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75 YEARS & A FENWAY HANGOVER ...
Wade Boggs takes care of the Orioles
June
29, 1987 ... Wade Boggs showed an untapped powerful
side to his personality in a three-hit performance that helped send
Boston to a 14-3 rout of the Baltimore Orioles before a crowd of
31,139 at Fenway Park. One of the hits was Boggs' second career grand slam, a
sixth-inning shot that put the frosting on Boston's seventh victory in nine
games, and assured Bruce Hurst (9-5) of a victory that may propel him into the
All-Star Game. Boggs also had a single in the first inning and a triple in the
fourth, which gave him a career-high seven runs batted in for the night.
Boggs now has 12 home runs, four more than his previous high.
With 44 RBIs, he has moved to second among Boston hitters. Boggs wasn't the only
talent on display as the Sox equaled their season best at Fenway by cracking out
15 hits. Marty Barrett, Todd Benzinger, Mike Greenwell, Bill Buckner and Rich
Gedman each had two hits.
Greenwell (three RBIs) was filling in for Jim Rice, who left
in the first inning with a banged-up left knee. Benzinger, whose success is
making the outfield picture a nightly horse race, scored four times. Boston
jumped to a 5-0 lead off starter Dave Schmidt and reliever Tony Arnold. After
Baltimore cut the lead to 5-2 in the top of the fourth, Boston came roaring back
with three runs in the bottom, and six more in the seventh.
Once the Sox jumped on Schmidt and four relievers, all Hurst
had to do was finish up for his ninth complete game, tying Bret Saberhagen for
tops in the American League. Schmidt, who began the night with an 8-1 record and
a 2.24 ERA, was given his lumps early. The first four batters reached base, and
three of them scored. Barrett, Benzinger and Boggs all singled to produce the
first run. When Greenwell singled, Benzinger came home for a 2-0 lead.
Don Baylor hit into a 5-4-3 double play, but after a walk to
Dwight Evans, Buckner came through with a base hit to left, scoring Boggs, and
Boston led, 3-0. Evans then came home on a double to right by Spike Owen,
Boston's sixth hit in the inning.
Arnold took over for Schmidt and the Sox got to him for a run
in the second. Benzinger singled with one out, and with two out he stole second.
From there he scored as Eddie Murray took a matador swipe at a grounder by
Greenwell that went for a double.
The Orioles chipped away with single runs in the third and
fourth to make it a 5-2 game. But the Sox came right back for three runs in the
bottom of the fourth. Gedman doubled off the Wall, and was sacrificed to third
by Barrett. Arnold walked Benzinger, bringing up Boggs, who is beginning to
thrive on RBI situations. He drove a pitch some 410 feet to the triangle in
center for a triple. When Greenwell followed with a sacrifice fly to center,
Boggs scored for an 8-2 lead.
All that was left was Boggs' grand finale in the sixth inning.
Lefty Scott McGregor, only a shadow of his former self, paid the price for
ineffectiveness. He gave up singles to Gedman and Barrett and walked Benzinger
to load the bases. Boggs slammed McGregor into the right-field seats.
Baltimore had one saving grace. Boggs had a chance to hit for
the cycle. The Red Sox third baseman needed but one measly two-bagger to
complete the cycle, a coveted offensive effort that has eluded him to date. The
way the night was going for No. 26, however, the Orioles were expecting the
worse. The implication here is that Wade Boggs can hit a ball almost anytime.
Not only that, he can hit the kind of ball he needs for that given moment. The
rush of this magical evening ended in the most disappointing way. Boggs picked
out a 2-2 pitch from Bell and popped out to shortstop. |
