The Avenge Buckner Association

Frozen Stiffer · Post by **Frozen Stiffer** » Fri Jun 29, 2007 9:14 pm

April 21-23, 1986. Anaheim Stadium. Dropping three in a row to the Orioles, the Red Sox are in a 3-way tie at the bottom of the AL East and now go up against a struggling Angels team that has gone 3-7 in its last 10 starts.

April 23: Hoping to ride the previous day's good fortune, an optimistic Boston ball club went with pitching sensation Roger Clemens (0-1, 4.82ERA) while the Angels are going with Mike Witt (2-3). Though Witt's first two games of the season showcased strong outings (he was 2-0, 1.06ERA), he has dropped three in a row since then and his ERA has suffered accordingly, climbing to a 4.10.

A trio of singles in the bottom of the 1st loaded the bases for the Angels; Hendrick sat at 3rd, Joyner waited patiently at 2nd and Decinces eagerly held onto 1st. Fortunately the Rocket worked his way out of the jam, getting Brian Downing to swing at a high fastball for strike three.

The top of the 2nd started out poorly for the Red Sox when Jim Rice popped out to 1st and Dwight Evans flew out to CF. However, consecutive singles by Armas, Gedman and Buckner loaded the bases for Boston. A fourth single courtesy of Ed Romero drove in Armas to give Boston an early 1-0 lead.
Things remained dormant for the next few innings until the top of the 5th-- an error by Decinces allowed Marty Barrett to reach 1st. A single by Baylor helped put runners at first and second for the Red Sox. Jim Rice hacked at the 2-1 pitch from Witt but missed badly, and the left-fielder went down. Dwight Evans took his own swing at Witt's first pitch, a hanging fastball, and sent it back and over the Green Monster, soaring for 415ft. The 3-run shot brought in Barrett and Baylor to extend Boston's lead 4-0. Armas and Gedman each struck out to end a productive attack by the BoSox.

The bottom of the 7th marked a comeback by the Angels, who slowly began to chip away at a tiring Clemens. Walking three of the first four batters, Clemens was showing signs of control problems, and with the bases loaded and only 1 out, a sharp sinker was sent back by Ruppert Jones. Though it was an easy 3-1 infield out, the hit was good enough to score Pettis, who had been called-on to pinch run for Downing. California chopped Boston's lead down to 4-1.

In the top of the 8th, Boston pulled away again. A single by Gedman and a walk to Buckner were followed by a single by Romero to once again load the bases. Boggs grounded out with a slow roller to 1st. Wally Joyner had to charge to reach it, and though he managed to lob it to Witt in time to get Boggs, Gedman was able to slide safely into home for the score. The Angels had had enough, and after going 7.2 innings and allowing 7 hits and 5 runs, only 3 of which were earned, Witt was pulled in favor of Terry Forster (1-1, 2.35ERA). A routine pop fly to right by Barrett ended the onslaught. The bottom of the 8th brought a change for Boston. Clemens worked 7 innings to allow only 1 run on 4 hits, and true-to-form logged 10 strikeouts. Calvin Schiraldi was called to setup the inning for the closer. Wally Joyner sent up a lazy fly ball to left and all looked good. Reggie Jackson then strode to the plate and smashed the 1-0 pitch from Schiraldi for a 407-foot solo shot to right field. The Angels started to scrape back, and the score was now Boston 5 - California 2. The longball didn't phase Schiraldi however, who settled down to strike-out Decinces and Jack Howell, pinch-hitting for Pettis.

Bob Stanley retired all three batters he faced in the bottom of the ninth to earn his 5th save, and earn Boston's 2nd win in a row. At last the offense awoke... or was that a shift in sleep? Let's hope the Red Sox continue their push as they roll into Kansas City for a 4-game stretch against the Royals.

Frozen Stiffer · Post by **Frozen Stiffer** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 11:40 pm

Around the League

The AL East
Here, no one holds any commanding leads. The Yankees, Blue Jays and Orioles are all tied for 1st with matching 14-7 records. The position once held by the Orioles alone has been challenged by a surging New York and Toronto opposition, charging into the top spot with 5-game and 3-game winning streaks, respectfully. Combined with the Oriole's recent 3-game losing stretch, the AL East has become a highly contested battlefield.

The AL West
With 1st and 3rd place only 3 games apart, the AL West remains a tight race as close battles rage throughout. Seattle and Oakland, both 11-10, share 1st place. The White Sox and the Royals are neck-in-neck at 2 games down. Nipping at their heels, the Angels, Rangers and Brewers take up the rear, down from 1st by 3 games. However, aside from Oakland's win yesterday, everyone else in the AL West has lost at least one game; Mariners (L3), White Sox (L3), Royals (L1), Angels (L2), Rangers (L3), Twins (L2).

The NL East
In the National League, no team holds a comfortable lead. The Cards ride the NL East with a 1 game lead over the Mets even though New York has scored more runs than any other National League team. The Cubs, like the Phillies, are riding a humble 4-game win streak. Unlike the Philies, their recent boost has done little for their position, and Chicago remains at the bottom of the division, trailing the Cards by 8.

The NL West
The National League West is a bizarre twist of numbers and order. The Padres are nursing their slim 1 game lead over the struggling Astros. After catching up to the friars and surpassing them at one point, Houston dropped their last four in a row and fell to second place, one game back. With an impressive 12-3 record against their division and a 2-4 record outside, the Padres are counting on friendly competition to retain their lead. The Reds, who have allowed more runs than any other team this season, 16 more than the Dodgers who have allowed the second most, refuse to give up ground, clinging to 3rd place, 4 games behind the Pads.

Frozen Stiffer · Post by **Frozen Stiffer** » Thu Jul 12, 2007 7:16 pm

April 24-27, 1986. Royals Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri. Can Boston manage three in a row for the first time this season? They have to make up a lot of ground in the AL East and a 4-game road trip against the Royals stands in their way.

April 24: It was a chilly afternoon in Kansas City, and Royals stadium was its own tiny little icebox. With a temperature of 30 degrees at the field level, the players had their long sleeves out, gloves gripping firmly to their hands. Trailing small puffs of warm air each time they exhaled, two teams prepared to face off against one another. Boston readied its push to win three games in a row while Kansas City adamantly hoped to prevent them. Boston was counting on Tom Seaver (1-3, 4.06ERA) to maintain the stride while Kansas City hoped that Danny Jackson (0-1, 1.72ERA) would be the one to stop it. Bill Bucker, riding a 9-game hitting streak, and Rich Gedman, who has been hitting over .300 with 2 doubles and a HR in his last 10 games, need to stay hot in order to help Boston maintain its surge back into the top of its division. For the Royals, Frank White is dominating the plate, leading his squad with a .351 batting average and second in home runs with 5, just behind Stave Balboni's 6.

The game started off silent, and not until the bottom of the 2nd where Darrel Motley singled and Hal McRae doubled that a ground out by White scored the first run of the game.

In the top of the 4th, Boston fought back, evening the score at 1-all. Bill Buckner extended his hitting streak to 10 games when he legged out a double off a line drive to deep left field. Tony Armas grounded out on a slow roller to SS Salazar, but it bought Buckner enough time to advance to third. Ed Romero, another recent hot-hitter for the Red Sox, notched an RBI-double off a strong shot over second baseman Jorge Orta, bringing in Buckner. Wade Boggs drew a walk to place runners on 1st and 2nd, but Barrett eventually struck out on a 7 pitch at-bat and Baylor grounded out to Orta to end the inning without any further damage.

At least, no further damage from the Red Sox. As the bottom of the 4th came up, so did the Royals' offense. Seaver began the inning with two straight graciously offered walks, one to George Brett and the other to Steve Balboni. Darryl Motley's check swing turned into a single, and it surprised him as much as it did the Red Sox. Boggs charged the ball late as a scramble by Gedman to reach the ball nearly tripped him up. Motley reached 1st and the bases were loaded for Hal McRae. With a double already on the day, Seaver lucked out when McRae sent one up the elevator shaft for a called infield fly, easily handled by Barrett. One out, bases loaded and up comes red-hot Frank White. With nowhere to put him, Seaver tries to gun him with an inside fastball. White barely connects but drives it with enough power that it lands ahead of Armas in RF, scoring Brett and keeping the bases full. Jim Sundberg, filling in for regular catcher Jaime Quirk, jumps on the 0-2 pitch and sends it screaming towards CF. The runners had been sent and it turned into a good call, Balboni and Motley score easily on the play and the Royals take a more comfortable 4-1 lead. Seaver finally settles down and after coaxing Salazar into a ground out and walking Lonnie Smith, Jorge Orta flies out on a first-pitch fastball to shallow right. Inning ends, but the damage is done.

The dust settles over the next two innings but then Boston starts a brief rally in the top of the 7th. Don Baylor smashes a Danny Jackson fastball 364 feet over the left field wall for a solo shot, cutting the Royals' lead down to 4-2. Dennis Leonard (1-1, 4.40ERA) steps in for Jackson and after allowing a single to Gedman, retires the next two batters.

Seaver, now on a roll, keeps the Royals in check, scattering a handful of hits but keeping them from getting any farther than first base. In the bottom of the 8th, Tom Terrific is pulled in favor of Steve Crawford. Though having only seen two innings of action this season, Crawford has performed well, allowing no runs and only a pair of hits. Crawford performs as expected, striking out the side, but needed 16 pitches to do so.

At the top of the 9th, a quick word in the dugout by manager Bobby Gonzalez, sparks the Boston squad. Kansas City calls in Dan Quisenberry (0-2, 10.80ERA, 2 SVs) to hopefully keep any rally suppressed.

Don Baylor leads off the inning with a single through the hole in left side. The infield was guarding lines and Big Daddy took advantage, sending a grounder shooting through the gap. Once again the infield guards the lines and once again Boston comes through; this time, Jim Rice finds the same hole and gets on base. With runners on first and second, Dwight Evans draws a walk on four straight pitches to load them up. Capitalizing on Quisenberry's apparent lack of control, a patient Rich Gedman already 2-for-3 on the day, watches ball four sail high and outside. Gedman earns an easy RBI as Don Baylor trots home. Boston's rally seems promising. It's the top of the 9th, Boston is down by 1 run, the bases are loaded, there are no outs, and Quisenberry can't find the plate if he was tied to it. Somehow, that's still not enough for the Red Sox. Buckner swings poorly at an 0-1 fastball to initiate a rare fielder's choice 3-2-4 double play. The weak hit is easily handled by a charging Balboni who tosses it home for the first out; Rice. Sundberg pivots and throws a strike to Orta at 2nd, who nails Gedman on the force out. Buckner, disappointed, waits at first while Evans, only 90-feet away from tying the game, holds off at third. Tony Armas sends the 1-0 pitch sailing higher and higher towards right field, but then after 274 feet, the ball fizzles out, runs out of steam and drifts down into Hal McRae's glove. Third out. The Royals keep the Red Sox in check, winning it 4-3. Danny Jackson takes the win after 6.1 innings and 2 earned runs. Leonard earns his 3rd hold after 1.2 innings of 3-hit ball. Quisenberry struggled, allowing a run and walking 2, but in the end gets the save.

Overall Boston managed an impressive 13 hits, but failed to score when it counted. Tom Seaver's 7 innings yielded 4 runs on 8 hits, wounding his record further as he drops to 1-4. Crawford's lone inning was flawless.

The series is still young however, and hopefully the Red Sox can regroup and get back on the winning track. Tomorrow, Oil Can Boyd (1-1, 1.91ERA) gets the call for the Red Sox, going up against Bret Saberhagen (0-1, 2.57ERA) for the Royals.

Frozen Stiffer · Post by **Frozen Stiffer** » Thu Jul 12, 2007 8:27 pm

April 24-27, 1986. Royals Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri. Can Boston manage three in a row for the first time this season? They have to make up a lot of ground in the AL East and a 4-game road trip against the Royals stands in their way.

April 25: Boston's winning streak was snapped, but not the cold front. "Warming" up to only 40 degrees, Royals Stadium promises for another cold day of hot baseball. Oil Can Boyd takes the mound for Boston while KC decides to stick with Saberhagen. With only one start this year, Saberhagen suffered a loss against California almost twenty days ago. He hopes to even up his record against the Red Sox. Boston manager Bobby Gonzalez makes a few changes before the game, sitting down the struggling Tony Armas (.149, 1HR, 2RBI) in favor of Steve Lyons. Gedman was scheduled to have the day off, but wanting to take advantage of his hot bat, Gonzalez instead negotiates one more day off of him and moves him up the order, now batting 4th after Baylor. Rice, Buckner and Evans drop to the 5th, 6th and 7th spots, respectfully. Gonzalez is optimistic about today's game. For even though his record doesn't show it, Oil Can Boyd has performed quite well for the the Red Sox. His ERA has reflected this, even if he hasn't received the run support he's needed when he's needed it.

The first inning comes and goes unremarkably, but the top of the 2nd marks the first run of the game. Jim Rice connects for his 4th home run of the season, last hitting one on April 17th. The 346-foot shot puts Boston on the board, but the Red Sox don't stop there. Dwight Evans doubles off Saberhagen with a shot that ricochets off the wall and is miscued by LF Lonnie Smith. Up next, Ed Romero too jumps on Saberhagen, sending his own rocket down the left-field line. Smith doesn't reach it in time and as Evans is scoring, Romero notches a stand-up double. Steve Lyons ends the inning with a strikeout but Boston had the lead, 2-0.

The top of the 5th has the Red Sox on the charge again. Marty Barrett singles through the hole in the right side off a Saberhagen curve that just didn't curve. Big Daddy Don Baylor sends a sharp single over the infield and flopping into center. Barrett gets a good jump and slides into 3rd just before the throw arrives. With runners at the corners, Gedman sends a towering shot deep to right field, enough to bring McRae to the warning track. Though he makes the play, it's deep enough that Barrett is able to score, extending Boston's lead 3-0. Rice flies out and Buckner strikes out and Boston walks off with only 1 run to show for their effort.

The sixth brought no activity other than the replacement of Saberhagen, who goes out trailing 3-0. The veteran lasted just 5.1 innings allowing 8 hits and 3 runs, striking out 5 and walking just one. In for him is Steve Farr (1-1, 2.08ERA) who handles the inning flawlessly. sitting down the next two batters he faced.

The top of the 7th brings with it more activity. Boggs singles past the first baseman, who can't make a play when the ball deflects off the bag and into short right-field. Marty Barrett flies out to McRae and Baylor strikes out, giving hope to a worried Farr. However, Gonzalez's negotiation pays off when Rich Gedman delivers a 2-run 386-foot monster over the left field wall. Boston pulls away further, leading now 5-0. Steve Farr gets the hook, and Scott Bankhead (1-0, 14.46ERA) steps in to face Jim Rice. Rice doesn't seem to mind who's throwing the pitches when he sends the 1-1 throw back to Smith in left for a double. Buckner however does not fare as well, his shallow pop fly is easily handled by a sliding McRae and the inning ends.

The bottom of the 9th takes a few moments to come around. Gonzalez and Boyd have a brief discussion, subject unknown, and after a minute, Boyd trots out onto the field; he's going to pitch the 9th. Having gone 8 innings and only needing 89 pitches to do so, Boyd was still in good form. He convinced Gonzalez that he was hot today and so the GM from Miami gave him the thumb's up. Fortunately, Gonzalez's second gamble of the day paid off as well. Boyd maneuvered the inning with just 12 pitches and a walk to Brett.

When all is said and done, Boston arises the clear victor, pulling off an uncontested victory against the Royals, 5-0. Oil Can Boyd logs his second complete game out of five starts, improving to 2-1 and lowering his basement ERA to 1.50. During the endeavor, Boyd allowed only 2 hits and fanned 8, walking just a pair, Brett included. Bankhead handled his role well, going 2.1 innings of run-free ball, giving up just 4 hits.

Boston is back on track, but with Gedman in definite need of rest and Buckner cooled for this game, Gonzalez will have to count on the rest of the lineup to back Bruce Hurst. Hurst desperately needs to improve on his 2-2 record and lower his bloated 5.81 ERA, and he's banking on the Royals' inconsistent offense to help him do it. There is talk that Gonzalez may swap put someone in place for Hurst, but with limited spot-starters to choose from, he would be hard-pressed to take that route.

Frozen Stiffer · Post by **Frozen Stiffer** » Thu Jul 12, 2007 11:48 pm

April 24-27, 1986. Royals Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri. Can Boston manage three in a row for the first time this season? They have to make up a lot of ground in the AL East and a 4-game road trip against the Royals stands in their way.

April 26: One is easy, two is always more difficult. Boston tries to duplicate yesterday's success, but being unable to duplicate Oil Can Boyd, they instead turn to Bruce Hurst. In only his 4 season as a starting pitcher, Hurst has yet to accumulate a winning record, but he has earned at least 11 victories in the last three years and shows the potential to amass many, many more. Let's hope today is the first in a series of outing that make this expectation a reality. Opposing him for the Royals is lefty Charlie Leibrandt (1-3, 6.06ERA). Having suffered two losses and a no-decision in his last three starts, Leibrandt looks for an opportunity to reverse his fortune and benefit his squad. As the cold begins to dissipate, so too do we hope that the gloom which lingers above the boys from Boston fades away like some distasteful, forgotten memory.

As expected, Gonzalez lets Gedman warm the bench today-- Marc Sullivan will take his place behind the plate. Somewhat more unexpected, Ed Romero is feeling a little stiffness in his lower back, so Rey Quinones will sub for him at short. With the temperature 'warming' to a more pleasant 56 degrees, both teams hope to enjoy themselves in another wonderful day of baseball.

The first two frames are uneventful. Each pitcher surrenders a hit, but little becomes of either. Marc Sullivan starts off the 3rd with a great hit off the end of the bat and over first base. Balboni can't react in time and the hugs the line all the way down until McRae can scoop it up. The throw is made, but Sullivan beats it out with a slide into second. Rey Quinones strikes out as a running Sullivan makes it back to second in time. A single by Boggs and now Boston threatens with runners at the corners and 1 out. Marty Barrett sends a skyrocketing shot into deep right-center. Bo Jackson snags the ball but it's deep enough that Gonzalez gives the go-ahead and Sullivan sprints home. Not known for his speed, the backup backstop gives it his all and slides around Sundberg, as the throw is cut off by Leibrandt. Don Baylor grounds out, but the Red Sox now have the lead, 1-0.

In the bottom of the seventh, Hurst starts off getting Balboni to fly out easily to Armas. Motley however, works himself out of an 0-2 jam to fill the count and then squeeze a single to left field. Frank White keeps things going with another single to left field. However, a gutsy Motley tests Rice's arm and charges on to third. He beats the throw, but in the process, White takes advantage and stretches his hit into a double. With only 1 out, and runners in scoring position, Gonzalez analyzes his situation carefully. Hurst has thrown a great game, keeping the Royals scoreless after 3 hits, but with 75 pitches thrown and knowing his recent inconsistencies, the call is made-- to the bullpen. Sammy Stewart (0-2, 9.64ERA) takes the mound in hopes of keeping the scoreless Royals, well, scoreless. Things don't start off well for Stewart however, and in four straight pitches he walks Grey Pryor to load the bases. Worse yet, in four more straight pitches, Stewart walks Bo Jackson, bringing in Darryl Motley and tying the game 1-1. Gonzalez gets up again and calls for more help and this time around, Steve Crawford takes the long walk. Someone must have what it takes to stop the Royals. Regretfully, it's not Crawford. Jim Sundberg wedges a single in between a criss-crossing Buckner and Barrett, driving in White and now the Royals lead by 2. The bases remain loaded once again and there's still just one out. Suddenly, it is Crawford. The reliever gets Lonnie Smith to pop out to Barrett and George Brett to strike out. The inning is over but Kansas City is in front, 2-1.

Boston can't manage to muster an offensive push or any sign of a rally in the eighth and does nothing more in the ninth. The Royals pull it off with a lucky number seven and take the lead in the series, 2 games to 1.

Charlie Leibrandt goes 8 strong innings, allowing Boston just 1 run on 5 hits, walking only one and striking out four en route to his 2nd victory of the year. Quisenberry pitches a perfect 9th for his 4th save. Hurst takes the loss and the ERA hit-- each of the runs allowed were inherited from him-- but his strong outing helps balance things out. Hurst walks away with a 2-3 record and an 5.23ERA. Crawford pitched a seamless bottom of the eighth, and goes 1.2 innings overall, with 1 hit and 1 stirkeout.

Knowing that at best, Boston can hope to even the series, game four is just over the horizon. Boston calls on the services of Al Nipper while the Royals will throw Bud Black into the ring. Gonzalez's gambles have panned out and fizzled, there's talk of roster moves coming soon if the squad continues to fall below expectations. With few interesting prospects in the minors and a thin, fruitless free agent market, the Red Sox may turn to the trading table, but with the season still very fresh there will be few worthy offers available.

Frozen Stiffer · Post by **Frozen Stiffer** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 5:14 pm

April 24-27, 1986. Royals Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri. Can Boston manage three in a row for the first time this season? They have to make up a lot of ground in the AL East and a 4-game road trip against the Royals stands in their way.

April 27: What looked to be a promising turn of events became sour quickly yesterday for the Red Sox. Just as the weather has suddenly plummeted again to a freezing 32 degrees, so have the chances for Boston's success become gloomy and fragile. Al Nipper (3-1, 2.67ERA) will be the go-to man to salvage the series for Boston. On the opposite side of the field, Bud Black (3-1, 3.60) will get the call for the Royals, hoping to take three from the Red Sox. Good news is, Rich Gedman (.335 BA), who's 14 RBI leads the team, is back in the lineup and after a good rest, Ed Romero (.302 BA) has returned as well. The number one and two hitters for the Red Sox hope to make a difference in the coming game. Still struggling and with no signs of improvement, Tony Armas again hits the bench in favor of Steve Lyons. Though Lyons has yet to sparkle, he is holding his own and overall playing just slightly better than the veteran right-fielder. For the Royals, Lonnie Smith was complaining about soreness in his thumb, but getting the start, it looks like he's good enough to hit the field.

Once again, Boston starts off strong. After Boggs strikes out on a full count, Ed Romero singles up the middle. Big Daddy Don Baylor doubles up the middle, the first of what would be a good night for him at the plate. Jim Rice earns an RBI single on the 0-2 changeup and sends a laser beam through the hole in the left side and scoring Romero. Gedman unfortunately pops out, and after Buckner lines out the inning comes to a close.

In the bottom of the 1st, Nipper runs into some trouble. Lonnie Smith starts things off with a single to LF showing no signs of any trouble with the thumb. On a wild 2-1 pitch that bounces wide-right, Smith steals 2nd. Orta sends a hard one-hopper to 3rd, but Boggs reacts quickly, snags it and unloads it to Buckner who scoops it up for the out. George Brett singles the first pitch on a grounder between Barrett and Buckner. With runners at the corner and a quick chat with Gedman, Nipper takes a deep breath and relaxes. Balboni pops out on the 1-1 slider and Bo Jackson pops out on the same slider, this time a 3-1 pitch. Nipper gets out of the 1st clean.

The top of the third explodes with a Don Baylor double the speeds along the ground just beside Jackson in LF. Jim Rice draws a walk to put two on. Rich Gedman hits a hard grounder to Orta who bobbles the ball, but still manages to shoot it off to Salazar for the force-out at 2nd, before he relays it to Balboni at 1st. While Gedman's 4-6-3 double play seemed to dim Boston's chances at putting another run on the board Buckner's RBI-double down the line in right sparks it back up again. Dennis Leonard gets the call, hoping to keep a rally from erupting. He gets Dwight Evans on a pop out to Salazar, but Boston still leads 2-0.

In the second half of the frame, Salazar retaliates with a single to left-center, falling just in front of Evans and Rice. Lonnie Smith drops a bloop single at Evans' feet before Orta sends his own shot over Boggs and into left, bringing in Salazar for the RBI single. Smith advances to 3rd on the George Brett-induced double-play, but Balboni wastes the runner at third, striking out on three straight fastballs.

The only highlight of the 5th inning is Big Daddy Don Baylor's solo homer to LF, a 386'.rocket and his 3rd hit of the game. Baylor just needs a triple for the cycle.

The bottom of the 6th has little action. George Brett goes down quickly on an 0-1 pop fly to Buckner as news of a possible sprained hamstring keeps Jackson from returning. Rudy Law pinch hits for him and slips a single through the hole in the left side, one that Romero should have gotten to. Nipper loses his focus and on a slow wind-up, Law takes off towards second. Gedman throws a bullet to Barrett, but Law slides wide and makes it safe. Gedman fought Law, and Law won. Nipper whiffs Motley though and the theft is moot, inning over. McRae comes in to play left.

The top of the seventh is likewise uneventful, other than Don Baylor's 4th hit of the game, a single through the hole in the left side. The next three hitters for Boston go down easily and Baylor is left on.

The bottom of the eighth has Bob Stanley (0-2, 10.25ERA, 5 SVs) coming in for Nipper. Al Nipper's day is done as the righty logs 7 innings, surrendering only 1 run on 7 hits, a pair of walks and 4 Ks. Orta grounds out easily to Boggs. George Brett isn't fooled by the changeup and smacks Stanley's offering straight up the middle past Barrett and his late jump. With a runner in scoring position, Balboni comes up, but strikes out in three straight pitches; his eagerness gets the best of him. Willie Wilson is called to pinch-hit for Hal Rae and does a fine job of it, singling up the middle as a lucky hop sends the ball over Romero's glove. The shot is enough for Brett to advance, and now with runners at the corners and still two out, Gonzalez decides that it's not Stanley's night. Joe Sambito (5.1 IP, 0.00ERA, 2 Hs) takes the mound and on one sharp curve, gets Darryl Motley to ground out to Buckner, ending the inning.

The bottom of the ninth has Calvin Schiraldi (1-0, 4.82ERA, 1 SV) coming in to close for the Red Sox. Frank White refuses to go down without a fight and converts the 2-2 offering into a single to right. Quirk flies out to Rice on a first-pitch pop fly and Salazar strikes out on a 1-2 fastball to bring the Red Sox 1 out away from evening the series. Greg Pryor steps up to pinch-hit for Lonnie Smith, but the 2-1 pitch is a hanging slider that Pryor sends up and away to right-field, only to have it land with Lyons. Game over!

Boston pulls it off, beating the Royals 3-1 and splitting the series 2 games a piece. The battle of the "3-and-1s" is over; Al Nipper takes the win to improve to 4-1, Bob Stanley and Joe Sambito each earn a hold and Schiraldi notches his 2nd save of the year. Bud Black takes the loss for the Royals, dropping to 3-2 with a 3.82 ERA. Later reports show that Black was experiencing some discomfort in his left elbow, explaining his brief 2.2 inning duration. As Boston had taken an early lead and never surrendered it, he still was attributed with the loss. Dennis Leonard chugged through the remainder of the game, going 6.1 innings and only allowing 1 run on 5 hits. He sat a pair of Red Sox with strikeouts. Don Baylor goes 4-for-5 with 1 RBI and scoring twice while Steve Lyons filled in well for Armas, going 2-for-4 in his stead. For Kansas City, Lonnie Smith and George Brett each went 2-for-4, though the only RBI of the game came off Orta's RBI single in the 3rd.

After going 4-3 on the road, the Red Sox are headed back home to Fenway to host a 4-game series against the Rangers followed by a 3-game home stand against the Athletics.

Frozen Stiffer · Post by **Frozen Stiffer** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 12:09 am

April 28-May 1, 1986. Fenway Park. Home Sweet Home. The Red Sox come home to make a stand against the Rangers. Leaving Kansas City on a high note was a great morale booster and now Bobby Gonzalez and the Boston squad will ride that victory onto home ground as they face the Rangers for a 4-game stretch.

April 28 - Classic Fenway Park, countless games have been played on these grounds and countless greats have stood at the plate. Today, another set of great men will take the field and the box in hopes of claiming another victory in this epic field of battle. The Boston Red Sox hope to win, firing up the rocket as Roger Clemens (1-1, 4.11ERA) goes up against Bobby Witt (1-1, 6.06ERA). Oddibe McDowell, covering center field for the Rangers today, has been red hot in this year, leading the Rangers with a .327 batting average. He and Ruben Sierra are tied with a team-leading 11 RBI. Let's hope the Red Sox can maintain their momentum and keep the struggling 9-16 Rangers, struggling. Boston isn't aiming for dominance, simply a victory. Things wouldn't turn out how they had hoped.

Things started out uneventfully for the Rangers as Clemens easily retired the side. In the bottom of the first, Wade Boggs drew a 4-pitch walk. With a runner on first, recently-cooled Bill Buckner strode up to the plate, and though he sent a soaring fly ball into CF, it fell just short and McDowell made the easy play for the out. Then, came one who would not go easily into the night... or the day, in this case. Big Daddy Don Baylor, the personification of 'hot-streak', looked at Witt's first pitch and saw his name written all over it. One swift swing of the bat was all he needed, and the 361-foot, 2-run shot pushed Boston into an early lead. Jim Rice followed up with a sharply hit single through the hole in the left side but after advancing to second on a Rich Gedman ground-out, Dwight Evans' easily pop out to McDowell ended the inning before Boston could really get started.

In the bottom of the 3rd, Baylor added his second hit of the game, an arcing single to short center field, one that hit the ground before a sprinting McDowell could reach it. Though Boston failed to capitalize on the successful hit, it seemed that with Clemens on the mound, there was little need to.

With only a 2-0 lead for most of the game, it seemed that Roger Clemens was in his own little zone, a realm free of chaos, a private little place where there was nothing but focus and control. That would be a great word to describe the Rocket today; control. Even with the extra run provided him courtesy of Don Baylor's 2nd home run of the game and 7th of the year, a 362-foot shot in the bottom of the 8th, Clemens kept the Rangers exactly where he wanted them. Keeping to his promise, Bobby Gonzalez supported his pitchers so long as they showed their stuff... and boy did Clemens show his stuff!

The Rocket needed only a mere 109 pitches to dominate the game, throwing 80 of those for strikes. When the dust settled, and there was so very little dust, the Rocket put the Rangers to sleep going the whole 9 yards, or innings, allowing just 5 hits, walking none and striking out a commendable 11 batters. Pete O'Brien's double in the top of the 6th was the only time any Texas hitter made it past first. With the complete game shutout, Clemens improves to 2-1 on the season and lowers his ERA to 3.27. Bobby Witt went 7 innings, allowing 3 runs, all off Baylor's bat, and striking out 5. Greg Harris had stepped in during the 8th, after Baylor's second shot, and pitched 1 inning, striking out 1 and allowing no hits.

Don Baylor went 3-for-4 with 3 RBIs today while Jim Rice added a pair of hits. Ruben Sierra took credit for two of Texas' hits, but otherwise no one else showed any spark.

Tomorrow Boston hosts the Rangers again, and hopes that a lack of Texas offense was not the exception but the rule.

Frozen Stiffer · Post by **Frozen Stiffer** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 12:11 am

April 28-May 1, 1986. Fenway Park. Home Sweet Home. The Red Sox come home to make a stand against the Rangers. Leaving Kansas City on a high note was a great morale booster and now Bobby Gonzalez and the Boston squad will ride that victory onto home ground as they face the Rangers for a 4-game stretch.

(Footnote: I was seriously nervous as I was playing this particular game. It was close, really close, heart-pounding close. I can probably only name 1 or 2 other games that I have EVER played which had me like this before. Puresim is a great, wonderful thing. Whew!)

April 29 - Once more the Red Sox and the Rangers face off on a windy, chilly field in downtown Boston. Tom Seaver (1-4, 4.26ERA), who has had a less-than-fruitful year for the Red Sox, faces 1-3 Ed Correa (3.86ERA), who has faced his own set of hurdles two losses and two no-decisions in his last four outings. Big Daddy Don Baylor, who has been hitting an astounding .481 in his last 6 games, with 5 RBI and 4 home runs, leads a slowly surging Boston offense. Ruben Sierra, the only Ranger with more than 1 hit yesterday, hopes to bring his team back from their recent poor outing and hopefully shine brighter against the much more generous Seaver. Steve Lyons will once again fill in for Tony Armas, who has been experiencing some stiffness in his shoulder, while Dave Stapleton will cover first for Buckner, who was complaining about a sore thigh after yesterday's game.

The game starts off with the Rangers getting the early jump on Seaver. After McDowell goes down swinging at a sharp 1-2 slider, Ruben Sierra and Pete O'Brien each manage a single, Sierra advancing on the latter. With runners at the corners though, the pressure came on an Seaver responded in turn, retiring the next two batters on 5 pitches, combined. In the bottom of the first, Wade Boggs drew a walk and what would be the first of three on the day. Don Baylor managed a single through the hole in the left side, sustaining his momentum before Jim Rice fouled out to 1st, tallying up the second out of the game. With a runner on 1st and 2nd, Dwight Evans drew a walk to load the bases, but Steve Lyons struck out on the 2-2 high fastball, ending the threat.

In the bottom of the third, Boggs watched the 3-1 pitch sail high and took his 2nd walk of the game. Little else happened and the Red Sox went down quietly.

The second half of the fifth inning had Boggs leading off for Boston again, and the deja-vu came around once more. This time, the 3-1 pitch was a low slider, and Wade happily accepted his 3rd walk. Marty Barrett was also rewarded for his patience when Correa's 3-0 pitch turned into a bowling ball, giving away first on the second walk of the inning. Don Baylor swung hard on the 3-2 pitch, but hit the ball on the inside of the bat, rolling it towards Wilkerson who initiated a routine 6-4-3 double play; Boggs scrambled and advanced to 3rd in the commotion. Correa's control problems came into view when he surrendered an RBI-single to Jim Rice on a breaking ball that just didn't break. Boggs scored easily and Boston drew first blood. After walking Dwight Evans, Correa's seventh walk in less than five innings, the Texas manager had seen enough.-- Jeff Russell (2-2, 1.95ERA) was called in to take his place. Yet, he did no better against the first batter he faced, Steve Lyons. Russell's 3-0 fastball sailed just inside, giving Lyons a free base and loading it up for Boston yet again. Rich Gedman was next up and once more remained patient. Russell could not find the plate, and his 3-0 offering was a curveball that sailed wide left, giving Gedman a base and bringing in Jim Rice on the base-on-balls RBI. Dave Stapleton left 3 on when he popped out to shallow left, but still Boston lead 2-0 at the end.

Boston's lead did not last when Seaver took the mound to start off the sixth inning. Though Sierra swung at the first pitch and turned it into a routine fly ball to Rice in left, Pete O'Brien had better luck when his bloop single dropped in front of Lyons. Pete Incaviglia enjoyed even better luck when he sent a 2-run blast over the left field wall to tied the game. Darrell Porter struck out and Gary Ward fouled out to first, but Boston's lead had been erased, both teams were now tied at 2 a piece.

In the top of the seventh, Bobby Gonzalez made a bold move, pulling Seaver in favor of Sammy Stewart. Stewart, an 8-year veteran with the Orioles, had shown much promise with the Baltimore squad, but since coming over to the Red Sox, he has been very inconsistent. Today would be no different. Fortunately, things started off well. Even though Steve Buechele doubled off a misplayed ball by Evans, Wilkerson struck out, Jerry Browne fouled out and McDowell flew out, ending the inning and getting Stewart out of a possible jam. Seaver would end the day with 6 innings pitched, 5 hits and 2 runs allowed, striking out 5. He walked a pair but leaving with a tied score, would not get a decision tonight.

The top of the ninth would have Darrell Porter going down on a deep fly ball to left and Gary Ward striking out. Thereafter, Don Slaught was asked to pinch-hit for Steve Buechele, and it resulted in an easy single to center. Tom Paciorek then got the call to hit for Curtis Wilkerson, and that too paid off with a double that hugged the line towards Lyons in right. Steve would get to it, but not before runners planted themselves at 2nd and 3rd. Stewart was then treated by a visit to the mound, but in the end he got the nod and stayed in the game. Whatever Gonzalez said to him worked and Jerry Browne swung at a bad pitch, flying out to center and preventing the Rangers from getting on the board. The second half of the inning had Jeff Russell in complete control. Marty Barrett popped out to 3rd and Don Baylor flew out to left with a warning-track catch by Ward. Russell seemed to feel some discomfort in his wrist after the last pitch, so playing it safe, he called it a night. Greg Harris (1-1, 7.20ERA) stepped in for the Rangers and easily retired Rice on a lazy fly ball to CF.

This one's going into extra innings! Get your nails ready boys, this is gonna' be a biter!

The top of the 10th was a worrisome time. Stewart got McDowell to pop out to Barrett, but Sierra managed to draw a walk. O'Brien struck out, and with 2 outs already, all seemed well. Seemed. However, Pete Incaviglia drew a walk on four straight pitches. With Sierra now on second and Incaviglia on first, Darrell Porter's double over the head of Boggs would really hurt. Sierra went all-out and slid home for the score, but Rice was charging and his strong throw held Incaviglia at third. Not wanting to take chances, a quick ring to the bullpen and there went the hook-- Stewart's day was done and it was up to Joe Sambito to make the long walk. Stewart would leave after 3.2 innings, 4 hits and 1 run. Fortunately, Sambito stopped the bleeding, striking out Gary Ward on a nasty 2-2 slider.

Trailing by one and in danger of dropping the game, the Red Sox came into the tenth with guns blazing. The Rangers had brought in their closer, Mitch Williams (0-1, 4.76ERA, 5 SVs) but Boston really didn't seem to care. Dwight Evans started things off with a single to CF, followed up by another single by Lyons, one that darted just out of reach of a diving Jeff Kunkel, who had come in to play short for Paciorek. Rich Gedman kept up his first-pitch swinging, sending a deep fly ball to left, covering well over 300-feet. All it took was a glance towards the Boston dugout and a nod from the gutsy Gonzalez to get Evans to tag up and challenge Ward's arm. The Boston center fielder won, sliding into third safely and threatening with runners at the corners and only one out. Dave Stapleton was up next, and knowing what had to be done, sent his own shot a fair distance towards left field. His deep fly didn't travel as far, just 280-feet compared to Gedman's 310, but it was enough to warrant another glance at the dugout. Gonzalez and his brass balls gave Evans the nod and there he went. Ward's through was a bullet and it reached Porter just before Evans, but the slide was wide and the tag was slow. SAFE!! Boston ties it up in the 10th!! Ed Romero struck out, but Boston was still alive and this game was not yet over.

The top of the eleventh was a easy 3-up, 3-down situation for the Red Sox, who kept the Rangers off base. The bottom half was much the same as Boggs struck out and Barrett grounded out on a slow roller to Browne. Don Baylor drew a walk, and that was enough for Texas. With the save blown, Mitch Williams would take a seat and Mickey Mahler (1-1, 5.73ERA, 1SV) would take the ball. Jim Rice went down on a routine pop fly to first and on to the 12th we went.

In the top of the twelfth, the Rangers started their own rally. McDowell finally connected with his first hit in six at-bats, and though Sambito K'd Sierra and O'Brien each on three pitches, Incaviglia managed a single to right, advancing McDowell to third. Darrell Porter wasn't fooled by the 1-3 changeup and ended up with a free ride to first. With the bases loaded and two outs, Bobby Gonzalez strode to the mound and tapped his right arm, in comes Stanley Steamer. Bob Stanley (0-2, 9.39ERA) had been underperforming all year, but there was something biting at Gonzalez's neck. "Every day is a new day" commented Gonzalez after the game when asked about this switch. Sambito had done well, giving up just 2 hits on 2 innings, striking out 3. Even though he allowed just 1 walk, it was the timing of that walk that ended his outing. Stanley struck out Gary Ward on three straight pitches, fastballs every one, killing the Ranger rally.

Eleven and a half innings had passed before Boston decided it was time to finish the game. Mickey Mahler started out rough, giving up two consecutive singles, one to Evans and one to Lyons. Gedman struck out looking on a wicked curveball, but Dave Stapleton didn't miss and sent his first pitch soaring towards center, a whopping 330-feet by estimates. McDowell snagged it, but the shot was deep enough to allow Evans to advance to third. Rey Quinones was called in to pinch hit for Romero, who had not done well today going 0-for-5. Quinones didn't see anything he liked and instead opted for a free base after the 3-1 pitch was too low. With the bases loaded, who walked up other than Wade Boggs. With two outs on the board, having been walked three times already and with no where for Texas to put him, Boggs expected to get some quality pitches, possibly a series of low strikes, hoping to induce a ground out. Low yes, strikes no. The 3-0 pitch from Mahler ended up to be not only low, but low. Boggs didn't flinch when they called ball 4, at least not until he reached first and Evans came in on walk-in run!! Boston pulled out the win, taking the game from the Rangers 4-3!!! Bob Stanley took the easy win, having only thrown three pitches. Mahler was saddled with the loss, having allowed the winning run after 1 inning and 2 hits; it was his 2nd walk of the game.

Control was the word of the day today. Ranger pitching allowed a total of 14 walks, 4 of them to Boggs, compared to 5 by Boston. Steve Lyons went 3-for-4, while Baylor just managed 1 hit, but reached base two more times off a pair of walks. What, didn't everybody? In fact, only Dave Stapleton and Ed Romero didn't get a base-on-balls. Mighty kind of that Ranger team. With that win, Boston improves to 13-14, one game away from reaching the .500 mark. Having gone 6-and-4 in their last 10 games, and in the midst of a modest 3-game winning streak, Boston places their trust on the arm of one shining Oil Can Boyd (2-1, 1.50ERA) who goes up against Jose Guzman (0-4, 5.55ERA). The Red Sox hope to stretch their winning ways to 4 games and even complete their 3rd sweep of the year.

Frozen Stiffer · Post by **Frozen Stiffer** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 5:27 pm

NOTE TO READERS : My apologies for the expansive, wordy, tome-like length of my previous post. It was a game that was a nail biter (for both the team and myself) and it simply got the better of me. I'll ensure to keep future posts detailed, but not something that you'll have to dismiss with plans to "finish reading it some other day". I do enjoy reporting on my Red Sox games, but the greater purpose of this is to entertain you, the fans of the team and the game. I don't want to discourage you by posting an entire novel just to describe one game. I appreciate your understanding and assure you that future posts will maintain a fair balance between detail and reasonable length.

Frozen Stiffer · Post by **Frozen Stiffer** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 6:50 pm

April 28-May 1, 1986. Fenway Park. Home Sweet Home. The Red Sox come home to make a stand against the Rangers. Leaving Kansas City on a high note was a great morale booster and now Bobby Gonzalez and the Boston squad will ride that victory onto home ground as they face the Rangers for a 4-game stretch.

April 30 - If you were to look up the word Reliable in Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, it would read: dependable in achievement, accuracy, honesty, etc., citing synonyms such as trusty, authentic, consistent. Right beside the word, you'd see a picture of Oil Can Boyd. Without question Boston's most reliable starter, Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd is enjoying a fine start to the 1986 season with a 2-1 record and a most impressive 1.50 ERA, ranked 5th among Major League starters. Boston hopes to ride Boyd's wave of success towards their fourth straight win and third win against the Rangers. With plans to stop this detrimental streak is Jose Guzman (0-4, 5.55ERA) who is not performing as well as he would like. Steve Lyons will play in left field today for Jim Rice, who's getting the day off. Getting the call in right field will be Tony Armas, who told reporters he was "Feeling right today", let's hope he plays the way he feels.

It was a quiet pitcher's duel for the first few innings as Boyd had brought his best stuff to the mound. Guzman did not disappoint however, and the Red Sox had a tough time getting runs on the board.

In the bottom of the fourth, after Buckner struck out looking on three straight pitches, Romero slapped a hard single towards Toby Harrah at short who bobbled the ball. The throw was late and Romero made it to first safely; Harrah was charged with the error. Dwight Evans followed up with a single through the hole in the left side, after Guzman's 0-1 pitch hung in the air like a floating beach ball. With runners at 1st and 2nd and only 1 out, Lyons took his time with Guzman's offerings, and ended up drawing a walk on the 3-2 full count. With the bases loaded for Boston, up came the slumping Armas. On the 2-2 pitch, the 33 year old Argentinean showed Guzman that he should never be underestimated, smoking a line drive just over Buechele at 3rd, dropping into short left field and scoring Romero. Wade Boggs was up and on the first pitch, sent a skyrocketing fly ball deep to center field. McDowell made the catch against the wall, but the shot was deep enough for Dwight Evans-- the Boston center fielder tagged up and slid home, stretching the Red Sox lead 2-0. Barrett flew out to right and the Red Sox were done, leaving 2 on but scoring twice.

For most of the game, Boyd was in control. It wasn't until the top of the 7th, after surrendering a single to Paciorek, a fielder's choice failed bunt ended up with Paciorek out on the force-play at second and Toby Harrah on fist. A walk to Gary Ward and a single by McDowell and Boyd suddenly found himself in a jam with the bases loaded and only one out. Fortunately, when he needed it the most, his defense came to the rescue. A weak fly ball off Ruben Sierra's was in danger of landing in shallow left, but a charging and sliding Lyons made a remarkable catch, saving the play and scrambling to his feet quickly enough that Harrah had to hold at third. Pete O'Brien struck out on the 2-2 pitch, bringing the inning to a close with Boston's lead preserved.

In the top of the 9th, Boyd was pulled for the closer Calvin Schiraldi. Allowing only one hit, Schiraldi maneuvered through four Rangers to get the save, needing only 8 pitches. Oil Can Boyd won his 3rd game of the season while Schiraldi notched his 3rd save. Boyd went 8 innings, allowing 8 hits but no runs, and striking out 9. His 1.29 ERA is good enough for 2nd in the majors, just behind Cardinals starter Danny Cox (3-0) and his 1.12 ERA. Dale Mohorcic took the mound for Guzman in the bottom of the fifth and kept the Red Sox scoreless for the 3.1 innings he was responsible. Guzman took the loss going only 4.2 innings, allowing just 5 hits and 2 earned runs, fanning 7 and walking 3. Mohorcic allowed just 2 hits, striking out 3 and walking no one.

Though Boston's offense was kept on a short leash, Boyd's amazing performance ensured his squad's 2 runs would be enough. Armas may not have been perfect, but he was definitely feeling better. Tony went 1-for-3 with an RBI, one of only two for Boston. Wade Boggs also went 1-for-3 and was responsible for the other run.

That makes four-in-a-row for Boston with one more game scheduled against the Rangers. Tomorrow, Bruce Hearst ( 2-3, 5.23ERA) is slated to go up against Mike Mason (0-1, 5.56ERA) in a war of lefties. Hurst took a tough loss against the Royals in his last outing, after only giving up 2 runs on 3 hits, and hopes to bounce back. Mason was slammed his last time out, lasting only 3.2 innings and giving up 3 runs on 5 hits to the White Sox. Both hurlers hope to do much better this Thursday.

Frozen Stiffer · Post by **Frozen Stiffer** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 7:14 pm

April 28-May 1, 1986. Fenway Park. Home Sweet Home. The Red Sox come home to make a stand against the Rangers. Leaving Kansas City on a high note was a great morale booster and now Bobby Gonzalez and the Boston squad will ride that victory onto home ground as they face the Rangers for a 4-game stretch.

May 1 - Five hundred; a nice place to visit, but I just couldn't live there. That's what the postcard from Boston's camp read after the game against the Rangers. Bruce Hurst (2-3, 5.23ERA) went up against Mike Mason (0-1, 5.56ERA) in what would turn out to be a game of careful pitches and sterling defense. Tony Armas was again replaced by Steve Lyons while Kevin Romine, just called up from AAA the day before, sat in for Dwight Evans and his sore left hamstring a condition that developed after yesterday's game.

The game started off as a pitcher's duel, with both Hurst and Mason intent on keeping this a low-score game. Things changed in the top of the 4th inning when a monstrous solo blast off the bat of Ranger SS Steve Buechele (.239 / 6HR / 9RBI) rocketed 408-feet well up and well over the green monster, giving the Rangers a 1-0 lead. Mike Mason wouldn't be in need of much more assistance than that. Dominating the Red Sox over 8 innings, striking out 4 and only walking one. Mason evened his record to 1-1 as his ERA plummeted to 3.26.

Bruce Hurst pitched a good game, and Boston was still in it as the top of the 6th came around. The inning started off with a blast, as Darrell Porter's line drive home run flew into the right-field stands, extending Texas' seemingly out-of-reach lead to 2-0. Boston had no answer for the Rangers or Mason's control that day. Mitch Williams earned the save, his 6th of the year, after pitching a 1-hit, 1-strikeout, scoreless 9th inning.

Bruce Hurst (2-4, 4.89ERA) came off with the loss after a respectable 6-inning outing where he allowed just 6 hits, but managing to get 8 Rangers to strike out. His 4 walks didn't convert into scoring opportunities but were still more than would be expected from an outing of that length. In the top of the 7th, Jeff Sellers stepped in for Hurst. After a rough first outing back on April 4th where he was banged up for 6 runs over just 1.2 innings, Sellers performed much better today. He went a strong 3 innings, giving up only a pair of hits, walking 1 and striking out 1.

Boston enjoys a brief stay at the .500 marks as this loss topples them to a 14-15 record and a 2-way tie for 4th place in the AL East with the Brewers. The Red Sox's win streak record is limited to 4 and the sweep of the Rangers is prevented by some skillful pitching. However, tomorrow continues a new month and brings a new opportunity to begin another streak. Oakland and their 16-13 record, sitting alone atop the AL West, are coming to town for a 3-game series. Boston has penciled in Nipper and Clemens to start the first two games. However, recent poor outings by Tom Seaver, currently showing as the starter for game 3, may result in Sellers filling in.

Frozen Stiffer · Post by **Frozen Stiffer** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 8:16 pm

May 2-4, 1986. Fenway Park, Boston Mass. Seeing the loss against Texas in the final game of the series as more of a speed bump than a road block, Boston prepares to face the visiting Oakland Athletics for a 3-game series. Facing their second division leader of the season, Boston hopes for better success than the last time, where they were swept by division leading Baltimore.

May 2 - Al Nipper (4-1, 2.41ERA) will lock horns with rookie Eric Plunk (0-2, 5.84ERA) as the east coast meets the west coast. Rich Gedman gets a rest as Marc Sullivan sitting in as backstop for the day. Ed Romero (3-for-20 in his last 5 games) will take a seat today; Rey Quinones, who has enjoyed some hitting success in his limited appearances, will get the start in short.

Oakland's rookie got into trouble early in the game when Boggs jumped on the first pitch, sending it speeding through the hole in the right side for an easy single. Rey Quinones followed up with a pop fly to left, but it was too short to advance Boggs. Baylor's single on the 2-2 pitch however, did the job. Soaring over a leaping Donnie Hill, Big Daddy made it to first, giving Boggs enough time to scramble to 2nd. Jim Rice struck out on a nasty 1-2 curveball but Dwight Evans, feeling much better before the game, slapped a single to short center-field, loading the bases. Bill Buckner didn't flinch at the 3-0 offering, taking the free walk and getting the credit for the RBI. Marc Sullivan's routine pop out to right field ended any further damage.

The third would have Oakland fighting back to even the score with a 304-foot solo homer by A's SS Alfredo Griffin, one that just barely cleared the top of the wall. The next three hitters went down quickly and the score remained 1-all.

Don Baylor struck out in the bottom of the 5th to start off the inning. Conversely, Jim Rice did no such thing, popping Plunk's first pitch into a perfect projectile petering towards a practically playerless deep left center. The ball rolled to the wall but the speed-challenged Rice could only turn a double. Oakland's manager called for an intentional walk on Dwight Evans, placing runners on first and second. Buckner made it to first on the ground-out fielder's choice, but with Evans out on the force and Rice's advance to third, Boston still had Marc Sullivan to count on. Sullivan delivered. A single to left field fell at Dusty Baker's feet, scoring Jim Rice. Boston however was far from done, even with Jay Howell (0-1, 4.37ERA) replacing Plunk. Marty Barrett returned Howell's 1-0 pitch with a single to left, filling the bases, a perfect setup for the struggling Tony Armas... who didn't show it with this at bat. Making contact with a soft single that floated over first base, Armas drove in Buckner to stretch Boston's lead 3-1. Bases still loaded, Boggs' sharp eye paid off as always, bringing in Sullivan for the RBI walk. Quinones popped out to first to end the inning.

In the top of the 8th, Sammy Stewart (0-2, 6.48ERA) came in for Hurst and other than a single to Dwayne Murphy and a walk to Canseco, he managed to escape the inning without allowing a run.

The bottom of the 8th however was such a fireworks display, courtesy of the Red Sox offensive, it almost put the Boston Pops to shame. Tom Dozier (0-1, 13.09ERA) who filled in for Howell back in the bottom of the 6th, started off just fine getting Rey Quinones to ground out to Hill at 2nd. That was all the luck he would enjoy. Don Baylor began the rally with a single around second base, followed by a double from Jim Rice and a walk by Evans, loading the bases for Buckner. Once again, Buckner brought in a run without even swinging his bat. Drawing the walk on four straight pitches, he tallied his 2nd RBI of the game when Don Baylor jogged home. Marc Sullivan popped out to third, and with two outs and the bases loaded, it seemed the show would end early. Don't count on it. Marty Barrett stared at the 0-2 high fastball, gripped the bat, and swung... swung hard. Soaring 342 feet, the second baseman out of Arizona State recorded his first home run of the year, a towering Grand Slam, to clear the bases in one swing.

Bob Stanley retired the side in the top of the 9th as the Red Sox cruised to an easy victory over the As, 9-1. Boston improves to 15-15 while Al Nipper (5-1, 2.23ERA) wins his 4th straight with a 7-inning, 6-hit performance, striking out 5 in the process. Eric Plunk was chased off after only 4.1 innings in which he graciously gifted 4 runs on 8 hits, walking a painful 6 and only striking out 4. Tom Dozier went 3 innings, giving up 5 runs of his own off 3 hits.

Great performances came from the lineup as well. Big Daddy Don Baylor went 4-for-5 during the spree and Marty Barrett racked up 4 RBI over his 3-hit outing. Though Buckner was the only Red Sox player not to score a hit, he still managed to log 2 RBIs and 3 walks. Dwight Evans, 1-for-2, also notched a trio of walks, two of which were intentional. Tomorrow, the Rocket will follow-up the fireworks show, how fitting. Hopefully, the explosions won't stop there as Boston moves to earn a winning record and pull off their 2nd win against Oakland.

Frozen Stiffer · Post by **Frozen Stiffer** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 8:44 pm

May 2-4, 1986. Fenway Park, Boston Mass. Seeing the loss against Texas in the final game of the series as more of a speed bump than a road block, Boston prepares to face the visiting Oakland Athletics for a 3-game series. Facing their second division leader of the season, Boston hopes for better success than the last time, where they were swept by division leading Baltimore.

May 3 - Dave Stewart (1-5, 6.14ERA) faces off against Roger Clemens (2-1, 3.27ERA) in a game where the As hope to reverse yesterday's shellacking at the hands of the Boston spree party.

Just as before, Boston wasted no time. Tony Armas awoke from his hitting slumber in a slow and steady manner today, beginning with his solo home run in the bottom of the 2nd. The remaining Boston hitters enjoyed no further success and the inning ended with a slim 1-0 lead.

The bottom of the 2nd would widen that narrow margin. Marty Barrett started to give Stewart some difficulty, and after a 9-pitch at-bat, won the face-off with a single in the hole on the left side. Don Baylor followed up with a walk, and the RBI-single Jim Rice added to the second half of the inning would be enough to score Barrett. Dwight Evans grounded out, but Boston still lead 2-0.

In the second half of the 6th, Armas continued his awakening with a double over third base and down the line in left. Rich Gedman flew out to right field, but Armas got a good jump and made it to third on the easy out. Bill Buckner provided the support with a single between a lunging Donnie Hill, scoring Armas. Ed Romero struck out to bring those festivities to an end. Boston has the edge, 3-0.

The seventh inning stretch couldn't have come at a better time. After the Boston fans took their seats, Wade Boggs' hit deflected off Donnie Hill's glove and allowed him to reach first; the play was ruled an error. Marty Barrett though, made every effort to avoid Donnie Hill's glove... and everyone else's for that matter. His 2-run 352-foot blast, his 2nd of the year and 2nd in two days, hit above the yellow line in deep left field, well out of reach of anyone's glove. The next three batters went down in order, but Boston was feeling comfortable with a secure, 5-0 lead.

One thing that's a rule in baseball... nothing is ever in the bag. After allowing a single to Bruce Bochte to start off the 8th, Bobby Gonzalez made a call and Clemens was done for the day. Steve Crawford (4.2IP, 0.00ERA) got the call. With a runner on first and Crawford retiring the next two batters he faced, things seemed positive. Seemed, I said. Mickey Tettleton drew a walk followed by a bloop single to center field by Bill Bathe, pinch-hitting for Dusty Baker. With the bases loaded, Carney Lansford, 0-for-1 on the day, smoked Crawford's 3-2 pitch up and over the left field wall for a grand slam! Donnie Hill singled but Crawford got Tony Phillips to pop out to 2nd. Oakland had trimmed Boston's lead to 5-4.

When the top of the 8th inning began with two easy outs by Armas and Gedman, it looked as if the game would turn into a nail biter. Buckner fortunately, had different plans. Steve Ontiveros has been called in to pitch in the bottom of the 6th and was showing control troubles all day. Buckner took advantage of this and blasted an unusually steady slider into a 392-foot, upper deck home run.

Calvin Schiraldi (1-0, 3.65ERA, 4SVs) may not be a fat lady, but it's over when he sings. With a 2-run lead and a little more breathing room, the 24-year old came in for the 9th to get the save. He only needed 15 pitches to effortlessly retire a Griffin-Bochte-Davis trio and earn his 4th save of the season. Clemens was credited with the win after going 7 strong innings, allowing 6 hits and striking out 6. He only allowed one score, the baserunner inherited by Crawford. Dave Stewart (1-6, 5.98ERA) continues to struggle. Lasting just 5.1 innings, Stewart allowed 3 runs on 7 hits, walking 2, striking out 5. Steve Ontiveros did worse, also allowing 3 runs, but on only 2 hits, walking none and striking out four.

Boston pulls it off 6-4, improving to 16-15. That's two for the new streak! Can the Red Sox sweep AL West-leading Oakland? If Tony Armas, Marty Barrett and Bill Buckner (who all went 2-for-4 today) have anything to say about it, the answer would be a resounding YES!

Frozen Stiffer · Post by **Frozen Stiffer** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 9:30 pm

May 2-4, 1986. Fenway Park, Boston Mass. Seeing the loss against Texas in the final game of the series as more of a speed bump than a road block, Boston prepares to face the visiting Oakland Athletics for a 3-game series. Facing their second division leader of the season, Boston hopes for better success than the last time, where they were swept by division leading Baltimore.

May 4 - Bring out the brooms, Boston fans, it's Sweep Day! The rowdy boys from Boston hope to bring their big game up against the Athletics. Unstable in recent starts, Tom Seaver (1-4, 4.09ERA) will get the call against Oakland lefty Curt Young (5-0, 1.39ERA), enjoying a wonderful start to his first year as a starting pitcher. The full Boston lineup is ready to roll today, in hopes of completing their third sweep of the year.

Things get off to a rough start as both hurlers get pounded in the early innings. The first inning had Oakland jump ahead with a lead-off home run by RF Mike Davis (.268 / 3 / 11), his 3rd of the year. However, Boston answered the challenge in the bottom half when Big Daddy Don Baylor (.285 / 8 / 15) launched a 2-1 pitch fastball over the green monster for his 8th dinger of the year.

The top of the 2nd provided more high-flying entertainment when struggling Mark McGwire (.198 / 5 / 16) contributed to the fireworks with his own lead-off home run, a towering solo-shot. In the second half, Boston roared back once again with a 1-out double by Tony Armas, followed by a monster 2-run blast off the bat of Bill Buckner (.278 / 4 / 14). Boston was in command with a 3-2 lead, but things would change quickly.

Mike Davis was intentionally walked as the 3rd inning got underway, but the move came back to bite Boston where it's the reddest. Carney Lansford's hit-and-run single pushed Davis to third, but it was Mickey Tettleton's RBI-single that caused the real damage. After issuing a walk to McGwire, Dusty Baker's ground out to 2nd was enough to bring in Lansford and give the As the temporary lead. The bottom of the third proved that anything the As could do, the Sox could do better. Marty Barrett's 3rd home run of the season, a solo blast to center field, tied things up at 3-runs a piece and was Barrett's third tater in as many games.

The sixth inning had Boston flexing its muscle and pulling away from the competition. A single by Gedman, and a pair of walks to Romero and Boggs loaded the bases for the red-hot Barrett, who did not disappoint. After Curt Young was pulled in favor of reliever Jay Howell (0-2, 5.32ERA), Barrett smoked an RBI single through the hole in the left side. Don Baylor followed up with an RBI-single of his own, scoring Romero as the ball arced just over Lansford's leap.

In the bottom of the 7th inning, Oakland began to feel an earthquake under their feet, courtesy of Boston's bats. With no outs, two walks and a single loaded the bases for the Red Sox and signaled the end of Jay Howell, replaced by Dave Leiper (0-0, 8.64ERA). Romero's single scored Armas and rotated the base runners for Boggs. The third baseman's rocket was high and deep, falling short of clearing the wall. Fortunately, it traveled enough to score Gedman on the sac fly. A walk to Barrett and once again the bases were filled. With no where to put him, Jim Rice drew a walk on the 3-2 pitch and earned the easy RBI. With Boston enjoying a 9-4 lead and Dwight Evans up, anything could happen. It did. Four hundred and five feet later, Evans' unearthly grand slam emptied the bases and gave the Red Sox a comfortable 13-4 lead and insurance that a sweep was just 6 outs away.

Jeff Sellers came in for Seaver as the top of the 8th got underway, but the 22-year old from Rochester was experiencing control problems, evidenced by the three straight walks he surrendered, before a fourth walk gave the As a free run. Sellers called it quits after only 19 pitches, and Bob Stanley was given the nod to put this bases-loaded baby to rest. He did so too, coaxing Tony Phillips into a 3-2-4 double play and striking out Bruce Bochte. That was it for Oakland, but Boston wouldn't be finished until Rich Gedman put in his two cents, or his upper-deck homer into the right-field stands.

The brutal massacre ended with a 14-5 win for Boston, the most they've scored all year, their third win in a row and a sweep of the Athletics. Tom Seaver (2-4, 4.24ERA) had some trouble in the beginning, but managed to pull it off as he went 7 innings for the win, allowing just 4 hits and 4 runs, walking 3 and striking out 6. Bob Stanley survived 2 innings, giving up just 1 hit. For Oakland, Young was chased off early, surrendering 6 runs on 8 hits for just a little over 5 innings. He walked 4 and only struck out one. Jay Howell's dismal, 3-run performance earned him the loss, even though he didn't complete a full inning. Leiper's presence only furthered the As bleeding, giving up 5 runs on 5 hits during just 2 innings of play. Marty Barrett, Don Baylor and Rich Gedman each had 3 hits while Dwight Evans' lone hit accounted for all 4 of his RBI. Buckner (4), Gedman (6), Baylor (8) and Barrett (3) also went yard.

Boston now takes it's 17-15 record and 3-game win streak on the road for a pair of visits; a 3-game stay at Cleveland followed by a rematch against the As during a 4-game visit in sunny Oakland.

Frozen Stiffer · Post by **Frozen Stiffer** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 10:29 pm

May 6-8, 1986. Cleveland Municipal Stadium. With crisp, fresh brooms tangled with bits and pieces of the Athletics' pitching staff, Boston rides into Cleveland hoping to prolong their winning streak and take advantage of their offensive surge. Three games in Ohio will determine if Boston can continue to shoot up the division or if the Indians are planning to ambush them and bring a cold, bitter end to their charge.

May 6 - After enjoying a day off, Boston arrived in Cleveland ready to lock horns with the tribe. If you're ever going for a 4th win in a row, there's no better pitcher to draw than Oil Can Boyd (3-1, 1.26ERA). The Indians are counting on their #5 starter Greg Swindell (0-0, 6.10ERA) to lay down the CleanSweep.

The bottom of the first showcases the first run of the game, as left fielder Mel Hall (.319 / 10 / 27) adds on to his team leading home run total with a rare solo shot off Boyd. The blast shook up the Boston starter, who walked the next two batters before closing the door with a 3-pitch strikeout against Brook Jacoby.

In the top of the 2nd, Boston continues its recent practices, answering its opponent's strikes with more of their own. After Jim Rice reaches on a single to left, Rich Gedman smashes his 7th longball of the season, notching 2 RBI with one swing. As the inning moves on, Boston continues to produce, generating a double by Buckner, a walk by Armas and an RBI-single by Romero. Barrett manages to scrape up a single, but the inning ends on a pop fly by Baylor.

The fifth has Boston start to pull away. After chasing off Swindell in the fourth, Boston didn't take long to figure out reliever Rich Yett (1-2, 1.42ERA). Back-to-back singles by Baylor and Rice set up the RBI-double by Gedman, what would be his second of three hits on the day. The run doesn't disrupt Yett, who retires the next two batters before the hook retires him. Scott Bailes (1-0, 1.80ERA) retires the final batter to end the inning. The second half of the inning offers a glimpse of a Cleveland comeback. Ben Baumann doubles off the wall in left before Chris Bando's single to RF brings him in. Fantastic defensive plays by Evans and Romero squash the Indian's rally.

Singles from Romero and Boggs start off the sixth with stabs at the Cleveland pitching squad, but it's Don Baylor's RBI-double that drives it deep. Jim Rice wins the 13-pitch standoff against Bailes with a sac fly to deep left which scores Boggs. Oil Can Boyd starts to experience more trouble in the bottom of the sixth, when an uncharacteristic pair of hits mix with a pair of walks and generate a run for the Indians off a sharp eye from Pat Tabler.

It was clear that Oil Can didn't bring his best stuff to the mound, but still he managed to display just enough to get things done. Pitching through the eighth inning, Boyd would allow 3 runs on 5 hits for the day, striking out 7 and walking a season-high 4 en route to his 4th win of the year. Schiraldi was called in to close the 9th and did so in style, striking out one and allowing no hits for this 5th save. Swindell took the loss after his 63 pitches resulted in 3 runs on 7 hits. Frank Willis came in during the 6th and kept Boston off the scoreboard with a little over 3 innings of 5-hit, run-free ball.

Mel Hall accounted for 2 of Cleveland's 5 hits on the day. On the opposite side of the diamond, Rice, Gedman and Romero enjoyed productive days, racking up 3 hits a piece. Gedman paced the squad with 3 RBI, while Rice's sustained his 13-game hit streak. Don Baylor went 2-for-5 with an RBI.

Frozen Stiffer · Post by **Frozen Stiffer** » Thu Aug 09, 2007 7:12 pm

May 6-8, 1986. Cleveland Municipal Stadium. With crisp, fresh brooms tangled with bits and pieces of the Athletics' pitching staff, Boston rides into Cleveland hoping to prolong their winning streak and take advantage of their offensive surge. Three games in Ohio will determine if Boston can continue to shoot up the division or if the Indians are planning to ambush them and bring a cold, bitter end to their charge.

Note: I'm going to try and condense the report and see how that pans out. It's a deviation from my style, but it's good to try new things every once in a while.

May 7 - Sitting three games over 500, Boston turns to Bruce Hurst (2-4, 4.89ERA) to pull the team higher. Standing in the way is Tom Candiotti (5-1, 3.77ERA), winner of 4 straight. Yesterday was Cleveland's first loss to the BoSox and they have every intention of making it their last. Meanwhile Jim Rice, who's hitting over .400 in his last ten games, tries to build on his 13-game hitting streak.

Boston took the lead with an RBI single courtesy of Jim Rice, who stretched his streak to 14 games. Dwight Evans' solo home run in the top of the 4th gave Boston a 2-0 lead. The Indians however charged back, responding to Boston's offensive with back-to-back home runs by Andre Thornton and Mel Hall to tie it in the bottom of the 4th.

After Boston pulled away on Don Baylor fielder's choice RBI, the Indians again caught up and passed Boston with a 2-run monster blast by Andre Thornton, his 2nd shot of the game. Boston drops the second game of the series 4-3. Hurst took the loss, dropping to 2-5 after going 7 innings and allowing 4 runs on 8 hits. Candiotti (6-1, 3.74ERA) wins his 5th straight outing as Doug Jones earns his 10th save of the season. Andre Thornton went 2-for-3 for the tribe, notching 3 RBI. Tony Armas is in a resurgence, having gone 3-for-4 today.

Tomorrow's game has Al Nipper (5-1, 2.23ERA) scheduled to go up against struggling lefty Greg Swindell (0-1, 6.43ERA).

Frozen Stiffer · Post by **Frozen Stiffer** » Thu Aug 09, 2007 9:17 pm

May 6-8, 1986. Cleveland Municipal Stadium. With crisp, fresh brooms tangled with bits and pieces of the Athletics' pitching staff, Boston rides into Cleveland hoping to prolong their winning streak and take advantage of their offensive surge. Three games in Ohio will determine if Boston can continue to shoot up the division or if the Indians are planning to ambush them and bring a cold, bitter end to their charge.

Note: I'm going to try and condense the report again. It didn't look so bad last time.

May 8 - Counting on leaving Cleveland on a positive note, the Red Sox placed their chances on the shoulders of the young San Diego native Al Nipper (5-1, 2.23ERA). Cleveland scratched Swindell from the lineup and instead sent Ken Schrom (4-3. 4.37ERA) to the mound.

The tribe drew first blood in the bottom of the second when Andre Thornton scored on a misplay by Boston second baseman Marty Barrett. Cleveland held on to their narrow lead going into the sixth inning when the slumbering Boston offensive awoke. Don Baylor drew a walk which set up Dwight Evans for the 2-run home run that gave Boston a lead it would not relinquish; it was Dewey's third home run in the last four games. Tony Armas kept swinging his hot bat going 3-for-4 on the day, including a follow-up home run right after Evans'. Boston's 3-1 lead would stick as Nipper's spectacular 7-inning, 3-hit, 1 (unearned) run, outing kept the Indians quiet. Sammy Stewart (0-2, 5.23ERA) pitched a hitless inning of relief before Schiraldi (1-0, 3.14ERA) closed the door in the ninth for his 6th save. On the darker side, Jim Rice's hitting streak came to a halt today when the left fielder went 0-for-3.

Ken Schrom (4-4, 4.33ERA) lasted a little over 6 innings, surrendering all 3 of Boston's runs in a 7-hit spree, striking out a pair while walking three. Rich Yett (1-2, 1.27ERA) kept Boston scoreless during the 8th and 9th innings he pitched. Cleveland's Andre Thornton went 2-for-4.

Can they do it again? The Red Sox travel to sunny Oakland, California as guests of the Athletics during a 4-game road trip. Boston swept the As last time they met, so Oakland will have a vendetta on the agenda. Boston is enjoying a bountiful May with a 5-2 record.

Frozen Stiffer · Post by **Frozen Stiffer** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 5:55 pm

May 10-13, 1986. Enjoying a day off, the rejuvenated Red Sox turn southwest and head for the Pacific, landing at the Oakland Coliseum for a 4-game layover against the Athletics. Enjoying great success in their last encounter, Boston hopes to capitalize on the memory of that series to overtake Oakland a second time.

Note: I'm going to stick with the condensed versions unless I hear feedback from readers who prefer the lengthier, detailed versions.

May 10 - Roger "The Rocket" Clemens (3-1, 3.00ERA) takes the helm for the Red Sox, opposed by Dominican import Joaquin Andujar (2-2, 4.73ERA). A little over a week ago, just twelve pitches into a game against White Sox, Andujar felt an uncomfortable tingling in his elbow and was pulled immediately. However, his win in a 126-pitch, 9-inning performance against the Angels three days ago, confirms there's no doubt that Andujar is ready to fend off the Red Sox.

Dwight Evans' RBI single in the top of the 1st got Boston off to a good start in what would become a very close game. However, from the 2nd to the 8th inning, the game was all Athletics. Clemens appeared to be getting off to a good start until he unraveled in the bottom of the 2nd, allowing 3 runs when a pair of walks were followed by a pair of singles. The Rocket's roller-coaster day crumbled in the 5th inning, where four singles in a row led to another run for the As. A pair of doubles in the bottom of the 6th tacked on another run and going into the 9th, Boston trailed 5-1.

The Red Sox finally started to give the As some of their own medicine. Rich Gedman's single came along after Armas struck out, and Buckner's double placed two runners in scoring position. When Ed Romero went down swinging, giving Boston two outs in the top of the ninth, things looked dim. Boggs drew a walk and just then, Barrett shined a light with a double to left field that scored Gedman and Buckner. Boston trails 5-3. With runners again on 2nd and 3rd, Don Baylor singled over the second baseman to score Boggs. Boston trails 5-4. Red hot Jim Rice, 3-for-4 on the day, came up to bat, but could not best closer Doug Bair's stuff. Rice grounded out and the game was over. Boston loses a close, painful one.

Clemens (3-2, 3.41ERA), with all his inconsistently issues, took the loss after lasting 7 innings, shouldering all of the A's 5 runs and 9 hits; however, The Rocket did manage to strike out 11. Sellers pitched an uneventful 8th inning.

Joaquin Andujar (3-2, 4.22ERA) lasted a little over 5 innings, responsible only for Evan's early RBI and 5 hits overall. Jay Howell (0-2, 6.67ERA) relieved Andujar for 3 innings and took an ERA hit giving up 2 of Boston's 3 comeback runs. Dough Bair eventually closed the door to earn his 9th save of the year.

Tomorrow, Boston sends Tom Seaver (2-4, 4.24ERA) to the mound. Oakland shows Jose Rijo (4-2, 1.75ERA), enjoying a good year, scheduled to start.

Frozen Stiffer · Post by **Frozen Stiffer** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 8:18 pm

May 10-13, 1986. Enjoying a day off, the rejuvenated Red Sox turn southwest and head for the Pacific, landing at the Oakland Coliseum for a 4-game layover against the Athletics. Enjoying great success in their last encounter, Boston hopes to capitalize on the memory of that series to overtake Oakland a second time.

May 11 - Tom Seaver (2-4, 4.24ERA), coming off a hard-fought win last week against Oakland at Fenway, was hoping to mirror that performance and earn a win against Oakland on the road. Jim Rice, who went 3-for-5 in yesterday's losing effort, hopes to stay hot and lead Boston to a retaliation victory.

In the top of the third, a walk-single-walk combo loaded the bases and allowed Barrett to deliver an RBI after drawing a walk. Rice added an RBI single and Boston took control with a 2-0 lead. Oakland came right back in the bottom half, bringing in one run on a Dwayne Murphy RBI-double followed by a Jose Canseco RBI single. The tie didn't last long when in the 4th, Mickey Tettleton sent a monster of a hit 370' into right field for his second homer of the season, good enough to give Oakland a 1 run lead.

Lucky number 7 was lucky indeed as Boston's offense erupted. An RBI courtesy of Rice's double-play ground out, which was just enough to score a sprinting Boggs, started the fireworks. The big finish was the towering 3-run blast off the bat of mighty Dewey Evans, his 8th so far this season, that gave Boston a more comfortable 6-3 lead. Tom Seaver (3-4, 4.12) was in true Tom Terrific form, earning the win after going 8 innings surrendering 6 hits and 3 runs, but striking out 7 while only walking one; Steve Crawford (0-0, 3.52ERA) pitched a hitless 9th. Just for a little added security, Tony Armas added an RBI double and Gedman an RBI single in the top of the 9th. When the dust settled, Barrett, Rice, Evans and Gedman each had a pair of hits as Boston trounced Oakland 8-3 in a 13-hit onslaught. Evans led with 3 RBI while Rice took credit for 2 more.

Jose Rijo (4-2, 2.39ERA) was shelled for 9 hits and 5 runs over six innings but it was reliever Steve Ontiveros (4-1, 4.68ERA) who took the loss after allowing 3 runs and 2 hits over just 2 innings- walking a pair didn't help.

With the series split, who will take game 3? Oil Can Boyd (4-1, 1.55ERA) says it's Boston-- Dave Stewart (1-7, 5.95), off to a rough start, says it's Oakland. We'll find out who's right, tomorrow.

Frozen Stiffer · Post by **Frozen Stiffer** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 9:12 pm

May 10-13, 1986. Enjoying a day off, the rejuvenated Red Sox turn southwest and head for the Pacific, landing at the Oakland Coliseum for a 4-game layover against the Athletics. Enjoying great success in their last encounter, Boston hopes to capitalize on the memory of that series to overtake Oakland a second time.

May 12 - In a massive two-pronged attack, Boston eliminated the Oakland offensive to claim it's second game in a row and 5th overall this season. The Red Sox dominated on the mound and dominated the plate. A familiar pattern developed, as Gedman's quick bat and Buckner's sharp eye combined to evolve Boston's #7 and #8 hitters into a single-then-walk machine.

Once again, a walk-single-walk combo loads the bases early for Boston, and with 0 outs in the top of the 1st, Evans takes advantage of the setup connecting with the 0-1 pitch for an RBI single. The next inning was the setting for the first of many Gedman-singles/Buckner-walks combos we'd experience today. After another single by Romero, Bogg's RBI single adds to Boston's lead, as does Barret's own RBI. The top of the 6th has the Gedman-Buckner-Romero trio at it again, loading the bases with a single-walk-single series. Oakland pulls Stewart in favor of Tom Dozier, but it didn't matter-- Boggs capitalized on the setup and drew another walk, earning the easy RBI as Gedman jogged home. Marty Barrett, apparently impressed with Boggs' efforts, chose to do the same, drawing another walk and scoring another walk-in run. Dwight Evans opted for the more aggressive option, driving in Romero on a single down the line in right.

The rest of the game went pretty much the same, as the Gedman-single-Buckner-walk combo made a third appearance in the top of the 7th, leading to a Barrett RBI off a walk-in run. No, that is not a misprint. Buckner added an RBI single in the top of the 8th as Boston cruised to an easy victory in Oakland, winning 8-0.

Oil Can Boyd (5-1, 1.38ERA), who's now vying for a name-change to "Iron Horse", went the distance in style, scattering 7 hits and 4 walks, fanning 7. Woes continued for Stewart (1-8, 6.34ERA) who was chased off after 5 innings of 8-hit, 6-run ball to earn the loss. Tom Dozier stepped in and made little difference, allowing 2 runs on 6 hits over 4 innings. Control was a huge factor in today's game. Oil Can showed he had it, the A's pitching staff showed they didn't-- combined, Oakland allowed 11 walks in the game.

Boston's hit parade continues, as the Fenway sluggers racked up 14 hits today; Boggs, Evans, Buckner and Romero each had a pair, while Gedman went 4-for-5, scoring three times. Boggs, Barrett and Evans each had a pair of RBIs-- Boggs and Buckner drew three walks each.

Bruce Hurst (2-5, 4.93ERA) will take the mound for game four while Oakland sets its hopes on dominant Curt Young (6-0, 1.98ERA) to end their skid. 

The Avenge Buckner Association

RE: The Avenge Buckner Association

RE: The Avenge Buckner Association

RE: The Avenge Buckner Association

RE: The Avenge Buckner Association

RE: The Avenge Buckner Association

RE: The Avenge Buckner Association

RE: The Avenge Buckner Association

RE: The Avenge Buckner Association

Sorry About That

RE: The Avenge Buckner Association

RE: The Avenge Buckner Association

RE: The Avenge Buckner Association

RE: The Avenge Buckner Association

RE: The Avenge Buckner Association

RE: The Avenge Buckner Association

RE: The Avenge Buckner Association

RE: The Avenge Buckner Association

RE: The Avenge Buckner Association

RE: The Avenge Buckner Association

RE: The Avenge Buckner Association