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The "Cardiac Kids" rally in a come-from-behind win, on a bunt |
ON THIS DATE (July 26, 1967) ... The Red Sox broke out a wild seventh inning to beat the California Angels, 9 to 6. Mike Andrews, who hit the ball only about 20 feet, was greeted by his teammates as though he had hit the baseball downtown, while the Red Sox were making a comeback in the seventh inning. The game looked like it would be an easy one for Angels southpaw, George Brunet. He had been pitching a fine game and limiting the Red Sox to only a mere scratch single on a checked swing by Joe Foy in the fourth, when the Red Sox scored their only run. Brunet had four runs on his side, when the Angels scored three runs in the sixth inning, to add to a home run that José Cardenal had slugged off Darrell Brandon at the start of the game. After Bob Rodgers had singled to left and was forced at second base, Cardenal knocked in another run with a single to center. A wild pitch sent him to third and he scored on a home run hit by Woody Held, to give the Angels a 4 to 1 lead. The seventh inning, though, will long be remembered by the fans and manager Bill Rigney of the Angels. Brunet started the inning by giving up a double off the wall to Tony Conigliaro. It was the first solid Red Sox hit, and then with a three and two count on George Scott, the next pitch was hit on a line to right-center. It banged against the Red Sox bullpen and bounded away from Cardenal. Conigliaro scored, while Scott was racing around and making it a triple. Rigney made tracks to the mound and brought in his relief ace, Minnie Rojas. Brunet almost tore apart the Angels dugout on his way into the dressing room. Rojas got Petrocelli on a fly ball to left that scored Scott, cutting the Angels lead to, 4 to 3. Reggie Smith followed next with a high bouncer down the first base line. Don Mincher was ready to grab it, but the ball bounced over his head for a single. Norm Siebern came in and batted for Bob Tillman. He bounced a ball between first and second, that Bobby Knoop got on the run, but as he turned to throw, the ball slipped out of his glove, for what the official scorer called an error. With Reggie on second and Siebern on first, Dalton Jones stepped to the plate to pinch-hit for Bill Landis, who had pitched well in relief. Jones lofted a fly ball to right-field that allowed Reggie to move over to third. Mike Andrews now strolled to the plate and was thinking about a bunt. So he tipped off Reggie at third, and the bunt went down the third-base line as Smith broke for home. It worked perfectly, as Reggie scored the tying run and Andrews beat the play at first. Joe Foy was next and hit a ground ball down to Jim Fregosi at short. Andrews, who had taken a big lead, canceled any chance of a doubleplay or a force at second, as Fregosi threw the ball to first base. The play was fairly close at first, however, and umpire, Bill Haller, signaled that Foy was safe to load up the bases.
Now came Carl Yastrzemski, who blasted a ball off the wall in left-center. With everybody on the run, Cardenal threw the ball off off-line to the plate. The ball bounded toward the grandstand and Yaz rounded third and tried to score. Catcher Bob Rodgers fielded the rebound and threw it to Don Mincher, who nailed Yaz at the plate. Yaz was out but credited with a double, and clearing the bases giving the Red Sox a 7 to 4 lead. The Angels weren't through because in the eighth-inning, Held singled and Fregosi lined a double to center off Dan Osinski. Dick Williams brought in Sparky Lyle, who had pitched beautiful relief ball during the winning streak. He got Mincher to ground out the first as Held scored. Then Lyle got Bubba Morton to pop out and Rick Reichardt to ground out to Andrews. With the Sox ahead 7 to 5, Tony Conigliaro came up in the bottom of the eighth and slammed a home run into the net in left. George Scott also found a pitch he liked and slammed another home run. That was it for Rojas, as Rigney brought in Pete Cimino, who got out of the inning with no more damage. In the ninth, with the Sox now leading 9 to 5, Lyle gave up a home run to Knoop and then walked Bill Skowron, who pinch-hit for Cimino. That prompted Dick Williams to bring in his closer, John Wyatt. Wyatt struck out Cardenal and got Held on a ground ball to end one of the best games of the year. The win went to young Bill Landis, who had pitched well in relief and finally got his first big-league win. |
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