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THE CURSE OF
THE BAMBINO, PART 9
"IT AIN'T OVER 'TIL IT'S OVER"...
The Sox get nipped by
the Tigers
April 21, 1986 ... The
Red Sox saw a four-game winning streak go down the drain on a day
when they should have lit up the sky. What started as a festive
morning, one more important in Boston than the Fourth of July, wound
up in another disappointing Patriots Day defeat, this one 5-4 at the
hands of the Detroit Tigers.
Starting
pitching had carried Boston during the streak, and the Sox seemed to be
developing a knack for pulling out the close games. As the noise of five
airplanes, three helicopters and the Fuji blimp filled the air, it seemed only a
matter of time before Boston bats would eradicate a 4- 0 Tiger lead that had
been established after 4 1/2 innings.
But not even
a 10-hit assault that included home runs by Wade Boggs and Jim Rice was enough
firepower to overcome the Tigers, who beat the Red Sox by a single run for the
third time this season in four games. Ironically, today's loser was Al Nipper,
who owns the only '86 victory over Detroit.
Through a
combination of bloop hits and bad luck, Nipper (1-2) fell behind in the first
inning and never caught up. He gave two more runs in the fifth on three hits,
and in the seventh, Darnell Coles won a battle with him and stroked a 3-2 fast
ball for a home run.
But in
glorious hindsight, Nipper was no more at fault than a Boston lineup that
stranded 12 men and had base runners in every inning. Both home runs were solo
shots. Time after time, the Sox let winner Walt Terrell (2-1) off the hook. The
Red Sox are not yet running on all cylinders, and their 7-6 record reflects it.
Consistency
is still an individual thing with the Red Sox at this point, and therein lies
the problem. Nipper had good stuff yesterday, but found out early that sometimes
this is not enough. Nipper didn't think it was nice in the first inning when a
leadoff double to Dave Collins started a two-run inning. The ball struck the
rarely touched ladder on The Wall. Sure enough, the run scored one out later on
an excuse-me checked-swing single to left by Lou Whitaker. After Kirk Gibson
reached on a Bill Buckner error, Whitaker scored on a bloop single by Lance
Parrish.
Alan
Trammell, who got a triple off The Wall in the fifth, scored on a base hit to
left by Collins, who has no doubt how Nipper feels about him. Collins, who
scored the second run in the fourth, had run afoul of Nipper's temper in the
second when he was hit by a pitch, and then challenged by the Red Sox
right-hander. But Nipper said he had no complaints about Coles' home run. Coles
fouled off six pitches before hitting a 3-2 offering to the right of the speaker
in straightaway center field.
Boston's
lineup, particularly the 3-4-5-6 slots, has been anything but consistent. Rice
had three hits for the first time this season, as did Rich Gedman. But Rice
insisted that the game cannot be measured by the numbers alone.
Right-hander
Wes Gardner, who went on the 15-day disabled list a week ago, threw lightly for
five minutes on the sidelines. If he has no pain today and makes normal
progress, he might be able to throw off the mound.
Jim Rice
could recall only one other line drive striking the ladder on the left-field
wall, as Collins' first-inning double did. |
