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THE CURSE OF THE BAMBINO, PART 9
BLEEPIN' BUCKY DENT'S HOME RUN ...
The Sox win and wait
for the Yankees
October 1, 1978
...
Luis Tiant, supported by a two-run homer by Rick Burleson and
a solo shot by Jim Rice, hurled the Red Sox into a tie-breaking
playoff game with the New York Yankees for the American League East
championship. The victory enabled the Red Sox to catch the Yankees on
the final day of the season. New York dropped a 9 to 2 decision to
the Cleveland Indians.
Tiant allowed only base hits by Roy Howell in the fourth inning and
John Mayberry in the seventh inning. Tiant struck out four and walked
none in another clutch performance, while gaining his 204th career
victory.
The Sox broke through against Don Kirkwood when Butch Hobson led off
the fifth inning with a line single to center and George Scott
reached first base on an error by Dave McKay, with Hobson moving to
third. Jack Brohamer forced Scott at second, scoring Hobson, and
Jerry Remy accounted for a second run on a ground rule double that
jumped into the Sox bullpen.
With two outs in the seventh inning, Brohamer walked and Burleson
drilled the first pitch over the wall just inside the foul pole in
left. Rice then applied the icing with a towering homer into the
screen, his 46th homer of the season in the eighth inning. It gave
Rice 405 total bases for a season in which he played all 162 games. |
