May 24, 2003
...
Back when Ted Williams was the talk of the town and Grady Little was
still in diapers, the Red Sox erupted for six runs in the first
inning of two straight games against the Indians at Fenway Park. It
happened June 2 and 3, 1950, a year when Teddy Ballgame, Walt Dropo,
Bobby Doerr, Vern Stephens, Dom DiMaggio, and Johnny Pesky helped the
Sox set franchise records for a season by hitting .302 and scoring
1,027 runs.
A Sox team
never again scored five or more runs in the first innings of consecutive games
until this weekend, when the sons of the silver-haired Little spanked the Tribe
for six runs in the opening frame Friday and five more in the first inning
today.
But the
similarities hardly stop there. After routing the Indians, 12-3, before 32,643
in the Fens, the Sox are on pace to score 1,010 runs, the second most in club
history to Joe McCarthy's 1950 Sox. Little's crew also leads the American League
with a .294 batting average, which would rank third best in team history to the
'50 Sox and the '38 club that hit .300.
Maybe best
of all for the Fenway faithful, the Sox lead the AL East by 1 1/2 games as they
try to complete a sweep of the Indians before heading to Fort Steinbrenner, the
Bronx. And they owe to it a collection of stars and role players who have meshed
to form a lethal lineup. Sure, there's Nomar Garciaparra, who fell a triple shy
of batting for the cycle as he drove in two runs and extended his hitting streak
to 24 games, matching the second-longest streak of his career. And Manny
Ramirez, who went 3 for 3 with a two-run homer and two walks as he sent a
powerful signal he may be emerging from his slump.
But what
about David Ortiz, who singled, doubled, and smacked a three-run homer? And
Kevin Millar, who knocked in three runs with a Monster double and a sacrifice
fly? Or Bill Mueller, who went 3 for 5 and scored three runs as he improved his
average to .393?
Up and down
the Sox lineup, there is danger for opposing pitchers, as the Indians hurlers
have painfully discovered in surrendering 21 runs (14 earned) on consecutive
days. The Sox never trailed in the first two games against the Indians thanks to
their explosive starts. It sure makes things comfortable for Sox pitchers,
especially when the runs come in such early torrents.
The Indians
scored their only other run off Ramiro Mendoza, who gave up a homer to Matt
Lawton, the first batter he faced in the sixth. But the Tribe went down quietly
the rest of the way against Mike Timlin and Robert Person, and the Sox offense
kept rolling as everyone but Johnny Damon and Jason Varitek scored or drove in a
run.
For the
second time in three games, Nomar Garciaparra extended his hitting streak with a
home run, this one his team-leading 10th of the season. The solo shot also was
the 155th of his career, moving him past George Scott for 12th place on the
club's all-time list. Sixteen of his last 30 hits have been for extra bases.
The long
wait for Mendoza to find his groove continues. Mendoza, who made his
team-leading 21st appearance, allowed four hits, including a solo shot by Matt
Lawton, and a hit a batter in facing just eight Indians. His ERA at Fenway is
13.09, compared with 4.08 on the road.
