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THE "GOLD DUST TWINS" AND
A SEASON TO REMEMBER
...
1975
WORLD SERIES, GAME #4
El Tiante gets tougher as
the game progresses
October 15,
1975 ...
Luis Tiant has pitched better games, but has never pitched in
a more important game than this one. He has never gotten two bigger
outs than the ones he got in the ninth inning, clinching a 5 to 4 win
for the Red Sox, and tying up the World Series at two games apiece.
He did not put all the zeroes on the board like he had in the first
game but he settled into a groove and got the outs when he needed to.
With a one run lead he got as tough as nails after the fourth inning.
The way El Tiante started out it didn't seem like it would be his
night. The Reds jumped on him right away in the first inning and only
some foolish baserunning by Griffey kept Luis in the game. Pete Rose
rammed a single up the middle to start the game. Griffey followed
with a line drive up the left-centerfield alley that scored Rose
easily. Lynn retrieved the ball quickly and threw to Rick Burleson,
who then threw a strike to thirdbaseman Rico Petrocelli to nail
Griffey. Morgan followed with a walk and was doubled home by Johnny
Bench to give the Reds an early 2-0 lead. But Griffey's foolish
attempt to get to third, with no outs, cost the Reds what would turn
out to be an important run.
Fred Norman was getting by until the fourth inning when the Sox
batters jumped all over him. He started by giving up back-to-back
singles to Carlton Fisk and Lynn, then let them both move up a base
when he threw a wild pitch past Bench. Dwight Evans then came up with
one of the biggest hits of his career, lining over Griffey's head in
right to score both runners and tie up the game. Rick Burleson's
double to left scored Evans with the go-ahead run.
Pedro Borbon was brought in by Sparky Anderson at this point and gave
up a base hit to Tiant, pushing Burleson over to third. Now came the
key play of the game as Juan Beniquez tapped a little bouncer to
first, as he tried to check his swing. Tony Perez charged in with the
intent of cutting the run off at the plate, but he bobbled the ball.
Burleson scored, Luis went to second and Beniquez reached first on
the error. Yaz kept it going with a single up the middle and the Sox
were ahead, 5 to 2.
In the Reds half of the fourth, they went back to work. With two
outs, George Foster beat out an infield hit and went to second on
Denny Doyle's wild throw. Dave Concepcion dropped a blooper into left
field that fell in between Beniquez, Burleson and Lynn, scoring
Foster. Geronimo next sliced a triple, just inside the left field
foul line, cutting the lead down to 5 to 4. But Tiant pulled up his
Sox and struck out Terry Crowley to put out the fire.
Then as he turned into the home stretch, Tiant got even tougher. The
Reds touched him for only three singles over the last five innings
and each time he needed it he got the big out. One out, two men on in
the fifth inning and Tiant gets Perez to ground out to Doyle and then
gets Bench to pop out to Beniquez. Two outs, one on in the sixth, and
Tiant strikes out Darrel Chaney. Two outs in the eighth inning with
Foster on first, Tiant gets Concepcion to fly out to Evans.
And finally came the ninth inning. The Reds had won in their last at
bat 23 times during the season, twice in the NLCS and twice in this
World Series. And they tried to get that mojo and do it again in this
one. But Tiant was better than the Reds batters. Cesar Geronimo
started the ninth inning with a base hit and was sacrificed to
second. Tiant walked Pete Rose, and with runners on first and second,
got Ken Griffey on a hard smash to Fred Lynn, who caught it over his
shoulder at the wall and finally getting Joe Morgan to pop up to Carl
Yastrzemski, on his 163rd pitch of the night. |
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