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SPARKY LYLE |
THE CURSE OF THE BAMBINO, PART 6 ...
"THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM"
Sparky Lyle
shuts down the Tigers
July
16, 1967 ... Sparky Lyle came out of the
bullpen, once again, and put out a fire, shutting off the Detroit
Tigers for a 9 to 5 Red Sox win. The victory moved the Sox into a
third-place tie with Detroit. The Tigers jumped out to a 1 to 0
lead in the second inning when Willie Horton hit a home run off Sox starter,
Darrell Brandon, to centerfield. The ball almost cleared the wall to the right
of the flagpole.
In the Sox half of the third, Reggie Smith and Mike Ryan both singled. It was
obvious that Brandon was going to bunt, to move his runners over and he did.
Tigers starter, Joe Sparma, fielded the bunt and tried to cut off Smith at
third. But his throw was high and late and then dropped by thirdbaseman Don
Wert. Mike Andrews then bounced a single over Wert's head and Smith scored
easily. Ryan came in next, when Willie Horton bobbled the ball in left field.
That brought up Joe Foy, who laid down another bunt. This time Sparma got Foy at
first, as Andrews moved to second and Brandon moved to third. Yaz grounded out
to second for the second out, and with first open, the Tigers elected to pitch
to Tony Conigliaro, rather than put him on intentionally. That was a big mistake
as Tony set the first pitch into the left-field net, giving the Sox a 5 to 1
lead.
The Tigers scored an unearned run in the top of the fourth, but in the Red
Sox half of the inning the Sox picked up two more. Smith opened up with his
second single of the game and Ryan walked. Brandon laid down a beautiful bunt
between the mound in third, for a base hit, to load the bases. Andrews came up
and hit a perfect doubleplay ball down to Ray Oyler at short, but he bobbled it,
looked toward third and then overthrew first base, allowing both Smith and Ryan
to score. The final run of the inning scored on Yaz's fly ball out to
centerfield, making it 8 to 2.
Brandon left in the sixth inning after giving up four consecutive singles
that produced two runs. That brought in Sparky Lyle, who got a groundout and a
fly out to get out of the trouble. Lyle was reached for a double by Jerry Lumpe
however, to open up the seventh and then fanned Norm Cash, Willie Horton and Jim
Northrup. Mickey Stanley did hit a home run off Lyle to open up the ninth, but
Lyle ended the game by striking out Cash for the fourth straight time.
Yaz slammed his 21st homer in the seventh inning, the best season he's ever
produced in that department, off John Hiller over the Tiger bullpen for the Sox
ninth run.
The Red Sox announced that they had purchased Norm Siebern from the San
Francisco Giants on waivers. Right-handed pitcher Galen Cisco was sent to
Toronto to make room for Siebern. Siebern is batting .158 with two doubles, a
triple and four RBI. The Red Sox also got Dalton Jones back, following his two
weeks of active military reserve duty at Camp Drum. |
