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ON THIS DATE (September
14, 1988) ... Mike Boddicker settled down
nicely to do his part in completing a three-game sweep of Baltimore
with a 4-3 victory. The win came at the expense of the club that
dealt him to the Sox in July. Facing his former colleagues for the
first time, the 31-year-old veteran dealt the Orioles a dose of
vintage Boddicker.
After falling behind, 2-0,
Boddicker recovered, lasting seven innings, while the Red Sox offense did the
rest with a 10-hit attack sparked by Mike Greenwell's single, double, triple and
homer for the 17th cycle in club history. Lee Smith worked the ninth for his
26th save.
By the time Boddicker, who allowed six
hits, left in favor of reliever Dennis Lamp, the Red Sox were in the driver's
seat, and the resourceful starter had done his job again.
Boddicker got his wakeup call as the Orioles were parlaying
two walks and two singles into their 2-0 second-inning lead. His teammates got
theirs at about the same time, and no one answered more emphatically than
Greenwell, who scored three runs.
Greenwell was putting up some heady offensive numbers. He was hitting .334
with 20 homers, 109 RBIs, and 36 doubles heading into the game with Baltimore.
With the Sox trailing in the second inning, Greenwell deposited a fastball over
the Baltimore bullpen for his 21st home run of the season to slice the lead in
half. In the fourth inning Greenwell doubled and eventually scored on Jim Rice’s
fly ball. The Red Sox scored two runs in the frame to seize a 3-2 lead.
Greenwell led off the bottom of the sixth inning with a triple to left field.
Left fielder Larry Sheets appeared to have a bead on the baseball, but it
dropped behind him near the scoreboard. Greenwell legged it to third base.
Greenwell scored on a sacrifice fly by Ellis Burks, and the Red Sox now led
4-3.
“I knew I needed a single for the cycle,” said Greenwell. “Somebody jokingly
asked me what I would do if I hit one in the gap. In a one-run game? I’d get as
many bases as I could.” Greenwell singled to right field in the eighth inning,
to cap his 4-for-4 day.
Greenwell was excited about his accomplishment. “You all saw how I felt,” he
said afterward. “I had my fist clenched before I reached first base. When I was
on the radio after the game, Ken Coleman and Joe Castiglione told me that
hitting for the cycle is rarer than pitching a no-hitter. This is definitely one
of my biggest thrills in baseball.”
On his triple, Greenwell said, “When I first hit it I thought it might be
caught. Then I saw he was having trouble with it so I put my head down and kept
running hard. Once I saw it on the ground, I put my head down and just kept
running." That is Mike Greenwell in a nutshell; he was always hustling and never
gave up on a play.
The Sox maintained their healthy American League East lead,
staying 4 1/2 games ahead of the Yankees, with Detroit and Milwaukee 5 1/2 in
arrears. |
