! Fletcher scored and the other runners moved over to set the stage for Vaughn. Big Mo.... struck out swinging to end the game. The White Sox had won it 6-5.

Jackass of the Night is Mo Vaughn. He was 0 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts including the ninth inning with the game on the line.

                                                          Vaughn is Jackass

The Good:

Otis Nixon was 2 for 3 with 2 walks, a run scored and 2 stolen bases.

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

Andre Dawson was 2 for 4 with a 2 run homer and 2 runs scored.

Tim Naehring was 3 for 4.

Damon Berryhill singled as a pinch runner.

Scott Fletcher scored a run as a pinch runner.

Ricky Trilicek got the final out of the eighth inning.

The Bad:

Greg Blosser struck out as a pinch hitter.

John Valentin was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Dave Valle was 0 for 3.

Greg Harris allowed 2 inherited runners to score and one of his own to take the loss.

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

The Ugly:

Billy Hatcher was just 1 for 4.

Scott Cooper was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Roger Clemens allowed 4 runs in 6 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

That was a rough way to lose the first game of the season but the concerning factor is Clemens. He had his first bad year ever last year and its carried over to this year so far. This still plenty of time to turn it around but right now he isn't pitching well. The bats did what they could in this one but Vaughn cost them big time. Bad relief pitching from Harris and Fossas didn't help either. New Sox GM Dan Duquette wants the Sox to get younger but with so many aging veterans on the team, a purge may be in order. Its just a question of who gets the axe and when. All in all the Sox fought hard to the bitter end so hopefully they can bounce back tomorrow against Chicago. Joe Hesketh takes the mound for Boston up against Alex Fernandez of the White Sox. The game begins at 2:30 PM at Commiskey Park.

Naehring, Sox Rally Past Chicago (4/8/94)

Everything's coming up Boston Red Sox so far this season. The Sox have won their fourth straight game to start the season and their latest victims were the Chicago White Sox. BoSox starter Aaron Sele only lasted 5 innings but allowed just 1 run. The BoSox bolted out to a 4-0 lead before the White Sox rallied for 6 unanswered runs including a 3 run homer by Julio Franco. Down 6-4 with the bases loaded in the top of the eighth, Tim Naehring cleared the bases and scored on an error for a little league home run to give the BoSox the lead. Tony Fossas, Scott Bankhead and Jeff Russell slammed the door in the later innings and the BoSox stunned the White Sox 8-6 at Commiskey Park.

                                                        Ron McGovney approves of the win

The BoSox wasted no time getting to Chicago starter Jason Bere in the top of the first inning. Otis Nixon walked and immediately stole second. Billy Hatcher hit a routine grounder to short and Ozzie Guillen airmailed Frank Thomas at first to score Nixon on the error, Hatcher taking third. Mike Greenwell grounded out to second to score Hatcher and Mo Vaughn singled to center. Andre Dawson forced Vaughn at second and Tim Naehring flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                                Nixon scores a run

Sele got the ball in the bottom of the first and Tim Raines singled to center to start. Joey Cora popped up to short and Frank Thomas forced Raines at second. Julio Franco grounded out to short to end the inning.

Scott Cooper grounded out to second to start the top of the second and John Valentin doubled to center. Dave Valle lined out to third and Nixon grounded out to second to end the inning. Robin Ventura struck out swinging to open the bottom of the second before Darrin Jackson singled to center. Lance Johnson popped up to third but Ron Karkovice singled to left. Guillen grounded out to second to end the inning.

Hatcher flied out to left to start the top of the third before Greenwell walked. Vaughn banged into a double play to end the inning. Raines took strike three to start the bottom of the third but Cora walked. Thomas walked but Franco struck out swinging. Ventura took strike three to end the inning.

Dawson lined out to short to open the top of the fourth but Naehring drew a walk. Naehring was thrown out at second trying to steal and Cooper took strike three to end the inning. Sele got Jackson to ground out to short to start the bottom of the fourth and Johnson popped up to left in foul territory. Karkovice walked but Guillen lined out to left to end the inning/

The BoSox struck again in the top of the fifth as Vallentin and Valle dropped back to back base hits to start. Nixon dropped down a bunt to move the runners over and Hatcher scored Valentin with a sac fly. Greenwell blooped a single to right to score Valle and increase the lead, but Vaughn watched strike three go by to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-0.

                                                      Greenwell drives in a run

The White Sox struck back in the bottom of the fifth as Raines hit a home run all the way to Wrigley Field to start. Cora singled to left but Thomas struck out swinging. Franco hit into a double play to end the inning with the White Sox down 4-1. Sox manager Butch Hobson felt at 97 pitches, Sele had done enough and Aaron did well, allowing just 1 run in 5 innings.

                                                        Good work Sele

Jose DeLeon came in to pitch the top of the sixth inning and Dawson popped up to first to start. Naehring struck out swinging and Cooper took strike three to end the inning. Hobson brought in Paul Quantrill to pitch the bottom of the sixth and he immediately served up a home run to Mercury by Ventura to cut the lead. Jackson flied out to center, Johnson popped up to short and Karkovice flied out to center to end the inning but the White Sox were down 4-2.

                                                            Ventura goes yard

Valentin flied out to left to start the top of the seventh before Valle grounded out to third. Nixon took strike three to end the inning. The wheels fell off in the bottom of the seventh although Guillen grounded out to short to start. Raines then smashed his second home run of the game to chase Quantrill. Ricky Trilicek came in and Cora singled to right. Thomas walked but Franco hit a home run all the way to Montreal, Canada to give the White Sox the lead. Ventura singled to left and Jackson flied out to center to chase Trilicek. Tony Fossas got Johnson to hit a routine grounder to Cooper....booted for an error. Karkovice grounded into a force to end the inning as the White Sox went from down 4-2 to up 6-4.

                                                           Franco puts Chicago on top

The BoSox rallied in the top of the eighth as Hatcher singled to right to chase DeLeon to start. Paul Assenmacher came in and Greenwell singled to center. Vaughn singled to right to load the bases and chase Assenmacher. Kirk McCaskill came in and got Dawson to pop up to second. Naehring then hit a bullet into the gap to right. Hatcher and Greenwell scored easily and the ball got away from Karkovice. Vaughn scored and Naehring scored on the error for a little league home run to put the BoSox back on top. Cooper flied out to center and Valentin took strike three to end the inning with Boston ahead 8-6.

                                                      Naehring comes up big

Guillen singled to right to start the bottom of the eighth but Raines popped up to short. Cora flied out to center and that was it for Fossas. Scott Bankhead came in to pitch to Thomas and Frank grounded into a force to end the inning.

Valle took strike three to start the top of the ninth but Cora threw a grounder by Nixon away for an error. Nixon was thrown out trying to steal and Hatcher struck out swinging to end the inning. Jeff Russell came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Franco grounded out to second to start. Ventura flied out to center and Jackson popped up to second to end the game. The BoSox had won it 8-6.

Hero of the Night is Tim Naehring. He ripped the game winning 3 run double to put Boston up for good.

                                                                Naehring the Hero

The Good:

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

Mo Vaughn was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

John Valentin was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Aaron Sele tossed 5 innings of 1 run ball.

Tony Fossas tossed a full scoreless innings to get the win.

Scott Bankhead retired the only man he faced.

Jeff Russell earned his third save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Andre Dawson was 0 for 4.

Scott Cooper was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Paul Quantrill was charged with 2 runs in 1 1/3 innings.

Ricky Trilicek allowed the 3 run homer to Franco.

The Ugly:

Otis Nixon was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked, stole a base and scored a run.

Billy Hatcher was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run and scored two runs.

Dave Valle was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

That was another good come from behind win but there are warts starting to develop. The offense has been fine but the pitching hasn't been there so far. Aaron Sele looked good but could go only 5 innings which led to the White Sox making their comeback. Jeff Russell is as good as any closer in the league but getting to him is going to be tricky this season. The Sox starters should be able to get on track as the season progresses so any time the BoSox can steal a win, it'll be beneficial down the road. Winning four straight games to start the season is fun and its almost the opposite of last year. Last April the Sox got some outstanding starting pitching but not much offense, this year its the other way around. Still a win is a win whether its 3-0 or 9-8 and this was four in a row. Boston looks to make it five in a row and two straight over Chicago tomorrow when Roger Clemens looks to rebound from his Opening Day dud against Jack McDowell of the ChiSox. The game begins at 3:30 PM at Commiskey Park.