THE CURSE OF THE BAMBINO, PART 9
"IT AIN'T OVER 'TIL IT'S OVER"...
Boyd and Stanley beat the Brewers

June 13, 1986 ... There were no dogs baying at the moon, no two runners occupying one base. No one was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. It was just another in a lengthening line of Red Sox victories at Fenway Park.

Oil Can Boyd wasn't sharp, but he hung around long enough to pick up his eighth victory as the American League East leaders extended their Fenway winning streak to nine with a 5-3 victory over Teddy Higuera and the suddenly estimable Milwaukee Brewers.

Boyd should toss a bouquet at the feet of Mr. Bob Stanley, who picked up his 11th save, retiring six straight in the eighth and ninth. Stanley threw 17 pitches, 15 for strikes. He already has one more save than he earned in the 1985 season.

It was touted as a rematch between two of the game's best young hurlers, only one of whom speaks English (Boyd). Milwaukee's Mexican lefty (8-5) came into the game leading the American League with a 2.18 ERA. He blanked the Red Sox in County Stadium last weekend, but gave up six hits and five walks in six innings last night as his ERA rose to 2.30, giving the lead to Roger Clemens (2.28).

Boyd was hit fairly hard. He arrived at the park less than an hour before the start and wound up allowing 10 hits and issuing two walks before leaving in the seventh. He threw 110 pitches but was good enough to raise his record to 8-4.

Boston led, 5-3, when Boyd departed. Tim Lollar got out of Boyd's jam in the seventh, but created another mess in the eighth. Stanley came in with two on and none out and retired the side in order. His most impressive pitch was a called third strike slider to .349 hitter Dale Sveum.

The Red Sox were outhit, 11-7, but had only one single and did a better job of bunching their hits. Bill Buckner staked the Can to a 1-0 lead, drilling a homer into the Milwaukee bullpen in the first.

The Brewers tied it with a run in the third when Rob Deer scored Ben Oglivie with a hard single off The Wall.

Boston broke the deadlock with two runs in the fourth. Jim Rice (two doubles, .476 in his last six games) drew a one-out walk and took second when Don Baylor was (what else?) hit by a pitch. It was the 13th time Baylor has been hit this year. He is within four of the Red Sox record (17 by Holy Cross' Jack Barry in 1916). Dwight Evans scored Rice with a double to right-center. Tony Armas (6 RBIs in 123 at-bats) muffed a chance for some RBIs by striking out with the runners on second and third, but Rich Gedman followed with a double to left-center, scoring Baylor.

The Can gave up three hits and two runs as the Brewers tied it in the fifth. Charlie Moore led off with a single to center, took third on a one-out single to left by Robin Yount, and scored when Cecil Cooper grounded to Buckner. Buckner tried to get Moore at the plate after tagging the first base bag, but his throw was late. Yount took second on Cooper's grounder and scored on an opposite-field single to left by Oglivie. Boyd fanned Ware's Billy Joe Robidoux (three hits) for the third out.

The Red Sox won it with two unearned runs in the fifth. Marty Barrett led off with a double to left but was erased at third when Wade Boggs (1 for 14, down to .381) hit a grounder back to Higuera. Boggs took third when Buckner's grounder bounced off Cooper's glove for an error. Rice smoked the next pitch to center, and the ball skipped past a diving Yount. Rice had a double, Buckner held at third, and Baylor was intentionally walked. Could they have intentionally hit him and saved Higuera three pitches?

Evans made it 5-3 with a sacrifice fly to right. Boyd, Lollar and Stanley made the lead hold up.

Boston's three other disabled pitchers were on hand. Al Nipper did some long tossing with a cast on his right leg, and Wes Gardner and Sammy Stewart also worked out.

Bill Buckner (ankle) and Rich Gedman (neck) were back in the lineup last night. Neither player was 100 percent healthy, but both said they felt good enough to play. Buckner felt good enough to hit his sixth homer in the first inning. It was Buckner's first 1986 homer against a left-handed pitcher.