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STEVE LYONS |
MORE OF "MORGAN'S MAGIC"
(BUT NOT ENOUGH)
The Sox hustle and roll on
again
September
18, 1991 ... The Sox continued to roll toward
Toronto like a runaway boulder, defeating the Orioles, 7-5, at
bulging Fenway Park. The Red
Sox (79-67) made it more difficult than it had to be, nearly blowing a 5-0 lead.
However, the victory seemed to be offered up as evidence that the club can
continue to surge without Greenwell, Ellis Burks or even Reardon, if that is
what is necessary.
Game No.
146 brought more surprises. Phil Plantier, who moved to left in Greenwell's
absence, went 2 for 4 and contributed to two early rallies, when the Sox built
the decisive lead on righthander Dave Johnson.
Jack Clark
followed up his 304-foot homer Tuesday with a more prodigious shot, a hellacious
line drive to dead center on a two-strike pitch from righthander Anthony Telford
that was in his eyes. Manager Joe Morgan called it the longest line drive into
the bleachers he'd ever seen.
The eighth
inning that will be remembered and recreated. That is when the real action
started. It opened in the top, when, with the Sox holding a 6-5 lead, Tony
Fossas induced a double play from pinch hitter Dwight Evans, who came and went
to a raucous ovation; and, continued in the bottom, when Luis Rivera bunted home
Steve Lyons on the first suicide squeeze the Sox have executed this year.
The
plodding Sox scored the run without benefit of a hit, something that may have
last occurred during the Tris Speaker era. It started with Lyons drawing a
leadoff walk from Mike Flanagan, and with Morgan then sending up the
increasingly immortal Wayne Housie to hit for John Marzano and sacrifice Lyons
to second. Housie did it perfectly, in fact, executing what turned out to be a
sort of sacrifice/drag bunt up the first base line that he nearly beat out. The
rookie received a standing ovation as he left the field.
Right-hander Gregg Olson, who replaced Flanagan after the walk to Lyons,
proceeded to ignore the reckless Lyons, who stole third easily. With the count
3-1 and Lyons running, Rivera then laid down a perfect bunt on an Olson
curveball. Lyons slid stylishly, as is his wont, giving the Sox the two-run
advantage.
Harris
took it from there, although Reardon warmed up twice. After getting out of the
eighth, Harris walked the first batter of the ninth, Leo Gomez, then struck out
pinch hitters David Segui and Chris Hoiles, looking and swinging, respectively,
and retired Mike Devereaux on a fly ball to end the game.
With
Reardon out the Sox bullpen came up big. Dan Petry gave up a run on two hits in
1 1/3 innings after the Orioles had gotten to Mike Gardiner for four runs,
including Cal Ripken's sixth-inning shot to left, which made him the fourth
shortstop ever to hit 30 homers in a season. Fossas got Evans to ground into the
double play.
Mike
Gardiner (9-7), who, for the 14th consecutive start, gave the Sox between five
and seven innings. This time he lasted 5 1/3. |
