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SPARKY LYLE |
THE CURSE OF THE BAMBINO, PART 6 ...
"THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM"
The Sox lucky to break even with the Orioles
July
13, 1967 ... The Red Sox are the league's top
hitting team and played 18 innings in the best hitting park in the
majors and scored only one earned run. Yet they came away with a
split of a day night doubleheader with the Orioles. Dave Johnson,
the Baltimore secondbaseman, booted a possible double-play grounder in the first
inning of the opening game to set up three unearned runs, as the Red Sox, went
on to win 4 to 2. Dave McNally pitched the second game and blanked the Red Sox
10 to 0.
The opening game victory went to Lee Stange, who did quite well until the
sixth inning when he had the bases loaded with two out and the Red Sox ahead 4
to 1. Dick Williams called in rookie, Sparky Lyle, who fanned Boog Powell on
three straight pitches to end the inning.
Lyle went on to pitch until the eighth, when he gave up a walk, balked and a
gave up a single for a run and then was then taken out for the closer, John
Wyatt. Wyatt into the hopes of the Orioles of winning the game by shutting them
down.
The first inning had the fans enjoying the troubles of the Orioles, with Tom
Phoebus on the mound. Mike Andrews walked to start off the inning and Joe Foy
flied to left. Carl Yastrzemski hit a ground ball to Johnson, who let the ball
rolled up his arm and outing into centerfield for an error. Phoebus walked
George Scott to load the bases and had two quick strikes on Rico Petrocelli. But
his next pitch bounced in the dirt in front of the Andy Etchebarren, and rolled
about 15 feet behind the catcher. Etchebarren slipped, crawled after the ball
and on came Andrews with a run, while the other two runners moved up. Petrocelli
finally got a good one to swing at and lined it to left, to score two runs and
give the Red Sox a 3 to 0 lead.
Brooks Robinson hit Stange for a home run in the second and Lee escaped
without any further damage. He cruised along and in the fifth inning, when Joe
Foy knocked his 13th homer into the centerfield seats.
In the sixth, the Orioles had a single from Sam Bowens to start the inning.
After Luis Aparicio forced him at second, Paul Blair beat out a bunt. Then
Robinson walked and on came Lyle to face Powell. The best thing that Boog could
do, was hit a foul grounder, before he got struck out.
With the 4 to 2 win, the crowd went home happy as the next crowd moved into
Fenway Park. They saw Gary Bell splattered by the Orioles. He has now has lost
three straight games for the Red Sox, after starting like a house on fire when
he first came here, in a trade from the Indians. His fastballs were smacked out
of the park twice, and he gave up a triple and a couple of doubles, before he
was yanked in the fifth inning of the second game.
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ANDREWS SLIDES HOME |
The Orioles got two runs on three hits in the first inning. Aparicio led off
with a single to center and was followed by Paul Blair who doubled to left.
Brooks Robinson hit a sacrifice fly to score the first run and then Bell walked
Powell. Little Curt Motton hit a hard double to left-center that scored the
second run.
In the second inning, McNally walked Conigliaro to start things off. George
Scott singled to center and Tony moved to second. Conigliaro stole third and
Scott stole second on a beautifully executed double steal. But McNally struck
out Petrocelli, got Smith to pop out and Ryan to ground out, to get out of the
inning.
Robinson tripled in the third inning and scored on Powell sacrifice fly. Then
Bell had Paul Blair and Brooks Robinson knock him around for home runs in the
fifth. It was the fourth home run, in four games, for Robinson.
That was the end of the day for Bell and José Santiago came in. He got
treated rather rudely in the sixth, with two doubles and a single to score two
more runs. Motton finished off the Orioles' fireworks by slamming a home run off
Galen Cisco in the ninth-inning. |
