Fenway Flashback: 1975 - Clutch Hits and Fisk's Arm Carry Sox in Minnesota
July 22, 1975
July 22, 1975: Clutch Hits and Fisk’s Arm Carry Sox in Minnesota
Fresh off a split in their four-game set with Texas, the Red Sox arrived in the Land of 10,000 Lakes on Tuesday, July 22, 1975. With a healthy lead in the American League East, Boston’s 54–39 record had them well-positioned, but they knew every game mattered. The Yankees were sending their ace Catfish Hunter to the mound in Chicago, and the Brewers had a doubleheader ahead. The Sox couldn’t afford to let up, not even against the last-place Twins.
Pitching Matchup and Lineups
Boston turned to left-hander Bill Lee for the series opener, while Minnesota countered with young righty Dave Goltz, hoping to play spoiler.
The Red Sox lineup for July 22 was:
Bernie Carbo (DH)
Denny Doyle (2B)
Carl Yastrzemski (1B)
Fred Lynn (CF)
Jim Rice (LF)
Cecil Cooper (RF)
Carlton Fisk (C)
Rico Petrocelli (3B)
Rick Burleson (SS)
Game Recap
After being shut out the night before, Boston’s offense looked to bounce back, and they did just that. Following a scoreless first inning from both starters, the Red Sox got on the board in the second. Fred Lynn led off with a walk, and Jim Rice followed with an RBI triple. Two outs later, Rico Petrocelli drove Rice home with a single to give Boston a 2–0 lead.
The Sox struck again in the third. Denny Doyle singled with one out, Yaz walked, and Lynn beat out an infield single to load the bases. Although Rice struck out, Cecil Cooper drew a clutch two-out walk to force in a run, and Carlton Fisk came through with a two-run single to center, making it 5–0.
While Boston wouldn’t record another hit off Goltz the rest of the game, they had given Lee more than enough support. Lee cruised through five scoreless innings before Minnesota struck back in the sixth. Jerry Terrell reached on an error by Shortstop, Rick Burleson and scored ahead of All Star and Future Hall of Famer, Rod Carew’s 11th home run of the season, a two-run shot that cut the lead to 5–2.
The Twins pushed two more across in the seventh. A sacrifice fly by Glenn Borgmann and an RBI double by Steve Braun brought the score to 5–4. With Braun standing on third and two outs, Carlton Fisk ended the threat by picking him off in a heads-up play that swung the momentum right back to Boston.
Lee settled in from there, allowing just one baserunner over the final two innings to earn his 12th win of the season.
Pitching Notes
Bill Lee (W, 12–6) went the distance, allowing three earned runs on eight hits, with one walk and two strikeouts. It was another gritty outing from “The Spaceman,” who worked through trouble and got big outs when it mattered most.
Player Notes and Season Stats
Though the Red Sox bats stayed relatively quiet for the second straight game, they came through in the clutch, scoring four of their five runs with two outs:
Carlton Fisk went 1-for-4 with two RBIs.
Jim Rice was 1-for-4 with a triple, one RBI (64), and a run scored.
Fred Lynn went 1-for-3 with two runs scored.
Cecil Cooper and Rico Petrocelli each added an RBI.
Boston maintained its six-game lead over the Yankees, who beat the White Sox 11–6 behind Catfish Hunter. The Brewers split their doubleheader with the Royals, falling to seven games back.
Halfway through the long road trip, the Red Sox hadn’t lost any ground in the standings and were eager to keep the momentum rolling against the struggling Twins, especially with a high-stakes showdown in the Bronx looming on the weekend.
Stay tuned as we continue our day-by-day journey through the unforgettable 1975 Red Sox season.
Image courtesy of https://www.thehistoryreader.com/cultural-history/first-baseball-strike/