The Angels come back to tie it in
the 9th
and then win in the 11th with a walk-off hit
October 11, 1986 ...
Calvin Schiraldi was one strike away from beating the Angels and
tying the American League Championship Series at two games each. And
somehow one slow breaking ball got away, hit California's Brian
Downing and unraveled a night the Red Sox had owned. Bobby Grich's
single in the 11th inning was the final blow in the 4-3 Angel
victory, but this game began to end with two out and the bases full
in the ninth. Schiraldi and everybody watching across the country
knew that.
Roger Clemens carried a five-hitter and a 3-0 lead into the
ninth, when the Angels struck. Doug DeCinces launched a solo homer leading off.
With one out, Dick Schofield and Bob Boone followed with back-to-back singles,
at which point Clemens was relieved by Calvin Schiraldi.
But Schiraldi couldn't nail down the decision for his
fellow Texan. The young Sox closer surrendered a run-scoring double to Gary
Pettis that pulled California within a run and left runners on second and third.
He issued an intentional walk to Ruppert Jones, loading the bases, and was on
the verge of victory after striking out Bobby Grich. But after getting two
strikes on Brian Downing, Schiraldi hit the California left fielder in the thigh
with a pitch as the tying run trotted home. Schiraldi did protect the tie by
getting Reggie Jackson to ground to second.
The late dramatics overshadowed some vintage work by
Clemens, who had been hammered, 8-1, in the series opener Tuesday night. He
struck out nine and seemed to be in command after Bill Buckner ended a 1-for-15
playoff slump and snapped a scoreless duel with a run- scoring single off Don
Sutton in the sixth.
The Sox built the lead to 3-0 in the eighth on an RBI
single by Marty Barrett and second baseman Grich's two-base, run-scoring error.
But an inning later, Clemens and the lead were gone.
After the Red Sox took the lead, Clemens went to his power
game. After striking out Pettis to end the seventh, leaving a runner stranded at
second, he leaped and pumped his arm in celebration. He had to survive another
predicament in the eighth, when he stranded another runner on second. He had
nothing to celebrate in the ninth.
In the first three innings, Sutton's pitching dominated. He
retired nine batters in a row, and only two balls got out of the infield. Sutton
was particularly effective in mixing up his pitches, as he showed in striking
out Don Baylor and Tony Armas.
Clemens started fast, striking out three of the first four
men he faced. But on a 3-2 pitch, he gave up a ground single to right to
DeCinces. But George Hendrick, who replaced the hospitalized Wally Joyner
(bacterial infection) at first base, grounded to third, and Schofield became
Clemens' fourth strikeout victim, ending the second.
Clemens gave up his second hit with one out in the third.
Pettis was jammed with a fastball, but he hit a flare over shortstop Spike
Owen's head for a single. The Angels tried to manufacture a run and had Pettis
poised to steal. Sox catcher Rich Gedman called a pitchout with the count 1-0,
and then got a high fastball on a 2-0 pitch. Pettis took off and was thrown out
at second. Jones walked, but Clemens made Bobby Grich his sixth strikeout victim
of the first three innings.
Leading off the fourth, Wade Boggs got the first hit off
Sutton, a double to right-center, and was sacrificed to third by Barrett. But
the Red Sox couldn't get him home as Sutton came up with the right pitches at
the right time. Buckner, who was 1 for 14 in the series, flied to short right,
and Boggs had no chance to score after the catch. Jim Rice lined to short for
the third out.
In the bottom of the fourth, it was Clemens' turn to sweat
as the Angels put two runners on with one out. Downing worked him for a walk,
and after Jackson flied out deep to center, Downing reached second on an error
by Spike Owen. DeCinces hit a chopper to short, and Owen rushed his throw to
Barrett, who dropped it at second. Clemens took care of the mess, getting
Hendrick to ground to Owen, who started a double play.
In the fifth, Clemens had another close call. His troubles
began with two out as Pettis stroked his second hit of the night, a single past
short. The threat of Pettis stealing affected Clemens as he worked to Jones, who
walked on a 3-1 pitch. With Grich at bat, Pettis had third base stolen, but
Grich fouled off a pitch. Then Grich grounded to short, a ball that Clemens
lunged for, and the threat was over.
The Sox finally broke the ice in the sixth, with Buckner
coming through in the clutch. Armas, who was 1 for 12 in the series to that
point, singled to center and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Owen. Armas
advanced to third on a groundout by Boggs. Then Sutton walked Barrett to get to
Buckner, who came to the plate with an .067 series average. This time Buckner
was Mr. Clutch, smashing a double down the right-field line. Armas scored, and
Barrett should have made it, too. But the Lach Factor came into play again.
Barrett was held up at third by coach Rene Lachemann, and Rice grounded out to
end the inning.
Sutton left in the seventh when Baylor led off with a
double. Gary Lucas stranded the Sox designated hitter. But the Sox broke the
game open in the eighth with two runs at the expense of the third and fourth
Angel pitchers, Vern Ruhle and Chuck Finley, the latter of whom was victimized
by sloppy fielding.
Owen opened with a single and moved to second as Boggs
grounded out. He took third on Ruhle's wild pitch. Barrett followed with a
single up the middle, making it 2-0. Errors paved the way for the next run.
Finley replaced Ruhle and got Buckner to hit a hard grounder to second. Grich
misplayed it into a two-base error, scoring Barrett and putting the Sox ahead,
3-0.
