Fenway Flashback: 1975 - Palmer Dominates, Orioles Sweep Two-Game Set
August 5, 1975
August 5, 1975: Palmer Dominates, Orioles Sweep Two-Game Set
With their five-game winning streak snapped and the second-place Orioles full of confidence after a 16-hit, 12-run outburst the night before, the Red Sox entered Tuesday night’s matchup visibly worn down. Darrell Johnson’s club was playing its 23rd game in the last 19 straight days, a grueling stretch that began with two games at Fenway after the All-Star break and continued through an 11-game road trip across Texas, Kansas City, Minnesota, and New York, followed by this ten-game homestand.
As the finale of that homestand loomed, the Sox were hoping they had just enough gas left in the tank to fend off Baltimore’s surge.
Pitching Matchup and Lineups
This one was billed as a pitcher’s duel, and it lived up to the hype, at least on one side. Earl Weaver sent Jim Palmer, well on his way to winning the 1975 AL Cy Young Award, while Boston turned to their emotional anchor, Luis Tiant.
Darrell Johnson stuck with the same lineup that had slugged its way through most 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
Through the first two innings, it looked like both pitchers were up to the task. Tiant allowed a one-out double to Bobby Grich in the first, but neither team scored.
In the third, Baltimore cracked through. Mark Belanger doubled with one out, and Grich followed a batter later with his second hit of the game, an RBI single that gave Palmer all the cushion he’d need. The future Hall of Famer would take it from there.
The Orioles added another run in the fourth when Brooks Robinson singled home a run, and they tacked on a third in the fifth when Al Bumbry came around to score on a throwing error by Rick Burleson. That made it 3–0 Orioles, and the way Palmer was pitching, it may as well have been 30.
Palmer held Boston hitless until the fifth inning, when Carlton Fisk doubled with two outs. But Cecil Cooper grounded out, ending the only real threat the Sox would mount all night.
Palmer gave up just one more hit, another double to Rick Burleson with one out in the ninth, but quickly shut the door by striking out Bernie Carbo and getting Denny Doyle to fly out to end the game.
Pitching Notes
Luis Tiant (13–11) pitched well but suffered the loss, going 7 innings, allowing 3 earned runs on 9 hits, with 5 strikeouts and no walks.
Dick Drago pitched the final two innings in relief, allowing 2 hits and striking out two.
Jim Palmer (16–7) was simply brilliant. He tossed a complete-game shutout, allowing just 2 hits, 1 walk, and striking out 8. It was his 15th complete game of the season, an almost unthinkable number in today’s game.
Player Notes and Season Stats
The Red Sox were shut out for just the ninth time all season, and Jim Palmer was responsible for two of those.
Carlton Fisk: 1-for-3, double
Rick Burleson: 1-for-3, double
The rest of the lineup: 0-for-22 with one walk (Lynn)
With the mini-sweep, the Orioles trimmed Boston’s lead in the AL East to 7.5 games. The Red Sox still had a firm grip on the division, but Baltimore’s pulse was back. In the race for the best record in the American League, Oakland was idle, and Boston’s deficit for home field in the ALCS crept back to 2.0 games.
As the Red Sox boarded a flight to Milwaukee to begin another 15-game, five-city road trip, they were exhausted and in need of rest. If they couldn’t recover quickly, the momentum they’d built in July could begin to slip away.
Stay tuned as we continue our day-by-day journey through the unforgettable 1975 Red Sox season. Next stop: Milwaukee.
Image courtesy of https://www.camdenchat.com/2020/12/21/22192667/greatest-orioles-of-all-time-jim-palmer