Fenway Flashback: 1975 - Dewey Delivers in Chi-Town
August 16, 1975
August 16, 1975: Dewey Delivers in Chi-Town
After Luis Tiant breathed new life into Red Sox Nation with a complete-game victory in the series opener, Boston entered Saturday night’s contest rejuvenated. Even with fatigue from the long road trip and another doubleheader looming, the Sox were back even with Oakland in the home-field race and looked to continue their dominance of the White Sox.
Pitching Matchup and Lineups
With rest at a premium, Darryl Johnson handed the ball to Roger Moret, hoping he could return to his winning ways. Chicago countered with veteran lefty and former Red Sox pitcher Wilbur Wood.
Johnson rolled out a revamped lineup for the game:
Juan Beniquez (LF)
Rick Burleson (SS)
Carl Yastrzemski (1B)
Carlton Fisk (C)
Fred Lynn (CF)
Dwight Evans (RF)
Cecil Cooper (DH)
Doug Griffin (2B)
Bob Heise (3B)
Game Recap
Coming off the emotional win the night before, Boston struck quickly. Juan Beniquez walked to lead off the game and scored on Carlton Fisk’s clutch two-out triple, giving the Sox a 1–0 lead. From there, both pitchers settled in, and neither team mounted much offense through the middle innings. Moret faced just three batters per inning until the fifth, while Wood kept the Sox in check.
Boston finally added insurance in the seventh when Dwight Evans launched his 10th home run of the year, extending the lead to 2–0. That cushion proved more than enough. Moret continued to silence Chicago’s bats, and Jim Willoughby came in to shut the door.
The Sox broke it open in the ninth. Fisk singled and stole second, then scored on a Fred Lynn single. Lynn advanced on the throw and later scored on Evans’ fourth triple of the season. Cecil Cooper capped the rally with an RBI single, pushing the final score to 5–0.
Pitching Notes
Roger Moret (9–2) earned the win with seven dominant shutout innings, allowing just two hits, walking two, and striking out two.
Jim Willoughby recorded his eighth save, tossing two perfect innings of relief.
Player Notes and Season Stats
Dwight Evans: 2-for-4, HR (10), triple, 2 RBI, run
Carlton Fisk: 2-for-4, triple, RBI, run
Cecil Cooper: 2-for-4, RBI
Fred Lynn: 1-for-4, RBI (86), run, stolen base
The victory provided Boston with another much-needed boost, extending their AL East lead after the Orioles finally cooled off in a 5–1 loss to Gaylord Perry and the Rangers. Oakland, however, walked off Milwaukee to remain tied with the Sox atop the American League. With a Sunday doubleheader at Comiskey Park looming, Moret’s outing gave Boston confidence and ensured at least a split of the four-game set.
Stay tuned as we continue our day-by-day journey through the unforgettable 1975 Red Sox season.
Image courtesy of https://talksox.com/news-rumors/boston-red-sox/dwight-evans-is-overdue-for-a-date-with-cooperstown-r2280/