Fenway Flashback: 1975 - Money Powers Brewers
July 29, 1975
July 29, 1975: Money Powers Brewers
Riding the momentum of their series-opening win over the Brewers, the Red Sox entered Tuesday night’s contest with an 11–3 record since the All-Star break. The surge had ballooned Boston’s lead in the AL East from 4.5 games to a commanding 8.5-game advantage over Baltimore, with both New York and Milwaukee slipping into double-digit deficits and clinging to faint postseason hopes. But manager Darrell Johnson wasn’t ready to coast just yet, he knew the Brewers, desperate to stay alive, would be playing like their season was on the line.
Pitching Matchup and Lineups
Milwaukee turned to former All-Star right-hander Jim Colborn in hopes of keeping their season afloat. The Red Sox countered with an unconventional choice: veteran reliever Diego Seguí, making his first start of the season.
The Tuesday evening tilt featured an intriguing matchup between a proven starter and a veteran swingman trying to stretch himself in a rare start.
Boston’s lineup for July 29 remained familiar:
Bernie Carbo (RF)
Denny Doyle (2B)
Carl Yastrzemski (1B)
Fred Lynn (CF)
Jim Rice (LF)
Carlton Fisk (C)
Dwight Evans (DH)
Rico Petrocelli (3B)
Rick Burleson (SS)
Game Recap
This time, it was the Brewers who came out swinging. Leadoff man Don Money set the tone with a solo home run off Seguí, the 10th of his season. Just moments later, catcher, Darrell Porter followed with a blast of his own, and Milwaukee was suddenly ahead 2–0 before the Fenway fans had settled in.
Money struck again in the third, launching his second homer of the night to extend the lead to 3–0. Then in the fifth, after a double by Kurt Bevacqua, Money showed that he was the consummate teammate, by dropping down a sacrifice bunt, even after twice going deep. Seguí’s wild pitch allowed Bevacqua to score, making it 4–0.
Despite the early fireworks, Seguí stayed in and gave Boston nine full innings in a gutsy performance. But Colborn, backed by the early runs, was simply unbreakable.
The Red Sox had baserunners in seven of nine innings, but Colborn continually wiggled out of trouble. He scattered seven hits and three walks over nine shutout innings, striking out five and earning his seventh win of the year.
Pitching Notes
Diego Seguí (2-4) took the loss but turned in a remarkable complete game in his first start of the season. He allowed four earned runs on ten hits, walked one, and struck out a season-high eleven batters.
Jim Colborn (7–8) went the distance for Milwaukee, shutting out one of the league’s top offense on seven hits, three walks, and five strikeouts.
Player Notes and Season Stats
Dwight Evans was the only player for the Sox to collect multiple hits, going 2-for-3 with a walk. Carlton Fisk, Denny Doyle, Carl Yastrzemski, Fred Lynn, and Rico Petrocelli each contributed one hit.
Milwaukee’s victory kept their faint divisional hopes alive and gave the Yankees and Orioles a reason to smile. Both rivals won Tuesday, tightening the AL East race just a bit. The Yankees beat the Tigers 4–2, trimming Boston’s lead over them to 10 games and The Orioles hammered Cleveland 7–1 and now sit 7.5 games back. Out west, the Red Sox caught a break as the Rangers cooled off the A’s with a 6-1 win, keeping Boston 3.5 games behind Oakland in the battle for home field advantage.
With the series now even, the Sox will look to bounce back in the rubber match as they aim to widen the gap and keep their October dreams on course.
Stay tuned as we continue our day-by-day journey through the unforgettable 1975 Red Sox season.
Image courtesy of https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/april-12-1980-brewers-cooper-money-belt-two=grand-slams-in-one-inning/