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“DIARY OF A WINNER”
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THE CURSE OF
THE BAMBINO, PART 9 September 14, 1986 ... Nobody should lose any sleep over Boston's 11-5 loss that did little to change what is left of a race in the American League East. The Red Sox left town with the same nine-game lead they built with an 11-game winning streak, only now there are two teams tied for second place. But by losing for the second straight day to the Yankees, it is still worth noting that their rivalry continues to serve as a barometer of where the Red Sox should be, and what areas they are capable of stumbling in. By the last week of the season, for instance, the Red Sox should have a clue as to why righthander Al Nipper took a step backward today after a strong outing just last Tuesday in Baltimore. Nipper was given a 3-0 lead in the first inning, then gave back five runs in the next two innings and suffered his 10th loss. Sammy Stewart was hammered in relief for the second straight day, and Steve Crawford and Joe Sambito got bounced around, too. It was another reminder that one of the byproducts of the 11-game winning streak is a rusty bullpen. The Red Sox looked worn out. For the second straight game, they played poorly, and despite collecting 11 hits, including home runs by Jim Rice, Bill Buckner and rookie Pat Dodson, they didn't really present a challenge to the Yankees, who continue to make noises about how tenuous Boston's cushion is. The Yankees insist that, with a little luck, they could be in the same position. Nipper (9-10) had that in mind, but he fell into his old habit of making bad pitches and lacking tenacity with a lead. Every time Nipper feels his old problems are behind him, it seems, they appear again. Rice's 20th home run of the year in the first inning had given Boston a 3-0 lead. But the first sign of trouble came in the bottom of the inning when Nipper had to catch a foul popup that catcher Rich Gedman couldn't find. Things went downhill. After a two-out walk to Dan Pasqua, Easler hit a two-run homer on a knuckleball. New York scored three runs in the second inning to send Nipper to the showers, and two more in the fourth off Stewart on a pair of home runs. Such is life for Nipper, who knows better than anyone that there is a limit to manager John McNamara's patience, and he is nearing it. He didn't have to take all the blame. His teammates had chances to chase Yankee starter Ron Guidry (8-10) in the second, third, fourth and fifth innings, and failed to deliver. With Boston trailing, 5-3, Stewart gave up solo home runs to Rickey Henderson (his 26th) and Pasqua in the fourth. In the sixth, Don Mattingly singled off Crawford with one out, moved to third on a Pasqua double and scored on an infield out. Sambito gave up three runs on a bases-loaded double by Wayne Tolleson in the eighth inning, sending most in the crowd of 51,461 home in a happy mood. Red Sox rookie Pat Dodson, batting for Ed Romero in the eighth inning, belted a pinch-hit home run. Romero played shortstop in place of Spike Owen, who was scratched after waking up with stiffness in his right shoulder and neck area. Owen, who was crunched on Saturday in a collision with Jim Rice and the left-field fence, said all the areas that hadn't been hurting on Saturday were bothering him. Bill Buckner reached the 100-RBI mark with his seventh-inning solo homer. Jim Rice reached the 20-homer plateau for the fifth year in a row, the 11th year overall. He has 26 RBIs in the last 18 games. Wade Boggs' leadoff double in the first inning extended his hitting streak to 16 games. Boggs also walked once, giving him 98 for the season, tops in the American League. |
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