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Dwight Evans leads the Sox
back against Rollie Fingers
May 30, 1981
... Dwight Evans bashed Rollie Fingers’ pitch in
the ninth inning for a three-run homer that tied today's game, 6-6,
and set up the Red Sox' 10-inning, 7-6 triumph over the Brewers. The
Brewers had appeared certain winners, carrying a 6-1 lead into the
ninth inning, and even though the Red Sox reached Jamie Easterly for
two runs, Fingers, Easterly's replacement, still held a 6-3 advantage
with one out to go. But all that changed when Evans slammed a
prodigious home run, his first ever off Fingers. Nothing much good happened to
Fingers. The home run was a crusher. Just as disastrous was a fielding misplay
in the 10th, which was aggravated by an apparent umpiring mistake on a sacrifice
bunt. Jim Rice had singled to open the inning. Joe Rudi followed with the bunt
and was called safe at first base by Nick Bremigan.
Fingers bobbled the ball and
thus was charged with an error when Rudi was called safe. That meant that when
Rice moved to third on a fly ball, there was only one out, a much better
situation for Dave Stapleton, because the infield had to be drawn in and he is a
contact hitter. And he capitalized on it by poking the winning single.
Fingers was working in his
third straight game. Buck Rodgers said that shouldn't have been a factor, but
apparently it was, judging by the way the Brewer ace threw and fielded. As a
result, the 34-year-old Fingers, who has appeared in 20 of the Brewers' 45 games
this year, wound up with his second defeat instead of his 10th save. |
