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ON THIS DATE (April 20, 1998) ... Mo
Vaughn's game-winning single in the 11th inning Marathon Day, this
season-opening homestand came to resemble one long wonderful,
improbable, don't-you-dare-leave-your-seats comeback by the Red Sox.
A game
that began this morning with the lights turned on at Fenway Park ended with the
sun breaking through the clouds and shining once more upon the home team, when
Vaughn slapped an 0-and-2 pitch from reliever Eric Plunk into right field to
score bat-twirling Jim Leyritz with the deciding run in a 6-5 win over the
Cleveland Indians.
A
crowd of 33,001, kept overtime by Leyritz's game-tying home run off Indians
closer Mike Jackson leading off the ninth, was slow to exit, sorry to see the
Red Sox leave for Detroit after the team's best homestand in five years, nine
wins in 10 games.
The
homestand began 11 days ago with a sweep of the Seattle Mariners, winners of the
American League West last season, ended with three wins out of four games
against the Indians, AL champions last season, and featured six wins in Boston's
last at-bat.
Vaughn, batting .375 with a team-leading 18 RBIs, fouled off Plunk's first two
pitches before delivering the winner. For the Red Sox, there couldn't be a
better sendoff to their five-game trip to Detroit and Cleveland. |
