|
REVERSING THE CURSE, PART 4 ...
THE
HENRY, WERNER & LUCCHINO
ERA BEGINS
Nomar re-writes the record books
July 23, 2002 ... A
makeup game between the Red Sox and Tampa Bay Devil Rays required a
makeover of the record book before it was over, with Nomar
Garciaparra hitting three home runs, two in the third inning, a grand
slam in the fourth, and driving in eight runs in a 22-4 win over the
D-Rays that had an announced crowd of 33,190 serenading the Sox
shortstop with birthday greetings before it was over. It was Nomar's
29th birthday.
But
celebration turned to shock in the rain-delayed night game, when the Devil Rays
scored five runs before making an out in the ninth inning against Sox relievers
Chris Haney and Ugueth Urbina to beat the Sox, 5-4, and split the doubleheader.
It was the Sox third last-at bat loss in their last four games.
By losing
the second game, in which Derek Lowe threw seven shutout innings after a
2-hour-13-minute rain delay, the Sox picked up just a half-game on the Yankees,
9-3 losers to the Indians, when they could have sliced a game and a half off
their lead.
After
lefthander Haney loaded the bases by giving up two singles and hitting Ben
Grieve with a pitch, Urbina gave up a two-run double to former Sox infielder
Andy Sheets and a three-run home run to Jared Sandberg, the 24-year-old nephew
of former Cubs All-Star Ryne Sandberg. Urbina, who walked Jorge Posada with the
bases loaded in the ninth inning Sunday in New York, absorbed his second loss in
the last three games and dropped his record to 0-6.
Devil Rays
closer Esteban Yan struck out Manny Ramirez, who had staked the Sox to an early
lead with a two-run single in the first, with runners on first and second to end
the game, a stunning finish before a crowd of 32,729 that witnessed the day's
last just before midnight. The Devil Rays had lost nine straight games against
the Sox before perhaps the most improbable win of the season for the majors'
youngest team; they began the night 2-54 in games in which they trailed after
eight innings.
The day
couldn't have been more special for Nomar and the Sox. The Sox had lost two
straight on the weekend to the Yankees, but fears of a hangover effect
disappeared in a 10-run third inning, which Johnny Damon led off with the first
of seven home runs hit by the Sox, with Nomar and Manny hitting consecutive home
runs in the inning and combining for five home runs, 13 RBIs, five runs scored,
and six hits by the end of the afternoon. In the process, they also set a major
league record by becoming the first teammates to combine for nine home runs in
two games.
Damon was on
base five times with a double, two singles, and a walk in addition to his home
run. Nixon, whose psyche supposedly was tender after a damaging error Sunday,
had four hits, including his 14th home run, and Merloni scored four times in
front of Nomar and Manny as the Sox, ahead, 16-4, after four innings, amassed 19
hits, equaling their season high.
The D-Rays
became the first team in three years to give up 20 or more runs to the Sox, who
have done it 15 times in all. As if that wasn't punishment enough, they also had
to hang around last night to face Lowe, the Sox pitcher who threw a no-hitter
against them here on April 27.
Tanyon
Sturtze, the Worcester native, gave up three home runs, two doubles, two
singles, and a walk in the span of 10 batters before Tampa Bay manager Hal McRae
decided to spare him any further abuse. McRae didn't even have anyone warming up
until Nixon, the eighth batter in the inning, had doubled to make it 6-4.
The 22 runs
were the most unanswered runs in an American League game in 49 years, since the
Yankees beat the Washington Senators Aug. 12, 1953. The Cubs scored 22
unanswered runs in a 22-6 win over San Diego May 17, 1977.
Nomar, who
hit three home runs (two grand slams) here and drove in 10 runs against the
Mariners May 10, 1999, joined Ted Williams (3), Jim Rice (2), and Mo Vaughn (2)
as the only players in Sox history to have multiple games of three home runs. He
and Vaughn are the only players to have done so in Fenway.
Nomar hit
his first home run over the screen in left off Sturtze on a 3-and-0 fastball. It
was the second time this season Nomar has gone deep on a 3-and-0 pitch, a count
on which he never used to swing in the past.
Brandon
Backe, who entered in the third and retired Merloni on a popup, gave up the
second home run, a 395-foot screen job, to make it 10-4 in the third, and also
yielded the slam, another screen shot (370 feet) on a 2-and-2 breaking ball.
Nomar had
two more opportunities to become the third player this season (Mike Cameron,
Shawn Green) to hit four home runs in a game. But he was walked in the sixth by
Steve Kent and hit a first- pitch flyball to center in the eighth against Travis
Phelps. Nomar, who homered twice on Sunday against the Yankees, had five home
runs and 11 RBIs in two games after batting .185 (10 for 54) with no home runs
and six RBIs in 13 games, the worst slump of his Sox career. He went 1 for 5 in
the nightcap. |
