Saturday, April 5, 2014

Game of the Day (4/4/84)

Red Sox 2, Angels 1. Mike Witt, a youngster who was making the first appearance of his first really good year, started for California; Bob Ojeda, who was a little older and not quite as good, took the mound for Boston.

Both starters began the game in excellent form - of the first 17 batters, only one reached safely, and Wade Boggs was thrown out trying to stretch his single. Gary Pettis became the first hitter to successfully reach and stay on base when he singled and stole second in the bottom of the third, but was left in scoring position. The top of the fourth saw singles by Jerry Remy and Boggs, but Dwight Evans grounded into a double play in between the two hits. Rod Carew walked in the bottom of the inning, but was doubled off when Doug DeCinces flied to first. (The play-by-play is insufficiently descriptive to tell for sure, but I assume that either DeCinces actually lined out, or Carew was running with the pitch.)

Mike Easler reached on an error by DeCinces to open the fifth, and made it to third on Tony Armas's single, only to be picked off by catcher Bob Boone, swiftly defusing the rally. Former Red Sock Fred Lynn led off the bottom of the inning with a homer, putting California on the board; Ojeda went on to issue a pair of walks later in the inning, but stranded both runners to keep the deficit to one.

Witt continued his fine work into the later innings, hurling a 1-2-3 sixth and working around a Boggs walk in the seventh. Ojeda, meanwhile, got into and out of trouble in both innings, allowing three straight one-out singles (to Juan Beniquez, DeCinces, and Lynn) to load the bases in the sixth and walking two Angels in the seventh, but coaxed a pair of popups to escape the first jam and a double play to dodge the second.

One-out walks to Dave Stapleton and Rick Miller finally ended Witt's day in the top of the eighth; Luis Sanchez induced a groundout from Remy that moved the tying run to third and a strikeout from Evans that left it there. Ojeda allowed a leadoff double to Juan Beniquez in the bottom of the inning, and was pulled for Mark Clear, who kept the runner from advancing any further.

Boggs led off the top of the ninth with a single. Sanchez retired Jim Rice on a fly ball, bringing Easler to the plate; the Boston DH promptly made up for his earlier baserunning blunder with interest, as he launched a go-ahead two-run homer. The Sox threatened to extend their nascent lead, drawing a pair of walks, but left both runners on. In the bottom of the ninth, Clear walked pinch hitter Daryl Sconiers, and after a sac bunt, also issued a base on balls to Brian Downing, but struck out Carew and got Beniquez to fly to left, ending the game with the tying run in scoring position.

So far in 1984, the Red Sox and Angels have played twice, and both times it's been the best game of the year to date by WPL. They've got 10 mutual games to go; at this rate, the last one (which we'll see in July) will be REALLY good.

This one isn't too bad in its own right. It's a Red Sox game started by Bob Ojeda in which Ojeda's team trails late, but rallies in its last chance to emerge with a shocking victory. Let's see, where have I seen that template before?

Oh, right. This game wasn't quite as exciting (or traumatic) as the one in the link, but it was still a quality exhibition of baseball, with Ojeda's escape artist routine contributing mightily to that (the Angels went 1 for 12 with runners in scoring position). It's not likely to hold the "best game of the year" title for long, but it's worthy of holding it for now.

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