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“DIARY OF A WINNER”
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THE CURSE OF THE BAMBINO, PART 6 ... July 5, 1967 ... The Red Sox have suffered through 18 one run losses this season. And again it happened when the Angels beat the Sox, 4 to 3, on a ninth-inning walkoff two-run homer by Don Mincher. It occurred after the Sox had stolen the game, in dramatic fashion, in the top half of the inning. The Sox went into the top of the ninth trailing, 2 to 1. With two outs, George Thomas slammed a two run homer to give them a 3 to 2 lead and an apparent victory. But in the California ninth, against relief pitcher José Santiago, Mincher, following a single by Jim Fregosi, slammed his game-winning home run into the Red Sox bullpen in right field. The game featured great pitching and, of course, the long ball. Between them, both sides had only nine hits in the game and five of these were home runs. Joe Foy's 12th home run of the year led off the fourth inning, and Thomas' first one of the year, in the ninth, accounted for all the Boston scoring. All of California's runs came from home runs too. Roger Repoz hit a bases empty shot in the first inning and Paul Schaal had a leadoff home run in the third inning. They were the only hits off starter Jim Lonborg. Lonborg, who left the game losing, 2 to 1, for a pinch-hitter in the seventh, was outpitched by veteran, George Brunet, until the ninth-inning. After Foy's home run, Brunet gave up just one single until the ninth. In the ninth, with two outs, Jerry Adair beat out a bounding single up the middle. That brought Thomas to the plate, who was only playing first base because George Scott was on the bench with a sore back. Then with the count at one ball, Thomas rocketed his home run into the left-field seats to put the Sox ahead, 3 to 2. Santiago, who would put down the Angels in order in the eighth, had the job of holding the lead in the ninth. California opened their last at bat with a single by Jim Fregosi. With the count three and one, and Mincher at the plate, the next pitch went out of the park for his 13th home run and his only hit of the series. In his previous 17 starts this season, Lonborg had not given up two home runs in the same game. And in 125 innings pitched, he had surrendered just a total of five home runs. The Angels reached him for a pair of home runs in the first three innings. Roger Repoz, playing centerfield only because Jay Johnstone was injured, slapped one over the right-field fence in the first, giving the Angels a quick 1 to 0 lead. Paul Schaal hit an opposite field home run, giving the Angels a 2 to 0 lead. Foy got the run back in the fourth with a towering smash into the Angels bullpen in left, for his 12th homer of the year. There were none on base and it was the 10th home run of the year hit off Brunet. Reggie Smith came up with a great play to help Lonborg out of the jam in the first. After the Repoz home run, Fregosi and Mincher both walked. Jimmie Hall then slammed a line drive to left-center that Smith hauled in after a long run. He got a great jump on the ball to make the running catch. It was the 36th loss of the season for the Sox, who have lost exactly 1/2 of their games by just one run. It's the ninth one run loss in succession and it dropped the Red Sox to 5 1/2 games behind the league-leading Chicago. And in their last 24 games, the Sox have won 15 and lost nine, of course, all by one run. Rico Petrocelli got into the game after injuring his wrist 12 days ago. He still can't swing the bat properly without getting pain and at batting practice couldn't get the ball out of the infield in five tries. There is a chance that he may not be able to play in the All-Star game next week if he can't play in Detroit this weekend. Carl Yastrzemski is in his biggest slump of the year and taking extra batting practice. Both coach Bobby Doerr and Dick Williams feel that Yaz is too tense at the plate compared to how he looked just a few weeks ago, when he was the hottest hitter in baseball |
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