Fenway Flashback: 1975 - Sox Drop Opener to Yanks at Shea?!

July 25, 1975

July 25, 1975: Sox Drop Opener to Yanks at Shea?!at Shea as Yankees Battle Back

The end of the grueling three-city, eleven-game road trip was finally in sight for the Red Sox, but one last challenge remained: a four-game showdown with their bitter rivals, the New York Yankees. Boston entered the series with an 8-game lead over both the Yankees and Orioles and looked to quiet the ghosts in the Bronx. But in a strange twist, this edition of the rivalry wouldn’t unfold in “The House That Ruth Built”, which was undergoing renovations. Instead, the scene shifted to Shea Stadium, home of the National League’s Mets.

Pitching Matchup and Lineups

The opener featured Boston’s battle-tested Cuban ace, Luis Tiant, taking on New York’s crafty left-hander Rudy May in a much-anticipated pitching duel.

The Red Sox shuffled their lineup once again for the Friday night series opener:

• Juan Beníquez (RF)
• Rick Burleson (SS)
• Dwight Evans (DH)
• Jim Rice (LF)
• Fred Lynn (CF)
• Carlton Fisk (C)
• Rick Miller (1B)
• Rico Petrocelli (3B)
• Doug Griffin (2B)
• Bob Montgomery (1B)

Game Recap

The duel began as advertised. Tiant and May combined to retire the first 12 batters of the game in order. Boston had a chance to strike in the third, putting two runners aboard, but May escaped by striking out Rick Burleson.

New York struck first in the bottom of the third. With two outs and two men on, Lou Piniella laced a two-run triple to give the Yankees a 2–0 lead. Boston responded in the fourth. A single by Rice and a double by Lynn set the stage for Carlton Fisk, who tied the game with a two-run double. May recovered to escape further damage, inducing a line-drive double play off the bat of Rico Petrocelli.

The Yankees punched back in the bottom of the fourth. Catcher Ed Herrmann tripled home Chris Chambliss with two outs to give New York a 3–2 edge. In the sixth, Chambliss smacked an RBI single, extending the lead to 4–2.

New York delivered a staggering blow in the seventh. After an error, walk, and single loaded the bases, Piniella delivered again, this time with a two-run single. Two sacrifice flies followed, and the Yankees had pushed the lead to 8–2.

But Boston wasn’t done. In the eighth, Evans and Rice hit back-to-back doubles to cut into the lead. After Lynn was hit by a pitch and Fisk singled, Petrocelli drove in a run, Griffin added another with a fielder’s choice, and Montgomery chipped in with an RBI single to make it 8–6. With the tying run on base, Yankees manager Billy Martin called on young lefty Tippy Martinez, who was only making his 16th career appearance. Juan Beníquez drew a walk to load the bases, but Burleson flied out to center to end the rally.

Boston mounted one last threat in the ninth, putting the tying run on base again, but Martinez was able to get Rick Burleson to fly out to centerfield to record his second save of the year.

Pitching Notes

• Luis Tiant (13–10) struggled for the second outing in a row, allowing 8 runs (4 earned) on 9 hits over 7 innings, with 1 walk and 6 strikeouts.
• Jim Burton tossed a scoreless eighth, allowing 1 hit and 1 walk with a strikeout.
• Rudy May (10–7) earned the win for the Yankees, going 7.1 innings and allowing 4 earned runs.
• Future Cy Young winner Sparky Lyle struggled in relief (0.1 IP, 2 ER), while Tippy Martinez earned the save with 1.1 scoreless innings.

Player Notes and Season Stats

Despite racking up 15 hits, the Red Sox came up just short in this one.

• Jim Rice went 4-for-5 with a double, 2 runs scored, and 1 RBI (67).
• Carlton Fisk was 3-for-5 with a double, 2 RBIs (48), and 1 run scored.
• Doug Griffin and Bob Montgomery each went 2-for-4 with an RBI.
• Fred Lynn added a double and scored twice.

Standings Update

The Yankees’ hard-fought win trimmed Boston’s division lead to 7 games. Baltimore moved into a tie with Milwaukee, both 8 games back after beating them 5–2. In the race for home field in the ALCS, the A’s walked off the White Sox in 13 innings behind a two-run homer from Reggie Jackson, dropping Boston to 4.5 games behind Oakland.

With a 5–3 record since the All-Star break, manager Darrell Johnson wasn’t panicking, but he knew Boston couldn’t afford to give up any more ground with three games still to play in New York.

Stay tuned as we continue our day-by-day journey through the unforgettable 1975 Red Sox season.

Image courtesy of https://www.si.com/mlb/2010/08/23/23lou-piniella-through-the-years