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“DIARY OF A WINNER”
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THE CURSE OF
THE BAMBINO, PART 9 June 7, 1986 ... The Red Sox and Dennis Boyd were beaten, 3-0, by Ted Higuera and the Milwaukee Brewers. While the Can, who had a five-game winning streak snapped, fell to earth before 37,134 at County Stadium, Teodoro Valenzuela (no relation to Fernando) Higuera was masterful. Milwaukee's sophomore southpaw held the Sox to four hits and walked only one. It was only the third shutout pitched against the AL East leaders this year (Charlie Liebrandt and Bret Saberhagen have the other two), and the first since April 25. The 27-year-old Higuera is a rising star in the American League. Milwaukee's Mexican lefty entered last night's game with a 7-4 record and a 2.39 ERA. Red Sox manager John McNamara gave Rey Quinones and Rich Gedman the night off and had Ed Romero and Marc Sullivan batting eighth and ninth. The soft spots at the bottom of the order made Higuera's work easier. Boston's four hits were singles by Wade Boggs (.401), Jim Rice and Marty Barrett, and a Tony Armas double, but none of the Sox reached third base. The Can wasn't exactly chopped liver. He allowed only five hits and two walks in eight innings, but two of the hits were home runs by Rob Deer and Jim Gantner. Boston went down in order in the first. Rice led with a single to right in the second, but Don Baylor struck out, Dwight Evans flied to right and Armas (115 at bats, six RBIs) flied to center. The Can got the Brewers in order in the first. Ben Oglivie led with a single in the second, but rookie third baseman Dale Sveum (batting .375) hit a hot grounder to Bill Buckner at first. Buckner fired to Romero and Romero got it back to first where the Can took the throw as he slid into the bag. He slapped the infield dirt a few times in celebration, then struck out Deer. Boggs struck out to end the top of the third. It was only Boggs' 14th strikeout of the season (he had three opening day) and dropped his average to an even .400 (80-200). The Brewers tapped Boyd for a run in the fourth. Robin Yount led with a double to left center (Armas made a nice play cutting the ball off), took third on a grounder to second by Cecil Cooper, and scored on a grounder to second by Oglivie. Armas lined a one-out double to left in the third. It was his sixth extra- base hit of the season. But Romero and Sullivan went down feebly and the Sox were still scoreless. The Can fell into the trash compactor in the bottom of the fifth. Deer snapped his strikeout skein, crushing an 0-2 pitch 410 feet to straightaway center for a home run. It was Deer's 11th homer and the 14th allowed by Boyd (he leads the staff with 15). Boyd threw six straight balls after Deer's homer, prompting a visit from McNamara. After Sullivan caught Gantner stealing, No. 9 batter Charlie Moore walked. Mike Felder flied to right for the third out, but Boston trailed, 2-0, after five. Boggs went back over .400 with a one-out single in the sixth. After Bucker popped out, Rice walked and Baylor struck out swinging. The Sox went down in order in the seventh, and Milwaukee increased its lead to 3-0 when Ganter knocked a Boyd pitch over the right-field fence with two outs and nobody on in the bottom of the seventh. Higuera got stronger at the end. He didn't allow a baserunner after walking Rice in the sixth. He struck out Sullivan to open the eighth, retired Barrett on a fly to right and Boggs on a grounder to short. Buckner grounded to short to open the ninth, then Rice hit a monstrous shot to straightaway center. Yount tracked it down, made the grab, then held the ball as he crashed into the fence. Baylor grounded out to end it. Al Nipper starts throwing tomorrow. It's been three weeks since Larry Parrish accidentally butchered Nipper's right thigh in a home-plate collision, and the Sox righthander is ready to start working on his arm. |
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