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The Sox win a game in the 9th inning April 19, 1992 ... It took the Sox until the ninth inning on April 19th to get a win. They were on their way to another loss, as their bats were silent and the only run they had was given to them by Toronto starter Juan Guzman, who wild pitched twice in the fifth. The Sox scored their first ninth-inning runs of the year, the big blows being a two-run single by Mike Greenwell and Scott Cooper's game-winning infield hit off the rubber, and took a 5-4 victory over the Blue Jays and a 2-1 lead in the series. Matt Young started, went 5 1/3 innings, and again pitched well enough to be ahead when he exited, not trailing by the familiar 2-1 score. The Jays scored two insurance runs in the top of the ninth off Danny Darwin and led, 4-1. With the Sox entering the game hitting .214 and having only five hits through the eighth inning, there wasn't much chance of a comeback. Normally Hobson calls to the bullpen and brings Cooper (he helps warm up relievers) back to the dugout in the late innings in case he needs him to pinch hit. Today, Hobson called early. And in the ninth, Cooper, who had walked, struck out and flied out in three at-bats, faced lefthander David Wells. The count was 3-2 after a pitch on the outside corner looked too good to take, but Cooper did. On the next pitch, he sent a grounder toward the mound that hit the rubber and bounded high to Roberto Alomar behind second base. Cooper, doing his best Greenwell impersonation, dove for the bag head-first and was safe, knocking in the winning run. The Boston dugout emptied as if it were the division-clinching win. It wasn't, but they'll take a dramatic win over the Blue Jays any day. The rally began when Winningham stroked his second pinch-hit single in as many games off Henke, who last season saved 32 of 35 games and was 16 for 16 at the All-Star break. Henke struck out pinch hitter Tim Naehring, but Wade Boggs, who in the fifth broke an 0-for-15 drought at Fenway, hit a ball that kicked into the left-field stands for a ground-rule double. With runners at second and third, Jody Reed walked. Henke then faced Phil Plantier and got what seemed the desired result, a grounder to sure-handed first baseman John Olerud. It was not Buckneresque, but it was odd for Olerud, who hadn't made an error in 78 games. He knocked the ball down but had it dribble away from him. Winningham made it 4-2 by scoring the first Boston run off Henke since Sept. 28, 1990. But when Ellis Burks struck out (his fourth K of the day), there were two outs. Up came Greenwell, who knew he would turn himself into an instant fan favorite with a productive at-bat. Young and Guzman waged a throw-a-thon in the fifth. It was as if the mound had been cursed. Young, who says he no longer fears throwing to first base, threw it away twice. Guzman, who was among the best pitchers in baseball at the end of last season, threw two wild pitches (there was a passed ball, too). Boggs singled, was wild pitched to second and third, and came home on a passed ball by Pat Borders. That was the extent of Boston's offense until the ninth. Young's first error was inconsequential. His no-hit streak ended by Devon White on the first at-bat of the game, Young threw well out of range of first base with two outs. In the fourth, Alomar singled and scored on Kelly Gruber's single to center after Young walked Dave Winfield, the first of his three free passes. A botched pickoff attempt did hurt Young in the fifth when his toss to get Manuel Lee, who opened the inning with a single, went astray. Lee scored on White's bloop single to center. |
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