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JIM LONBORG |
THE CURSE OF THE BAMBINO, PART 6 ...
"THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM"
Jim Lonborg shuts out the A's
and strikes out 13
April
28, 1967 ... Jim Lonborg blanked the Kansas
City Athletics, 3 to 0, striking out 13 batters, while two Athletics'
pitchers, Catfish Hunter and Chuck Dobson worked as ineffectively in
their bright white shoes.
For four innings the Red Sox hitters had not made a hit and Hunter had fanned
seven of them, while Lonborg had given up five hits and struck out one less. But
starting in the fifth inning, George Scott led off and lined a clean single to
left. Hunter struck out Russ Gibson, but when he spun a low curve in the dirt to
Mike Andrews, Scott made it down to second base. With the wind whistling him
from center field, Andrews kept a line drive low against the left-field wall and
it landed about 15 feet up for two base hit and the first run of the game.
It was so cold that it seemed like one run was quite a lot. Lonborg then hit
a line drive about chest high at Ed Charles, the thirdbaseman. The ball bounced
off his glove and into foul territory. Apparently Andrews didn't see where the
ball went right away, because for a split second he was nearly frozen at second
base. He then broke for third and made it in their safely, scoring on Reggie
Smith's bloop single into left.
The Red Sox made it 3 to 0 in the seventh inning off Dobson. Andrews walked
and went to second on Lonborg's bunt and then moved along the third on a wild
pitch. He came dashing home on a suicide squeeze, but Reggie Smith missed the
bunt and Andrews was cut down in a rundown. Smith finally walked and then stole
second, moving on to third when catcher, Tim Talton's throw went into
centerfield. Joe Foy then lofted a fly out to right-field. Mike Hershberger
dropped the ball for three base error.
Lonborg had a little help right from the start, when Reggie Smith threw out
Hershberger at third on Rick Monday's grounder up the middle, with Hershberger
on first base. Smith had the ball in his hand when the speedster was already 30
feet past second and Reggie cut him down easily on a one hop throw to Foy.
The Athletics got two hits and third inning. Hunter beat out a dribbler down
to Andrews at second and Hershberger singled to right. Hunter took third base,
diving in ahead of Tony Conigliaro's throw. He stayed there while Rick Monday
popped out to Rico Petrocelli and Danny Cater struck out.
After that Lonborg was really tough. He struck out the side in the fourth
after Roger Repoz had beaten out a bunt and stole second. He struck out two more
in the fifth and three in the sixth. His control was perfect and he didn't walk
a batter. |
