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THE CURSE OF THE BAMBINO, PART 6 ...
"THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM"
Joe Foy and the
Sox fall short
and settle for a split
June
11, 1967 ... The Red Sox spotted the Senators
three runs in each game today and then went after them. It worked out
for the Sox in the first game, when they caught them with Tony
Conigliaro hitting a line drive off the pitcher's arm, to give the
Sox a 4 to 3 victory. But although the Red Sox came back and squared
things with the Senators in the second game, they saw the visitors
pull way. George Scott's three run homer in the ninth-inning left
them short, as Washington got a split with an 8 to 7 win.
Conigliaro got a single on his liner back at Dave Baldwin in the eighth-inning
with men on first and third and nobody out in the opener. Baldwin put his glove
in front of his face to take the impact of the drive and knock it down without
injury. Tony came back in the second game and hit the ball hard with a home run,
a double and a single. Joe Foy smashed six hits in the two games and George
Scott had five. But the Red Sox pitching was weak, except for José Santiago's
work at the end of the game in the opener.
Gary Waslewski got the ball in the second game and his first big-league start
didn't work out too well. He did not attack the batters and the fielding behind
him didn't help. Foy's fielding was rough, and he heard a lot of boos, before
playing better.
Phil Ortega started for the Senators and Darrell Brandon worked for the Red
Sox in the opening game. Washington got one run in the second on Paul Casanova's
blast into the left-field net and they had two more in the fifth when Frank
Howard slammed his fifth home run in five games against the Red Sox. At the time
Fred Valentine was on base and Howard's home run gave his team a 3 to 0 lead.
Ortega had only given up three hits going into the sixth inning, when Mike
Andrews started it off with a single to right. George Scott doubled him home
with a shot off the wall in left. Foy kept fouling off Ortega pitches and
finally lined one to left that got by Howard. It went for a double, cutting the
lead to one run.
In the seventh inning, Santiago hit a hard line drive to left-center. Howard
went after it and should've caught it, but missed it, allowing it to roll to the
wall for a double. Then José Tartabull singled up the middle the game was tied.
That was it for Ortega and Casey Cox was brought into pitch to Mike Andrews, who
laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt and that brought in Darold Knowles. He faced
Yaz and walked him on four pitches, bringing in Baldwin. Scott grounded one down
to the shortstop, forcing Yaz at second to end the inning.
In the eighth-inning, however, Foy and Petrocelli lined singles to center.
Conigliaro, who hadn't done anything up till then, lined a shot back at Baldwin.
Up came his glove and the ball smacked against his left wrist, tearing the glove
off his hand, and bouncing a few feet away. By the time Baldwin got to it, the
go-ahead run scored, giving the Sox a 4 to 3 come from behind win.
The Senators got three quick runs in the second game off Waslewski.
Petrocelli booted a ground ball and after one out, Foy booted another ground
ball and threw it away. Then Waslewski started to walk people and threw a wild
pitch. The inning ended with the Senators getting three runs on one hit.
Conigliaro slammed his homer in the second inning off Frank Bertania, a long
drive over everything. The Senators nullified that run when they picked up one
in the third on two singles, a sacrifice and an infield out. But Bertania was
reached for another run the next inning on three singles by Foy, Scott and Rico.
In the fifth inning the Red Sox tied the game. Foy got his third straight
hit, a single to center, and Tony doubled off the wall. Carl Yastrzemski, who
Dick Williams had rested in the second game, came out of the dugout to pinch-hit
and doubled home the tying run, 4-4.
Dan Osinski was on the mound for the Red Sox in the sixth and walked Doug
Camilli. Mike Epstein came off the bench and batted for Cox, getting a single on
a line drive smash that bounced off Scott at first. Jerry Adair recovered the
ball and made a wild throw trying to get Epstein, and allowing Camilli to scoot
over to third-base. Bob Savarine singled to put Washington ahead and then stole
second base, after Santiago was brought in for the second time in the
doubleheader. Santiago then walked Valentine and almost got out of the trouble,
when he struck out Howard and Cap Peterson. But Dick Nen bounced a single to
center to score Savarine, and Richie Allen singled home Valentine, putting
Washington up 8 to 4.
With two outs in the ninth-inning and down four, Adair lined a single to
center and so did Foy. That brought up Scott and he lined one into the
left-field net, to cut the lead to one run, 8 to 7. Manager Gil Hodges came out
of the dugout and brought in Bob Priddy to face Petrocelli and he erased Rico
with a ground ball for the win and a split of the doubleheader.
Joe Foy had six hits in the doubleheader, with his biggest day at the plate
this season. He had taken some advice from Carl Yastrzemski about his batting
stance and he corrected it last week. Since then he has had 12 hits in 25 trips,
including three home runs and two doubles, with seven RBIs. |
