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Billy Hatcher wins one for his new team July 10, 1992 ... Even in these tough times in Boston there was still great entertainment value at Fenway Park. On July 10th in a 6-5 Red Sox thriller over the White Sox, Roger Clemens, marred by the continuation of his bad luck, in his sixth attempt at 10 wins, and coming off a one-week layoff, failed again, but reassured that his sore right foot is on the mend. There was Bob Zupcic's dramatic grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning, which transformed a 2-1 deficit into a 5-2 Red Sox lead. There was Jeff Reardon's poor timing on blown saves. He wound up with his fifth of the year, and three have cost Clemens victories. And Mo Vaughn's big two-out triple in the bottom of the ninth, set the stage for newcomer Billy Hatcher's game-winning hit off the wall. Vaughn tripled to the right-center-field wall off the door against submariner Terry Leach. Hatcher pounced on the first pitch, sending a shot over the head of left fielder Craig Grebeck, scoring the winner. Vaughn celebrated emphatically as he crossed the plate, having finally emerged from a dreadful slump (1 for 32) with crucial hits in the eighth and ninth. He was dropped to ninth in the order before the game. Butch Hobson acknowledged he was going to pinch hit for him in the eighth, but changed his mind. Vaughn got the second hit of that inning, a single after Tony Pena led off with a single. Hatcher drew first blood for the Red Sox with a double off the wall off starter Greg Hibbard. After two pitching moves that worked, White Sox manager Gene Lamont went to the well once too often. Bobby Thigpen loaded the bases by walking Tom Brunansky, then delivered a 2-2 fastball to Zupcic, who drove it just over the left-field wall. Clemens came out for the ninth and allowed three straight singles, then walked Warren Newson with the bases loaded, making it 5-3. Before that, Hobson had paid a visit, accompanied by a round of boos. When he was finally lifted, the roof caved in. Tony Fossas got pinch hitter Ron Karkovice to ground to third baseman Scott Cooper, who gunned Frank Thomas down at the plate. Enter Jeff Reardon. He threw a fly-ball out to Steve Sax as pinch runner Joey Cora trotted in from third. It was 5-4. Carlton Fisk he singled to left, tying the score, 5-5. Billy Hatcher, in his second game since being acquired from Cincinnati took Reardon off the hook with his shot off the wall. The ChiSox scored in the first after Tim Raines singled and moved to second on Clemens' errant pickoff throw. After the righthander walked Thomas, George Bell singled to left, sending home Raines. Clemens found what seemed a good rhythm in the second inning, going 1-2-3 with two strikeouts. But in the third, the rhythm was interrupted when the top of the Chicago order again raised havoc. Raines singled and Robin Ventura doubled to right. Thomas' sacrifice fly made it 2-0, and it remained that way until the improbable ending. |
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