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FROM LAST TO FIRST
AND BACK ... July 23, 1993 ... With one swing of the bat, Bob Zupcic converted Boston fans into Zuppies. And that same swing vaulted the Red Sox into first place for the first time since May 2nd, .0011 ahead of the Blue Jays (.5521 to .5510). Zupcic, who had come into the game to pinch-run for Andre Dawson in the eighth, belted a fastball from Goose Gossage off the left-center-field wall in the bottom of the 10th to give the Red Sox a 6-5 victory over the Oakland A's. The Red Sox, winners of eight straight games, fought back from a 5-2 deficit with three runs in the eighth on six pitches from Dennis Eckersley. Mike Greenwell hit a two-run homer after Billy Hatcher doubled in Scott Fletcher, who had singled. Eckersley, who had not allowed four hits in a game all year, was shell-shocked. In the 10th, Hatcher singled to right field against the 20-year veteran Gossage with one out and then made a daring steal of second with Greenwell at the plate. Hobson said Hatcher, who went 2 for 5 to improve his average to .321, stole the base on his own. Zupcic was down 1-2 on the count to Gossage. He ran it to 2-2 before he did the improbable. The A's broke open a 2-2 deadlock in eighth off Greg Harris, who had relieved starter John Dopson after Dave Henderson walked to start the inning. After Jerry Browne's grounder advanced the runner, Mike Bordick blooped a single to right, scoring Henderson, and Brent Gates followed one out later with a two-run homer. Hobson and his players agreed that the game was won once again with the little things. In the first inning, for instance, the Sox used the power running of Andre Dawson to get their first run. With Hatcher on second and Greenwell on first, Dawson grounded to Gates at second base for what appeared a tailor-made double-play ball to end the inning. But Dawson hustled down the line and beat the relay, while Hatcher kept coming from second and beat a throw to the plate by first baseman Troy Neel. Also on the play was Greenwell running hard to take out Gates. The Red Sox wouldn't be the Cardiac Adults if they just ran off to 2-0 leads and never looked back. So Dopson, who had a no-hitter through four innings, lost it in the fifth when the A's scored twice on three hits. Neel delivered a double to the left-center-field wall. After one out, Dopson walked Mike Aldrete, then Dave Henderson loaded the bases with a single to left. Jerry Browne's grounder to Carlos Quintana scored the first run. Bordick's single to left field scored the tying run, and the A's tested Greenwell's arm, sending Henderson to the plate from second. Greenwell's throw went on one hop to Tony Pena, who made the tag to retire the side. Oakland starter Mike Mohler got himself in trouble in the second when he walked Quintana. After Scott Cooper singled, John Valentin sacrificed the runners to scoring position, and Pena lined a hard single to left to score the second Boston run. |
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