|
A NEW
ERA BEGINS WITH YAZ ...
The Sox beat the O's with a walk-off
June 4, 1961
... A pinch-hit single in the ninth inning by Joe
Ginsberg, beat the Baltimore Orioles 6 to 5, at Fenway. Ginsberg,
picked up as a free agent in May, got his first hit since joining the
club and it was a game winner.
Gene Conley had started the game for the Sox and was nicked for four
runs. In the first inning, walks to Brooks Robinson and Jim Gentile
preceded a run-scoring single by Gus Triandos. In the third inning,
Gentile slammed a ball into the bleachers that scored Robinson in
front of him, to give Baltimore a 3-0 lead.
A single by Vic Wertz and a walk to Don Budding gave Conley a chance
to help himself get back in the game in the third inning. Conley
followed with a double to center and the two runners scored.
In the fourth the Sox took the lead. Buddin drew a walk and Conley
laid down a bunt but Gentile couldn't handle it, so everyone was
safe. Schilling bunted again and Conley was forced out at second.
Carroll Hardy came up next and hopped one back to the pitcher, Steve
Barber, who forced Schilling at second, as Buddin scored the tying
run. Barber then walked Jackie Jensen and Frank Malzone brought in
Hardy with a base hit, putting the Sox up 4-3.
Conley kept the lead safe until the eighth inning, when Dick Williams
got a base hit to lead-off and Brandt lined a double off the wall.
Robinson followed with a triple to deep center and the Orioles were
back on top, now 5 to 4. Tracy Stallard came in to put out the fire
and Billy Muffett worked the ninth inning successfully.
The Sox had blown a great chance to win the game in the eighth
inning. Down 5-4, Buddin was on third base and Pete Runnels was on
first, with one out. Schilling lofted a fly ball to Jackie Brandt in
right field. Buddin and Runnels both tagged up. Brandt threw a strike
to nail Runnels at second base before Buddin could cross the plate
and the easy sac fly, that would have tied the game, was turned into
a doubleplay.
So the Sox came up in the ninth inning still down a run. Hardy
started the inning with a single to center off Hoyt Wilhelm. Jensen
tried to sacrifice him over but popped up. Malzone kept things going
with a crisp single to left that made Hardy have to hold at second. A
walk to Gary Geiger loaded the bases for Ginsberg, who came up to
pinch-hit for Jim
Pagliaroni.
Ginsberg, who caught Wilhelm's knuckler for four years with the
Orioles, was able to wrist a blooper into right that sent both Hardy
and Malzone home with the tying and winning runs. |
