THE CURSE OF THE BAMBINO, PART 9
"IT AIN'T OVER 'TIL IT'S OVER"...
It's 11 straight wins for the Sox

September 10, 1986 ... The Baltimore Orioles during a 9-4 loss to the Red Sox at Memorial Stadium, had a chance to knock out Roger Clemens in a four-run second. But the Sox rallied for three runs in the fifth inning, and the Red Sox were headed toward their 11th straight victory, their longest winning streak since 1977.

Clemens has won three times in the streak, and this was perhaps his worst outing of the bunch. He had worked seven innings each in beating Cleveland, 7-3, and Minnesota, 12-2. But tonight, he worked only six innings, retiring after struggling all night by throwing only 98 pitches. It was not a vintage Clemens outing.

Clemens (22-4) was given a 3-0 lead in the first inning, including two runs on a homer by Jim Rice, his 18th. But in the second Baltimore sent eight batters to the plate, scoring four times on three hits and two walks when Clemens had almost his earliest hook of the season.

The big hit of the inning was a two-run double by John Shelby, which erased a 3-2 Boston lead. Those would be the only runs allowed by Clemens, whose earned run average is now 2.62. He had six strikeouts, giving him a season total of 217.

For the ninth time in the last 10 games, the Red Sox stormed from behind to win. Boston chased Ken Dixon with a three-run fifth inning for its 37th come-from-behind victory of the season. Bill Buckner, who would hit a solo home run in the seventh inning, drove in the tying run with a single to right. Rice followed with another single for his 12th game winner of the year.

The winning rally started with one out and Wade Boggs on base. He moved to second on a walk and scored on Buckner's hit. Rice's hit drove in Barrett and sent Dixon to the showers. After reliever Odell Jones threw a wild pitch and walked Don Baylor to load the bases, Dwight Evans drove home the third run of the inning with a sacrifice fly.

The game was less than an inning old before Clemens and the Red Sox found themselves with a 3-0 lead as Dixon gave up hits to the first four men he faced.

Boggs opened the game with a single to left, but was caught stealing on a hit-and-run play. Then Marty Barrett and Buckner stroked singles to left, in almost exactly the same spot as Boggs' hit. After Buckner's hit, the Orioles showed some inept fielding. Jim Traber not only muffed the pickup in left center, but when he got the ball, he threw it off line to third in an effort to get Barrett. The ball bounced off the glove of cutoff man Cal Ripken and rolled past Floyd Rayford into the Orioles' dugout. Barrett scored and Buckner wound up on third. Dixon, obviously shaken by the turn of events, threw a lollypop to Rice, who promptly turned it into home run No. 18, which landed in the left-field seats.

Normally, three runs is enough for Clemens, but in the second inning he suffered through a 32-pitch nightmare that almost earned him his earliest exit of the year as the Orioles took a 4-3 lead. It all started with a walk to Eddie Murray. Singles by Larry Sheets and John Stefero produced a run. Rayford walked to load the bases, and Jackie Gutierrez drove in a second run with a grounder to second. Boston's one-run lead then vanished as Shelby drove a fastball to right for a double, scoring Stefero and Rayford. Sox manager John McNamara made a visit to the mound to calm Clemens down, and it paid off as he struck out Jim Dwyer to end the inning.

Clemens had an anxious moment in the third. With two out and a runner on first, he struck Traber in the left leg with a pitch. Traber rolled in the dirt for several moments, but stayed in the game. Stefero followed with a fly ball to end the inning.

By the fifth inning, Dixon seemed to be taking command. But all that changed quickly after he gave up a leadoff single to Spike Owen. Boston got a break when Ripken botched a double-play ball by Boggs, and Baltimore had to settle for a force out at second. Barrett had walked, and Buckner had stroked a single off Gutierrez' glove at second to tie the game. Earl Weaver, sensing the worse, went out to calm down his pitcher. Dixon did keep Rice in the park, but a solid single up the middle scored Barrett, and the Sox had a 5-4 lead. Jones replaced Dixon. Jones put himself in a hole by throwing a wild pitch, advancing the runners. Baylor was then walked intentionally, bringing up Evans, who just missed a grand slam but instead settled for a sacrifice fly, scoring Buckner.

Dave Henderson and Rich Gedman hit back-to-back homers, on back-to-back pitches, in the ninth inning off Jones.

Calvin Schiraldi finished up and picked up his eighth save.