Fenway Flashback: 1975 - Seventh-Inning Surge Lifts A's in Heavyweight Series Opener
August 8, 1975
August 8, 1975: Seventh-Inning Surge Lifts A’s in Heavyweight Series Opener
Friday night brought a playoff atmosphere to the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Though it was only early August, the matchup had the feel of October baseball as the 70–43 AL West-leading Oakland A’s hosted the 68–45 AL East-leading Boston Red Sox. With just one game separating the two teams in the race for the league’s best record, this four-game wraparound series had all the makings of a preview of the American League Championship Series, and both clubs knew it.
Pitching Matchup and Lineups
The Red Sox turned to Reggie Cleveland to set the tone in the opener. The defending World Series champions countered with veteran left-hander Ken Holtzman, a former 20-game winner.
To face the southpaw, Darrell Johnson stacked his lineup with right-handed bats:
Juan Beníquez (DH)
Rick Burleson (SS)
Fred Lynn (CF)
Jim Rice (LF)
Dwight Evans (RF)
Carlton Fisk (C)
Rico Petrocelli (3B)
Doug Griffin (2B)
Cecil Cooper (1B)
Game Recap
Boston came out swinging, getting a runner to third in the first but failing to score. Cleveland set down Oakland in order in the bottom half, and in the second the Sox broke through. Evans led off with a double, moved to third on a Fisk flyout, and scored on Petrocelli’s RBI single for a 1–0 lead.
Cleveland kept the A’s quiet, retiring the side in order in both the fifth and sixth innings. Boston doubled its lead in the fifth thanks to some Oakland miscues. Petrocelli walked with one out, and with two outs, second baseman Phil Garner misplayed Cooper’s grounder, allowing Petrocelli to score.
As Cleveland took the mound for the seventh, Oakland was still hitless. He quickly retired the first two batters, but Reggie Jackson shattered both the no-hitter and the shutout with one swing, crushing his 28th home run of the season to cut the lead to 2–1. Billy Williams followed with a single, and Gene Tenace put the A’s ahead with a two-run homer. In the span of three batters, the game had turned.
Boston had one last chance in the eighth. Cooper doubled with one out, but Alvin Dark went to his bullpen ace, Rollie Fingers, who struck out pinch-hitter Bernie Carbo and Burleson to end the threat. Fingers was just as sharp in the ninth, striking out Lynn and Rice before getting Evans to fly out to finish the game.
Pitching Notes
Reggie Cleveland went 8 innings, allowing just 3 hits, all in the dreaded seventh inning, and 3 earned runs, with 1 walk and 4 strikeouts.
Ken Holtzman matched him pitch for pitch, going 7.1 innings, giving up 1 earned run on 5 hits, walking 1, and striking out 3.
Rollie Fingers closed it out in dominant fashion, striking out 4 of the 5 batters he faced for his 15th save.
Player Notes and Season Stats
Dwight Evans: 2-for-4, double, run scored
Rico Petrocelli: 1-for-2, run, RBI
Juan Beníquez: 1-for-3
Cecil Cooper: 1-for-3, double
The loss dropped Boston two games behind Oakland in the race for home field advantage. In the AL East, Baltimore beat Chicago 7–4 to trim the Sox’ division lead to six games. Boston may have lost the first round of this heavyweight bout, but this was a resilient club and they would be ready to get back up and fight again in Game 2.
Stay tuned as we continue our day-by-day journey through the unforgettable 1975 Red Sox season.
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