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CHUCK HINTON |
THE CURSE OF THE BAMBINO, PART 6 ...
"THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM"
Chuck Hinton's 10th inning HR sinks the Sox
May
20, 1967 ... Cleveland Indians outfielder,
Chuck Hinton, hit a distant home run with a man on board in the 10th
inning, to beat the Red Sox 5 to 3. The pitch was over the plate,
low, about two inches above the knee and Hinton drove it with
authority out of any ballpark. The starting Red Sox pitcher was
José Santiago, next came Lee Stange, and then Don McMahon. Santiago pitched very
well and might have lasted had Don Demeter not let a couple of flyballs get by
him in right field in the fifth inning, when the Indians got two runs.
Stange gave up a run in the sixth, when Leon Wagner's fly ball to centerfield
went over Reggie Smith's head at the wall for a triple. He scored while Mike
Ryan was throwing the ball in the centerfield trying to cut down Fred Whitfield
on his steal of second base.
Luis Tiant started for the Indians and he and Santiago went head-to-head,
pitching four hitless innings. But in the fifth, Fred Whitfield hit a fly to
right to start the inning. Demeter didn't start after it immediately, and when
he did, the ball was over his head and bounced into the seats for a ground rule
double. After Rocky Colavito flew out, Joe Azcue hit a ball to dead center. The
ball hit about 30 feet up on the wall and caromed into the seats for a home run.
Pedro Gonzales later lined a drive off the wall for a single and was out
stealing second when Larry Brown lined one to right. Demeter started in late and
the ball landed in front of him, getting by him for a triple.
Tiant had a nice 3 to 0 lead for six innings and had fanned nine men, but he
had been wild and gave up six walks. Reggie Smith opened the seventh with a walk
and after Mike Andrews flew out, he also walked Carl Yastrzemski. That brought
out Indians' manager Joe Adcock who called in George Culver. Culver hit George
Scott with a pitch to load the bases. Dalton Jones, pinch-hitting for Stange,
sliced a double to left to score two runs. Rico Petrocelli followed with a
single to left that scored Jones to tie up the game at 3 to 3. Then Joe Foy hit
a ground ball that got by Gonzales the secondbaseman, and was scooped up by
shortstop Larry Brown. Brown stepped on second and completed the throw to first
for a doubleplay.
The tie game set the stage for Chuck Hinton's homer in the 10th inning. The
home run brought in Vic Davalillo, who had doubled to start the inning. The
blast gave Cleveland rookie, Steve Bailey, his first major league victory. |
