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THE CURSE OF THE BAMBINO, PART 6 ...
"THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM"
The
Sox come
back to tie, but lose in 10 innings
August
17, 1967 ... Red Sox attendance swelled to
over 1 million fans, as 28,653 poured into Fenway Park to see the Red
Sox lose, in 10 innings, 7 to 4 to Detroit. As result the Red Sox
tumbled back into fourth place, 3 1/2 games out of first. The
Tigers broke into the scoring, immediately off Jim Lonborg in the first inning.
Willie Horton hit the first pitch over everything with Al Kaline on base. Then
in the fourth inning, Horton hit another home run. Al Kaline hit yet another one
in the fifth inning off Lonborg, with two outs. It gave the Tigers a 5 to 0
lead.
Earl Wilson started for the Tigers and had given the Red Sox only four hits
in the five innings he worked, striking out seven. At one stage got five of the
six men he faced.
But in the sixth inning, George Scott singled and Tony Conigliaro followed
him with base hit. After Rico Petrocelli struck out, Jerry Adair singled in
Scott and that was the afternoon for Wilson.
The eighth-inning had the Tigers back on their heels. Carl Yastrzemski led
off with a walk off Fred Lasher, who replaced Wilson. Scott then beat out a
tapper down the third-base line and Conigliaro hit a slow ground ball, that
shortstop Ray Oyler, let through his legs, allowing Yaz to score. After
Petrocelli popped out, Adair hit a looper out to right, that Al Kaline couldn't
get to. That scored Scott and Conigliaro moved over to third. Pinch-hitter José
Tartabull was up next and lined a single to right, that scored Conigliaro with
the tying run, 4 to 4. When Adair tried to score also, Kaline through a one
hopper to catcher Bill Freehan, who made the tag at the plate.
The Tigers started a rally in the ninth-inning when Jim Northrup led off with
a single against John Wyatt. He went to second on a wild pitch and Jerry Lumpe,
pinch hitting for Oyler, looped a single to left that put Northrup on third.
Dick Williams then brought in Sparky Lyle and he got Jim Landis to ground out to
Petrocelli, who then got Northrup in a rundown and finally out at home. Lyle got
out of the trouble forcing McAuliffe to ground out, averting any scoring.
In the 10th inning, Lyle got two quick outs and then was hit for a single to
center by Mickey Stanley. With Norm Cash at the plate, Lyle got two curveballs
over for strikes and then Cash laced the third pitch off the fence in
left-center field, scoring Stanley and ending up on third-base with a triple, to
give the Tigers the lead. Lyle gave up two base on balls to fill the bases and
Jerry Lumpe hit a slow grounder down to Joe Foy at third. Foy got his glove on
it and as he made his pivot to throw to first, he slipped and the ball went into
the Red Sox dugout, allowing Cash and Northrup to score, making it 7 to 4.
George Thomas stepped out of his usual role as a cheerleader and occasional
outfielder, to go behind the plate for four innings. He did very well, working
with hard throwing Jerry Stephenson, John Wyatt and finally Sparky Lyle. |
