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Rick Cerone's walk-off
finishes off
a wild game at Fenway
May
31, 1989 ... The Red Sox saved Jody Reed from
his own particular hell and turned Lee Smith from loser to victor in
the process of beating the Oakland Athletics, 4-3, in 10 innings.
After a one-hour rain delay, the two teams embarked on the wildest
night of the season at Fenway Park. Reed cost the Sox two runs with
errors, the second on a routine throw to first with two out in the
ninth inning and the Sox leading, 2-1. Smith gave
up a home run to Dave Parker that cleared the visitors' bullpen in the top of
the 10th. But the Sox came back with two in the bottom of the inning; pinch
hitter Rick Cerone drove in the game-winner with a single off lefthander Curt
Young with two out.
The play
occurred after Smith had relieved Roger Clemens (eight innings, five hits, 10
strikeouts) to start the 10th. Smith walked the first batter of the inning, Tony
Phillips, and with two out found himself pitching to nemesis Luis Polonia with
pinch runner Stan Javier on second. Polonia hit a chopping grounder to Reed's
left. The shortstop fielded the ball on a difficult hop, then simply threw short
to first baseman Nick Esasky. The ball rolled up Esasky's arm. Javier scored
from second.
For his
part, Clemens was denied ending his three-game losing streak, even though he had
his most strikeouts since April 25th. It was the closest to vintage Clemens seen
in some time. He had thrown 151 pitches by the eighth, however, and manager Joe
Morgan went to Smith, who has three wins and a save in his last four
appearances. This time he was only fortunate: his walk to Phillips cost him
dearly, and Parker hammered him for the first homer he has allowed since last
August.
The Sox
rescued him in the bottom of the inning. With one out, Dwight Evans led off with
a single to left off righthander Eric Plunk, and Ellis Burks followed with a
searing double off the left-center-field wall. The A's elected to pitch to
designated hitter Sam Horn, and Horn scored Evans with ground ball to first
baseman Mark McGwire. Young came in and walked Nick Esasky intentionally, and
Morgan sent up Cerone for Gedman, who was 0 for 4 and had been booed
relentlessly the entire night. Cerone lined a clean single to right, winning the
game.
The A's
first run was unearned, the result of Glenn Hubbard's ground ball bouncing off
Reed's glove on a difficult play in the second. Clemens had given up a leadoff
double to Carney Lansford, who stole third and scored on the two-out error.
The Red
Sox tied the game with their first run in the fifth inning, but it was the bare
minimum. After Horn led off with a double off the Wall and Esasky moved him to
third, Gedman and Reed both failed before Marty Barrett drove in Horn with a
two-out single to right. The next batter was Wade Boggs, who reached base in his
first two at-bats on a single off the wall and an error. This time, with runners
on first and second, he popped out to Lansford behind third base, ending the
inning.
The Sox
appeared to get a break in the fourth when Phillips allowed a Boggs ground ball
to roll through his legs. Up came Mike Greenwell replenished with new bats but
weighted down by an 0-for-15 slump. In a heartbeat both were gone. Greenwell
struck out on a low, inside pitch. While he was arguing with plate umpire Dale
Scott, Boggs stole second, then inexplicably left the base. He was tagged out by
Phillips, rendering useless an ensuing single by Evans.
Clemens is 28-1 with six no-decisions in the 35 games in
which he has struck out at least 10 batters. |
