Fenway Flashback: 1975 - Boston Pulls Even with Oakland
August 10, 1975
August 10, 1975: Boston Pulls Even with Oakland
Halfway through the much-anticipated “Series of the Summer,” the scoreboard showed a deadlock. Oakland had taken the opener, 3–2, despite 6.2 no-hit innings from Reggie Cleveland, and Boston had answered in Game 2 with a 7–2 win powered by three home runs. Still just one game behind the A’s in the race for home field advantage, the Red Sox had the chance to pull even.
Baltimore’s seven-game winning streak had already trimmed Boston’s AL East cushion to six games, so Sunday’s matchup carried weight in both league and division races.
Pitching Matchup and Lineups
Darryl Johnson turned to his veteran ace Luis Tiant to set the tone. The A’s countered with right-hander Dick Bosman, a midseason trade acquisition.
Boston rolled with the same lineup that had produced the day before:
Bernie Carbo (DH)
Denny Doyle (2B)
Cecil Cooper (1B)
Fred Lynn (CF)
Jim Rice (LF)
Carlton Fisk (C)
Dwight Evans (RF)
Rico Petrocelli (3B)
Rick Burleson (SS)
Game Recap
For the third straight game, Boston struck first, and like yesterday, they kept the lead. Bernie Carbo singled to open the game and scored on Cecil Cooper’s second homer in as many days.
Both starters settled in until the fourth, when Boston’s bats struck again. Cooper walked, and Jim Rice crushed his 19th home run of the year into the Coliseum bleachers, pushing the lead to 4–0 and ending Bosman’s day. Reliever Jim Todd came in and kept the Sox off the board for the next 3.1 innings.
Oakland halved the deficit in the bottom of the fourth on Gene Tenace’s two-run homer, his second of the series. Tiant was able to quickly regain control, holding the A’s scoreless over the next three frames. Johnson went to lefty Jim Burton for the eighth, and he mowed down the top of Oakland’s order in order. He struck out Bert Campaneris and pinch hitter, Angel Mangual. He ended the inning by getting a young Claudell Washington to ground out harmlessly to Rick Burleson at short.
The game entered the ninth inning with Boston still leading 4-2 and the bottom of the lineup due, with the hopes of providing a little insurance. Dwight Evans doubled to lead off the inning and scored on Doug Griffin’s clutch two-out RBI single to make it 5–2.
Burton stayed on to open the bottom half but allowed a double to Reggie Jackson and a single to Bill North, bringing the tying run to the plate in the form of the future Hall of Famer, Billy Williams. Burton was able to get the dangerous Williams to pop up to Burleson for the first out of the inning. With righties, Gene Tenace and Sal Bando looming in the A’s lineup, Johnson turned to his ace closer, Jim Willoughby. The righty was able to retire Tenace on a sacrifice fly to Lynn in center, making the score 5-3 but also leaving Oakland down to their last out. Bando gave Boston a scare but his fly ball to left field ended up in the glove of Jim Rice and Boston had secured the win and had drawn even with Oakland in the American League.
Pitching Notes
Luis Tiant (14–11) went 7 innings, allowing 2 earned runs on 5 hits, with 2 walks and 2 strikeouts.
Jim Burton worked 1.1 innings, giving up 2 hits and 1 run, while striking out 2.
Jim Willoughby notched his 7th save by retiring both batters he faced.
Player Notes and Season Stats
Cecil Cooper: 1-for-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 runs
Jim Rice: 2-for-4, HR (19), 2 RBI (80), run scored
Dwight Evans: 2-for-4, double, run scored
Carlton Fisk: 2-for-4
Boston’s victory secured at least a split of the four-game set in Oakland and pulled them into a tie for the league’s best record. In the AL East, the Red Sox gained a game as the Angels rallied for three in the ninth to beat Baltimore 3–2, stretching Boston’s lead back to seven games. One more game remained in Oakland before the Sox would head south to Anaheim to face the Angels.
Stay tuned as we continue our day-by-day journey through the unforgettable 1975 Red Sox season.
Image courtesy of https://whitecleatbeat.com/2020/06/11/oakland-claudell-washington-passes-away-65/