Fenway Flashback: 1975 - Angels Take Advantage as Sox Stumble at Fenway
August 26, 1975
August 26, 1975: Angels Take Advantage as Sox Stumble at Fenway
After enjoying a rare day off at home, the Red Sox entered Tuesday still a half-game behind Oakland in the race for home field in the ALCS and 7.5 games ahead of Baltimore in the East. Oakland was idle Monday, while the Orioles were rained out in Kansas City, setting up a Tuesday doubleheader for them.
Boston welcomed the 60–71 California Angels to Fenway, looking for payback after dropping two of three in Anaheim earlier in the month.
Pitching Matchup and Lineups
Skipper Darryl Johnson turned to Luis Tiant for his 30th start of the season, while the Angels countered with Ed Figueroa, who had lost his two starts since beating Boston two weeks earlier.
Boston’s lineup featured a slight twist from its previous iterations:
Cecil Cooper (DH)
Denny Doyle (2B)
Carl Yastrzemski (1B)
Fred Lynn (CF)
Jim Rice (LF)
Dwight Evans (RF)
Rick Burleson (SS)
Tim Blackwell (C)
Bob Heise (3B)
Game Recap
Both starters pitched around traffic in the first before settling in during the second. In the third, California broke through when their nine-hole hitter, Mike Miley tripled off Tiant and scored on a throwing error by Rick Burleson.
Boston responded in the fourth. Denny Doyle doubled to right, moved to third on a passed ball, and scored on Fred Lynn’s RBI single after Yaz had drawn a walk. Jim Rice followed with a double to score Yastrzemski, putting runners on second and third with no outs. But Figueroa wriggled free, getting a grounder from Evans, then a lineout to first that doubled off Lynn at third, ending the rally and, ultimately, Boston’s best chance.
The Angels tied it in the fifth when catcher Andy Etchebarren belted just his second home run of the year. In the seventh, Etchebarren haunted the Sox again. After a leadoff walk to Leroy Stanton and a single by Dave Chalk, Tiant loaded the bases with another walk. Etchebarren then singled home two, and Mike Miley added another RBI single to make it 5–2, chasing Tiant from the game.
Jim Burton came on and fielded Jerry Remy’s sacrifice bunt for a force at third. Mickey Rivers flied out to center for the second out and after a throwing error by Heise loaded the bases, former Sox skipper and current Angels’ manager Dick Williams sent up pinch hitter, Bobby Valentine. (Yes, the same one!) Johnson countered with Jim Willoughby who induced a ground ball to Denny Doyle to end the threat, but the damage had been done.
In the eighth, more miscues hurt Boston. Another Heise error and provided another opportunity for Etchebarren, who beat out an infield single. Miley then executed a perfect suicide squeeze to score Stanton, Remy bunted again for an RBI hit, and Mickey Rivers capped the inning with a slow groundout to second that plated another run. The Angels led 8–2, and that’s where it ended.
Pitching Notes
Luis Tiant (15–13): 6 IP, 7 hits, 5 earned runs, 3 walks, 3 strikeouts.
Jim Burton: 0.2 IP, no runs allowed.
Jim Willoughby: 2.1 IP, 3 hits, 3 runs (1 earned), 2 walks, 2 strikeouts.
Player Notes and Season Stats
Boston’s offense was held to just five hits by Figueroa.
Jim Rice: 2-for-4, double (26), RBI (84)
Fred Lynn: 1-for-3, RBI (90)
Denny Doyle: 1-for-4, double, run scored
Despite the loss, the standings offered a silver lining. Oakland fell to Catfish Hunter and the Yankees, 7–1, while Baltimore split its doubleheader in Kansas City. At day’s end, the Sox remained just a half-game back of the A’s and seven games clear of the Orioles.
Stay tuned as we continue our day-by-day journey through the unforgettable 1975 Red Sox season.
Image courtesy of https://baseballhall.org/discover/card-corner/1969-topps-andy-etchebarren