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Gary Geiger breaks it open in the ninth inning June 24, 1963 ... Gary Geiger broke up the "Family Night" game against the Cleveland Indians with a loud explosion in the ninth inning. The score was tied at 5-5, with Roman Mejias on first base. Jerry Walker was on the mound for Cleveland and had one ball, two strike count on Geiger. Geiger, not known as a home run hitter, turned on the next pitch and launched it toward center field. Willie Kirkland drifted back as though he had it in hand, but it sailed over his head into the centerfield bleachers. And that was that, the Sox won 7 to 5. It wasn't Geiger's only contribution tonight. He tripled in the first inning off Gary Bell, scoring Mejias and putting the Sox up, 1-0. After this, the Sox put up another run in the third inning, on a homer by Chuck Schilling. A single by Frank Malzone, along with a walk to Dick Stuart and another single by Lou Clinton, brought the Sox their third run in the fourth inning. Bob Heffner, making his second big league start, was cruising along nicely until the sixth inning. Then, two singles by Jerry Kindall and Kirkland were followed by two more base hits by Max Alvis and Tito Francona. A sacrifice fly by Joe Azcue tied the game a three each. In the Sox half of the sixth, Dick Stuart was walked before Lou Clinton deposited a pitch into the left field net to put the Sox back up, 5 to 3. But in the very next inning, Jerry Kindall led off with a single, and in came Jack Lamabe to replace Heffner. Willie Kirkland took a Lamabe pitch into the Indians' bullpen to tie-up the game once again. Lamabe settled down after that and then had a pitchers duel going for three innings with Jerry Walker, until the last of the ninth. With two outs, Walker walked Mejias and then threw a nice juicy one to Geiger. |
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