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Rico's homer in the 11th wins for the Sox, 4 to 2
May 4,
1969
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Rico Petrocelli hit a two run homer in the 11th inning to give the
Red Sox a 4 to 2 victory over the Detroit Tigers, in a three-game
sweep from the World Champions. Rico hit a fly ball, a doubleplay
grounder and a foul pop up his first three times up. Bobby Doerr then
suggested that he drop his bat over the shoulder, because he was
holding it straight up. The lesson paid off, because when he came to
bat in the 11th inning, with a man on, he drilled the second pitch
into the net in left-center for a walkoff win. Dick Schofield kept
the game alive in the ninth with two out. Pinchhitting for rookie pitcher, Mike
Nagy and two men on, Schofield lined a single to center off Pat Dobson to tie
the game at 2 to 2.
Nagy was on the verge of dropping a tough 2 to 1 loss before Schofield's hit.
The young right-hander had been given one run in the first inning by George
Thomas, who opened up with a triple past Jim Northrup in centerfield. Tony
Conigliaro's sacrifice fly made it 1 to 0 for the Sox.
In the eighth-inning, however, after having nursed the 1 to 0 lead nicely,
Nagy got a curveball up and high to Northrup who slammed it for a triple, with
two men on. Al Kaline had started the Tiger eighth-inning with a single and Norm
Cash walked with one out. Northrup had doubled and singled off Nagy in the
second and third times at bat. He caught Nagy's second pitch very strongly.
In the ninth-inning, Dobson tried hard to work the corners and after Reggie
Smith flied out, Joe Lahoud pinch-hit for Russ Gibson and walked. Petrocelli
also walked and that brought up Schofield. He found a pleasant infield hole for
single, to score Lahoud and tie up the game.
The Red Sox brought in Sparky Lyle, who has been excellent in his last four
games and he got by the 10th and the 11th innings barely. He struck out Bill
Freehan and Norm Cash grounded out in the 10th, but on a low pitch on the third
strike to Willie Horton, the ball bounced by catcher Joe Azcue and went to the
backstop. It was a strikeout on a wild pitch with Horton reaching. Northrup then
walked and Jim Price, batting for Dick Tracewski, struck out to end the threat.
With two men on and two out in the 11th, Lyle got Freehan to pop out to end that
threat.
Don McMahon started the 11th inning for Detroit and walked Reggie Smith.
After Lahoud flied out, Rico came to the plate. He took a pretty good curveball
for a strike but the next one was a fastball up and over the plate. Rico
deposited it into the net in left centerfield and the Sox were winners.
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