August 27, 1975: Rice Powers Sox Past Angels
Following their series-opening loss to California, the Red Sox entered Wednesday afternoon’s finale at Fenway looking to split the short two-game set. Boston sat 0.5 games behind Oakland in the race for home field and seven games ahead of Baltimore in the AL East. With the A’s set to arrive at Fenway next, the Sox knew this was an important chance to steady themselves before the weekend showdown.
Pitching Matchup and Lineups
Boston turned to steady left-hander Roger Moret, seeking his third win of August, while the Angels countered with veteran righty Bill Singer.
Darryl Johnson’s lineup featured a new face, Connecticut native Dick McAuliffe, making his first start in what would be the final season of his 15-year MLB career:
Cecil Cooper (DH)
Denny Doyle (2B)
Carl Yastrzemski (1B)
Fred Lynn (CF)
Jim Rice (LF)
Dwight Evans (RF)Fe
Rick Burleson (SS)
Dick McAuliffe (3B)
Tim Blackwell (C)
Game Recap
The Sox wasted no time jumping on Singer. After Doyle doubled in the first, Fred Lynn brought him home with a two-out RBI double. Jim Rice followed by blasting his 21st homer of the year over the Green Monster, staking Boston to a quick 3–0 lead.
The Angels answered in the second. John Balaz walked and moved to third on Dave Chalk’s single. Bobby Valentine’s sacrifice fly plated one, and after two walks loaded the bases, Jerry Remy drew yet another walk to make it 3–2. Moret escaped further trouble by retiring Mickey Rivers, and that would prove to be the Angels’ final runs of the day.
Boston tacked on another in the second when Rick Burleson singled, McAuliffe and Blackwell walked, and a passed ball allowed Burleson to score. In the third, Yaz doubled, Lynn singled, and Rice added a sacrifice fly for his third RBI of the game. Dwight Evans then singled, and Burleson delivered a deep fly to right that scored Lynn, giving the Sox a 6–2 cushion.
From there, Moret and reliever Dick Drago shut the door. Moret worked into the ninth before yielding back-to-back singles. Drago entered and struck out Stanton and Adrian Garrett to end it, sealing Boston’s 6–2 victory.
Pitching Notes
Roger Moret (11–2): 8.1 IP, 8 hits, 2 runs, 7 walks, 5 strikeouts.
Dick Drago: 0.2 IP, 2 strikeouts, 8th save.
Player Notes and Season Stats
Dwight Evans: 3-for-4, triple
Fred Lynn: 2-for-4, double (35), RBI (91), 2 runs
Jim Rice: 1-for-3, HR (21), 3 RBI (87), run
Boston’s win kept them locked in place, still a half-game behind Oakland and seven games ahead of Baltimore. Oakland edged the Yankees 3–2 behind Vida Blue’s 17th win, while Baltimore beat Kansas City 4–2 and Paul Splittorff 4-2.
The Sox were grateful for another day off before welcoming the league-leading A’s to Fenway for their final regular season clash, a series sure to shape the playoff picture.
Stay tuned as we continue our day-by-day journey through the unforgettable 1975 Red Sox season.
Image courtesy of https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/rice-jim