|
THE CURSE OF THE BAMBINO, PART 6 ...
"THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM"
The Sox sweep the Angels
May
30, 1967 ... There were 32,012 fans at Fenway
Park and they saw the Red Sox win their third straight doubleheader
at home. The Angels were the latest victim but the biggest crowd
since 1962 were not happy when the Red Sox fell behind in the opening
game. But the Angels got sloppy in the sixth inning and one of their
baserunners got jittery in the eighth allowing the Sox to come back
to win it, 5 to 4. Then Dennis Bennett whipped the Angels, 6 to 1 in
the second game. Jack Sanford had the Red Sox stymied for the first
five innings in the first game. In the second inning Jimmie Hall drilled his
sixth home run of the year into the Angels bullpen with a man on base, giving
the Angels a 2 to 0 lead. Then Don Mincher hit one even longer off José
Santiago, with a teammate on base, in the third inning, making it 4 to 0.
But the Red Sox came back in the sixth inning after Lee Stange, who had
replaced Santiago, stopped the Angels cold when they threatened in the fourth,
fifth and sixth innings. He struck out seven of the nine men he faced.
Don Demeter started the comeback when he singled through the box and then
José Tartabull lined one to right. The red-hot Mike Andrews doubled off the
centerfield wall to score the first run. That brought out Angels manager Bill
Rigney and in came relief pitcher Pete Cimino. Cimino couldn't get the ball over
the plate with Carl Yastrzemski at bat. He couldn't do it when George Scott came
to bat either, walking both batters and forcing in a run, making it 4 to 2.
Cimino was then replaced by Bill Kelso and he got the ball over the plate to
Reggie Smith, who hit a hot smash at Don Mincher. Mincher bobbled it momentarily
and then flipped it a couple of inches over Kelso's head, as he tried to cover
first base. By the time the ball was retrieved, two more runs scored and the
game was tied. With men on second and third and nobody out, Kelso managed to get
the next three hitters and get out of more trouble.
The seventh inning passed without incident and in the eighth, Mincher started
off by slamming a double to right off Dan Osinski. Rookie Dan Wallace pinch ran
and stole second, going to third on Mike Ryan's wild throw. With one out Jimmie
Hall walked and was followed by Bob Rodgers who hit a fly ball out to deep
right. Wallace broke a second before José Tartabull caught the ball. He sensed
mistake after going about a feet and went back. Bobby Knoop ended the threat
when he grounded out to Mike Andrews.
With the score still tied at 4 to 4, the Red Sox didn't miss their chance in
the eighth inning. Reggie Smith walked and stole second and then Rico Petrocelli
walked. After Joe Foy struck out, Tony Horton came in to bat for Mike Ryan, and
doubled off the wall in left-center, scoring Reggie with the go-ahead run. John
Wyatt nailed it down in the ninth for his fifth save of the year, and the Red
Sox won 5 to 4.
Dennis Bennett, who had shut out the Angels in California, and pitched
another good game in his last outing, only got hit for a home run by Knoop in
the fifth inning of the second game. The Red Sox scored a run in the second off
Angels' starter, George Brunet on two singles and a wild pitch.
In the fourth inning, the Red Sox scored two runs when Demeter doubled, Rico
and Foy singled and Russ Gibson flew out to Jimmie Hall in right. Hall caught
the ball and tried to double off Foy at first, but nobody was covering and a
second run scored.
Then in the fifth inning, after Mike Andrews walked, Yaz singled. That
brought in relief pitcher Jim Coates and he was greeted by George Scott who
reached with a checked swing base hit and scored Andrews. With Yaz on third and
Scott on first, Petrocelli was at the plate and the Sox pulled off a perfect
squeeze. Catcher Orlando McFarlane went after the bunted ball and collided with
Coates, throwing the ball into right field. Now the Sox led 6 to 1.
Dennis Bennett didn't have much trouble, finding a good sinker and keeping
California batters off-balance, for his third win. |
