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“DIARY OF A WINNER”
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THE CURSE OF
THE BAMBINO, PART 9 April 20, 1986 ... The Red Sox slashed to a 6-2 victory over the moribund White Sox at Fenway Park for thier fourth straight win featuring none of the come-from-behind theatrics of Friday and Saturday. And for the first time since last Monday's home opener, the Sox starter failed to pitch a complete game. The locals have won seven of 10, have allowed two or fewer runs in eight of those 10 games, lead the league with a 2.62 earned- run average, and managed to sweep three from Chicago without hitting a home run. Mike Brown was the day's designated Sox stopper. Still enraged by his late spring demotion, Brown hurled seven innings of five- hit, one-walk baseball. It was his first outing since an 8-1 victory over the Toledo Mud Hens on April 13th. After getting a four-run cushion in the second, Brown gave up solo homers to Harold Baines in the fourth and Ron Kittle in the seventh. He threw 99 pitches in seven innings, then told McNamara he was tired. Bob Stanley mopped up and that's another story. The much-maligned bullpen gang is getting a little testy about its scapegoat status, and ringleader Stanley wanted to turn the beat around. Stanley was booed when he came on in the eighth, and it got louder when he surrendered singles to the first two batters he faced. Then he retired fleet John Cangelosi on a double play grounder and got Wayne Tolleson on a harmless fly. The Steamer got the White Sox in order in the ninth to nail down the victory. The down-swinging Sox batters, meanwhile, cracked 13 hits but squandered several opportunities to blow the game open. Aided by some brutal White Sox glove work, the "new" slash-and- dash Red Sox pushed across four runs in the second. Facing lefty Floyd Bannister, Jim Rice (.196) started the rally with a lead-off grounder to third. Tolleson's throw drew Bobby Bonilla off the bag and a sliding Rice was safe. Rice was erased on a Don Baylor (.229) force-out grounder. Baylor moved to third on a groaning ground-ball single to right by Tony Armas (.239). Red-hot Marty Barrett (three hits, .395) followed with a sharp single to right to make it 1-0. Ed Romero (two hits) was next and banged a double off the wall. Carlton Fisk dropped the rebound (Chicago's second error of the inning), allowing Barrett to score behind Armas. Romero made it all the way to third, then scored on Wade Boggs' two-out single off the glove of Bannister. Barrett and Romero (who combined to get on base seven times in eight trips) got things going again in the fifth. Barrett led with a wall double off Neil Allen. Romero moved Barrett to third with a bloop single to right. Romero took second on a wild pitch. After Marc Sullivan fanned, Dwight Evans hit a long fly to right. Harold Baines caught the ball, put his head down, and started trotting in. Baines had lost track of time. There was only one out. Barrett scored and Romero moved to third. Tony LaRussa yanked Allen in favor of lefty Juan Agosto. Agosto walked Boggs, then surrendered a line single to right by Bill Buckner. Romero scored, Boggs moved to second, and LaRussa pulled Agosto and summoned Bill Dawley. Dawley went the rest of the way, but it was too late to save the sleeping White Sox. Mike Brown won his first big league game since May 2, 1984. He pitched seven innings of five-hit, one-walk ball, striking out three and giving up two solo home runs. The Red Sox have hit only two home runs in the six games at home (one by Marty Barrett). They have 37 hits in 50 Fenway innings. The Sox have fanned only 41 times, fewest in the American League. Tony Armas, however, has struck out 14 times in 46 at bats. He has only one walk, one RBI and no homers. Jim Rice has whiffed only twice all season. Dwight Evans had his third assist of the young season. Mike Greenwell went 3 for 5 with a two-run homer in Pawtucket's 6-4 victory over Toledo. Calvin Schiraldi pitched the last two innings. Sam Horn hit his first home run in a 6-0 New Britain victory at Pittsfield. |
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