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Dave Stapleton's
inside-the-park HR
paces the Sox victory
May
3, 1982 ... The resourceful Red Sox made it
four straight and 12 out of 13 with a 6-2 victory over the Minnesota
Twins. Along with the best record in the American League (16-7,
second-best in baseball to Atlanta's 18-6) the Red Sox have a
two-game edge over the Tigers in the AL East.
Against the no-name, low-salaried Twins, the Sox made the
most of a five-inning, three-hit stint from Chuck Rainey (2-0), four innings of
two-hit relief from Bob Stanley, two doubles and a single from the indefatigable
Carl Yastrzemski (.351, 19 RBIs), a two-run homer from Rick Miller and a
four-run first inning capped by Dave Stapleton's inside-the-park home run.
Meanwhile, the sticky-fingered infield of Dave Stapleton,
Jerry Remy, Glenn Hoffman and Carney Lansford again played flawlessly and made
things relatively easy for Rainey and Stanley.
Stanley came on in relief of Rainey, who threw 87 pitches
and walked four in a five-inning stint that was good enough to raise his career
record to 18-9.
When Minnesota's first two batters came around to score, it
looked like a long night for the faithful (12,065) few. Jim Eisenreich, the
Twins' talented center fielder who later was pulled from his fourth straight
game because of a nervous condition, led with a double to right. After Mickey
Hatcher singled off Rainey's glove, Kent Hrbek walked to load the bases.
Eisenreich scored on a forceout at second and Hatcher came home on a sacrifice
fly, after which Rainey settled down and got out of the inning without further
trouble.
The Red Sox came back with four in the bottom of the first.
Minnesota rookie righty Terry Felton walked Jerry Remy and Dwight Evans, and
after Jim Rice lined to left, Yaz smoked a double to right-center, scoring both
Remy and Evans. Carney Lansford struck out, but the Sox weren't through.
Stapleton lofted a fly down the right-field line. While
Hatcher floundered in the dirt, second baseman Rob Wilfong ran out past the foul
pole to retrieve the ball. He picked it up and gunned it to first baseman Hrbek,
who in turn, fired to catcher Butch Wynegar. Stapleton, sliding head first, went
wide of the plate and avoided Wynegar, tapping home with his left hand.
The 4-2 margin would have been enough, but in the fifth
Rich Gedman (two more hits, .314) doubled to left-center and scored when Rick
Miller drove a 3-2 pitch into the second row of seats to the right of the
visitors' bullpen.
Stanley retired the first 10 batters he faced before giving
up a pair of singles with one out in he ninth. Then he got Wilfong to hit a hard
hopper to short. Hoffman, Remy and Stapleton completed the double play with. |
