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Mantilla slams a ninth inning HR and the Sox win May 23, 1964 ... One run behind in the last of the ninth inning and there was one out, with Roman Mejias on first base. Felix Mantilla came up the plate to face the Athletics' ace reliever, pitcher John Wyatt. Their meeting didn't last long because Mantilla took a fast ball and lined it into the nets in left, to give the Sox a 5 to 4 win. It was a thriller, and the eighth game of the nine game home-stand, that was settled by one run. The Sox, trailing 3-0, behind Bill Monbouquette, fought their way back and, in the last of the eighth inning, tied the score at 3-all. Russ Nixon, batting for Monbo, started things with a base hit. Earl Wilson came in to pinch-run and moved up to second on a single by Dalton Jones. Wilson was forced at third on Eddie Bressoud's bunt attempt and then the A's pitcher Jack Aker, hit Tony Conigliaro on the hip, to load the bases. This brought in Wyatt to try and shut things down. On his first pitch, he got Frank Malzone on a pop to short, but amazingly walked Carl Yastrzemski on four pitches, to force in the tying run. Then with Dick Radatz pitching in the top of the ninth, Kansas City scored a run to take back the lead. Dick Green lined a double to right, and Wyatt bunted him over to third. Radatz struck out Wayne Causey, but Ed Charles' single brought Green home, to make the score 4 to 3. In the Sox half of the ninth, Wyatt walked Bob Tillman. Roman Mejias' attempt at a sacrifice bunt backfired, because the slow-footed catcher was forced at second. Up comes Felix "the cat" Mantilla and he planted one into the net near the left field foul pole ... game over. Against Mombo in the second inning, Jim Gentile rocketed a homer into the right field grandstand, giving K.C. a one run lead. In the fourth Jim Gentile lofted another homer into the Sox bullpen to make the score, 2-0. And in the fourth inning after Jones bobbled a grounder and Bressoud threw a ball away, Nelson Mathews reached on an infield single. With the bases loaded, Gentile lofted a sacrifice fly to right for the Athletics' third run. Mombo went out in the eighth for a pinch hitter, having given up eight hits, one walk and striking out ten batters. Aurelio Monteagudo was the Kansas City starter and he limited the Sox to three scattered single for four innings. But in the fifth inning, Tillman tagged him for a homer into the left-centerfield net. Mejias followed with another homer over the wall, quickly cutting the A's lead to 3-2, and sending Monteagudo to the showers. Aker came in and shut things down and quieted the Sox until the eighth inning. |
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