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THE SUMMER OF "MORGAN'S
MAGIC" ...
The Tigers give the Red Sox
their first win of the year
April
6, 1988 ... The Red Sox pennant train pulled
into Fenway Park two days late, but when they finally got here, they
did everything you'd been told they would, battling back from a 5-2
deficit to score four times in the eighth inning and defeat the
Detroit Tigers, 6-5, before 16,965 frigid fans. The win evened their record at 1-1, but perhaps more
important, it evened out the psychological keel of their fans, many of whom
seemed ready to commit hara-kiri Monday after ace reliever Lee Smith allowed an
Alan Trammell two-run homer in the 10th inning that beat the Olde Towne Team on
Opening Day.
It also has good talent, much of which showed through after
the Tigers wracked starter Bruce Hurst for four runs in the third to take the
lead. The killing blow was a double by Luis Salazar that drove home Tom
Brookens, Mike Heath and Lou Whitaker. After it was struck, the gloom that
descended on Kenmore Square was grayer than the clouds.
All that changed in the eighth when the Sox beat Willie
Hernandez around the ears, although not without the able assistance of his own
left arm.
Hernandez (0-1) came on in relief of starter Doyle Alexander,
who has yet to lose a game since coming to the Tigers last August 12th. He set
the tone immediately by walking leadoff batter Mike Greenwell. Dwight Evans and
Sam Horn followed with singles to load the bases, and Rich Gedman drove home the
first run of the inning with a sacrifice fly that cut Detroit's lead to 5-3. At
that juncture, McNamara sent in Todd Benzinger to pinch hit for Spike Owen and
Benzinger faced down Hernandez with a neat bit of batsmanship. Benzinger fouled
off a screwball with the count 3-2 to stay alive, then slapped another screwball
into right-center field to score Evans.
Hernandez drilled Brady Anderson on the same spot where
Alexander hit him an inning earlier. That loaded the bases for Marty Barrett. By
then, Tigers manager Sparky Anderson had seen enough of Hernandez and called
upon his top reliever, Mike Henneman.
Henneman appeared to have calmed the waters when he got
Barrett to ground to Brookens at third. Brookens threw home to force pinch
runner Kevin Romine, but when Heath went for the inning-ending double play, he
did a Willie Hernandez imitation and threw wildly to first, allowing Jody Reed,
who pinch ran for Benzinger, to score the tying run. After Henneman
intentionally walked Wade Boggs, Heath's nightmare continued when a ball that
was barely off the plate to Jim Rice got by him for a passed ball that scored
Anderson with the winner.
One of the strongest men on that bench, Smith, marched in from
the bullpen in the ninth after the offensive work was done and took just 12
pitches to pick up his first save in Boston.
There were fastballs that Chet Lemon couldn't hit (called
third strike, thank you very much). Fastballs Dave Bergman couldn't hit (called
third strike, thank you very much). And a fastball Darrell Evans could only pop
up to end the game (thank you very, very much). Game over. |
