1971 BOSTON RED SOX ...

Several proposals for rule changes were rejected at the MLB Playing Rules Committee meetings. During the season a few rule changes were to be tried out in the minor leagues, including the designated hitter (Eastern League), and an intentional walk without needing to throw four balls (New York-Penn League).

Charlie Finley, owner of the Oakland Athletics, submitted proposals for colored bases, colored foul lines, and a 20-second clock used to limit the time between pitches. All three suggestions were rejected.

Fan favorite, Tony Conigliaro had a banner year in 1970, but the front office sensed that his vision problems may come back to affect his performance in the future, they decided, with his trade value as high as it probably would ever be, they'd trade him. Tony C. later admitted that he couldn't see the spin on the ball and had been having migraines as a result.

Also taken into consideration was the fact that the locker room had split into two factions at the end of the season, one led by Conigliaros and the other by Carl Yastrzemski. General manager Dick O'Connell was ordered to do something about the clubhouse by Tom Yawkey. It was known the Yawkey liked Yaz a lot and visited him quite frequently in the club house. After being the highest paid player in baseball at $140K, Yaz had signed a three year deal worth $500K, starting with 1971, so Tony C. was going to be the one who was sent packing. Also, in a meeting with Eddie Kasko, the Sox manager stressed that not only was there tension in the clubhouse, but the Sox needed a shut-down relief pitcher.

The Sox traded Tony C., Ray Jarvis and Jerry Moses to the Angels before the World Series was even over on October 11th. The Red Sox received rookie second baseman Doug Griffin, pitcher Ken Tatum and outfielder Jarvis Tatum in return. Griffin was known for his glove and great speed, both factors that prompted the Red Sox to acquire him. But Ken Tatum was the key to the trade. Tatum was meant to complement left-handed reliever, Sparky Lyle in the bullpen.

After the trade, Billy Conigliaro pointed fingers at Yaz for his brother having been sent to the West Coast, claiming that Yaz was running the ball club. Reggie Smith spoke up, saying the Red Sox should take action against Billy C., adding, that he didn’t want to play with him any more because he was a quitter. Yaz said more or less the same thing, adding, that Billy C. just alibiing for his lack of ability. Dick O'Connell, however, offered the thought about the Conigliaro brothers saying: “The boys are better off separated. I think it’s been a liability having them on the same club.”

Utility infielder Dick Schofield was next dealt to the Cardinals for pitcher Jim Campbell on October 21st.

To make matters worse for the Sox fans, the Sox next shipped the popular Mike Andrews out to the White Sox, along with Luis Alvarado on December 1st. In exchange, they received the aging Luis Aparicio, a great player in his day and still outstanding with the glove, but at 37, his offensive production was questionable. Bringing Griffin and Aparicio was interesting because it showed a Red Sox team trading for defense at the expense of power. This was indeed seemed innovative and maybe even risky, so confidence in the plan was suspect.

DOUG GRIFFIN & LUIS APARICIO

And so, Aparicio was slated to play short alongside second baseman Doug Griffin, with Rico Petrocelli moving to third. The trade of Tony C. allowed Yaz and George Scott to return to their natural positions, in left and at first base.

At the winter meetings on December 2nd, utility infielder, Phil Gagliano was bought from the Cardinals for cash. Some later sources suggested that it was actually a trade for Carmen Fanzone, and that it didn’t occur until the day after it was first reported among the transactions of the day.

As spring training opened in Winter Haven, Florida, once again Red Sox management emphasized “defense and speed”. An interesting twist to the Doug Griffin saga was announced by the Red Sox when spring training was barely under way; they named John Kennedy – the “Super Sub” – to spell Griffin when necessary.

Luis Aparicio took Griffin under his wing both before and during spring training, which seemed to reflect an understanding Luis had with Red Sox management when they acquired him. He accepted the role with great enthusiasm as did Griffin. It was a great match.

Griffin had a solid spring, living up to his reputation as a flashy fielder. The Red Sox were pleased to find he wielded a steady bat, too.

On March 31st, catcher Duane Josephson was sent from the White Sox with outfielder-turned-pitcher, Danny Murphy in order to acquire pitcher Vicente Romo and first baseman Tony Muser. Yaz had been talking up Josephson for a while.

The Sox started by beating the Yankees, 3 to 1, on "Opening Day" at Fenway, with Ray Culp tossing a one-hitter for seven innings. Duane Josephson was solid blocking home plate in the top of the eighth, and that may have saved the game.

Ken Tatum’s first game for the Red Sox did not go well. On April 8th in Cleveland, he came in to close the game, pitching the bottom of the ninth with the Sox nursing a 2-1 lead that disappeared after a single, a hit-batsman, a successful sacrifice, another out, and a two-run game-winning single. The Sox lost three straight in Cleveland.

The Sox survived their second win in Washington on April 12th. With the Sox leading 10-2 and two outs in the ninth inning, the Senators put five runs up, but the Sox lasted 10 to 7.

In the next game, on April 13th, Yaz hit his first homer of the season and Duane Josephson knocked in two runs with a homer and a double, as the Sox beat the Senators again, 5 to 3.

In Detroit the Sox survived another ninth inning grinder, outlasting the Tigers, 5 to 3, on April 16th. They finished the road trip with Sonny Siebert pitching a brilliant, 1 to 0, game against Detroit on April 18th. Yaz's homer in the fourth inning was the difference.

And so, the trades made little difference on the field it seemed. The Red Sox played nine of their first ten games on the road and managed a 5-5 split.

At Fenway on April 20th, Ken Tatum came out of the bullpen to relieve Gary Peters against the Indians in the sixth inning, eventually saving a 4-1 win.

CARL YASTRZEMSKI

On April 21st, with the score tied at 7-7 against the Indians at Fenway, and Joe Lahoud on second base, Yaz doubled to left in the eighth inning. He had already gotten three hits with a home run in the Sox 9 to 7 win.

Sonny Siebert beat the White Sox, 7 to 1, for his third win on April 23rd. In doing so, he lowered his ERA to 0.54.  George Scott helped him with a three-run homer.

Scotty made the difference in the next game also on April 24th. He lofted a tiebreaking homer into the net, to give the Red Sox a 4 to 2 victory. Rico Petrocelli's blast, with a man on in the fourth inning, had tied the score.

The Sox made it a sweep of the White Sox in the third game on April 25th. Yaz took a pitch and walked with the bases loaded in the eighth inning to lead the Sox to a 5-4 decision. He had knocked in three runs and scored two himself, while bringing his batting average up to .362.

On April 28th, the Sox erupted against the Brewers at Fenway, beating them 10 to 3, and tying Baltimore for the AL East lead. Sonny Siebert, who had given up only two earned runs in more than 33 innings, got his fourth win without a loss. He also helped himself with a homer into the net.

The Sox took sole possession of first place on April 30th, beating the Twins, 4 to 3. The Twins had men on second and third in the ninth inning, and once again, Sparky Lyle was called upon to save the game for the eighth time that month. The Sox had gotten rolling by winning 10 of 13 games at Fenway Park and started May in first place.

The fans at Fenway Park were treated to a real smorgasbord of baseball on May 2nd, as the Red Sox swept a thrilling doubleheader from the Minnesota Twins by scores of 1 to 0 and 9 to 8. The first game was a pitching masterpiece, with Ray Culp serving up a brilliant two-hit victory over Bert Blyleven. The second game was more pot luck, as the Red Sox came back to win with a dramatic ninth inning rally.

They went on the road and continued to play well, going 5-2. In Chicago, Sparky Lyle continued his run of 10 appearances without giving up a run. He pitched three brilliant innings in the Red Sox, 4-3 victory on May 4th. Yaz helped out by cutting down a runner in the 9th inning.

Gary Peters went the distance for the first time this season, Doug Griffin enjoyed his first three hit game of the year, as the Red Sox easily subdued Chicago, 10 to 1, on May 6th.

Lyle remained perfect in Milwaukee, pitching out of a ninth inning bases-loaded jam, giving the Sox a 5-4 victory, on May 7th. Billy C. knocked in three runs with a first inning homer, then scored the winning run in the eighth, after he doubled.

The Sox made it six straight the next day, May 8th, as Reggie Smith knocked in all four runs, with a homer and two singles, in a 4-2 win over the Brewers.

In Minnesota, on May 11th, Bill Lee pitched four scoreless innings to protect a 5 to 4 Sox lead over the Twins. Two-run homers by Yaz and Duane Josephson provided the offense's punch. The win kept the Sox in first place, up 2 1/2 games over the two-time defending AL East champion Baltimore Orioles.

A series with the Orioles back at Fenway next was survived, as the teams split. In their first meeting on May 14th, Sonny Siebert won his sixth game without a loss, in a pitching duel with Jim Palmer, shutting out Baltimore, 2 to 0. The Sox lost the next game to Dave McNally, 7 to 4.

LUIS TIANT

On May 17th, a deal that seemed a minor one at the time was made, but it would reap great benefits for years to come. Veteran pitcher Luis Tiant, after breaking his clavicle, had unsuccessfully attempted a comeback with the Atlanta Braves Triple A team in Richmond. After 30 days, with a 1-3 record and a 6.26 ERA, Atlanta released him.

So Dick O'Connell signed Luis to a contract, at the recommendation of Louisville manager, Darrell Johnson and Sox pitching coach, Lee Stange. Knowing the way he pitched in Cleveland, O'Connell figured there was nothing to lose. It would prove to be one of the best deals the Red Sox ever made.

On May 22nd, he struck out 13 batters while pitching in a game for Louisville against Richmond. Luis pitched very well in 31 innings with 29 strikeouts and a 2.61 ERA.

On the field at Fenway, the Sox survived a shaky ninth inning to beat the Tigers at Fenway Park, 3 to 2. In the seventh inning, Willie Horton hit a line drive that hit Ray Culp in the head and ricocheted out to left-center, where it was caught by Reggie Smith, who made a diving catch. When questioned about it after the game, Culp joked that nobody should ever question him about where to play a batter.

The next day, May 18th, Jim Lonborg picked up his first win in almost a year. Rico Petrocelli's three-run homer gave him a 5 to 3 win over Detroit.

Sonny Siebert (7-0) kept his perfect record intact on May 19th with a 7 to 2 win over the Yankees. Billy C.'s three run homer in the eighth inning was the game winner.

The next night, May 20th, both Rico and George Scott blasted two-run homers, to lead the Sox over the Yankees, once again, 5 to 2. Yaz also enjoyed a three hit game.

The Sox completed a homestand having won five of the six games they played. They were in first place by three games and went to Baltimore. The Orioles spoiled a dramatic performance from Jim Lonborg, who was taken out after being one out away from a victory. The Orioles tied the game, but then lost to the Sox in the 10th inning, 8 to 4. Duane Josephson enjoyed the best day of his career coming on May 21st when he hit two home runs and drove in four runs, after barely missing getting beaned by Pat Dobson.

After losing the next two games, Sonny Siebert beat the Orioles, in the second game of a doubleheader, 2 to 1, on May 23rd. He also took the Orioles pitcher, Dave McNally, deep in the fifth inning, to give himself the two runs he would need. Ken Tatum suffered a major setback when he was struck by a “soft liner” during batting practice. He was walking off the field when the ball hit him, fracturing his cheekbone in three places. The freak injury cost him a full month.

The Sox were still up by three games by splitting the Baltimore series, but then lost two straight to Washington, before beating them, 3-2, on May 26th behind Ray Culp. Bob Montgomery supplied the punch with three hits along with Billy C., who hit his fifth double in the last two games.

The next day, May 27th, the Sox split the four game series by beating the Senators, 6 to 2. Gary Peters helped himself win by knocking in two runs with a bases loaded single. Rico Petrocelli and Reggie Smith homered to account for four of the Sox runs.

SONNY SIEBERT

In one of the most ballyhooed games of the year, the undefeated Sonny Siebert (8-0) made it nine straight wins, beating the Vida Blue, who had won ten straight games, 4 to 3, on May 28th. It was a battle of home runs, but the game winning hit was a single by George Scott in the eighth inning. Rico had two homers, good for three runs.

By Memorial Day, the Red Sox were 29-16, and were in first place. They led the Orioles by three games and the Tigers by four. After previous years, which had seen the Sox fall substantially behind Baltimore in the first half of the season, it was at least heartening to be giving chase at the end of May. But it didn’t take long for the slump to come.

It was the Kansas City Royals, who would finish second in the AL West, that were the thorn in the side of the Sox and they came into Boston and swept. On May 31st, the Royals buried the Sox twice, 7 to 3 and 9 to 4.

The next day, on June 1st, the Sox were handed their 4th straight loss, 4 to 2, by K.C. The Sox lead in the AL East, over Baltimore was then just one game.

In Yankee Stadium, the Yankees too their turn and whipped the Sox, 6 to 1, handing Sonny Siebert his first loss of the season on June 2nd. Coupled with a win by the Orioles, the Sox dropped out of first by percentage points.

In Rochester, the Louisville Colonels were playing and Haywood Sullivan was there watching. Tiant breezed to a 10-0 victory on June 1st, giving up only five hits. Sullivan signed him and after 20 days in Louisville, Luis Tiant headed up to Boston on June 3rd. To make room, Mike Nagy was sent down.

Ray Culp put a momentary stop to the slide on June 3rd, beating the Yankees, 3 to 2. Culp got two of the Sox hits, and Yaz broke out of a slump by knocking in the winning run in the eighth inning.

The Sox then beat up the Angels, 10 to 1, on June 4th back at Fenway. Doug Griffin and Yaz had three hits apiece and the only man not to get a hit was Rico Petrocelli. But the two game winning streak was the best the Sox could put together, losing the next two games to the Angels and dropping into second place, 1 1/2 games behind Baltimore.

In Oakland, Ray Culp again slowed the Sox skid, by beating the A's, 5 to 1 on June 8th. He spun a 3-hitter, striking out 11, including Reggie Jackson and Mike Epstein three times each. But the next day, the A's were on top, 6 to 1 on June 9th.

Then the Sox made the return trip to the heartland and the Royals swept them again in three games, pushing them into third place, now five games back. On June 11th, Tiant made his Red Sox debut and couldn't get out of the second inning, giving up five runs in the first inning and losing to the Royals, 6 to 3.

In Anaheim, it took 15 innings before Doug Griffin lined a single to left, scoring Luis Aparicio for a 4 to 3 win on June 14th. Joe Lahoud hit the first of his three homers in consecutive games.

Two nights later on June 16th, Lahoud homered again. Jim Lonborg knocked in one run and Yaz drilled a two-run homer in the ninth inning to give Lonborg a gutsy, 4 to 1 win.

On June 18th, in Washington, Joe Lahoud hit his third home run in his last three games, but the Sox lost 8 to 5.

They lost the next game also on June 19th, but in the last game of the series, on June 20th, John Kennedy's two-out ninth inning single gave the Sox a dramatic 4 to 3 victory.

The next day on June 22nd, the Sox were back in Boston and split a doubleheader with the Indians at Fenway. George Scott's two-run home gave Sonny Siebert his 10th win, a 2-0 shutout, in the second game.

Luis Aparicio had been mired in a long slump for almost a month, in which he was batting only .072. He then received a letter from President Richard Nixon. In the letter the President was sympathetic to Aparicio's situation, saying that he too had periods in his life where he felt he couldn't get a hit. Inspired by the President's support, Aparicio (.156 BA) got two doubles in that game. His slump was over, but Nixon's was just beginning.

In the third game of the series with Cleveland, Ray Culp beat Sam McDowell, 2 to 1 on June 23rd. Billy C., who had been benched because of his poor attitude, played and knocked out two doubles and a triple to score one run. Joe Lahoud hit another homer which supplied the other run.

Baltimore came to Fenway for a four-game set and Boston grabbed three wins, triggering a 12-3 stretch that got them to within 2 1/2 games by the end of the month.

After losing the first game to Baltimore and falling eight games behind the Orioles, the Red Sox swept a doubleheader on June 26th. In the first game, Gary Peters was one pitch away from a 2-0 win, when Boog Powell launched a two-run homer, with two outs in the ninth inning, to tie the game. But in the 10th inning, with two outs and runners on second and first, Frank Robinson misjudged Luis Aparicio's (4 for 4) line drive, giving the Sox the game, 2 to 1. In the second game, Sonny Siebert breezed to his 11th win, with a six-hit, 10 to 2 win. He drove in five runs with a two-run homer, a two-run double, and a run producing groundout.

In the final game, on June 28th, Ray Culp pitched the Sox to a 3 to 1 victory. Unlike their other battles, the Sox jumped on Jim Palmer right away. Doug Griffin's single and Aparicio's double set-up Reggie Smith's two run double off the wall, that gave the Sox a lead they never relinquished. The Sox were back in second place, but only five games out.

On June 28th, the Red Sox released George Thomas. Ken Harrelson, also announced the he was retiring from baseball to pursue a career as a professional golfer.

The Sox beat the Senators with seven runs in the eighth inning, 10 to 4 on June 28th. Luis Tiant got thru three innings, but was forced out of the game in the fourth inning, after giving up a walk, two singles and a double that accounted for three runs. Good fortune was not in the cards for Doug Griffin. While he chased a pop fly in short right field, his back went into spasms and he left the game soon after. John Kennedy's came in and first homer of the year tied the game in the seventh.

In the game on June 29th, the Sox put together a five run second inning, and Kennedy hit another home run, that gave the Sox a 6 to 2 win over Washington.

In Detroit, Yaz slammed a three-run homer, one of his three hits, and George Scott added a two-run blow, to give the Sox a 6 to 4 win over the Tigers, on June 30th.

On July 1st, in the next game, Rico Petrocelli delivered his biggest hit of the season. The Tigers had broken a 5-5 tie in the eighth with two runs, but in the ninth, with two outs and one on, Rico slammed a line drive into the upper deck, to give the Sox their seventh straight win, 8 to 7. Rookie Buddy Hunter ran for Luis Aparicio in the top of the ninth, after Aparicio had been hit by a pitch. He was able to trot home when Rico hit the home run.

Buddy Hunter had made his first visit to the majors, debuting in the game. Because Doug Griffin had hurt his back, and the Sox wanted a little more depth behind veteran utilitymen John Kennedy and Phil Gagliano.

When Hunter had first arrived in Boston, he went over to the ballpark three hours before he was due to report, just to meet the batboys and clubhouse kids. According to Buddy, “So I go over there and I meet them, and there’s this old guy and he picked up this towel. The next day, same old man, picking up the towels. I went to the clubhouse kid and asked, ‘Hey, who’s the old man over there?’ He says, ‘That’s Mr. Yawkey. He owns the team.’  So Buddy went up to Mr. Yawkey, and said, ‘Mr. Yawkey, I heard so many nice things about you. I just want to introduce myself. I’m Buddy Hunter from South Omaha, Nebraska.’  And Tom Yawkey says, ‘Well, Buddy, congratulations on making the Boston Red Sox. I hope you have a great career.’ 

Two months later, Buddy got sent back down to Louisville, and GM Dick O’Connell called him in the office and he said, ‘Buddy, we’ve got to send you down because Doug Griffin’s coming off the disabled list. I don’t know what you said to Mr. Yawkey, but he wanted you to keep your major-league money.  And so, Buddy Hunter was making more than the managers in the minors. It was only about $20,000 a year, but managers were only making around $1,200 a month at the most.

The Sox next lost two games to the Yankees at Fenway. In the second loss, on July 3rd, Luis Tiant gave up only three hits through seven innings, but Roy White's two-run homer provided the difference in the 2-1 loss. Yaz, mired in another slump was booed by the crowd, and after his fourth out he let it get to him and gestured toward the stands.

In the third game, on July 4th, the Sox bats supplied the fireworks. Joe Lahoud, filling in for Yaz, hit home runs in his first two times at bat. George Scott followed Lahoud's first home with another bomb, with Petrocelli on board, as the Sox went on to win, 7 to 4.

The Sox homer barrage continued in the next game, which the Sox won, 12 to 7. Trailing 7-6 in the sixth inning, on July 5th, Rico Petrocelli started with a triple off the wall, followed by homers, once again, from Scotty and Lahoud. Phil Gagliano had a terrific start to the season, hitting well over .500 through June and only dipping to .500 when he pinch hit in the sixth inning.

In Cleveland, John Kennedy's game winning triple with a man on, in the sixth inning, gave the Sox a 3 to 2 win on July 6th.

The Sox split a doubleheader the next day, on July 7th, with Ray Culp pitching like a machine and shutting out the Tribe, 4 to 0. Reggie Smith and Yaz both homered to help Culp's cause. However, Luis Tiant was beaten in the nitecap.

The final game in Cleveland was won thanks to Bob Montgomery's ninth inning two-run homer that gave the Sox a 5 to 3 win on July 8th.

But after going 14-4, the Sox took the foot off the gas just prior to the All-Star break, losing three straight in the Bronx and ending up 5 1/2 back.

Just before the All-Star break, on July 9th in Anaheim, Tony C. announced his retirement. His eyesight was giving him trouble again and he boarded a plane to come home. Upon hearing the news, Billy C. exploded. He accused Yaz and Reggie Smith of destroying whatever unity there was in the Sox outfield, and getting him benched because Yaz and Reggie liked Joe Lahoud. He furthermore blamed Yaz for the Sox getting rid of manager Johnny Pesky, Ken Harrelson and his brother.

In other news, both Yaz and Luis Aparicio were voted as starters for the American League All Stars in the game played at Tiger Stadium on July 13th. A record six home runs were hit in the game, but the most memorable on was hit by Reggie Jackson that hit the light tower on the right field roof. Yaz played the whole game and went hitless while Aparicio got a single in three times up.

The second half of the schedule started pretty well on July 15th. Luis Tiant pitched his best game for the Sox so far, as Rico Petrocelli slammed a three run homer in the 13th inning to win the game against the Twins at Fenway. Tiant pitched 10 innings and struck out nine, but the win went to Bill Lee.

The next game on July 16th, saw Sonny Siebert win his 13th game and Rico smash another homer, with the Sox coasting to a 9-4 win.

The Sox then swept a doubleheader from the Milwaukee Brewers, at Fenway, on July 17th. Yaz snapped out of his doldrums with two homers, good for four RBIs. Joe Lahoud also knocked out his 10th homer after George Scott doubled in the third inning of the first game, with the Sox winning 13 to 11. In the second game, Reggie Smith's homer supplied the power in a rain-shortened, 5 to 3 win.

RICO PETROCELLI

On July 20th, the Chicago White Sox walked Yaz to take their chances with Rico Petrocelli. Phil Gagliano was on second in the bottom of the ninth inning, and Rico shot the ball past third base to give the Sox a 5 to 4 walk-off win.

The Red Sox knocked the hapless White Sox around in the next game, 6 to 1 on July 21st, allowing Sonny Siebert to win his 14th game.

The 6-2 home stand against the Twins, Brewers and White Sox, meant that for the first time since 1967, the Red Sox (55-39) were in legitimate contention for first place this late in the season.

In Minnesota, thanks to homers by Reggie Smith and George Scott, Ray Culp won his 12th game, 8 to 6, on July 23rd.

The next night, July 24th, the Sox bounced back in the last two innings of the game, to beat the Twins, 6 to 3. John Kennedy's homer tied the game in the eighth inning and Scotty drove in the winning run in the ninth inning, following a double from Reggie. The wins allowed the Sox to close to within 2 1/2 games in the AL East.

But next, a four-game series in Milwaukee, with the Sox losing three and scoring only five runs in those games, was an ominous foreshadowing of the impending collapse. The Sox fell to 5 1/2 games behind on July 29th.

In Chicago, after losing the first game, Jim Lonborg pitched 6 2/3 innings of hitless ball and beat the White Sox, 6 to 0 on July 31st.

August started with two outstanding pitching performances in a doubleheader against the White Sox. Ray Culp won the opener, 5 to 1, and by Gary Peters won the nitecap, 6 to 1.

After Luis Tiant got knocked around in the first game in Baltimore on August 2nd, Bill Lee (9-2) came out of the bullpen and gave up just two hits. Except for an error, Lee mowed down the last 19 batters.

Back at Fenway against Detroit on August 5th, the Sox completed an exciting 5 to 4 win. Down 2-0 in the eighth, the Sox rose up and scored five runs. But the Tigers roared back in the ninth, and Sparky Lyle came in to put out another fire.

Then they lost the next three to the Tigers, before bouncing back on August 9th. Bob Montgomery hit a grandslam homer, but Rico Petrocelli knocked in John Kennedy in the ninth inning with the game winner, 12 to 11.

Then the roof caved in at Fenway as the Sox lost the next seven games. On August 14th, in his third relief appearance since being sent to the bullpen however, Luis Tiant pitched seven innings of three-hit ball, striking out 10 Kanas City batters in a 6-1 loss.

They finally beating the Angels on August 16th, when Billy C. slammed a three-run homer in the  bottom of the ninth inning to beat the Angels 6 to 5. Two days later on August 18th, Phil Gagliano's clutch seventh inning double beat the Angels, 4 to 3.

By the time the homestand was over, the deficit in the AL East was 10 1/2 games and pennant fever in Boston was history.

The Red Sox next released pitcher Cal Koonce, three months shy of his 31st birthday. He did not pitch in the major leagues again.

The next road trip out west was more of the same, with the Sox going 3-7 and dropping to 13 1/2 games behind. Things started off well with Gary Peters outdueling the super phenom, Vida Blue, in Oakland, 1 to 0, on August 20th. But the Sox lost the next three games in Oakland and then two more in Kansas City.

REGGIE SMITH

After losing five straight games, the Sox finally beat the Royals. On August 26th, Ray Culp shut out the Kansas City, 7 to 0, avoiding the dubious distinction of becoming the first Red Sox club, in modern history, to lose its entire season schedule with one team. Culp gave up six hits while Reggie Smith launched a three-run homer, his 26th.

In Anaheim, Reggie collected three hits, including another homer, and drove in four runs, as the Sox defeated the angels, 6 to 2, on August 28th. But the Sox returned home, having gone 3-7.

The Sox closed the month at home against the Orioles. On August 31st, Yaz singled off the wall against Jim Palmer, in the ninth inning, to give the Red Sox a 4 to 3. The win went to Luis Tiant, who hadn't won a game in over a year, while pitching for the Twins.

In August the Sox were 10-19 and had fallen 14 1/2 games off the pace. Things got worse as players began to openly criticize manager Eddie Kasko. None of the players were hitting above the .300 mark.

The Sox took 2 of 3 from the Orioles as September started. On September 2nd, Sonny Siebert, who had lost five in a row, pitched a three-hitter, allowing only three men to reach second base, and walking two batters. But what a day he had, because at the plate, he knocked out two home runs, in beating Baltimore, 3 to 0.

Against the Indians, the next night, on September 3rd, the Sox drubbed the last place Tribe, 9 to 2, belting out four home runs. Yaz snapped out of his doldrums, hitting his first homer in 32 days, and George Scott knocked out two "taters".

In his first game, on September 4th, September call-up from Louisville, Rick Miller swung at the first pitch he saw from Cleveland hurler Phil Hennigan, and lined it for a double off the left-field wall.

LUIS APARICIO

In Detroit, Luis Aparicio had a four-hit night, on September 9th, including a home run. He drove in five runs in the Sox 6 to 5 win.

In the second game of the series, on September 10th., Gary Peters was one pitch away from a shutout, winning 6 to 1. Rico Petrocelli homered and drove in another run in the sixth inning.

Rookie Cecil Cooper, who was called up from Double-A Pawtucket after batting .343, got his first hit on September 11th, a pinch single off the Tigers’ Joe Coleman in Detroit. He would go on to hit .310 in 42 at-bats.

Carlton Fisk's first major league hit came on September 12th. It was a home run off the Tigers' Les Cain. After that, he put together an eight game hitting streak.

The next day, September 13th, the Sox played the Yankees at Fenway. Thurman Munson, the Yankees catcher had prided himself on being fast for a catcher, grounded into a double play in the seventh inning. Fisk, as he was supposed to do, sprinted down the line to back up first. He beat Munson to the bag and Munson was pissed because he thought that Fisk had tried to show him up. He would have a few more encounters with the young Sox catcher in the years to come.

After losing four in a row, the Sox moved into Cleveland, where Joe Lahoud beat the Indians with a ninth inning double on September 15th, giving the Red Sox a 6 to 5 victory.

In the next game, on September 16th, it was the rookies who got their chance and took advantage of it. They were called "Kasko's Kiddie Korps". Rick Miller highlighted a 11-hit attack with his first major league home run and a run scoring single, as the Sox pounded out a 10 to 7 win. Rookie Cecil Cooper had two hits, including a double, Carlton Fisk had two hits, including a triple and rookie Juan Beniquez got a hit. Rookie pitcher John Curtis got credit for the win, his first in the majors.

They then thumped the Senators, 10 to 7, on September 17th, in a donnybrook that featured three homers, a triple, a single and a wild pitch which accounted for five runs in the sixth inning. Consecutive home runs by Reggie Smith and Rico Petrocelli wiped out a Washington lead.

In the final game of the series, Rico slammed his 27th homer, his fourth in five games, leading the Sox to a 4 to 3 win on September 19th.  The Sox had taken four of the five games on the short road trip.

Luis Aparicio's 10th inning single drove home rookie Cecil Cooper with the winning run in a gritty 3 to 2 win against the Tigers at Fenway Park,  on September 21st. Jim Lonborg pitched a complete game to get the win.

September call-up, Mike Garman, gave up only two runs over eight innings for a 3-2 win against Mickey Lolich and the Tigers at Fenway on September 22nd. Rookie Rogelio Moret beat the Senators 4-0, winning his fourth game and his first shutout, giving up only four hits, on September 24th. John Curtis got the victory the next day, September 25th, as the Sox beat the Nats, 6 to 3. Only Doug Griffin, Reggie Smith and Rico Petrocelli were the starters who played.

The hot Red Sox youngsters made it a clean sweep, beating Washington, 8 to 1, in the final game of the series on September 26th.  Jim Lonborg pitched his second complete game and earned his 10th win. That was six straight wins by a lot of Sox rookies.

The Sox finished the season losing three straight games in their final series with the Orioles. In the final game of the season on September 29th, Mike Garman gave up just one run over seven innings against the Orioles, in a 1-0 loss.

The Red Sox finished third again with a record of 85-77, 18 games behind the Orioles. After four years of finishing way in the rearview mirror of the leaders, they had done a little bit more. They had been in first place for 32 days and contended into July.

And it proved to be another year of dissension. Although it was felt that this was not a principal factor in the team’s collapse, it certainly damaged team symmetry and harmony. Because the players squabbled, Eddie Kasko became a target. If anyone lived in a glass clubhouse, it had been the Red Sox. No matter what was said or done, it appeared in the newspaper.

But there was a side that the newspapers didn't see. Both Luis Tiant and Sparky Lyle kept everyone laughing, and at the end of the season, with so many new young players in the clubhouse, the atmosphere began to change.

George Scott had a reasonably good year, finishing with a .263 average, 24 home runs, and 78 RBIs, and won his third Gold Glove.

Carl Yastrzemski, had a one-year loss of power, batting .254 and only slugging .392, even as he got on base to the tune of a .381 OBP. The pitchers had figured Yaz out and knew that in the past, he had "gone with the pitch" and was successful hitting the ball to all fields. Now he was trying to pull the ball and pitchers pitched him "away". The result was a lot of ground balls to second base.

Rico Petrocelli had changed positions, going from short to third to accommodate Luis Aparacio. Over the winter, Dick O’Connell told Rico the Red Sox had a deal on the table for Aparicio, but that he wouldn’t make the deal unless he would be comfortable moving to third base. Rico was the emotional leader of the team. He reported early to spring training and worked for hours with former Red Sox All-Star third baseman Frank Malzone.

The results were amazing. Rico set a major-league record for third basemen with 77 straight games without an error. He led the American League in fielding percentage with a scintillating .976 mark. He continued to produce on offense at a healthy clip, hitting 28 home runs and knocking in 89 runs while leading the team with what the Red Sox calculated as 12 game-winning hits. He posted a .354 OBP and slugged .461.

Reggie Smith, one of the outstanding young players in baseball, had numbers of .352 BA and 30 homers. Being a switch-hitter, Reggie had spent much of his career being compared to Mickey Mantle. He had speed, power and one of the best arms in baseball. Reggie had the talent but was very temperamental and had he channeled it toward baseball, he might have been a Hall of Famer. Unfortunately, he used to receive hate mail that started with a racist epithet and then got worse. Playing in the outfield, Reggie had to wear a batting helmet to protect himself from hard objects being thrown by his own team’s fans.

Doug Griffin was going strong in the spring. He combined brilliant fielding with a respectable .261 average through May, and three times he had three-hit games. Through mid-June, he made only two fielding errors in nearly 200 chances. The Fenway Park crowd took an instant liking to the new kid they called the "Dude". He finished his season with a .244 batting average. Largely because of his slick fielding, Griffin became a candidate for AL Rookie of the Year, and placed fourth in the voting. Chris Chambliss of the Cleveland Indians, won the award but the Boston baseball writers named Griffin the Red Sox "Rookie of the Year".

Duane Josephson was fine behind the plate. He blossomed with some power, hitting 10 home runs but driving in only 39 as he saw his average dip down to .245. He lost three weeks after a home-plate collision with Davey Johnson of the Orioles. He played progressively less as the season deepened, with Bob Montgomery playing more in July and August.

Carlton Fisk (.313 BA in 48 ABs) took the catching job after his September call-up and threw out the first four runners who tried to steal on him. There hadn't been a lot of All Star caliber catchers that had played for the Red Sox. But Yaz saw the potential in him, saying Fisk had the potential to be up there with Johnny Bench.

Rightfielder Joe Lahoud had a .330/.438 stat line and Billy Conigliaro popped 11 home runs in a reserve role, while slugging .436.

Phil Gagliano’s average by the end of the year was .324 and he had played four defensive positions without making an error: left field, right field, second base, and third base. Primarily, though, he pinch-hit. Taking 11 bases on balls helped pump his on-base percentage up to .413.

Even though pitching improved across the league, it wasn’t enough to prevent the Sox from still ranking 10th in ERA in the American League.

Ray Culp’s final line was 14-16 with a 3.60 ERA, which was solid, but the worst of his four Red Sox seasons.

Sonny Siebert was 16-10 and the ace of the staff. He significantly improved his ERA, bringing it down to 2.91. Of his 16 victories, four came against the World Champion Orioles. His ERA was a miniscule 0.76 against the Birds. He supplied his own offense to back up his fine pitching, smacking six home runs, four of which came against Baltimore.

Gary Peters had another decent but unspectacular season, putting up a 14-11 record and a 4.37 ERA. He was used frequently as a pinch-hitter, and hit .271 with three home runs and 19 RBIs in 96 at-bats.

Off the field, he was a "good old boy", the kind of guy who could drink half a bottle of VO and show absolutely no ill effects from it. He was someone that nobody wanted to mess with, once getting pissed off and holding a steak knife to Reggie Smith's throat. He was the player rep for the Red Sox and had a great relationship with Tom Yawkey. Whatever the players wanted, Peters told him and Yawkey made sure they had it.

Jim Lonborg went 7-4 the last three months, including 3-1 (with three complete games) in September. His final record of 10-7 with 167 2/3 innings and 100 strikeouts marked his highest totals since 1967, and he felt he was finally “getting a handle on getting healthy.” He was also still just 29 years old.

Among a few encouraging signs was the 9-2 record compiled by pitcher Bill Lee. His Army Reserve duty done, Lee played his first full season of major-league ball. All but three of his 47 appearances came in a relief role. He gave up 102 hits in 102 innings, posting an excellent 2.74 ERA.

The other good news came in the bullpen, where Sparky Lyle put up a 2.75 ERA and saved 16 games, a decent number at a time when saves weren’t nearly as common as they are today.

By the end of April, Ken Tatum had 11 appearances under his belt and, despite a record of 0-2, five saves and a 2.02 ERA. Over the rest of the season, that ERA doubled to 4.19 and he had a 2-4 record with only nine saves. He was far from the bullpen savior that the Red Sox had hoped to acquire. The story was that in 1970 he beaned Paul Blair of the Orioles and nearly killed him. After that, he didn't throw as hard and stopped pitching inside. He eventually had trouble with his control.

Luis Tiant (1-7, 4.85 ERA) pitched better in the bullpen after being sent there in August, finishing 1-1 with a 1.80 ERA in that role. But he was 31 and the Sox had a bumper crop of rookies waiting at the door. Time was running out on him, but he had an ally in Eddie Kasko.

Rookie John Curtis made five game appearances,with  two wins, and two losses as his final tally for the year.

Pitcher Ken Brett had played winter ball in Puerto Rico for the San Juan Senators, skippered by Roberto Clemente, and was named to the Puerto Rico All-Star team. But his winter-ball success failed to carry over into the major-league season. He appeared in only 29 games, starting two, going 0-3 with one save and a 5.34 ERA. He devoted another two weeks to Army Reserve duty.

Rogelio Moret (4-3, 2.92 ERA)  finished the year with a run of 4-1, including a shutout and four complete-game victories.