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THE SUMMER OF "MORGAN'S
MAGIC" ...
The Sox rout the Tigers
for 24 straight at home
August
13, 1988 ... The Red Sox chewed up, spit out
and otherwise humiliated the Detroit Tigers, 16-4, on national TV
with no fewer than 19 hits. The victory, Boston's 24th in a row on
Yawkey Way, was backed by seven RBIs by Dwight Evans which was a
career high for the Gold Glove right fielder. And now, only one team,
the 1916 New York Giants, has ever rattled off more consecutive home
victories than the 1988 Old Towne Team. The streak may be, but it
also is the primary reason the Sox have the Tigers thinking twice
about which woolies to get ready for the October playoffs.
As for today, the Tigers may take some solace in
remembering they actually took a 4-3 lead into the bottom of the sixth. Alan
Trammell's three-run homer off Mike Boddicker (9-13, 3-1 with Boston)
temporarily had the Sox backpedaling after breaking out to a 2-0 lead in the
first.
What
happened after the 4-3 lead? Well, the Red Sox scored three in the sixth, three
in the seventh and seven in the eighth. In those three frames, they hit 12 for
22 (.545), with eight extra-base hits, two homers and 13 RBIs. In one stretch of
the eighth inning, the Sox sent eight men to the plate and piled up seven hits
and a walk.
The 16
runs, tying the Sox highest output for the year, gave the Red Sox their most
runs against the Tigers since a 17-6 win in Tigertown May 6, 1959.
Dwight
Evans along with his seven RBIs, had two homers including a two-run shot in the
first and another two-run blast in the sixth. The latter rocketed over the
screen atop the Wall and put the Sox ahead for good, 5-4. He added a
bases-loaded triple in the eighth for RBIs 5, 6 and 7, lifting his bases-loaded
production this year to 5 for 9 (.556) and 11 RBIs. Remember, it was Evans who
came into this series with an 0-for-22 stretch at the plate.
Mike
Greenwell went 4 for 6, including a double and a homer (for a 6-4 lead) and two
RBIs. Rich Gedman had a pair of doubles in the seventh and eighth gave him three
RBIs.
In all,
every Red Sox starter except Todd Benzinger had a hit. All but Wade Boggs, Jim
Rice and Ellis Burks had at least one RBI. And after Boddicker exited following
the sixth inning, lefthander Tom Bolton faced only nine batters in three
pristine innings of relief, giving up one hit which was erased in the ninth on a
double play.
Until the
sixth, though afterward it was hard to believe, there was a fair amount of
suspense. Trammell's homer off Boddicker momentarily turned what looked like an
impressive Sox victory into the disappointment of losing. But not until Evans
hit the stuffing out of his second home run. With one out, Boggs drew a walk off
Detroit starter Jeff Robinson (13-6, 0-2 vs. Boston in a week). And with two
out, Evans put Robinson's 3-2 offering over the screen and onto the
Massachusetts Turnpike. Greenwell, faced with reliever Guillermo Hernandez, then
parked one just over The Wall to make it 6-4.
In the
seventh, Gedman drove in a run with his first double and Spike Owen knocked in a
pair with a double which was his first extra-base hit in a month. And in the
eighth, Rice doubled, Burks singled, Reed singled, Gedman doubled and Boggs
singled, all before Owen drew a walk. Then Evans tripled and Greenwell singled
before Benzinger finally made an out on a force play started by the center
fielder going 8-4-6.
They now trail the American League East frontrunners by 2
1/2 games. |
