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THE SOX WIN THE AL EAST IN
SPECTACULAR
FASHION, BUT THAT'S ABOUT IT ...
The Sox sweep away the Blue Jays
June
28, 1990 ... The Red Sox completed a four-game
sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays. The Jays became increasingly
flustered while the Red Sox' confidence soared. The 4-3 victory, on
the most beautiful night in recent memory, extended Boston's lead to
3 1/2 games in the American League East. Within the division, the Sox
are 25-12, 17-4 at home. More than anything, the series depicted two
teams moving in opposite directions. The Red
Sox' seven-game winning streak tied a season high and boosted their record in
June to 20-7. Roger Clemens (12-3) allowed eight hits in eight innings, struck
out nine and was simply frightening at times. Jeff Reardon (save No. 13)
finished it off in the ninth as Clemens tied Oakland's Bob Welch for the major
league lead in victories.
Mike
Greenwell, who is gathering confidence by the game, had the critical hit, a
clean two-run single off Stottlemyre in a three-run fifth. He also threw out
catcher Greg Myers, who represented the tying run at the plate, on Wilson's
single in the sixth inning. The Sox' performance was juxtaposed against the Blue
Jays, who, according to center fielder Mookie Wilson, played "our worst
fundamental baseball of the season." Except for amazing Fred McGriff, who
accounted for all three runs with momentous homers off Clemens in the second and
sixth innings, Toronto was every bit as erratic and confused as it was the
entire week.
Wilson,
disoriented by the Wall and approaching left fielder George Bell, dropped a fly
ball at the warning track in the seventh. He also overthrew cutoff man McGriff
in the Sox' killer inning. Toronto's night was summed up by the announcement
that shortstop Tony Fernandez, who was 3 for his last 30, had left the game in
the fifth because he wasn't feeling well.
In the
four games against Toronto, the Sox batted .315 and averaged 6.5 runs.
Stottlemyre (8-7), who had won four straight, fared better than Toronto's
previous starters, but he was done in by Wade Boggs, who led off the Boston
first with his fifth homer, Tony Pena's freakish double over first in the fifth,
and finally Greenwell's single.
Pena also
made the play of the night just before the Sox' big rally. With Wilson on third
in the fifth and Fernandez at bat, Clemens threw an outside forkball in the
dirt. Pena moved outside and blocked it perfectly, preventing the run.
Ellis Burks led off the rally with a low double off the
Wall, finishing it off with a headfirst slide. Pena, handcuffed on a pitch,
inside-outed it, and the ball bounced directly over first base for a freakish
double, allowing Burks to score. Luis Rivera followed with his second hit, a
single to center. He moved to second when Wilson overthrew McGriff. The Jays
then ordered Stottlemyre to walk Boggs intentionally, loading the bases for Jody
Reed. He popped out to second, but Greenwell then lashed the two-run single to
center. As he emerges from his season-long slump, he is hitting .409 over the
past five games. |
