|
HOW TO BLOW A SEVEN GAME LEAD ...
Monty leads the Sox with a walk-off win
June 27, 1974
...
The largest crowd at Fenway Park since 1972, saw a game that ended
with Bob Montgomery slamming a single off Sparky Lyle, with the bases
loaded in the ninth-inning. It allowed the Red Sox to hold onto a
tenuous lead in first place, as Luis Tiant won his 15th game of the
year, with a 5 to 4 victory over New York. Tiant gave up three runs
in the second inning, but the Sox got them right back in the bottom of the
inning off Dick Tidrow. Graig Nettles singled to left center and then down two
strikes, Piniella drove a fastball into the right-field corner for a double,
putting runners on second and third. Chris Chambliss bounced one to short that
scored a run, and after Thurman Munson hit a broken bat tapper back to the
mound, Jim Mason sent a ball off his fists up the middle for a base hit. Luis
then threw the ball away trying to pick off Mason at first, sending in the
second, where he scored on a single by Sandy Alomar, giving the Yankees a 3-2
lead.
But Tidrow led the Sox back into the game quickly. After one out in the
bottom of the second, Bernie Carbo singled, Danny Cater walked and Rick Burleson
got a base hit to load the bases. Doug Griffin then hit a line drive to shallow
center which appeared catchable but the ball squirted by centerfielder Elliott
Maddox. That put runners on second and third. Burleson scored to tie the game,
on a ground ball by Tim Blackwell to Alomar.
Tiant breezed through the sixth inning but Piniella jumped on a fastball and
drove it into the Red Sox bullpen for his fourth home run of the year and a 4 to
3 lead for the Yankees.
Tidrow once again allow the Red Sox back into the game in the bottom of the
sixth. Carbo drilled a shot into the screen in left-center to once again tie up
the game at 4-4.
The Sox came into the bottom of the ninth after Tiant, for the fifth time of
the evening, struck out Bobby Murcer with two men on base. Dwight Evans
pinch-hit in infield single and after a blown bunt try by Danny Cater, Rick
Burleson, who has been in the middle of every rally for weeks, hit a bleeder
down the right-field line to put men on first and second. Lyle, pitching to Doug
Griffin, bounced a wild pitch off the plate that advanced the runners, and had
to intentionally walk Doug to load them up. Montgomery then came in to pinch-hit
for Tim Blackwell and rifled a 1-1 pitch through the hole to left that scored
the winning run. |
