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The Sox walk-off with a win in the ninth, 12-11 August 9, 1971 ... The score was 12 to 11, with the Red Sox winning over the Detroit Tigers before a crowd that alternated between despair and glee, but wound up going home happy, when pinch-hitter Rico Petrocelli knocked home John Kennedy with the winning run in the ninth-inning. It was the first time Rico had ever driven in the winning run as a pinch-hitter. Bill Freehan hit three home runs for Detroit and Willie Horton hit two. Bob Montgomery hit a grand slam home run and George Scott had four hits for the Red Sox. The Red Sox were ahead, 11 to 10 when Bill Freehan hit a ball into the left-field screen off Sparky Lyle in the ninthm to tie the ballgame. It was his third home run of the wild afternoon and his 16th of the season. However, after George Scott flied out to start the bottom half of the ninth, Billy Conigliaro beat out an infield hit. John Kennedy lofted a pitch from Ron Perranoski against the left centerfield wall, and Billy, who had taken off, seemed a cinch to score. But five steps around third, he stumbled and almost fell on his face. He crawled on the ground for about three yards, then picked himself up and tried to score. The relay from Tiger shortstop Eddie Brinkman, had him beat and the Tigers were still alive. Rico who had been given a rest for today's game, came in to bat for Lyle. He and Perranoski battled to a three and two count and then when the veteran left-hander tried to come in with a slow curve. Rico met it solidly with a shot into left field and Kennedy, running on the pitch, slid home easily with the winning run. It seemed that the balls were flying over the fence during batting practice and it also went that way during the game. At the end of three innings the Tigers held a 7 to 2 lead, thanks to Willie Horton's 20th home run, his two run double, and a lost in the sun pop up. Bill Freehan and Aurelio Rodriguez also smacked home runs. But in the fourth inning the Sox climbed back into the game. Two walks and George Scott's single loaded the bases with one out, and out came Bob Montgomery. Pitcher Les Cain, got two quick strikes on the Red Sox catcher. But on the next pitch Monty slugged the ball well into the nets for his third major league home run and his first at Fenway. It was also his first major-league grand slam, the last one coming against the Tidewater Mets in the International League. They weren't through with that inning, scoring four more runs after two were out, on singles by Doug Griffin Luis Aparicio, Reggie Smith and Carl Yastrzemski. George Scott's fly ball ended up as a two run triple into the sun, that befuddled centerfielder Jim Northrup. The Sox were ahead 10 to 7 when the dust settled and it was the biggest inning of the season. The Red Sox made it 11 to 7 in the sixth before Bob Bolin, relieving Jim Lonborg, faltered in the seventh, allowing home runs to both Horton and Freehan. In the eighth inning, the Tigers pulled within a run and then Freehan tied up the game in the ninth-inning with another home run. |
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