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“DIARY OF A WINNER”
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THE CURSE OF
THE BAMBINO, PART 9 April 13, 1986 ... After a grueling week on the road, which ended with a 12-2 thrashing of the Chicago White Sox, the Red Sox will be eager to bring their power game to Fenway Park, where they know the elements and the faithful will be on their side. They were clearly the superior team today, pounding out 16 hits to record their third victory in four games, evening their record at 3-3. With luck, it could have been a 5-1 trip. Is this a fluke or a delicious glimpse of future months? In the six games, the Sox pounded out 63 hits, including 11 doubles and 7 home runs. Boston scored 44 runs in the six games, and the manner in which they assaulted Chicago pitchers should serve as a warning to American League teams that they're going to need a lot of runs against a lineup that doesn't appear to be have soft spots. Offensively, they were like tigers on a rampage. The bullpen was merely an afterthought, although Wes Gardner made his American League debut (1 inning, 1 hit, 1 run, 1 strikeout, no walks). Certainly, there was little pressure on him, as he came in with Boston leading, 11-1. And there was little if any pressure on starter Tim Lollar, who allowed only two hits in six innings. Lollar was ugly at times (seven walks), but the important thing is that he won. Lollar survived mainly because he was staked to a 5-0 lead in the third inning. A two-run single by Wade Boggs and a two-run homer by Jim Rice helped send White Sox starter Joe Cowley to the showers. Lollar left after throwing 100 pitches. Boston's lineup looked less than awesome on Saturday night, losing 3-1 to Tom Seaver. And Cowley, who had a 12-6 record with the Yankees last year, had never lost to Boston in five previous games (3-0). But in the third inning, he had the same kind of control problems that would later plague Lollar. He opened the floodgates by allowing a single to Marty Barrett and walks to Ed Romero and Dwight Evans. When Wade Boggs followed with a two-run single to left, the Red Sox had a lead they would never relinquish. A third run came in on a groundout by Bill Buckner. Then Rice finished Cowley's day with a two-run homer, and Boston could have mailed in the results of the final innings. The Red Sox scored twice in the fourth on singles by Romero, Evans and Boggs, and a sacrifice fly by Buckner. Boston got six hits and four runs in the fifth to take an 11-1 lead and added a run in the ninth. Marty Barrett gave Boston its first stolen base of the season in the third inning. McNamara is very high on Barrett, who is 9 for 24 in the first six games. Jim Rice's two-run homer in the third left him three short of the 700-extra-base-hit plateau. Wade Boggs picked up three more hits, giving him a total of 10 in the last five games. |
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