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THE CURSE OF THE BAMBINO, PART 6 ...
"THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM"
The Sox split a doubleheader with
two very close games decided in the last at bat
August
27, 1967 ... Elston Howard jumped up in the
air with one hand, caught the ball, thrown by Jose Tartabull, in his mitt, brought it down with
one motion and tagged a runner out at the plate. That's what happened
in the first game where the Red Sox beat the Chicago White Sox 4 to
3. But the White Sox came back in the second game, winning 1 to 0,
when Darrell Brandon walked in the winning run in the 11th inning.
The White Sox started off in the first game, with Don Buford getting on first
with a base hit, stealing second and scoring on Pete Ward's single to center
field. But the Red Sox scored two in the third inning, on a single by Mike
Andrews, a double by Jerry Adair, an intentional walk to Carl Yastrzemski and a
base hit by George Scott, that scored both Andrews and Adair.
Yaz hit his 33rd home run of the year in the fifth inning and his 34th in the
seventh inning to put the Red Sox ahead 4 to 1. But Mike Andrews made a
disastrous error in the bottom of the seventh and only some great pitching by
Gary Bell, kept the White Sox from tying the ballgame.
The inning started when JC Martin singled off Bell's glove. Rocky Colavito
then beat out a tapper to Adair. Ken Berry hit a doubleplay ball, two hopper
down toward Andrews, but Mike threw the ball low to Rico Petrocelli at second,
allowing Martin to score and let the other two runners to move up. Ron Hansen
walked to load the bases and Buford hit another double-play grounder to Andrews,
who got the runner at second, but the throw to first was late and Buford scored
the second run of the inning. Bell ended it when he struck out Wayne Causey, to
preserve a 4 to 3 Red Sox lead.
It stood that way going into the ninth, when Ken Berry led off with a double
down the left-field line. Sandy Alomar sacrificed him to third and John Wyatt
came in to replace Bell. Duane Josephson came to the plate, pinch-hitting for
relief pitcher, Hoyt Wilhelm and lined one to fairly short right field. The
catch was made by Tartabull as Berry tagged up from third. Jose's throw was
high, but Elston Howard jumped up high to get it, and as he came down, his left
foot blocked Berry's slide while the glove tagged the runner. Umpire Marty Springstead called Berry out and the game was over.
The second game was a pitcher's duel. José Santiago was paired against Gary
Peters and both were great. The Red Sox had a chance in the 10th inning when
George Thomas singled, was sacrificed along and Santiago was allowed to hit.
José bunted, but the ball was hit too hard and Thomas was tagged at third.
Thomas hurt his right hand diving for the bag and was taken out of the game.
In the White Sox half of the 10th, Ward started off with a walk and Berry
popped up a bunt attempt. Both Santiago and catcher, Mike Ryan charged after the
ball and collided. Ryan had the ball in his glove but dropped it, grabbed it and
fired to first, getting Berry. Scott fired down the second and got Ward to
complete the double-play. But Santiago was injured on the play and had to be
helped off the field
In the 11th, Adair singled to open up the inning and Yaz tried to bunt him
over, but tapped it too hard back to Peters who turned a doubleplay. It was only
the fourth time Yaz had hit into a doubleplay all year. Scott reached on an
error but Reggie Smith lined out to win that threat.
So in the White Sox half of the 11th, Darrell Brandon walked Duane Josephson,
the first man up. Ron Hansen moved him along with a sacrifice and Smokey Burgess
was intentionally walked to set up a potential double-play. With Ken Boyer up,
Brandon uncorked a wild pitch that moved both the base runners to second and
third. Boyer hit one back to Brandon who threw out Josephson at home, but the
double-play could be completed. With runners on first and third Brandon pitched
carefully to Buford, but walked him and loaded the bases. Colavito now came up
to pinch-hit and worked the count to three and one. Then Brandon threw a low
outside pitch for a ball. Colavito walked to first and Joel Horlen, who had
pinch run for Burgess, walked home with the winning run. |
