|
 |
|
PAUL CASANOVA TAGS OUT
MIKE ANDREWS AT HOME |
THE CURSE OF THE BAMBINO, PART 6 ...
"THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM"
The Sox blow the lead
and lose a doubleheader
June
16, 1967 ... The first of two games in a
doubleheader with the Washington Senators was one of frustration for
the Red Sox right from the start. Senators' pitcher, Bob Priddy,
showed the Red Sox how to bring in a run on a suicide squeeze and his
club won the first game, 1 to 0. The second game was frustrating at
the end, as Darrell Brandon, who pitched very well, leading 3 to 0,
was let down by three relief pitchers, to lose the game and the
doubleheader, 4 to 3. Brandon had given up only two singles, both
to shortstop Eddie Brinkman, through eight innings, and only two men had reached
second base. But in the heat he faded in the ninth and gave up a double and two
singles that produced one run. First came Dennis Bennett to relieve him and he
did well enough to get Mike Epstein on a pop up. But then came John Wyatt, who
was greeted by Ken McMullen with a single that scored one run and then he issued
a walk issued to Dick Nen. Still up 3-2, manager Dick Williams brought in José
Santiago and Washington got two runs off him.
The first was with the bases loaded, on a hit by Brinkman down to Joe Foy.
Foy hurried and had no play at home, so he chose to throw to first, but the
throw was low and to the home plate side of the bag. The tying run scored and
Brinkman was safe at first on the error. Manager Gil Hodges next brought in Paul
Casanova to pinch-hit. He hit the ball to George Scott's right and Scott tried
to get it home in time, but his throw was low and the winning run scored.
Brandon had really pitched a great game until the melted. The Red Sox had
gotten him three runs off Joe Coleman, the Senators starter. One came in the
first inning when Jerry Adair was hit by a pitch with one out. He had replaced
Mike Andrews at second, who played in the first game. With Adair at first, Carl
Yastrzemski singled to center and moved him along to third. Then Tony Conigliaro
hit a pop fly behind shortstop. Brinkman ran out toward left field and had his
back to the plate when he caught the ball. He spun around and his throw to home
was low and allowed Adair to score.
The Red Sox scored another run in the second inning on Joe Foy's single and a
double by Rico Petrocelli. The third run came in the eighth when Conigliaro
tripled off Coleman, following a walk issued to Yastrzemski. That put the Red
Sox up 3 to 0.
In the first game Bob Priddy, who had gone more than 3 1/3 innings the
season, lasted seven against Gary Bell. Seven times in the game the Red Sox had
the first man up get on base safely, and three times they had the first two men
on, but none scored. Priddy won the game himself, when he dropped down a perfect
bunt in the third inning. Ken McMullen had doubled off Bell and Brinkman moved
him along with a ground ball to second. With the count 2-2 on Priddy, he dropped
down a bunt to Bell's left, about 30 feet from the plate. Bell came in and
fielded the ball but his throw to the plate was high and the runner was safe.
That gave Washington a 1 to 0 lead, and it hardly looked like a winner, but
eventually held up.
The Red Sox tried a few bunts themselves unsuccessfully. The first was a drag
bunt by Reggie Smith, who was thrown out. Reggie bunted again in the third
inning and couldn't move the runner along. In the fifth inning, Conigliaro
singled to open and Petrocelli walked, but neither Gibson nor Bell could bunt
effectively and both ended up striking out.
In the sixth inning the worst was to come. Andrews singled and Yaz followed
with another one, for his third hit of the game. Andrews made it over to
third-base and nobody was out. Scott then hit a two hopper down the third-base
line and on the second hop the ball jumped about 10 feet. Ken McMullen was
playing even with the bag and even though it looked as though the runner had to
score easily, McMullen threw home. Andrews tried to slide, but Casanova grabbed
the ball and put the tag on him for the out. The next two men went out and any
threat was over.
Petrocelli reached on an error in the seventh and Gibson reached on the boot
by Mike Epstein. But then Bell fouled out on another bunt attempt. Tony
Conigliaro beat out yet another bunt start the ninth, but stayed at first when
the next two men flied out and the last one struck out. |
