October 7, 1986 ...
All the fond hopes for an inspirational victory by Roger Clemens and
a fast start by the Red Sox were dashed in the second inning of an
8-1 California victory. Suddenly, emphatically, the entire complexion
of the best-of-seven American League Championship Series has changed.
The Angels have the momentum that most of the 32,993 at Fenway Park
assumed would belong to the Red Sox.
Clemens, a shoo-in for the AL Cy Young Award, figured to
have a tough time against California's Mike Witt. But he dug an early grave for
himself by giving up four runs in a startling 45-pitch inning, the second, and
the Red Sox simply couldn't climb out of it.
The reason they couldn't was Witt, who was everything
Clemens was expected to be last night, and more. The 6-foot-7-inch California
right-hander had a no-hitter for five innings and faced the minimum of 17
batters before giving up a two-out walk to Spike Owen and an infield single to
Wade Boggs in the sixth. Marty Barrett then spoiled Witt's shutout bid with a
single to right, scoring Owen.
Witt used only 116 pitches and gave up but five hits. He
was in command and had Red Sox hitters going after his pitch after the first
inning, and Boston's last three hits came much too late to do any damage.
Clemens was making his first start since last Wednesday
when he suffered an elbow injury on a line drive. Tonight he threw a fastball of
90-plus miles an hour, as usual. But his control was off, and in the second
inning, he walked two batters with two out, then paid the price that usually
goes with such charity.
After walks to Bob Boone and Gary Pettis, the No. 8 and No.
9 hitters in the order, Clemens gave up an RBI single to Ruppert Jones, a
run-scoring double to rookie star Wally Joyner and a two- run single to Brian
Downing. It matched his worst inning of the year and neither Clemens nor the Red
Sox could recover from such an untimely lapse.
Clemens may have been unlucky in the second. Larry Barnett
was the plate umpire, and chances are he will never ever endear himself to
Boston fans. Clemens refused to say he was squeezed on a couple of pitches
during the duels that turned into walks. He had no comment on a 1-2 pitch to
Downing that became controversial because the Angel left fielder suggested that
Barnett might have missed a called third strike that would have gotten Clemens
out of the inning trailing, 2-0. After giving up the double to Joyner, Clemens
got ahead of Downing, 0 and 2. The count eventually went to 3-2, and Downing
drilled a two-run single to left. But he didn't seem to be all that proud of it.
Witt didn't have any such problems. He lost both his
no-hitter and shutout in the sixth, but said both were in the back of his mind
at that point in what to him was still a close game.
Mauch said he was happy that Witt came through with the
kind of pitching he'd come to expect from his ace right-hander. But the impact
of this victory could have transcended one game, because the Angels believe that
it's up to Clemens to keep the momentum in the Red Sox clubhouse.
