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MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL STRIKES OUT ...
Billy Hatcher steals home and
Mo Vaughn wins the game for the Sox
April 22, 1994
...
Billy Hatcher stole home at Fenway Park for the second time in three
years. With the Red Sox trailing, 5-4, in the bottom of the seventh,
Hatcher dashed home with the tying run. The Sox went on to another
dramatic victory, 6-5, their second win in as many games and fourth
straight, when Mo Vaughn singled with the bases loaded in the ninth
off Angels reliever Craig Lefferts. Manager Butch Hobson said he's
given his team the green light, but he looked dumbfounded when Hatcher broke.
Third base coach Gary Allenson didn't have any idea Hatcher would attempt it.
The Angels thought something
might be up when Hatcher reached third on Greenwell's ground out. Finley
attempted a pickoff with Tim Naehring up, but Hatcher just got back to third
safely. Finley's pitch actually was outside for ball four, but Hatcher already
had come across.
The winning rally started when
reliever Bill Sampen walked Nixon to start the ninth in a 5-5 game. After Nixon
was advanced on Hatcher's sacrifice bunt, Greenwell singled to right off
Lefferts, putting runners at first and third. The Angels walked Naehring
intentionally to load the bases, and Lefferts went 2-2 before Vaughn lined the
winning hit to right.
Greg Harris, who relieved Frank
Viola in the seventh, pitched the final three innings to get the win. Viola blew
a 4-0 lead as the Angels scored five runs in the fourth on a pair of two-run
hits by Chili Davis and Eduardo Perez and Rex Hudler's go-ahead double.
Scott Cooper belted a home run
over the right-field bleachers in the second, the Sox' 22d homer in 16 games. |
