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THE CURSE OF
THE BAMBINO, PART 9
"IT AIN'T OVER 'TIL IT'S OVER"...
Clemens in total
control
June 1, 1986
... Roger
Clemens again made it look easy in a 6-3 Red Sox victory over the Minnesota
Twins that brought a happy end to a 7-2 road trip in which Boston established
itself as the legitimate force in the American League East. It wasn't vintage
Clemens. He got tired after seven innings and left after the eighth having
thrown 106 pitches. He struck out nine and did more damage with his breaking
pitches in the late innings than he did with his fastball. If there was a
problem with his sore middle finger, you'd never have known it.
Concentration is more than a phase with Clemens, and was the reason he was able
to strike out seven of the first 10 batters he faced. His location was great and
his fastball was timed at 94 miles per hour. Catcher Rich Gedman said it was
control that came into play after the fourth inning.
Clemens
showed again he is not a man to be bothered by distractions. In addition to his
own knuckle problem, he watched Hurst and Sammy Stewart go down with injuries on
Saturday night.
While
Clemens did the job on the mound, Don Baylor and Dwight Evans struck the big
blows for an offense that in the last week has come to life, and in the nick of
time, it seems. Baylor gave Boston the lead for keeps in the second inning with
a solo home run. Evans hit a three-run blast in the fourth, his first home run
since May 13.
In the last
four games, Boston has pounded 62 hits. Wade Boggs only had one today, and
dropped to .399. But Marty Barrett had three hits, including a clutch two-run
double in the ninth that cushioned a two-run lead. And Jim Rice has reached base
in 23 straight games via a walk or a hit.
Clemens has
compiled the best start by a Red Sox pitcher since Roger Moret went 10-0 as a
starter and 11-0 overall in 1973. His nine strikeouts gave him the AL lead again
(90), one more than Hurst.
Though
Baylor's 11th homer gave Boston the lead, it was Evans, who had been in a
3-for-34 slump, that broke the game open. Rice opened the fourth with a single
and Gedman walked with one out. Evans then followed with his fourth home run of
the year, a line drive to center that carried 443 feet.
Boston got
its final two runs in the ninth after Evans walked with one out. He moved to
third on a double by Steve Lyons. Evans was out on a fielder's choice, on which
Rey Quinones reached, but Barrett came through with his double. Bob Stanley
pitched the ninth, giving up one run. |
