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“DIARY OF A WINNER”
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THE CURSE OF
THE BAMBINO, PART 9 August 31, 1986 ... The 1986 Red Sox underscored their front-runner credibility with a pulsating, 4-3, come-from-behind victory over the Cleveland Indians in the final hours of August. Traditionally, the dawning of September has doubled as the eve of destruction for this fabled franchise, but the '86 Sox continue to renounce the sins of their elders. The opportunistic Sox scored three in the seventh, watched Calvin Schiraldi face five batters, with four strikeouts and rallied for the game-winner in the ninth when Cleveland outfielder Mel Hall was unable to snag Baylor's two-on, two-out flare to right field. Wade Boggs (two hits, .347) started the winning rally, singling up the middle on a 2-2 Frank Wills' pitch (after falling behind, 0- 2). Marty Barrett bunted Boggs to second, and Bill Buckner was intentionally walked to set up a force situation. Cleveland manager Pat Corrales yanked Wills in favor of Ernie Camacho. Camacho wanted the mound raked before he pitched. After the landscaping, Jim Rice lined the first pitch to left for out No. 2. Baylor was next. He has been a rally-killer since the All-Star break, but he snapped the skid with a first-pitch, sinking liner to right. Hall had just been moved from left to right due to some lineup juggling by Corrales. He broke late and the ball clanged off his glove as he dove to make the catch. The Chicken Man scored easily and 29,995 filed out of the yard convinced that this is the year. After Julio Franco's second-inning, three-run homer gave Cleveland a 3-0 lead, the sudden-death situation was created when Boston scored three unearned runs off Indian starter Scott Bailes in the seventh. Seconds after the seventh-inning stretch, Sox newcomer Dave Henderson led with a bloop, ground-rule double to right. McNamara let Marc Sullivan (.174) bat, and he struck out swinging on a 1-2 pitch. He was booed loudly. Henderson took third on a balk by Bailes, then stayed there when Spike Owen hit a chopper to first baseman Pat Tabler. Tabler was set to go home, but appeared confused when he saw Henderson holding at third. He bobbled the ball and didn't make a play anywhere. Henderson and Owen were safe at the corners. Boggs scored Henderson and advanced Owen with a chopper to second. Owen scored when Barrett drove a shot high off the wall. Bryan Oelkers replaced Bailes (113 pitches). You might remember Oelkers. He's the man who gave up 11 hits and nine runs in a mere 2 1/3 innings against the Red Sox on the night of the Lake Erie Slaughter (24-5, Aug. 21). An 0-2 Oelkers’ pitch hit Buckner in the chest, and Buckner started for the mound. Buckner was restrained, and Rice bolted from the on-deck circle to help restore order as the field filled with players from the dugouts and bullpens. The jawbone jam appeared to be over until Corrales stormed toward plate umpire Greg Kosc. Buckner started yelling at Corrales and Baylor broke toward the Cleveland manager. Tony Armas put a block on Baylor and Corrales kept trying to get at Kosc. Nobody was tossed and order was finally restored. Rice followed with a Walter Hriniak hitting clinic. Jim Ed fouled off three 1-2 pitches, then stung a low liner inside the first-base bag. Barrett scored, but Buckner was forced to hold at third when a fan reached over the wall and touched the ball. Decapitation might be in order for the brainless fan. Baylor tapped to the mound to end the weird inning, and it was on to the ninth. Schiraldi (11 batters, 8 strikeouts in two days) blew the Tribe away in the top of the ninth, retiring three straight, two on strikeouts. The first 6 1/2 innings were relatively sedate. Oil Can Boyd surrendered the three-run homer to Franco, then settled down before yielding to Schiraldi in the eighth. The Sox were treading water against Bailes until getting their breaks in the seventh and ninth. Today's Fenway thriller kept the Sox 3 1/2 games ahead of the white hot Toronto Blue Jays (7-5 winners over Minnesota) and discouraged the notion that these Sox will fold. |
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