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Siebert & Peters deal the Orioles a double blow June 26, 1971 ... The Red Sox swept a doubleheader from the first-place Baltimore Orioles, 3 to 2, in the first game and 10 to 2 in the second game. The first game was a tremendous pitching duel between Gary Peters and Mike Cuellar. Peters was one pitch away from a 2 to 0 victory, when Boog Powell launched a tremendous home run into the bleachers, with two outs in the ninth-inning, to tie the game. But in the 10th inning the Red Sox got lucky. With two outs and runners on second and first, Luis Aparicio hit a line drive to right-center. Frank Robinson dashed into right-center at at an angle toward the infield. Suddenly he stopped and tried to backpedal, having misjudged the ball. Then at the last second, he threw his glove up in the air in a wild stab. The hit was Aparicio's fourth of the day, and the biggest he has hit for the Red Sox. For six innings, Cuellar, winner of his previous nine games, and 11 out of his last 12, matched Peters with putting zeros on the scoreboard. But in the seventh inning the Red Sox broke through for a run. Aparicio started things off with a single to right and moved to second on Reggie Smith's sacrifice. He roared home when Rico Petrocelli grounded a single over to third-base bag. In the eighth-inning, the Sox scored on a ball hit to the same spot to take a 2 to 0 lead. Catcher Don Pavletich singled with one out. Peters followed with a single to center, to move Pavletich up to second. Eddie Watt, who had taken over for Cuellar, when he was taken out for pinch-hitter, then struck out Doug Griffin for the second out. However, after that Aparicio delivered again with a drive over third, that scored Pavletich. In the second game, Sonny Siebert proved to the Fenway Park fans that he could both pitch and hit. He breezed to his 11th victory in 15 decisions, with a six hit, 10 to 2 win over the befuddled Orioles. He drove in five runs with a two run homer, a two run double and a groundout. The Sox didn't waste any time getting to starter Grant Jackson. Doug Griffin led off with a single to left and moved to third on Aparicio's single to right. It was Luis' fifth consecutive hit of the day. After Reggie Smith lined out to Don Buford in left, Yastrzemski sock a towering fly off the left-field wall to score the two baserunners. But Yaz was nailed attempting to stretch his hit into a triple. Siebert lengthened the Sox lead to 4 to 0 in the second inning, when he caught a Jackson pitch and deposited it into the Red Sox bullpen, with Billy Conigliaro aboard. For Siebert, who began his pro career as an outfielder, it was his fourth home run of the season. The first threat by the Orioles, came with one out in the third. Mark Belanger walked and advanced to second on Buford's two-out single to left, that skidded past Aparicio. Siebert wiggled out of the jam by getting Chico Salmon to ground out. In the fourth inning, Siebert experienced some control issues when he walked Powell and Elrod Hendricks with one out. Merv Rettenmund slapped a sharp grounder to Aparicio, who flipped it to Griffin for the force out, and Terry Crowley lifted a fly ball to Conigliaro, in center, that ended the uneasy situation. Seibert, not content with slugging a home run, doubled in two more runs in the Sox half of the fourth inning, that scored Petrocelli and Scott. They had reached on successive walks issued by Dave Boswell, who had relieved Jackson in the third inning. Buford just missed Siebert's drive over his outstretched glove, and the ball caromed off the left centerfield wall, to the right of the scoreboard. Reggie next pulled a home run over the Orioles bullpen into the first row seats. It was his 14th home run of the year and increase the Red Sox lead to 7 to 0, in the fifth inning. The Sox continued to make mincemeat out of the Orioles, as they rolled up a nine run margin on George Scott's 10th home run over the left centerfield fence, a couple of scratch hits and a throwing error, with Conigliaro beating the throw to the plate, on Siebert's grounder to third. Dick Hall, the Orioles third pitcher, was the victim of Reggie's second home run of the night, going into the right-field stands in the seventh inning. Chico Salmon, the utility infielder, finally broke the spell against Siebert, by belting a two run home run, following an infield hit by Jerry DaVanon in the eighth-inning. The fact that it was his first home run and only to 30th in an eight year major league career was enough proof that Siebert was tiring. |
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