Sox Stun Jays in Wild Ninth (4/19/92)

The bad news was the Boston Bruins lost Game 1 of their first round NHL playoff series but the good news was the Boston Red Sox made a huge comeback to defeat the Toronto Blue Jays. The Sox were trailing 2-1 to Juan Guzman and the Jays with Sox starter Matt Young getting pulled in the sixth inning. Danny Darwin (1-0, 2.19 ERA) served up two more runs in the top of the ninth to seemingly put the game out of reach. Not so fast! Down to their last out and trailing 4-2, Mike Greenwell got a line drive base hit to center to score the tying runs. Scott Cooper singled in the hole at second for the winning run and the Sox stunned the Jays 5-4 at Fenway Park.

                                                                Carl Lewis approves of the win

Young got the ball in the top of the first inning and Devon White singled to right to start. Roberto Alomar forced White at second and Joe Carter lined out to right. Young had Alomar picked off but spiked the ball like a football for an error to advance Roberto to second. Dave Winfield grounded out to short to end the inning. Guzman got the ball to start the bottom of the first and Wade Boggs lined out to left to start. Jody Reed singled in the hole at second but Phil Plantier grounded out to first to move Jody to second. Ellis Burks struck out swinging to end the inning.

Young cruised in the top of the second as Kelly Gruber flied out to center to start. Pat Tabler grounded out to short and Candy Maldonado popped up to first in foul territory to end the inning. Mike Greenwell led off the bottom of the second with a fly out to center. Jack Clark took strike three but Mo Vaughn drew a walk. Luis Rivera struck out swinging to end the inning.

Pat Borders grounded out to third to open the top of the third before Manuel Lee struck out swinging. White grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the third although John Flaherty lined out to second to start. Boggs walked and Reed beat out a roller to third but Plantier flied out to left. Burks hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning.

The Jays struck first in the top of the fourth as Alomar singled to right to start.  Alomar moved to second on the grounder to second by Carter and Winfield drew a walk. Gruber singled home Alomar to give the Jays the lead but Tabler flied out to right. Maldonado flied out to right to end the inning with the Jays up 1-0.

                                                                Gruber drives in a run

Mike Greenwell grounded out to first to start the bottom of the fourth but Sox manager Butch Hobson bolted out of his seat and threw Jack Clark out of the game like he was an umpire. The confused dugout had no idea what was going on as Butch sent Scott Cooper into the game for Clark. Cooper walked but Vaughn took strike three. Rivera struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Jays struck again in the top of the fifth as Borders grounded out to third to start. Lee singled to right and Young had him picked off too....but turned and threw the ball 100 feet over the THIRD basemen's head for an error to move Lee to second. White blooped a single to center to score Lee to increase the lead. White moved to second on the grounder to short by Alomar and Carter grounded out to second to end the inning with the Jays ahead 2-0.

                                                    Throw the damn ball straight Matt!

The Sox blew a big rally in the bottom of the fifth as Flaherty hit one up the elevator shaft to start. Boggs ripped a base hit to center and took second on a wild pitch. Another wild pitch moved Boggs to third and a passed ball on a walk to Reed scored Wade to cut the lead. Plantier popped up to the first base line but Carter dropped the ball for an error. Burks took strike three but Greenwell was intentionally walked to load the bases. With a chance to tie the game....Cooper struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 2-1.

                                                               Boggs scores a run

The Jays knocked Young out in the top of the sixth as Winfield singled in the hole at second to start. Gruber walked but Tabler lined out to right. Maldonado walked to load the bases and that was it for Young. He lasted just 5 1/3 innings but allowed just 2 runs. Danny Darwin was brought in to pitch and got a huge out when Borders went down swinging. Lee grounded out to second to end the inning.

                                                           Not great but it'll do

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the sixth as Vaughn flied out to center to start. Rivera took strike three and Flaherty popped up to second to end the inning.

White lined out to left to start the top of the seventh but Alomar walked. Carter struck out swinging and Alomar was gunned down trying to steal to end the inning. Bob MacDonald came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh inning and Boggs popped up to third to start. Reed grounded out to third and Plantier lined out to left to end the inning.

Darwin snuffed out a bunt attempt by Winfield to start the top of the eighth and Gruber popped up to second. Tabler singled to left but Maldonado struck out swinging to end the inning. Duane Ward came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Burks struck out swinging to earn the hat trick. Greenwell singled to center but Cooper lined out to left. Vaughn grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Jays seemed to have put the game out of reach in the top of the ninth as Borders ripped a base hit to center to start. Lee dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Borders to second but White struck out swinging. Alomar then slapped a seeing eye single into left field. Borders came around to score and Alomar took second on the throw home. Naturally Carter smashed a base hit to right to score Alomar to seemingly put the game out of reach. Winfield lined out to right to end the inning with the Jays ahead 4-1.

                                                           Dammit Darwin

John Olerud came in to play first and Tom Henke came in to close out the bottom of the ninth Herm Winningham pinch hit for Rivera and blooped a base hit to center to start. Tim Naehring pinch hit for Flaherty but he struck out swinging. Boggs blooped a ground rule double down the left field line and Reed walked to load the bases. Plantier hit what should have been a game ending double play to Olerud....and he BOOTED IT! Winningham scored and suddenly the tying run was at second base on the error. Things look bleak when Burks struck out swinging to earn the golden sombrero but Greenwell ripped a base hit to center to score Boggs and Reed to tie the game. Plantier took third on the hit and David Wells came in to pitch to Cooper. Plantier took second and Cooper singled in the hole at second to score Plantier with the winning run. The guy who came in to replace Clark won the game with a base hit to stun the Jays 5-4.

Hero of the Night is Scott Cooper. The replacement for Clark won the game with a walkoff base hit/

                                                            Hero Cooper

The Good:

Wade Boggs was 2 for 4 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Jody Reed was 2 for 3 with 2 walks and a run scored.

Mike Greenwell was 2 for 4 with a stolen base, a walk and 2 rbis.

Matt Young allowed 2 runs (only 1 earned) in 5 1/3 innings.

The Bad:

Ellis Burks was 0 for 5 with a golden sombrero of 4 strikeouts.

Jack Clark struck out in his only at bat.

Luis Rivera was 0 for 3 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Tim Naehring struck out as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

Phil Plantier was just 1 for 5 but drove in a run and scored a run.

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

Danny Darwin vultured the win by allowing 2 runs in 3 2/3 innings.

Final Thoughts:

Good comeback win for the Sox but once again the offense did almost nothing for eight innings. How sad is it Matt Young pitched a no hitter in his first start and allowed 2 runs in this one with nothing to show for it? Hell it took a hell of an effort from Roger Clemens to get the win last game because the offense has been non-existent so far this season. When the weather gets warmer maybe they'll pick up the pace. Apart from Darwin coughing up 2 runs, the pitching has been solid for most of the month. Still, a win is a win if its by 1 or 10 and nobody is going to complain about a win. If Young can pitch like this with Clemens and Frank Viola pitching to their potentials, they may be in contention this season.....if the offense ever improves. The Sox look to make it three in a row tomorrow afternoon against the Blue Jays. Jimmy Key goes for Toronto against Joe Hesketh of the Red Sox. The game begins at 2:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Offense Falters To Blue Jays (4/18/92)

Gadzooks this offense is bad! Frank Viola (0-2, 5.09 ERA) pitched like his former self for the first time all season but got no run support at all. The Boston Red Sox mustered just 4 hits and one run, getting tamed by Todd Stottlemyre as they dropped a 2-1 decision at Fenway Park.

                                           Barnaby can't stand this Sox offense

Viola began the top of the first by getting Devon White to line out to left to begin the game. Roberto Alomar struck out but Joe Carter doubled. Dave Winfield popped up to second to end the inning. The miserable Red Sox offense did nothing in the bottom of the first against Stottlemyre. Wade Boggs flied out to center, Jody Reed grounded out to short and Phil Plantier flied out to right to end the inning.

The Jays struck first in the top of the second inning. Kelly Gruber singled and took second on a passed ball. John Olerud walked on a very close call that had Viola up in arms. Candy Maldonado singled to score Gruber to give the Jays the lead. Pat Borders lined out to center but Manuel Lee doubled to score Olerud. White grounded out to second and Alomar flied out to left to end the inning but the Jays were ahead 2-0 much to Viola's chagrin.

                                             Viola can't stand his own offense or the umpires

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the second inning. Ellis Burks singled but Mike Greenwell lined out to left. Jack Clark whiffed but Burks took second on the throw down. Mo Vaughn walked but Tim Naehring flied out to center to end the inning.

Viola settled down in the top of the third inning as Carter flied out to left. Winfield singled and Gruber lofted an easy fly to Plantier....who tried to catch it in his hat for some inane reason and dropped it, resulting in an error. Viola recovered to get Olerud to pop up to second and struck out Maldonado to end the inning. Somehow the Sox scored a run in the bottom of the third inning. Tony Pena hit a comebacker to the mound but Boggs walked. Reed flied out to left but Plantier and Burks hit back to back singles to score Boggs. Greenwell grounded out to second to end the inning but the Sox were back in it, 2-1.

                                                  Burks gets the Sox within 1

Viola did his part to keep the Jays silent in the top of the fourth inning. Borders grounded out to third, Lee looked at strike three and White grounded out to third to end the inning. Stottlemyre also settled down in the bottom of the fourth. Clark walked but Vaughn banged into a double play. Naehring grounded out to second to end the inning.

The duel continued in the top of the fifth as Viola struck out both Alomar and Carter before getting Winfield to line out to second to end the inning. More of the same in the bottom of the fifth as Pena watched strike three go by, Boggs flied out to left and Reed popped up to left to end the inning.

Viola remained tough in the top of the sixth inning as Gruber flied out to right, Olerud lined out to left and Maldonado grounded out to third to end the inning. Ditto for Stottlemyre in the bottom of the sixth as Plantier grounded out to first, Burks lined out to second and Greenwell flied out to right to end the inning.

Viola kept the Sox in it during the top of the seventh as Borders grounded out to short, Lee grounded out to second and White flied out to left to end the inning. After Plantier's drop, Viola retired 14 in a row. The Sox offense failed to pick up their pitcher in the bottom of the seventh. Clark looked at strike three, Vaughn hit a comebacker to the mound and Naehring watched strike three go by to end the inning.

Alomar lined out to center to begin the top of the eighth before Carter whiffed. Winfield beat out an infield single to break up the 16 in a row set down by Viola but Gruber grounded out to second to end the inning. Viola was pitching his ass off but had nothing to show for it.

                                                    Viola doing all he can

Stottlemyre's night was done as Duane Ward came in to pitch and Sox manager Butch Hobson countered by pinch hitting Herm Winningham for Pena. The gamble worked as Winningham got a base hit. Too bad Boggs lined out to left and Winningham was erased on the force by Reed. Plantier whiffed to end the inning.

Viola came back to finish the job in the top of the ninth inning with John Flaherty now behind the plate. Olerud lined one off Viola but the alert Reed nabbed him at first for the out. Maldonado whiffed and Borders flied out to center to end the inning. Apart from the second inning, Frank was as lights out as it got. Jays closer Tom Henke came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth. Burks whiffed but Greenwell walked to put the tying run on. Mike was erased on the force by Clark and Luis Rivera pinch ran for Jack. It didn't matter as Vaughn whiffed to end the game. The Jays held the Sox to just 4 hits and 1 run to win it 2-1.

Jackass of the Night is a tough one but I'll have to go with Mo Vaughn. He came up twice with a man on and a chance to tie or better but he either struck out or hit into a double play.

                                                   Jackass of the Night: Mo Vaughn


The Good:

Ellis Burks was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Herm Winningham pinch hit for Tony Pena and singled.

One of the rare times the losing pitcher ends up on the good list but Viola was outstanding. He tossed a complete game, scattered 6 hits and allowing just 2 runs while at one point retiring 16 in a row.



The Bad:

Jody Reed was 0 for 4.

Tim Naehring was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Tony Pena was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.



The Ugly:

Wade Boggs was 0 for 3 but walked and scored.

Phil Plantier was just 1 for 4.

Mike Greenwell was 0 for 3 but walked.

Jack Clark was 0 for 3 but walked.



Honorable Mention:

Luis Rivera pinch ran for Jack Clark in the ninth.

John Flaherty caught the top of the ninth.




Final Thoughts:

Something is terribly wrong with the Red Sox offense. We're 9 games in and these guys can't hit for beans. What happened to Jack Clark's power? I thought Mo Vaughn was going to be the next superstar. Wade Boggs is hitting 200 and Mike Greenwell is hitting .182. Yes, its only April but that's a bad start for sure. You can't expect everyone to pitch like Roger Clemens. including Clemens himself to make up for lousy offense. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow afternoon with Matt Young taking the hill opposite Juan Guzman. There better be some offense tomorrow at Fenway Park.

Clemens Outduels Wells, Sox Blank Jays In Rain (4/17/92)

The bad news is that the Boston Red Sox offense continues to under perform. David Wells of the Toronto Blue Jays and their bullpen held the Sox bats to just 4 hits and a single run. The good news is "Rocket" Roger Clemens (2-1, 1.50 ERA) started for the Sox and was even better. Despite a 2 1/2 hour rain delay to begin, he held the high powered Jays to no runs in 7 innings of work. Greg Harris, Tony Fossas and Jeff Reardon relieved Roger and held the Jays scoreless the rest of the way. The only run scored was on a blown fielder's choice hit by Mike Greenwell that scored Ellis Burks. The rains came to delay the game an hour after the fourth inning and Clemens returned, but Wells didn't. Still, the single run that was scored was enough as the Sox blanked the Jays 1-0 at Fenway Park.

                                                         Sax approves of the win

Clemens got the ball in the top of the first inning and Devon White walked to start. Roberto Alomar struck out swinging but White swiped second. Joe Carter struck out swinging and Dave Winfield popped up to first to end the inning. Wells got the ball in the bottom of the first and Boggs grounded out to second to start. Jody Reed popped up to short but Phil Plantier singled to left. Ellis Burks flied out to center to end the inning.

Clemens got in a jam in the top of the second as Kelly Gruber blooped a base hit to right to begin. Jon Olerud hit a routine grounder to Tom Brunansky at first who went OLE! for an error to put runners at the corners. Roger got a big out when Candy Maldonado popped up to second but Pat Borders walked to load the bases. Manuel Lee took strike three and White forced Borders at second to end the inning. Apparently in the dugout Sox manager Butch Hobson screamed at Bruno for the error and Bruno told him to pleasure himself. Meanwhile Jack Clark flied out to center to start the bottom of the second but Mike Greenwell singled to right. Hobson tried to attack Brunansky but had to be held back by his players and he sent Mo Vaughn to pinch hit for him. Vaughn popped up to short and Tony Pena grounded out to first to end the inning.

Clemens turned up the heat in the top of the third inning as Alomar went down hacking to start. Carter also went down swinging and Winfield took strike three to end the inning. Luis Rivera watched strike three go by to start the bottom of the third and Boggs grounded back to the mound. Reed lined out to center to end the inning.

Gruber went down swinging to start the top of the fourth and Olerud grounded out to third. Maldonado took strike three to end the inning. The Sox got to Wells in the bottom of the fourth although Plantier struck out swinging to start. Burks walked and Clark doubled him to third before Greenwell hit a roller to third....that Clark beat out to score Burks with the first run. Vaughn struck out swinging and Pena popped up to third in foul territory to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                         Burks scores the only run

After an hour rain delay the game continued with Clemens back for the top of the fifth. Borders singled to right and Lee dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Pat to second. White took strike three and Alomar flied out to right to end the inning. Wells was gone after the delay and Pat Hentgen took his place for the bottom of the fifth. Rivera struck out swinging, Boggs flied out to left and Reed popped up to second to begin and end the inning.

Things got hairy in the top of the sixth when Carter doubled to left to start. Clemens recovered to blow away Winfield but Gruber grounded back to the mound to move Carter to third. Olerud took strike three to end the inning. Boston tried to rally in the bottom of the sixth when Plantier singled to right to begin. Burks struck out swinging, Clark flied out to center and Greenwell grounded out to short to end the inning.

Maldonado grounded out to short to start the top of the seventh before Borders popped up to second. Lee flied out to center to end the inning. That was it for Clemens who had to endure 3 1/2 hours of rain delay time only to pitch a 7 inning shutout while striking out 11.

                                                            The Rocket delivers

Vaughn popped up to third in foul territory to start the bottom of the seventh before Pena struck out swinging. Rivera walked and Bob MacDonald was brought in to face Boggs. Wade struck out swinging to end the inning.

Greg Harris got the ball in the top of the eighth inning and White walked to start. Alomar lined out to left and Carter hit a routine grounder to Boggs....who threw himself on the ball and wrestled with it for an error. Rob Ducey pinch ran for Carter but Harris recovered to strike out both Winfield and Gruber swinging to end the inning. Reed flied out to left to start the bottom of the eighth and Plantier struck out swinging, but Burks drew a walk. Duane Ward was brought in to pitch to Clark and Jack grounded into a force to end the inning.

Apparently Hobson got in Boggs' face for the error and Wade shoved him backwards and another scrum took place. Boggs said to hell with it and left the dugout so Scott Cooper came in to play third with Tony Fossas now on the mound for the top of the ninth. Olerud flied out to left and Hobson stumbled out of the dugout to bring in Jeff Reardon to finish the game. Maldonado and Borders both struck out swinging to end the game. Boston pitchers had struck out 15 Jays and the Sox won the game 1-0.

Hero of the Night is Roger Clemens. He tossed 7 shutout innings despite the rain delays and held the Jays to just 3 hits. He walked 2 batters and struck out 11.

                                                       Roger Hero

The Good:

Phil Plantier was 2 for 4.

Mike Greenwell was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Greg Harris pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Tony Fossas retired the only batter he faced in the ninth inning.

Jeff Reardon earned his second save of the season.

The Bad:

Wade Boggs was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jody Reed was 0 for 4.

Tom Brunansky made an error before being pulled from the game.

Mo Vaughn was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Tony Pena was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Luis Rivera was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

The Ugly:

Ellis Burks was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but walked twice and scored a run.

Jack Clark was just 1 for 4.

Honorable Mention:

Scott Cooper played third base in the top of the ninth

Final Thoughts:

Why does it always rain over us? The bad weather that postponed last night's game almost cancelled tonight's as well. The good news was at least the Red Sox won. Clemens was spectacular and no matter how bad the Sox bats are, he always gives them a chance to win. The problem is he can't pitch every day so sooner or later the bats are going to have to wake up. So far only Mo Vaughn and Luis Rivera are hitting above .250 but that's going to change. Boggs, Greenwell and Reed aren't usually this bad so they should come around. The bullpen was good tonight and the problem certainly hasn't been with them so far. Tomorrow afternoon the Sox have another game with the Blue Jays and its Frank Viola's (0-1) to go up against Todd Stottlemyre of Toronto. The game begins at 2:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Rainout News (4/16/92)

There was no game tonight against the Baltimore Orioles as it was postponed to July 31st to make that day now a doubleheader....yippie.

On this day in Basebawful history:

1915 - Red Sox tie A's

1970 - Sox sweep Yankees

1971 - Sox edge Tigers

1973 - Sox rally falls short against Detroit

1974 - Stottlemyre, Yankees beat Sox

1982 - White Sox hand Red Sox fourth straight loss

1983 - Hurst, Sox drop Rangers

1991 - Darwin, Sox beat Royals

The Sox now start a 3 game set with the Toronto Blue Jays starting tomorrow night. Roger Clemens (1-1) gets the start for the Sox against lefty David Wells of Toronto. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Hang On To Beat Orioles (4/15/92)

It wasn't pretty but the Boston Red Sox came out of their off-day with a victory over the Baltimore Orioles. Mike Gardiner of the Sox held the O's to no runs through the first six innings as the Sox took a 4-1 lead. Gardiner ran out of gas in the seventh inning as the O's clawed back to tie the game. With two outs in the bottom of the eighth, Jody Reed smacked a two run single to put the Sox ahead. Things got hairy in the top of the ninth when Chris Hoiles hit a one out home run but Jeff got the final two outs to earn the save and give the Sox the 6-5 win at Fenway Park.

                                                  Fefita Le Grande approves of the win

Gardiner got the ball in the top of the first and old buddy Brady Anderson struck out swinging to start. Joe Orsulak singled just wide of second base but Cal Ripken Jr popped up to short. Randy Milligan forced Orsulak at second to end the inning. Ben McDonald got the start for the Orioles and Wade Boggs struck out swinging to start. Jody Reed grounded out to short but Mike Greenwell walked. Ellis Burks struck out swinging to end the inning.

Mike Devereaux flied out to center to start the top of the second before old friend Sam Horn grounded out to second. Leo Gomez walked but Chris Hoiles struck out swinging to end the inning. McDonald cruised in the bottom of the second as Phil Plantier struck out swinging to start. Tom Brunansky grounded out to short and Mo Vaughn went down hacking to end the inning.

Billy Ripken popped up to first in foul territory to start the top of the third but Anderson tripled into the left field corner. Orsulak hit a ground ball to first and Anderson was thrown out in a rundown although Joe moved to second. Ripken Jr took strike three to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the third as Tim Naehring drew a walk to start. Tony Pena grounded back to the mound but Naehring took second. Boggs walked and Reed hit a routine grounder to Ripken Jr....bobbled for an error to score Naehring. Greenwell banged into a double play to end the inning but the Sox led 1-0.

                                                         Naehring scores a run

Gardiner cruised in the top of the fourth as Milligan grounded out to short to start. Devereaux grounded out to short as well and Horn flied out to left to end the inning. Burks grounded out to short to begin the bottom of the fourth but Plantier flied out to left. Brunansky singled in the hole at second but Vaughn struck out swinging to end the inning.

The O's fought back in the top of the fifth as Gomez grounded out to first to start. Hoiles singled to left and moved to second on the Ripken grounder to short. Anderson smacked another triple to score Hoiles to tie the game. Orsulak took strike three to end the inning but the game was tied 1-1.

                                                              Anderson with two triples

McDonald cruised in the bottom of the fifth as Naehring struck out swinging to start. Pena popped up to second and Boggs grounded out to short to end the inning.

Gardiner dominated the top of the sixth as Ripken Jr popped up to second to start. Milligan and Devereaux both grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox took command in the bottom of the sixth as Reed walked to start. Greenwell singled to right to move Jody to third but Burks hit a grounder to third. Reed was thrown out in a rundown but Greenwell moved to third and Burks second on the play. Plantier was intentionally walked to set up a double play but Bruno  hit a sac fly to right to score Greenwell to give the Sox the lead. Vaughn scored both runners with a double to left and Naehring walked to chase McDonald. Storm Davis came in to pitch and Pena walked to load the bases. Boggs flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-1.

                                                                    Vaughn drives in a pair

The O's rallied in the bottom of the seventh although Horn struck out swinging to start. Gomez flied out to right but Chris Hoiles singled to left. All of a sudden Butch Hobson sprinted out of the dugout and demanded the ball from Mike Gardiner with nobody warming up. Apparently Butch wanted Peter Hoy to pitch to pinch hitter Mark McLemore but fell asleep and forgot to call the bullpen to get him ready. McLemore doubled to left off the ice cold Hoy to score Hoiles and Anderson doubled to left to score him. Orsulak singled to right to score Anderson to tie the game as Gardiner threw his hands up and left the dugout. Hobson then brought in Greg Harris that was actually warming up and Greg got Ripken Jr to fly out to left to end the inning with the game tied 4-4.

                                                          Hobson failed Mike big time

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the seventh as Reed flied out to right to start. Greenwell flied out to left but Ripken Jr threw a routine grounder by Burks away for an error. Plantier flied out to center to end the inning.

Harris returned for the top of the eighth and Milligan grounded out to short to start. Devereaux took strike three and Horn went down hacking to end the inning. The Sox came through in the bottom of the eighth as Bruno and Vaughn dropped back to back base hits to right to start. Tim Naehring dropped down a bunt to move both runners over and Herm Winningham was sent to pinch hit for Pena. Winningham grounded out to third but Boggs was intentionally walked. Mark Williamson replaced Storm Davis to pitch to Reed and Jody made the O's pay by blooping a base hit to center to score both runners to give Boston the lead back. Mike Flanagan was brought on to face Greenwell but Mike lined out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-4.

                                                                Jody gets it done 

Jeff Reardon came in to close out the top of the ninth with John Flaherty now behind the plate. Chico Martinez pinch hit for Gomez and flied out to center but Hoiles hit a home run all the way to Mongolia to cut the lead. McLemore grounded out to second and Anderson grounded out to first to end the game. The Sox had hung on to win 6-4.

Hero of the Night is Jody Reed. He drove in the go-ahead runs in the bottom of the eighth.

                                                                      Jody Hero

The Good:

Tom Brunansky was 2 for 3 with an rbi and a run scored.

Mo Vaughn was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Tim Naehring walked twice and scored a run in 3 plate appearances.

Mike Gardiner was charged with 2 runs in 6 2/3 superb innings. He allowed just 5 hits and a walk while striking out 5.

Greg Harris tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Herm Winningham grounded out as a pinch hitter.

Peter Hoy allowed an inherited runner to score and 2 of his own without retiring anyone.

Jeff Reardon allowed a home run while nailing down the save in the top of the ninth.

The Ugly:

Wade Boggs was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked twice.

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

Ellis Burks was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Phil Plantier was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

Tony Pena was 0 for 2 but walked.

Honorable Mention:

John Flaherty caught the top of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

That was a good win but Hobson almost blew it by bringing in Peter Hoy when Gardner wasn't even in trouble. All Gardiner needed was one more out and he would have put the Sox in great shape with Harris and Reardon ready to go. Its only April but Hobson is no Joe Morgan, that's for sure. Still, the offense managed to scratch out enough runs to win and Jody Reed had a hell of a game. The Sox missed the playoffs by slumping at the end of the season and hopefully Gardiner can prevent that this season. The Sox are going to bank on their pitching this season and hopefully the offense can improve over the end of last year. All in all it was a good win and hopefully it gets the Sox back on track. The Sox look to make it two in a row over the Orioles tomorrow evening when Roger Clemens takes the mound up against Bob Milacki of the O's. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Off-Day News (4/14/92)

On this day in Boston Red Sox Basebawful History: 

1915 - Pennock, A's blank Sox

1930 - Sox win Opening Day

1970 - Sox crush Yankees in Fenway Opener

1971 - Senators rally past Sox

1973 - Sox drop Yankees

1974 - Sox smash Tigers

1982 - White Sox rally past Red Sox

1989 - Dopson, Evans guide Sox past Baltimore

1991 - Indians shut out Sox

The Sox are back in action tomorrow afternoon when Mike Gardiner of the Red Sox takes on Ben McDonald of the Baltimore Orioles. The game begins at 2:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Orioles Beat Sox Late (4/13/92)

Well this sucks. The Boston Red Sox invested 14 million dollars in 31 year old Frank Viola to be their long awaited replacement for Bruce Hurst and he hasn't impressed so far. Viola was straight up batting practice in today's game against the Baltimore Orioles. Viola got knocked out in the fourth inning after allowing 5 runs and giving the O's a 6-3 lead. The Sox did manage to rally in the seventh inning to tie the game but two big runs against Tony Fossas and Danny Darwin spelled Boston's doom. What should have been a great day for Boston turned into a nightmare as the Baltimore Orioles knocked off the Red Sox 8-6 at Fenway Park.

                                                    So much for the Red Sox

The O's wasted no time getting to Viola in the top of the first inning as old pal Brady Anderson walked to start. Tim Hulett singled Brady to third and Anderson scored on the Cal Ripken Jr sac fly to left. Randy Milligan singled in the hole at second but Mike Devereaux struck out swinging. Leo Gomez grounded out to third to end the inning with the O's ahead 1-0.

                                                           Ripken drives in a run

Bob Milacki got the ball for the O's in the bottom of the first and Wade Boggs flied out to center to start. Jody Reed singled to left and moved to second on a grounder to first by Mike Greenwell. Ellis Burks walked and a balk moved both runners over but Phil Plantier struck out swinging to end the inning.

The O's pounced in the top of the second as David Segui grounded out to second to start. Chris Hoiles walked and Billy Ripkens singled in the hole at short before Hoiles scored on the base hit by Anderson. Hulett singled home Billy Ripken and Cal Ripken walked to load the bases. Milligan grounded out to second to score Anderson and Devereaux struck out looking to end the inning with the O's up 4-0.

                                                                Billy and Cal tag teaming

Jack Clark took strike three to begin the bottom of the second before Mo Vaughn struck out swinging. Tony Pena singled in the hole at short but Luis Rivera flied out to right to end the inning.

The O's struck again in the top of the third inning as Gomez hit a routine pop up to first. Vaughn tried to catch the ball in his hat and it fell in for an error. Segui forced Gomez at second and Hoiles flied out to right but Billy Ripken doubled home Segui to increase the lead. Anderson grounded out to second to end the inning with the O's ahead 5-0.

                                                                   Segui scores a run

The Sox finally fought back in the bottom of the third as Boggs grounded out to short to start. Reed singled in the hole at short, Greenwell walked and Burks doubled home Reed. Plantier hit a ground rule double to right to score Burks and Greenwell but Clark grounded out to third. Vaughn walked but Pena flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox down 5-3.

                                                          Plantier drives home two runs

Viola came out briefly for the top of the fourth and Hulett singled in the hole at second to start. Cal Ripken Jr singled to left to chase Viola. Frank was completely incompetent and he was replaced by Greg Harris. Milligan flied out to right in foul territory to move Hulett to third and Devereaux walked to load the bases. Gomez hit a sac fly to score Hulett and Segui lined out to left to end the inning with the O's ahead 6-3. 

                                                         Viola sucked today

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the fourth as Rivera popped up to second to start. Boggs lined out to right but Reed walked. Greenwell grounded out to third to end the inning.

Harris cruised in the top of the fifth as Hoiles struck out swinging to start. Billy Ripken took strike three and Anderson went down hacking to end the inning. Burks popped up to second to start the bottom of the fifth before Plantier grounded out to second. Clark singled to left and Vaughn walked, but Pena grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Hulett grounded back to the mound to start the top of the sixth before Cal Ripken Jr flied out to left. Randy Milligan doubled to left but Devereaux lined out to center to end the inning. Milacki cruised in the bottom of the sixth as Rivera popped up to first in foul territory to start. Boggs flied out to left and Reed grounded out to third to end the inning.

Harris got Gomez to fly out to center to start the top of the seventh before Segui walked. Hoiles struck out swinging and Billy Ripken grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox roared back in the bottom of the seventh with Mike Flanagan now on the mound. Greenwell singled to left and Burks doubled him home to cut the lead. Plantier and Clark drew back to back walks to load the bases and Herm Winningham pinch ran for Clark. Vaughn grounded out to second but Burks scored and Todd Frohwirth came in to pitch to Pena. Pena struck out swinging and Scott Cooper pinch hit for Rivera. Cooper walked to load the bases and Boggs walked home Plantier to tie the game. With a chance to break the game open...Reed hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                            Boggs walks in the tying run

Just as soon as the Sox tied it, the O's took the game right back in the top of the eighth with Tony Fossas on the mound and Tim Naehring at short. Anderson doubled to left to chase Fossas and Danny Darwin came in to pitch to Hulett. Chito Martinez pinch hit for Hulett and flied out to center before Anderson moved to third on a grounder to second by Cal Ripken Jr. Milligan doubled to left to score Anderson with the go-ahead run and Joe Orsulak pinch ran for him. Devereaux struck out swinging to end the inning with the Orioles up 7-6.

                                                     Milligan drives in the winning run

Greg Olson came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Greenwell singled to right to start. Burks banged into a double play and Plantier struck out swinging to end the inning.

The O's iced the game in the top of the ninth as Gomez doubled to right to start. Gomez moved to third on a grounder to second by Segui and scored on the Hoiles sac fly to center. Billy Ripken grounded out to second to end the inning with the O's ahead 8-6.

                                                      Sac fly by Hoiles

Olson came back to close out the bottom of the ninth and Winningham grounded out to first to start. Vaughn struck out swinging and Tom Brunansky pinch hit for Pena. Bruno walked to bring the tying run to the plate but Naehring grounded out to short to end the game. The O's had won it 8-6.

Jackass of the Night is Danny Darwin. He allowed the go-ahead run to score and his own insurance run.

                                                              Jackass Darwin

The Good:

Jody Reed was 2 for 4 with a walk and a run scored.

Mike Greenwell was 2 for 4 with a walk and a run scored.

Ellis Burks was 2 for 4 with a walk, 2 rbis and 2 runs scored.

Jack Clark was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Tom Brunansky walked as a pinch hitter.

Scott Cooper walked as a pinch hitter.

Greg Harris tossed 4 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Herm Winningham was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Luis Rivera was 0 for 3.

Tim Naehring was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Frank Viola got lit up for 6 runs in 3 plus innings.

Tony Fossas allowed a double that came around to score.

The Ugly:

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

Phil Plantier was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but drove in 2 runs and scored a run.

Mo Vaughn was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked twice and drove in a run.

Tony Pena was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Final Thoughts:

Another frustrating loss to start the season and the Sox just can't seem to get untracked. They lose to the New York Yankees before winning a marathon. They lose when Matt Young throws a no-hitter but Roger Clemens save the day....now this. Its early in the season but Viola can do better, we've seen it. He threw a complete game at Fenway 7 years ago and its not like he's 40 years old. Hopefully Frank can figure it out and its good to see the offense try to come back in this one. Things looked bleak when they were down 6-3 but they fought back to tie the game. Hopefully next time the Sox fall behind, they can complete the comeback. The Sox look to rebound tomorrow afternoon against the Orioles when they send Mike Gardiner to the mound against Ben McDonald of Baltimore. The game begins at 2:05 PM at Fenway Park.