THE CARDIAC KIDS COME BACK TO REALITY ...
The Sox squeeze home a come-from-behind win

May 16, 1968 ... The New York Yankees came to Fenway and after sprinting far ahead in the early stages of the game, holding what seemed to be an insurmountable five-run lead, they allowed the Red Sox back into the game. Trailing 10 to 5 and three in the eighth-inning, the Red Sox charged from behind with a six run rally that had the fans delirious.

Instead of the loss, the Red Sox, thanks to Jerry Adair's perfectly executed suicide squeeze bunt, came out with an 11 to 10 win, their fifth in a row, and by far the most rewarding the season.

With the score tied 10 to 10 in the eighth-inning, and one out, with Reggie Smith on third, manager Dick Williams flashed the squeeze sign. Dooley Womack was on the mound for the Yankees and behind in the count, 2 to 1. He had to throw a strike and it was a perfect spot for the plan. Smith broke for the plate and Adair bunted the ball to the first-base side of the mound, as Reggie came across with the go-ahead run.

It was a game that featured everything, including heavy rain, home runs, and a Boston fan accounting for a two run homer for the Yankees, that was decided on a ball that didn't roll 30 feet.

Ken Harrelson accounted for three Boston runs with a long home run in the first inning. Joe Foy and George Scott had two RBIs each, including big ones in the frantic eighth.

For the Yankees, a happy beginning dissolved into a nightmare. Coming into the game, the Yankees had played 31 times so far this year, and never scored more than six runs. They scored nine in the first four innings against Dick Ellsworth.

In the middle of all this, during the third inning, the skies opened and rain fell steadily. Almost all the bleacher fans headed for cover under the grandstand. On three occasions, the ground crew was called out to spread sand on the mound and into the batter's box. Players on both teams were soaked to the skin and constantly wiping the rain that rolled down off the caps into their faces. But those who stayed were rewarded with the Sox first super finish of the season.

It started quietly as José Tartabull, who was playing left field, reached on a throwing error by Yankee thirdbaseman Bobby Cox, to lead off the eighth-inning, with the Sox behind 10-5. Tartabull, to be realistic, was playing because the game seemed hopeless and Dick Williams removed Yaz from the treacherous condition of the playing field. Gene Oliver replaced catcher Elston Howard for the same reason. He singled to center and then Mike Andrews walked. That was the end for Yankee starter, Mel Stottlemyre.

Joe Verbanic, a hard throwing right-hander, was called in to protect the lead. Foy greeted him with a double off the left-field wall that scored two runs. As the park got noisier, the Sox trailed just 10 to 7 and then had Dalton Jones coming up to pinch hit. He beat out an infield roller to second, as Andrews raced in from third with the eighth run. Verbanic stayed in for only one more pitch and that was to Reggie Smith, who ripped it on a bounce into the right-field stands for a ground rule double that scored Foy, making it 10-9 and moved Jones over to third-base. That brought in Dooley Womack.

Womack intentionally passed Harrelson to load the bases and create a doubleplay situation. It never materialized as George Scott lifted a sacrifice fly to right that scored Dalton Jones with the tying run. Smith also tagged up and moved over to third to set up the suicide squeeze.

It was a frustrating night for the Yankees. Andy Kosco knocked in Dick Howser with a single in the first inning, to give them a 1 to 0 lead. The Sox climbed back on walks to Andrews and Yaz, followed by Ken Harrelson's towering homer over the green monster for a 3 to 1 Sox advantage.

But back came the Yankees with a six run, third inning, with Frank Fernandez's grand slam home run into the left-field screen, putting them out front 7 to 3. In the fourth Roy White knocked out a two run homer with Howser on first. It was a long fly ball into the right-field corner that Harrelson was able to get under, while leaning against the fence. He reached up to grab the ball and a fan, from behind him, knocked into his glove and let the ball bounce into the stands. It came against Jerry Stephenson who then gave way to Bill Landis. He gave up the final Yankee run on two walks and a run-scoring single by White.

The Sox had to battle all throughout the game. In the fourth inning, Trailing 9 to 3, they collected a run on singles by Howard an Oliver, along with an infield scratch hit by Mike Andrews. In the fifth inning they picked up another run on consecutive singles by Smith, Harrelson and Scott. That run put them six runs behind at the time.

John Wyatt held the Yankees down in the seventh and eighth, before Lee Stange came in in the ninth. Tom Tresh lined into a doubleplay to end the game.