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“DIARY OF A WINNER”
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THE CURSE OF
THE BAMBINO, PART 9 April 8, 1986 ... No game scheduled April 9, 1986 ... The second straight 6-5 loss to the Detroit Tigers was another reminder of why it was no accident that the Red Sox finished with an 81-81 record in 1985, hopelessly out of contention in the American League East, last season. This one took 10 innings, but the script was all too familiar as the Boston bullpen twice failed to hold leads after the seventh inning. Joe Sambito was unlucky as he tried to protect a 4-2 lead for Oil Can Boyd. But he was only partially responsible for the fact that the Tigers were able to rally. Detroit did its most productive work and won the game by pounding veterans Bob Stanley and Steve Crawford, who have been specifically designated as short men. Sambito was unlucky in the sense that Lou Whitaker reached base in the eighth on an error by shortstop Glenn Hoffman with one out, and scored easily on a wild pitch and a double to left-center by Kirk Gibson. But Stanley, who had been brilliant in spring training (1.00 ERA in 11 appearances), saw his best efforts melt under pressure from the sizzling Tigers, who have now followed six victories in nine meetings against the Sox in spring training with two straight victories when it counts. Stanley got two ground balls in the eighth. But one by Lance Parrish went through for a single to left, with Kirk Gibson stopping at third. Then Darrell Evans continued his prodigious afternoon (4 for 5, two homers, three runs, four RBIs) by lifting one of Stanley's sinkers for a single to center, tying the score, 4-4. By the bottom of the 10th, Stanley found himself assigned to protect a 5-4 lead. Boston had scored with two outs on a walk to Hoffman and singles by Dwight Evans and Wade Boggs off Tiger relief ace Willie Hernandez. But for the third time in two games, the Sox were unable to apply the finishing touch. A single by Gibson and a walk to Parrish prompted Sox manager John McNamara to call for Crawford. It proved a mistake as Crawford allowed two singles that made both Stanley and the Red Sox losers. Darrell Evans greeted Crawford with a single, scoring Gibson and tying the game, 5-5. Detroit loaded the bases with one out and squandered one bid when Chet Lemon hit into a force play at the plate. But when Dave Bergman followed by hitting the first pitch he saw from Crawford for a single to right, scoring Evans, the Sox found themselves 0-2 in a season in which they'd done practically everything right. McNamara didn't appear angry, as had been the case Monday. He had played his hand as the cards dictated, and gotten beat. Boyd had given him seven innings of five-hit, two-run ball. Sambito should have retired two of the three lefties he faced, and Stanley and Crawford should have justified McNamara's decision to leave rookie Wes Gardner in the bullpen. It didn't work out that way. Red Sox hitters aren't about to apologize for pounding 25 hits off Tiger pitching in two games. But Wade Boggs, who came out of an 0-for-5 start with four hits, including a two-run homer and the go- ahead single in the 10th, almost did. Kirk Gibson was the only man in the park who didn't see the flamboyant Red Sox right-hander perform his act. Boyd gave up a first-inning double to the red-hot Tiger right fielder. But he came back with strikeouts in the third and sixth innings, which explains why Gibson is only 7 for 9 this season. Boyd's first strikeout of Gibson came with two out and cut off a Tiger rally. As promised, Boyd strutted and pumped, which he insisted again was his own way of blowing off steam. Gibson added that his only regret is that he didn't get to face Boyd one more time. Boyd was lifted after seven innings. Boyd is now 0-4 in six starts at Tiger Stadium. |
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