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JIM MERRITT |
THE CURSE OF THE BAMBINO, PART 6 ...
"THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM"
Jim Merritt shuts out the Sox for Minnesota
August
4, 1967 ... Minnesota Twins left-hander, Jim
Merritt, scattered five hits and shut out the Red Sox 3 to 0 at
Metropolitan Stadium. The loss dropped the Red Sox 2 1/2 games behind
the league-leading Chicago White Sox, who were rained out in
Baltimore. The Red Sox stranded two runners in both the second and
third innings. In the second inning Rico Petrocelli singled to right and George
Thomas reached on an error by third baseman Cesar Tovar, but Merritt struck out
Mike Ryan to end that threat. Then, in the third inning with two outs, Joe Foy
and Carl Yastrzemski both singled. Tony Conigliaro sent leftfielder Bob Allison
to the wall for his line drive final out. That was the closest the Red Sox came
to scoring in the game.
George Scott led off the fourth inning with a double to left but never
advanced beyond second. Carl Yastrzemski, who would led off the sixth with a
single, was erased when Tony Conigliaro bounced into a doubleplay.
It was Merritt's second straight victory over the Red Sox and the shutout
boosted him into the league lead in the ERA at 2.06. The loser was starter
Darrell Brandon, who allowed two runs in the first inning and was knocked out in
the fourth.
In the first, Twins leadoff man, Rod Carew, bounced a single up the middle.
Joe Foy then booted a bunt by Tovar and Tony Oliva followed with a double down
the left-field line, to score Carew and send Tovar to third. Brandon walked
Harmon Killebrew to load the bases. He struck out Bob Allison and Zoilo
Versalles, but then walked Ted Uhlaender to force in the second run.
Jerry Zimmerman led off the fourth with a one hop double off the left-field
fence. Merritt tried to advance him with a ground ball to the right side, but
Mike Andrews swooped in and threw out Zimmerman at third. When Brandon walked
Carew, he was replaced by Dan Osinski. Osinski got Tovar on a fly to left and
struck out Tony Oliva to end that threat.
The Twins scored their third run off Gary Bell in the seventh, on a bloop
double by Bob Allison and an error by Andrews.
Reggie Smith, who did not start the game due to a bruised hand, pinch-hit for
Osinski in the fifth and struck out. George Thomas replaced him once again in
center field. |
