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ON THIS DATE (June
9, 1967) ... On "Cap Day" the kids who got
them, kept waving them at Carl Yastrzemski, while the Washington
Senators were being beaten, 8 to 7, in a thrill packed game at
Fenway. Yaz kept going at a mad pace and contributed two outstanding
catches and a pair of home runs before the 25,386 fans. Yaz now has
hit six home runs in his last 32 times at bat, has hit 14 out of the park,
knocked in 39 runs, and has a slugging percentage of .630.
Joe Foy, who was angered when he saw that his name wasn't in the starting
lineup, got into the game and responded with two home runs.
The whole night might have fallen flat had not John Wyatt come in from the
bullpen and save the game in the last inning.
Washington had scored in the first inning when Frank Howard lined a home run
into the net off Jim Lonborg. The Red Sox scored two in the third when Epstein
contributed a bad throwing error on a force play at second.
Then things got really rough on Lonborg in the fourth when the Senators
scored four runs. With the Sox up 2 to 1, Washington had men on first and third
with nobody out. A ground ball was hit to Rico Petrocelli by Paul Casanova, and
he threw home, getting Cap Peterson in a rundown. But a bad throw by Mike Ryan
allowed Peterson to get back to the bag at third safely. A single, a sacrifice
and another single produced the four runs.
Down 6 to 2, the Sox exploded in the bottom of the fifth. Foy came out of the
dugout to bat for Lonborg and homered into the net off Barry Moore. Reggie Smith
then hit a home run right on top of it. Mike Andrews hit a ground ball down the
third-base and a poor throw to first by Ken McMullen put him on first.
Yastrzemski followed with a long home run into the seats next to the Washington
bullpen that tied up the score.
Yaz came up again, in the seventh inning, with the score tied, and couldn't
connect on the first two mighty swings. But the third was perfect and the ball
sailed into the bleachers seats over the Washington bullpen, to give the Red Sox
a 7 to 6 lead. Foy then went deep into the nets in the eighth, to put the Sox up
by two, 8 to 6.
Trouble was on the horizon in the eighth-inning, with Reggie Smith at bat. He
was down two strikes and Washington pitcher, Bob Humphreys, decked him with a
fastball. That brought Dick Williams to the top step of the dugout. In the next
inning, with Jim King at bat, José Santiago plunked him on the first pitch. Bob
Savarine and Fred Valentine singled, to bring in King with a run, cutting the
lead two one. The tying run was on third and the winning run on first with
nobody out. Williams brought in his ace, John Wyatt, to save the game. Wyatt
responded by striking out Frank Howard and Peterson. The game ended when Mike
Epstein flew out to Yaz in left. |
