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Sparky Lyle saves a Sox comeback win
April 30, 1971 ...
For the eighth time this season, Sparky Lyle came out of the Red Sox
bullpen to help save the game for the Red Sox. This time it was a 4
to 3 victory over the Minnesota Twins. Since the Orioles lost, the
Red Sox took so possession of first place by one half game. Most of
the excitement came in the last couple of innings. The Sox had come back from a
3 to 1 deficit, to score three times in the eighth when Jim Kaat tossed away his
own ballgame. Reggie Smith finished the job with a two run double.
Kaat, was kicking himself for having blown a good chance to win his third
game of the year. The Twins had scored a run off Mike Nagy in the first inning
on a single by Oliva, a walk to Harmon Killebrew and a single by Rich Reese.
They added two more in the third, on a walk to Tovar, and singles by Oliva,
Killebrew and Brent Alyea, making the score, 3-0.
Kaat had given up only three singles in the first five innings. But in the
sixth inning, pinch-hitter Phil Gagliano started things off for the Sox with a
base hit. Gagliano went to second on a wild pitch and with one out, Reggie hit a
ground ball to Killebrew, who threw the ball in the dirt past Reese at first,
allowing Gagliano to move over to third and Smith to second. Carl Yastrzemski
lined to left-field to score Gagliano. Kaat then got some help when Rico
Petrocelli hit a hard ground ball to Leo Cardenas, who made a sparkling play to
get him at first base, but the score was 3 to 1.
It was frustrating for Kaat in the eighth-inning. Doug Griffin singled to
right center and pinch-hitter Don Pavletich hit one through the infield for a
base hit. This is where Kaat messed things up. After Aparicio bunted down the
third-base line, Kaat grabbed the ball and faced Killebrew, covering the bag at
third. Kaat threw the ball 10 feet in front of Harmon and it bounced over his
head toward the stands in left. Griffin scored and pinch runner John Kennedy
moved over to third, with Aparicio going to second. Reggie then doubled off the
wall scoring Aparicio and Kennedy, for two runs that put the Sox up, 4 to 3.
After Kaat hit Yastrzemski with a fastball inside, Ray Corbin was brought
into the game to pitch to Petrocelli, who bunted Yaz over. George Scott was
intentionally walked and then Josephson grounded hard to Killebrew, who made a
diving stab of the ball, and as he lay on the ground, touched the bag at third
with his glove. He then got up in time to throw out Josephson at first, to end
the inning.
But an error by George Scott, in the ninth-inning, made things look ominous.
Bob Bolin was on the mound for the Red Sox and got Paul Ratliff on a ground
ball. Up next was pinch-hitter Tim Holt, who hit a chopper over the mound. Luis
Aparicio came bouncing from behind, making a barehanded grab and threw
off-balance, perfectly to Scott who dropped the ball. When Cesar Tovar doubled
to left-center fence, Holt stopped at third.
That brought in Sparky Lyle and Rick Renick to pinch-hit. He hit a short pop
to right and Reggie Smith was certain to toss out Holt if he dared tried to
score Now up came Tony Oliva, who was leading the American League in batting.
Oliva saw a fat pitch coming at him, but only partially got his bat on it, and
hit it back toward the mound. Lyle reached out with his bare hand and it bounced
over to Doug Griffin at second base, who threw him out to end the game. |
