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“DIARY OF A WINNER”
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THE CURSE OF
THE BAMBINO, PART 9 September 2, 1986 ... Two things always seem to happen in games at Fenway Park. Home runs over the Green Monster and bases on balls. Both cropped up for the Sox and were the difference in an exciting 8-6 victory over the Texas Rangers. The win left the crowd of 20,699 emotionally drained, and increased the Red Sox lead over Toronto to 4 1/2 games in the American League East. Don Baylor hit the home run, over the left-field wall in the sixth inning, a two-run shot that erased a 5-3 Texas lead. Not only did it set the stage for Boston's fourth straight victory, and third straight in which it has come from behind, it saved starter Al Nipper from another embarrassing loss. Yet even that paled in comparison to a seventh-inning rally, capped by a two-run single with the bases loaded by second baseman Marty Barrett. His was the third of three quality at-bats in the inning, two of which resulted in walks by lefthander Mitch Williams to pinch hitter Dwight Evans and Wade Boggs. Boggs' duel with Williams created almost as much excitement as Barrett's hit. Williams threw 14 pitches and Boggs fouled off 10. Twice, Williams appeared to have Boggs struck out on breaking pitches, but the ball popped out of the glove of catcher Darrell Porter. More and more, Boston looks like a team that has no intention of yielding the first-place position it has held since May 15th. The second-place Blue Jays finally lost to Cleveland, 9-5. But the Red Sox again played like they didn't care who is pursuing them. For the third straight outing, Nipper didn't look good. He couldn't hold a 3-1 lead, and was buried in a four-run rally in the fourth inning when the Rangers sent up 10 batters. But the Red Sox caught up with right-hander Jose Guzman. In the third inning, two errors by shortstop Scott Fletcher and a mental mistake by outfielder Ruben Sierra allowed three unearned runs. That made it a lot easier for Boston to catch up in the sixth and go ahead in the seventh. Boston tied the game in sixth on three hits after Guzman retired the first man he faced. Singles by Bill Buckner and Jim Rice set the table for Baylor. Buckner wasn't on base for the homer, because he tested Sierra's arm and got thrown out at third. Undaunted, Baylor hit Guzman's first offering for his 27th home run of the year. It was the 14th time a Baylor home run has tied a game or put Boston ahead. In the seventh, Guzman left after facing only two batters. Ranger manager Bobby Valentine did not like the leadoff single to Rich Gedman. And even though Gedman was forced at second on a bunt by Dave Henderson, Valentine brought in lefthander Williams to face Spike Owen. Williams never faced Owen, however. McNamara sent up Dwight Evans as a pinch hitter, and he walked. Then came the Boggs at-bat, and after going 0 for 3 this season against Williams, Boggs walked, too. He threw his bat down in disgust at ball four, which had almost hit him in the head. That brought up Barrett, against right-hander Dale Mohorcic, who on Monday night had gotten him to hit into a double play to end a rally. Barrett dropped a suicide squeeze bunt, but the ball went foul. Then he stroked a single up the middle, scoring Henderson and pinch runner Ed Romer, and for all intents and purposes, the victory belonged to Boston. The Red Sox got an insurance run in the eighth, and Calvin Schiraldi earned his seventh save despite yielding a leadoff home run to Larry Parrish in the ninth. Don Baylor's home run was his fifth this year off Texas pitching and the 28th of his career against the Rangers. Of his 27 home runs, 14 this year have tied or given the Red Sox the lead. McNamara's Red Sox don't want a night off. Their bats are sizzling and they have no plans to slow down. |
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