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CARL YASTRZEMSKI |
ON THIS DATE (June 19, 1977) ...
The Boston Red Sox hit five home runs in an 11-1 triumph over the New York Yankees at Fenway Park.
The five home runs give the Red Sox a major league record 16 in three games. Boston hit six homers on June 17th and five on
June 18th, also against the Yankees.
In every phase of the game the Red Sox flogged the New York Yankees for such an extended period. The series began with the Red Sox blasting four, first inning home runs off Catfish Hunter. It ended with Carl Yastrzemski, Jim Rice and George Scott
home runs in Boston's last inning, and with Ferguson Jenkins retiring the last 16 Yankees he faced. In between, the Red Sox were superior at the plate, in the field, on the mound, and on the base paths.
In the last game, four of the five home runs hit belonged to the men with home run strokes (Rice, Yaz, Scott and Carbo). But the big blow of the game was struck by little Denny Doyle, who deposited a pitch by Ed Figueroa into the Yankee bullpen in the
fourth inning. That three run homer broke a 1-1 tie and provided Fergie Jenkins, who yielded just one unearned run in the second inning, all that he needed. The display of firepower truly overshadowed the great pitching performance of Jenkins.
The finale to the homer orgy came in the eighth inning. The Red Sox had a chance for various three, four, and five game home run records, and they got them all. With one out, Jim Rice launched one over the wall, just to the left of the flagpole.
Yaz followed by smacking one off the facing of the right field roof. Then George Scott followed with a center field bleacher shot. When the dust settled the Sox had the record for three games (16), four games (16), and five games (21).
The homers in the series came in clusters. Four were hit in one inning and three in another. Four times the Sox had back-to-back home runs. Carl Yastrzemski had four. George Scott and Bernie Carbo each had three. Carlton Fisk smacked
two, and Denny Doyle, Rick Burleson, Jim Rice and Fred Lynn accounted for one apiece. |
