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THE CURSE OF
THE BAMBINO, PART 9
"IT AIN'T OVER 'TIL IT'S OVER"...
The Orioles rally for
a 10th inning win
September 30, 1986
... The Orioles survived a 13-hit attack by the Red Sox
and pulled out a 6-3 victory in 10 innings, ending a three-game Boston winning
streak. This was not the kind of night the 26,339 who came to Fenway Park
envisioned. They settled back to watch Wade Boggs go for the batting title, and
he responded with a 4-for-4 performance, boosting his mark to .358.
They were thoroughly enjoying
Jeff Sellers as he mowed down the last-place
Orioles and nursed a 3-1 lead into the seventh
inning. Sellers retired 11 of 12 batters after a
third-inning home run by Rick Dempsey, and the only
man to reach base (Eddie Murray) was wiped out in a
double play.
But after six innings, designated hitter Don Baylor was the
only Red Sox regular around. And after Sellers wilted in the seventh, and was
charged with two runs, the Red Sox fielded a lineup of reserves. The end result
was that righthanders Ken Dixon, Rich Bordi and Don Aase were able to survive
until the Orioles scored three runs in the 10th. Maybe it was a meaningless win.
But it means something to somebody.
Both Steve Crawford and Calvin Schiraldi were hit hard. But
after two runs in the seventh, they kept the Orioles off the scoreboard until
the 10th. In the tenth, after a groundout, the Orioles started their rally with
singles by John Stefero and Juan Beniquez. Stefero's hit was a one-hopper that
just eluded Stanley's glove. Ripken's double off the wall in left-center scored
Stefero and sent Beniquez to third. Murray was given an intentional walk and
Mike Young nailed a two- run single to center.
The boo birds returned and were all over Stanley again.
In the eighth, with two on and one out, Ed Romero hit into
a double play. In the ninth with two out, Baylor was hit by a pitch for the 33d
time this year and Mike Greenwell beat out an infield single. But Dave Henderson
struck out and Boston had squandered its last chance.
Wade Boggs helped the Red Sox reach another milestone with
a double in the second inning. It was the 311th double of the year, breaking the
team record set in 1979.
When Jeff Sellers struck out his third batter of the game
in the third inning, it gave the Boston pitching staff 1,000 strikeouts for the
fifth time.
The Sox topped the 2 million mark in home attendance. They
drew 26,399 for a season total of 2,020,387. This is their fourth time over 2
million. |
