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Reggie Smith's 8th inning HR leads the Sox
April 27, 1970 ...
With the score tied at 3 to 3, Reggie Smith had a count of two balls
and a strike on him, in the eighth-inning, leading off against
Catfish Hunter. Hunter couldn't fool around with Reggie, because Carl
Yastrzemski was up next. There was only one thing for the Athletics'
right-hander to do and that was make sure he threw a fastball. Smith
knew it too, and he knocked it over the A's bullpen to give the Red
Sox a 4 to 3 lead. The winning pitcher was Vicente Romo, who made
one of his rare starting appearances. He lasted until the ninth-inning, when Don
Mincher singled to start it off. Sparky Lyle came in and got Dick Green on a
doubleplay ball to get out of the trouble. The three runs that Romo gave up,
were on home runs by Rick Monday, Don Mincher and Frank Fernandez.
Reggie had three hits and was now batting .339. He hit a long, windblown
drive off the centerfield wall in the first inning. Monday couldn't quite get to
it and it went for a triple. Then Hunter threw Yaz a high fastball that went off
Fernandez' glove for a wild pitch, and the Sox were up 1 to 0.
Reggie Jackson, who showed up late for spring training and hasn't hit the
ball well, with Felipe Alou on third in the third inning. Monday had singled and
went to second on Yaz's throw that held Alou on third. Jackson probably would've
been walked, but this time he was pitched to and struck out. Up next was Sal
Bando, who grounded out to end the inning.
In the Sox half of the third inning, after Andrews walked, Smith got a
single, when his grounder to Green was bobbled. Yaz smashed a hard single to
score Mike, and then stole second with Tony Conigliaro at bat. But Tony flied to
short center to end the inning but the Red Sox now leading 2 to 0.
The home runs to Fernandez and Mincher tied up the game in the sixth inning.
The friendly left-field wall helped in the seventh inning for the Red Sox.
Rico Petrocelli hit a high fly that scraped the wall for a double, and George
Scott slammed a double to right, with the ball bouncing into the stands, giving
the Red Sox a 3 to 2 lead.
But in the eighth-inning, Rick Monday tied up the game again, with his home
run.
With the Sox leading, in the ninth inning, after a single by Mincher, in came
Sparky Lyle, with a bunch of right-handed hitters due to bat. José Tartabull was
chosen the pinch run for Mincher and Green slapped a nice hard ball to Luis
Alvarado at third, for a doubleplay. Sparky struck out Fernandez to end the
game. |
