Fenway Flashback: 1975 - Orioles Bats Erupt, Spoil Sox's Streak at Fenway
August 4, 1975
August 4, 1975: Orioles Bats Erupt, Spoil Sox's Streak at Fenway
With the last-place Tigers finally run out of town after a decisive five-game sweep, the Red Sox faced a clear step up in competition. Next up: the second-place Baltimore Orioles, arriving at Fenway for a brief two-game series with their postseason hopes hanging by a thread. Trailing Boston by 9.5 games in the American League East, this series represented a potential last gasp for the defending division champs.
Pitching Matchup and Lineups
Baltimore handed the ball to Worcester native Paul Mitchell, making just his fifth major league appearance. Boston countered with lefty Bill Lee, looking for his 15th win and aiming to keep the Orioles buried in the standings.
Darrell Johnson sent out the Sox regulars to try to seize control of the homestand:
Bernie Carbo (RF)
Denny Doyle (2B)
Carl Yastrzemski (1B)
Fred Lynn (CF)
Jim Rice (LF)
Carlton Fisk (C)
Cecil Cooper (DH)
Rico Petrocelli (3B)
Rick Burleson (SS)
Game Recap
The night started innocently enough, with both starters tossing scoreless first innings. But that would be the end of any pitcher's duel. On this steamy August night in Boston, the bats would tell the story.
Baltimore struck first in the second. Don Baylor singled and moved to third on a hit by Bobby Grich, two future adversaries in the 1986 ALCS, now wearing Orioles orange. Brooks Robinson, already a legend, drove in Baylor with a fielder’s choice to make it 1–0.
The Sox answered immediately. In the bottom of the inning, Jim Rice crushed his 18th home run of the season over the Monster to tie it. Then came a third-inning barrage that looked like a knockout punch: Carbo and Doyle singled, and Lynn reached on a fielder’s choice to load the bases. Rice delivered again with a two-run single, and Carlton Fisk followed by crushing his fifth homer of the season for a 6–1 Sox lead. That brought Earl Weaver storming out of the dugout to hook Mitchell and summon Doyle Alexander. Yes, the very same Alexander who, 12 years later, would become the answer to the infamous John Smoltz trade.
But if Boston felt secure, they shouldn’t have. Baltimore started chipping away in the fourth when shortstop Mark Belanger, known far more for his glove, poked an RBI single to cut the lead to 6–2.
Then came the fifth, and the tide truly turned. A leadoff walk to Paul Blair, a single from Tommy Davis, and an RBI hit from Baylor made it 6–3. Grich then followed with his 10th home run of the year, tying the game at 6–6. The crowd was stunned, and Johnson pulled Lee after a leadoff double in the sixth, calling on Jim Willoughby.
Willoughby escaped the sixth but ran into more trouble in the seventh. Grich and Baylor reached again, and Robinson crushed his fifth homer of the season to left field to give Baltimore a 9–6 lead. Moments later, Ken Singleton added a solo homer of his own, his 12th, to make it 10–6.
It didn't stop there. In the eighth, Baylor capped his jaw-dropping night with a two-run homer, giving him five hits and three RBI. The Red Sox clawed back two runs in the eighth on a pinch-hit single by Doug Griffin, but it was too little, too late. After a three-hour slugfest, Boston fell 12–8, snapping their five-game winning streak.
Pitching Notes
Bill Lee lasted just 5 innings, giving up 6 runs on 9 hits, with 2 walks and 2 strikeouts.
Jim Willoughby (2–1) took his first loss of the year, surrendering 4 earned runs on 4 hits in 1.2 innings.
Diego Seguí mopped up, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits and 2 walks over 2.1 innings.
Player Notes and Season Stats
Despite the loss, Boston’s offense banged out 15 hits:
Jim Rice: 4-for-5, HR (18), 3 RBI (76), 2 runs
Rico Petrocelli: 4-for-5, run scored
Carlton Fisk: 1-for-5, HR (5), 3 RBI
For the Orioles it was the five, six, and seven hitters in their lineup that did in the Red Sox:
Don Baylor: 5-for-5, HR (21), 3 RBI, 4 runs scored
Bobby Grich: 3-for-4, HR (10), 3 RBI, 3 runs
Brooks Robinson: 2-for-5, HR (5), 4 RBI
Despite the loss, the Red Sox retained a commanding 8.5-game lead over Baltimore in the AL East. More importantly, Oakland was blanked 12–0 by Fergie Jenkins and the Rangers, so Boston remained just 1.5 games behind the A’s and possible homefield advantage.
With one more game remaining in this pivotal mini-series, Boston will look to bounce back and put the Orioles away for good.
Stay tuned as we continue our day-by-day journey through the unforgettable 1975 Red Sox season.
Image courtesy of https://www.camdenchat.com/2020/4/24/21233255/retro-orioles-recap-don-baylor-extra-innings-win