September 4, 1975: Pole and Drago Silence Orioles
Game two of the short series in Baltimore gave the Red Sox another opportunity to extend their lead in the American League East. Following Rick Wise’s brilliant performance the night before, Boston entered Thursday seven games up in the division and just a half-game behind Oakland. One more strong effort could all but lock up a playoff berth for the Sox.
Pitching Matchup and Lineups
The matchup featured two right-handers: youngster, Dick Pole for Boston against Baltimore’s Mike Torrez, who would later pitch for the Red Sox.
For the second straight day, Darryl Johnson kept his lineup card unchanged:
Cecil Cooper (DH)
Denny Doyle (2B)
Carl Yastrzemski (1B)
Fred Lynn (CF)
Jim Rice (LF)
Carlton Fisk (C)
Dwight Evans (RF)
Rick Burleson (SS)
Rico Petrocelli (3B)
Game Recap
Boston jumped out quickly for the second straight game. In the top of the first, Cooper singled to lead off and advanced to third on Yastrzemski’s double. Lynn walked to load the bases for Rice, who hit a grounder to third baseman Brooks Robinson. The Gold Glove veteran tagged the bag to force Lynn, but his throw to first sailed down the right-field line, allowing Yaz and Cooper to score, giving Boston a 2–0 lead.
From there, the pitchers settled in. Pole kept the Orioles off the board until the fifth, when catcher Dave Duncan walked, moved to third on Mark Belanger’s single, and watched as Al Bumbry’s infield hit loaded the bases. Second baseman Bobby Grich followed with a sacrifice fly to cut the Sox lead to 2–1.
That was as close as Baltimore would get. Pole worked five solid innings before turning it over to the bullpen, and Dick Drago was dominant the rest of the way. Drago pitched four scoreless frames, striking out five and slamming the door on the Orioles to seal the win.
Boston added an insurance run in the top of the ninth after Carlton Fisk tripled and scored on a wild pitch.
Pitching Notes
Dick Pole (3–4): 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, win
Dick Drago: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K, 10th save
Player Notes and Season Stats
Carlton Fisk :1-for-3, triple, run scored
Cecil Cooper: 1-for-3, run scored
Fred Lynn:1-for-3, run scored
Standings Update
The victory gave Boston an eight-game cushion over Baltimore, putting them firmly in control of the AL East race. With Oakland idle again, the Sox also pulled back even with the A’s in the battle for homefield advantage.
With momentum restored, Boston boarded the plane for Milwaukee, ready to take on the Brewers in “Cheese Country.”
Stay tuned as we continue our day-by-day journey through the unforgettable 1975 Red Sox season.
Image courtesy of https://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/ballparks/memorial-stadium/