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The Sox come from far behind
against Texas
April 24, 1996
...
The Red Sox exploded on April 24th against the Texas Rangers at
Fenway Park. Behind the torrid bats of Reggie Jefferson and Mo
Vaughn, the Sox overcame a 7-0 deficit and scratched and clawed their
way to an 11-9 victory. Plain and simple, this was a
street fight. Just when the boos were about to start, the crowd found themselves
cheering wildly for the Sox, who erupted for 15 hits, including six doubles.
Tonight after Jose Canseco was
placed on the disabled list with a hip injury, Jefferson made only his fourth
start of the season and made it count. He had three doubles and drove in three
runs. His output included the biggest hit of the night, a seventh-inning double
off righthander Gil Heredia that scored two runs and broke a 9-9 tie. Heredia
had allowed a double to John Valentin and issued an intentional walk to Vaughn
before Jefferson delivered.
After losing 16 of their first
20 games, the Red Sox went after the Rangers aggressively as if they were the
team with an overwhelming lead. Texas was ahead, 7-0, 7-4, 9-4, 9-5 and 9-7
before Boston tied the game in the sixth. Once they got the lead, the Red Sox
simply would not be denied.
While manager Kevin Kennedy
praised his hitters, he saved most of his kudos for middle reliever Rich Garces,
called up from Pawtucket when Joe Hudson was demoted. In the first three
innings, the Rangers had a field day against starter Tom Gordon, who gave up six
runs, and Mike Maddux, who gave up three. The Sox seemingly had no answer for
shortstop Kevin Elster, who hit a three-run homer in the seven-run second off
Gordon and a two-run blast off Maddux in the third. Maddux also surrendered a
three-run bomb to the first batter he faced in the second, Mickey Tettleton.
Enter Garces, who used to be
overweight but now has rounded into a pretty fine middle reliever. He kept the
Rangers off the board for 2 2/3 innings, giving Red Sox hitters time to chip
away. After Garces left, Mike Stanton, Stan Belinda and Heathcliff Slocumb
slammed the door. Stanton got the victory. Slocumb picked up his fourth save and
second in three days.
Boston didn't do it all in one
inning. After Texas sent 10 men to the plate in the top of the second, the Sox
came back with a nine-man parade and scored four times in the bottom of the
inning. Esteban Beltre drove in one run with a single and Vaughn delivered two
more with a bases-loaded single off Roger Pavlik.
Elster's homer in the third
made it 9-4. But Boston got one back on a homer by Troy O'Leary in the bottom of
the inning and scored twice in the fourth and sixth to tie the contest.
Jefferson's blast in the seventh broke the tie. |
