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TONY C ROBS
CHUCK HINTON |
THE CURSE OF THE BAMBINO, PART 6 ...
"THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM"
Steve Hargan
shuts down the Sox hitters
June
4, 1967 ... Steve Hargan, a lanky
right-hander, who is now the Cleveland Indians most effective
pitcher, threw his fourth shutout of the season, a five hitter that
stopped the Red Sox, 3 to 0, at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland.
Besides this shutout, Hargan didn't allow an earned run in his two
previous games. He has seven victories, and an earned run average of
1.73. He was in trouble and only one inning, the fifth. He issued a
walk, gave up a single by Joe Foy and a sacrifice on which he tried in vain for
a force at third, only to load the bases with one out. But Reggie Smith bounced
into a doubleplay on the first pitch and he was out of the jam. The Sox did not
get another runner as far as second for the rest of the game.
The Sox came close to scoring two other times. Rico Petrocelli hit a line
drive just foul into the seats in left, to lead off the fifth inning. The other
time was on a shot by Carl Yastrzemski, that centerfielder Vic Davalillo plucked
with one hand as it headed over the fence in the ninth-inning.
Hargan's performance ruined Lee Stange's first start of the season. Leon
Wagner blasted a home run into the seats in right, to lead off the fourth
inning. The second run scored on a walk, a sacrifice and a single by Chuck
Hinton in the fifth inning. The Indians scored their final run in the eighth off
John Wyatt on a walk, a fielder's choice and a single by Fred Whitfield.
The Sox backed up Stange with some defensive gems. Tony Conigliaro robbed
Hinton of a home run in the third by reaching over the low fence in right and
one handing his would be homer. Rico Petrocelli made two great plays, one deep
in the hole and the other on a hard chopper. George Scott went to his right knee
to grab a line drive by Whitfield in the fourth inning. But best of all was a
one-handed grab by Reggie Smith at the 390 foot mark in center field. Whitfield
hit a line drive that Reggie jumped for and reached over the fence, to stab with
his left hand coming down waving the glove with the ball in it.
Yastrzemski singled and doubled in his first two at-bats, both line drives to
center, and has reached base in 31 consecutive games. On the other side, Reggie
Smith has one hit in his last 25 at-bats and Mike Ryan is 1 for 20.
The Red Sox acquired right-handed pitcher Gary Bell from the Indians, for
firstbaseman Tony Horton and outfielder Don Demeter. Bell has a 1-5 record this
season with two losses to the Red Sox. His ERA is 3.71. |
