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“DIARY OF A WINNER”
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THE CURSE OF THE BAMBINO, PART 6 ... August 24, 1967 ... Elston Howard slammed a long three run homer, that gave the Red Sox a 7 to 5 victory over the Washington Senators, putting them one percentage point behind the Chicago White Sox for first place in the American League. It was "Nun's Day" at Fenway Park and some 1500 sat as a part of the 31,283 fans to watch their Red Sox. For six innings it was a relatively quiet affair. But over the final three innings, it busted wide open as both the teams' bats came alive. Red Sox newcomers, Howard, Jerry Adair and Jim Landis provided the power. Each hit home runs to help the Sox build up a 7 to 2 lead going into the ninth-inning, before the Senators put together a rally. Dave Morehead started for the Red Sox and got the win. Richard Nold, a rookie making only his second start, took the loss. Morehead gave up a run in the first inning, but then pitched magnificently until the seventh. In that first inning, Washington took a 1 to 0 lead on a run-scoring double by Mike Epstein, that chased Frank Howard home from second. Howard had reached on an infield hit and moved to second when McMullen walked. The Sox tied it at 1 to 1 when Reggie Smith scored after he singled, stole second and came home on a ground single over third by Rico Petrocelli. In the fourth, a double by Elston Howard, followed by a base hit by Petrocelli set up another run when Mike Andrews grounded to short. The next inning, Adair blasted one into the left-field net for his third home run with the Red Sox, making it 3 to 1. Morehead meanwhile, didn't allow a hit from the second inning, until one man was retired in the seventh. A single by Hank Allen, followed by a double off the bat of Paul Casanova, put runners on second and third. Dick Williams brought in Darrell Brandon, who got a fly ball to Yaz that allowed Allen to score.
In Boston's half of the seventh, Darold Knowles was on the mound and with one out, he walked Yastrzemski, and then let him get to second with a balk. With first base open, he intentionally walked George Scott to set up a doubleplay situation. Then the Red Sox got a big break. Reggie Smith hit, what appeared to be the inning ending double play, to Tim Cullen at shortstop, but he bobbled the ball and could only make the force play at second. That set things up for Elston Howard, who felt that he hadn't contributed much since coming over from the Yankees. Knowles went ahead in the count, two strikes and one ball. Then he threw mistake pitch that Howard put over the net in left, onto Lansdowne Street. It was his first homer for the Sox, scored three runs, and put the Red Sox ahead by four, 6 to 2. Then Jim Landis got into the act by slamming a home run into the screen, with two outs in the eighth-inning. It looked as though the Red Sox were finally going to have an easy victory, but Washington had other ideas. With one out in the ninth, Allen, Casanova, Cullen and Dick Nen hit consecutive singles that gave the Senators two runs. John Wyatt was brought in to shut the door with a two run lead. Wyatt got Fred Valentine on a ground ball down to Scott, that allowed Cullen to score and make it a one run game. With a runner on second, Wyatt walked Ed Stroud and Frank Howard beat out an infield slow roller down the third-base line, that took a funny hop and eluded Adair, to load the bases. Now, Wyatt had the tying run at second and a potential winning run on first with Ken McMullen at the plate. McMullen blasted a long drive to right, but the wind held it up just enough for Jim Landis to make the put out. And so the Sox won, going 10 and 2 on the homestand. |
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