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“DIARY OF A WINNER”
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THE CURSE OF
THE BAMBINO, PART 9 May 8, 1986 ... For six innings, the Red Sox were models of futility in clutch situations. With runners in scoring position, they had gone 0 for 13, helping Seattle take a 2-0 lead. And it seemed that the Mariners were on their way to their first victory in five games, a farewell tribute to departed manager Chuck Cottier, who had been fired earlier in the day. But the staggering Sox offense erupted in the seventh inning, a surge capped by Marty Barrett's two-run triple that produced a 4-2 victory and a sweep of this two-game series. That gave Boston starter Mike Brown his second victory in as many decisions and ruined the debut of interim Seattle manager Marty Martinez. The belated revival began with four straight singles off loser Mike Morgan (2-3), who had been stingy at all the right times until then, stranding eight runners. Morgan left with the game tied, 2-2, and the second reliever in the inning, Karl Best, surrendered the decisive hit to Barrett with two outs. Best replaced Matt Young, who had retired the only batter he faced, Rich Gedman, on a liner. Jim Rice drove in the first run with a single, following base hits by Boggs (3 for 4) and Bill Buckner. Don Baylor, who had been mired in a 3-for-27 skid, followed with the game-tying single. Barrett then produced the hit the Sox needed to complete their first series sweep here since August 1982. Brown left in the eighth after surrendering five hits and notching a career high of eight strikeouts. Joe Sambito and Bob Stanley (save No. 5) finished up. The Sox began their self-destructive habits immediately as Dwight Evans' leadoff double in the first was wasted. Seattle took a 1-0 lead against Brown in the bottom of the inning when Spike Owen tripled, Phil Bradley walked and Buckner botched a double-play to first. Boston had runners in both the second and third but failed to score. Gedman doubled with one out in the second but didn't advance. In the third, Evans singled with one out and Boggs walked. But Buckner hit into a force play and Rice struck out for the second straight time with men in scoring position. Seattle had a chance to boost its lead in the third after Bradley walked and moved to third on Davis' hit-and-run single past short. But this time the Mariners got too aggressive for their own good. Davis was thrown out trying to steal as Gorman Thomas struck out, and Ivan Calderon also fanned. In the fourth, the Sox squandered yet another opportunity. Baylor singled and Gedman reached on an error. But after a sacrifice by Barrett, Morgan fanned Steve Lyons and Ed Romero. Danny Tartabull's homer leading off the bottom of the inning boosted Seattle's lead to 2-0. Then the Red Sox' frustrations were compounded until they finally got to Morgan. In the fifth, Evans walked and Boggs singled him to second. But the rally died as Buckner hit into a double play and Rice grounded to second. And in the sixth, the Sox had runners at second and third, but not for long as Gedman got caught in a rundown at third on Lyons' one-hopper back to the box and Romero grounded to short. But the drought finally ended in the seventh, and the Sox' winning ways continued as they headed for Oakland and a three-game weekend series. Jim Rice's hot streak (13 of 14 games, 24 for 63, .381) boosted his average from .196 to .303. Rice needs four hits for 2,000 in his career. Wade Boggs went 3 for 4 and raised his average to .376. |
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