Fenway Flashback: 1975 - Reggie's Big Day Sinks Sox in Series Finale
August 31, 1975
August 31, 1975: Reggie’s Big Day Sinks Sox in Series Finale
The end of August had finally arrived, with Boston playing their 28th game in 31 days. Entering the finale of the A’s series, the Sox were 16–11 for the month, solid, but not as sharp as the 21–12 run that had vaulted them into first place earlier in the summer. Since visiting Oakland in mid-August, Boston had played .500 baseball, unable to pull away from the A’s while keeping the Orioles at arm’s length but never burying them. With the teams tied atop the American League standings, manager Darryl Johnson hoped this finale would be the day Boston imposed its will on the defending champs.
Pitching Matchup and Lineups
Bill Lee took the ball for Boston, while Oakland countered with veteran righty Sonny Siebert, who pitched for the Red Sox from 1969–73.
Boston’s lineup:
Cecil Cooper (DH)
Denny Doyle (2B)
Carl Yastrzemski (1B)
Fred Lynn (CF)
Jim Rice (LF)
Dwight Evans (RF)
Rick Burleson (SS)
Dick McAuliffe (3B)
Tim Blackwell (C)
Game Recap
Both starters kept the bats quiet through two innings, but the third changed everything. With two outs in the top half, Bill North walked, Claudell Washington singled, and Sal Bando walked to load the bases. Reggie Jackson delivered, smashing a two-run double to give Oakland a 2–0 lead.
Boston answered in the bottom of the frame. With two outs, Fred Lynn doubled and scored on Jim Rice’s RBI single. Dwight Evans walked, and Rick Burleson lined a two-run double, putting Boston up 3–2. That ended Siebert’s day, though Paul Lindblad stopped further damage.
The back-and-forth continued in the fifth. Washington singled, Bando singled, and Jackson drove in his third run with another RBI hit. Tommy Harper later added a two-out single to give Oakland a 4–3 lead and end Lee’s afternoon. Jim Willoughby came on to escape any further runs.
Boston responded in their half. Yaz walked, and Lynn, surprisingly, dropped a sacrifice bunt. Rice tied the game with an RBI single, and after a Dewey single, Burleson struck again with his second two-run double of the day, giving the Sox a 6–4 lead.
But the A’s kept chipping away. In the sixth, they scored without a hit. A walk, an error by Bob Heise, and a wild pitch plated a run. Then in the seventh, “old friend,” Tommy Harper tied it with his fourth home run of the season. After Willoughby allowed a double, Diego Seguí came in to hold the line.
Boston threatened in the eighth after Tim Blackwell singled and Doug Griffin was hit by a pitch, but Rollie Fingers entered and snuffed the rally.
Finally, in the ninth, Seguí faltered. After a walk and an intentional pass loaded the bases, Jackson came through yet again, singling in two runs, his fourth and fifth RBI of the game, to give Oakland an 8–6 win and the series.
Pitching Notes
Bill Lee: 4.2 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
Jim Willoughby: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R (1 ER), 3 BB, 1 K
Diego Seguí (2–5): 3.0 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 1 K, losing pitcher
Boston pitchers combined to issue 11 walks. A fatal flaw against any opponent be it 1975 or 2025!
Player Notes and Season Stats
Rick Burleson: 4-for-5, 2 doubles, 4 RBI
Jim Rice: 2-for-5, 2 RBI (90), 2 runs scored
Dwight Evans: 1-for-4, run scored
Fred Lynn: 1-for-2, double, run scored
The loss allowed Oakland to leave Fenway in sole possession of first place in the American League, while Boston closed August with a 16–12 mark. Baltimore, rained out, sat six games back in the East as the calendar turned to September.
Next up: the Red Sox prepared for a quick two-game Labor Day series against their archrival Yankees. Boston hoped this was a chance to quiet the old Bronx jeer that the two things you can always count on folding up after Labor Day are beach chairs and the Boston Red Sox!
Stay tuned as we continue our day-by-day journey through the unforgettable 1975 Red Sox season.
Image courtesy of https://www.espn.com/blog/los-angeles/dodger-thoughts/post/_/id/6118/how-reggie-jackson-might-have-led-the-dodgers-over-the-yankees-in-the-world-series