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THE YAZ
ERA COMES TO AN END
Evans & Yaz lead a comeback
against the Brewers
July
30, 1983 ... But for one long, hot summer
afternoon, all the precipitous moments that had turned disastrous
were turned around for the Red Sox. They got behind on the first
pitch of the game and for the 25th time in 50 home games they've been
behind before they got to bat. But they got back in the game in the
third inning when Dwight Evans lined a two-out, two-run double on a
3-and-0 Don Sutton pitch. Then, after Jerry Remy tied it at 3-3 with
a two-out single, John Tudor struck out Ted Simmons with a crucial
3-2 pitch in the top of the fifth before Carl Yastrzemski and Glenn
Hoffman crushed three-run homers for a 10-5 victory before 30,908.
Just the fact that the Red Sox won for the 22d time in 50
games at home made this 183-minute game unique. The offense had produced 52 hits
and 29 runs in the last four games in Fenway, but this was the only one of the
four that the Sox won.
The offense reaped its reward after hammering two very good
pitchers, Don Sutton and Jim Slaton. Yastrzemski (.299) broke the 3-3 tie in the
fifth with his three-run shot, the 450th of his career, seventh in July and 47th
since he turned 40, passing Stan Musial's record of 46. Evans had a double, his
20th homer, a single, three RBIs and two runs. Hoffman hit his three-run homer
off the light tower, and Wade (.375) Boggs managed to be on base four times with
a double and three walks.
In nationally televised games, pitchers cannot throw their
first pitch each inning until the towel person, located in the visiting dugout,
takes a towel off his neck. When the towel person took off his towel in the
first inning, Tudor just tried to get ahead of Paul Molitor with a fastball, and
Molitor (11 for 15, 13 runs in three games) lined it into the screen for his
10th homer.
While Sutton got Yaz to ground out with the bases loaded in
the bottom of the first, Simmons lined a ball off The Wall for two more runs, a
3-0 Brewers' lead and the assumption that this was going to be another blowout.
But in the bottom of the third, Boggs hit a one-out double.
And after Sutton hit Jim Rice, it got to two out, second and third and 3-and-0
on Evans. Evans got the pitch he was looking for, lined it down the left-field
line on one hop into the stands, and it was 3-2. When Dave Stapleton led the
fourth with a double and scored on Remy's two-out bouncer through the middle, it
was a tie game into the fifth.
Robin Yount doubled and Cecil Cooper walked with two out in
that fifth, which brought up Simmons. Tudor got Simmons 0-and-2, but missed with
three straight curveballs, which he had trouble gripping. At 3-2, Tudor threw
Simmons a changeup and struck him out with the biggest pitch of the game.
A Tony Armas double and Evans single brought Yaz up against
Sutton with one out. Sutton’s slider was up and a hanger, and Yastrzemski yanked
it into the seats in right. 6-3.
But Tudor's trying moments weren't over. In the seventh, he
had two out and two on when Cooper got his 15th RBI in eight games and 88th of
the season by muscling a looper into center. Then Simmons dumped a single into
right to make it 6-5
Tudor got two strikes on breaking balls, got Ben Oglivie to
dribble out down the first-base line, and by the time Stanley came on in the
eighth, the 6-5 lead was 10-5. Evans hit his 20th homer that inning, then
Hoffman came up with one out and runners at second and third. When Slaton went
3-and-0 on him, Ralph Houk gave Hoffman the green light, too. But Hoffman took
at 3-and-0, waited until 3-and-2 and, ripped his three-run homer off the light
tower. |
