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THE SOX STUMBLE AND
FALL AT THE END ...
Doug Griffin's hit brings the Sox all the way back
June 21, 1972
...
Doug Griffin had a single in an 11th inning, to end the ballgame with
a 10 to 9 win over the Texas Rangers. Before the game-winning hit,
the fans saw the Red Sox rally from a 7 to 1 deficit. Carl
Yastrzemski smashed out five hits and Rico Petrocelli knocked in six
runs while getting only one ball out of the infield. Frank Howard
got four hits and there were two rather violent outfield collisions, one of
which blew the game for the Rangers.
Yastrzemski has started hitting ropes all over the field, getting hits for a
second big day in row. He was four for four on Sunday and today had to line
drive singles to center, an infield hit, two doubles, and finally a shot to
left.
Dick Billings knocked in four runs and Frank Howard and Toby Harrah got on
base to drive out Ray Culp after building up a 7 to 1 lead. Culp gave up six
runs in 3 1/3 innings and has given up 17 runs in his last 14 1/3 innings.
Then the Sox came back when Rico Petrocelli drove a grand slam homer in the
fifth inning that cut the deficit to 7 to 5. The Red Sox tied the game on Rico's
ground ball and Danny Cater's fourth home run into the left-field net in the
bottom of the seventh inning.
Gary Peters, who had pitched well in relief gave up two runs in the
eighth-inning on two walks, a double, and a play at the plate where Carlton Fisk
dropped the ball trying to tag out Dave Nelson.
In the eighth inning, Ben Oglivie's pinch-hit home run closed the gap to 9 to
8. In the ninth-inning, Carl Yastrzemski lofted a ball into left-center where
centerfielder Tom Grieve collided with leftfielder Dick Billings, knocking the
ball loose. With Yaz on second, Toby Harrah let Rico Petrocelli's grounder get
by him, allowing Yaz to tie up the game.
Bill Lee pitched two scoreless innings and Luis Tiant pitched in the 11th. In
the Sox half of the 11th inning Reggie Smith was hit by a pitch. John Kennedy,
who came in for Rico, bunted but the pitcher Horacio Piņa bobbled the ball, and
then his throw to first hit Kennedy and Smith was able to scamper over to third.
Cater was intentionally walked to load the bases and Doug Griffin lined a shot
through the hole into right-center, to score the winning run. |
