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“DIARY OF A WINNER”
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THE CURSE OF
THE BAMBINO, PART 9 July 28, 1986 ... Al Nipper provided the perfect boost for his beleaguered teammates with a 3-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox before a Comiskey Park crowd of 28,714. Showing the old skills that seemed to vanish after a freak accident sidelined him, Nipper became the first pitcher other than Roger Clemens to post a victory for the Sox since July 10th. Nipper gave himself a lift by pitching a complete game and scattering seven hits. After an 0-3 record and a 8.04 earned run average in his last five starts, he came through in a game that manager John McNamara attached great importance to. Nipper (5-7) had to be at his best because Boston got only four hits off loser Floyd Bannister (5-8). But two of the hits were home runs, one by Don Baylor, and another by Dwight Evans. Baylor's two-run blast in the fourth inning provided his 11th game-winning RBI of the year. Baylor provided an early lead that Nipper and his teammates had no intention of letting slip away. Baylor said he was glad things worked out this time. Nipper threw 102 pitches and worked his way out of jams in the second and fifth innings. Even in the eighth, when Nipper gave up a run, he still seemed to be in charge. He had beguiling control of his pitches and command of the White Sox, who have lost eight games in a row and are sinking fast in the American League West. Not since Tim Lollar was an 8-7 winner on July 10th had anybody but Clemens won for the Red Sox. But Nipper said he was bound and determined to make the adjustments suggested by Fischer work. Nipper was especially pleased to win in Comiskey Park, the scene of some of his worst nightmares. Before last night, he had an 0-3 log here, with a 6.86 ERA, and had given up some of the longest home runs in memory in this park (at least two rooftop jobs). In the second inning, he gave up a pair of two-out singles to Wayne Tolleson and Tim Hulett. But then he came back from a 3-and-0 count to strike out Steve Lyons. Three innings later, the situation was more dangerous. Hulett had singled as leadoff man and moved to third on a base hit by Lyons. But with three straight contact hitters next, Nipper made it look easy. He got John Cangelosi and Ozzie Guillen on short fly balls. When Harold Baines grounded to second, Chicago's best chance to get back into the game had vanished. Ed Romero started at shortstop last night, replacing Rey Quinones, who has been bothered lately by a sore shoulder. Diving catches were everywhere. Jim Rice made a leaping lunge and hauled in a line drive by Greg Walker. Steve Lyons, playing left, returned the favor to his old teammates in the third inning, diving to his left to spear a drive by Romero. Al Nipper's complete game was his first since April 26 when he beat Kansas City. Carlton Fisk broke an 0-for-25 slump with a single in the fourth inning. Wade Boggs is 0 for his last 11, and 3 for 26 as his average has dipped to .348, his lowest since May 5th. |
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