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WADE BOGGS' RECORD
BREAKING YEAR June 15, 1985 ... Today’s script for the Red Sox 7-5 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays again called for the pure application of a winning formula that has given them 12 victories in their last 13 games and moved them within 4 1/2 games of first place in the AL East. The Sox squandered a 5-1 lead in the top of the eighth inning, only to come back and win with two runs in the bottom half. Small wonder, John McNamara's club has now won 15 of its last 17 games. Although Bob Stanley's first inning of relief was no bargain (three hits, two runs, a wild pitch), compared with the Toronto bullpen, which came to town boasting the best depth in the American League, he looked like Cy Young. For the second time in three days, the Sox tore apart Toronto's best. Jim Acker (3-1) gave up a walk and a single and wound up the loser. But the real enigma is Gary Lavelle, who failed for the second straight outing, walking three batters in the eighth and showed once again that big National League reputation means nothing for a left-hander who never pitched in Fenway Park. Lavelle, took over for Acker in the eighth after Wade Boggs walked and Jim Rice singled. Bill Buckner sacrificed the runners, then Lavelle struck out Mike Easler. But after an intentional walk to Dwight Evans to load the bases, he threw four straight balls to Rich Gedman, forcing in what was the winning run. Then Marty Barrett worked Lavelle for a walk on a 3-2 pitch for a two-run lead and the crowd of 35,664 knew they were going home happy. Bobby Ojeda, who pitched seven strong innings (8 hits, 3 runs, 6 strikeouts), was not upset about the turn of events that cost him a victory. The Red Sox seemingly had this one wrapped up after seven. Easler had broken a scoreless tie in the fifth inning with a home run, his eighth of the year, off Blue Jays starter Doyle Alexander. But Toronto got that one back in the sixth inning. Lloyd Moseby walked and came around to score on singles by George Bell and Jesse Barfield, who took second on the throw. After an intentional walk to Jeff Burroughs loaded the bases, Ojeda struck out Willie Upshaw and Buck Martinez. In the next two innings, Boston moved ahead, 5-1. In the sixth, Glenn Hoffman, on a tear as a starter, surprised the Jays with a leadoff bunt single. He moved to second on a groundout by Boggs, and scored on a base hit to center by Rice. Moseby's throw home was on line, but the ball took an extremely high hop, and when it came down, Hoffman was sliding across the plate. The Sox scored three more runs in the seventh for a 5-1 lead, all after two were out. Gedman and Barrett singled, and Hoffman barely missed getting a home run on a drive to left that bounced off the wall for a triple. Hoffman then scored on a bunt single by Steve Lyons. Then Toronto turned it on against Ojeda and Stanley. A home run by Bell, his 12th, made it 5-2. When Barfield singled, Stanley took over and made a great fielding play for a forceout at second on pinch hitter Len Matuszek. But singles by Upshaw and Whitt produced a third run, and they took second and third on Stanley's wild pitch. A sacrifice fly by pinch hitter Rance Mulliniks scored Upshaw, and Whitt scored the fifth Blue Jays' run on a base hit by Tony Fernandez. Jim Rice was involved in an unusual double play in the first inning after hitting sharply back to the mound. Both he and Wade Boggs, who had doubled, were caught in rundowns, and both were tagged out by the same man - second baseman Damaso Garcia. |
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