THE CURSE OF THE BAMBINO, PART 9
"IT AIN'T OVER 'TIL IT'S OVER"...
A comedy of errors gives the Sox a win

May 18, 1986 ... The Red Sox beat the Rangers, 5-4, on Marty Barrett's 10th-inning double, coupled with George Wright's throwing error. But let the record show that there were plenty of other horrors and highlights before the final folly.

Start with the ghastly scene of Sox starter Al Nipper writhing in the dirt after refusing to yield home plate to Larry Parrish. Nipper's right knee was torn up as he tumbled and tagged Parrish out. Home plate was a hard-hat area for the rest of the day.

Texas pitchers walked 13 batters, but none scored. The Sox were inventing new ways to leave men on base and appeared certain to tumble into second place when Pete O'Brien scored the go-ahead run by knocking the ball from Rich Gedman on a play at home in the top of the 10th. Instead, the O'Brien-Gedman collision merely set the stage for Boston's weird winning rally.

The Sox trailed, 4-3, when Ed Romero led off the bottom of the 10th with a harmless fly to left. Lyons was next, and he'd been brutal all afternoon. He'd bobbled a single for an error, overthrew a cutoff man, botched a bunt attempt, and got picked off while going 0 for 3 in the first nine innings. Making a nice effort toward redemption, Lyons singled sharply to center off Texas reliever Greg Harris. It was only the beginning.

Lyons took second on Harris' errant picked throw, then waited for Barrett to do something. Boston's second baseman had helped force overtime when he led off the ninth with a sun-drenched double to George Wright in right. Barrett scored on a double off The Wall by Wade Boggs.

In the 10th, Barrett went to Wright (right) again. It was another dying flare down the line. Texas' capable right fielder raced to the foul stripe, dove, and momentarily gloved the soft liner. The ball came loose when Wright's glove hit the ground and then the fun started. It looked as if Barrett was sliding into a mirror at second base. As Barrett slid in, Lyons was sliding into second from the third-base side. That's correct. The Red Sox had two men on second base at the same instant. Like everyone else in the park, Wright was confused. He'd gathered the ball and was preparing to throw it home when he saw two men on second base. He started running toward second with the ball. When Lyons broke for third, Wright threw on the run. His throw skipped to the left of third baseman Steve Buechele. Harris had sprinted to back up third, but the ball scooted between his legs and into the Ranger dugout. Both Sox were awarded home plate (Barrett was still on second, and was awarded two bases on a ball in the dugout).

The Sox were winners, the Rangers were stunned, and most of the 26,572 thought they'd suffered sunstroke.

The early scoring was relatively mundane. Buechele homered into the screen in the second to give Texas a 1-0 lead, but Don Baylor tied it with a leadoff shot over the screen in the bottom of the inning against Texas starter Edwin Correa.

The Rangers regained the lead with an unearned run in the third. With some help from Lyons, O'Brien scored Gary Ward with a single to center. Texas made it 3-1 in the sixth when Darrell Porter led with a single to left, and scored on Parrish's pool-cue double to right. Parrish took third on the throw home, setting up Nipper's nightmare.

With the count 1-and-1 on Toby Harrah, Nipper uncorked a wild throw, high and inside. Gedman retrieved the rebound near the backstop as Nipper and Parrish raced toward home. Gedman's throw was in time. Still moving, Nipper made the catch and went down on his right knee to tag Parrish. The Texas strongman was sliding and his lead foot caught Nipper's right knee as it hit the ground. Nipper made the tag, tumbled over Parrish, and writhed in pain as home plate umpire Drew Coble called Parrish out. Nipper was carried from the field and replaced by Sammy Stewart. Before the day was over, Joe Sambito and Bob Stanley were summoned (Stanley picked up the win).

The Sox got one back in the bottom of the sixth, but should have scored more. They started the inning with a double, two singles and a walk and scored only once. Boggs led with a double off The Wall, then scored on a single to center by Bill Buckner. Buckner took second when Boggs beat Oddibe McDowell's strong throw to the plate, then limped into the dugout. Jim Rice followed with a sharp single to right. Third base coach Rene Lachemann waved Buckner around third even though there were no outs. Wright's throw beat Buckner and the Sox first baseman attempted to jar the ball loose from Porter. No chance. Porter still had the ball after he was flattened by Buckner's block.

Baylor walked, Tony Armas flied to right, and Gedman struck out to end the inning. The Sox left two more in the seventh, and left the bases loaded in the eighth and ninth.

Al Nipper suffered a deep laceration above his right. Sox team physician Arthur Pappas, who operated on Nipper tonight at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester, estimates that Nipper won't pitch again until July. The operation lasted approximately 75 minutes. He'll be allowed to start rehabilitation immediately, and but his knee will be in a cast when he leaves the hospital.

Rich Gedman struck out four times and stranded five runners. He also allowed Pete O'Brien to knock the ball loose when O'Brien scored on Paciorek's pinch double in the 10th. Gedman's error would have resulted in defeat if not for Marty Barrett's strange tour around the bases in the bottom of the 10th.

Dwight Evans didn't start because a pulled left hamstring. He pinch hit for Rey (three walks) Quinones with the bases loaded in the eighth, but struck out.