Fenway Flashback: 1975 - Sox Sweep Tigers with Extra-Inning Thriller and Complete-Game Gem
July 31, 1975
July 31, 1975 (Game 1): Rice Walks It Off as Spaceman Goes the Distance
After a disappointing series loss to the Brewers, the Red Sox were right back at it the next day at Fenway Park, welcoming the last-place Detroit Tigers for a twilight doubleheader. Boston hoped to end July on a high note and create some momentum heading into August.
Pitching Matchup and Lineups
The opener looked like a mismatch on paper as Boston sent dependable lefty Bill "Spaceman" Lee to the hill against young right-hander Ray Bare.
Darryl Johnson stuck with a familiar look for the first game of the twin bill:
Juan Beníquez (DH)
Denny Doyle (2B)
Carl Yastrzemski (1B)
Fred Lynn (CF)
Jim Rice (LF)
Carlton Fisk (C)
Dwight Evans (RF)
Rico Petrocelli (3B)
Rick Burleson (SS)
Game Recap
Detroit wasted no time surprising the Fenway faithful. Bill Lee walked leadoff man Ron LeFlore and then gave up a single to Gary Sutherland, putting runners on the corners. A sacrifice fly by Leon Roberts gave the Tigers an early 1–0 lead.
The Sox answered in the bottom of the first. Beníquez singled, stole second, advanced on a groundout, and came home on a grounder by Yaz to tie the game 1–1.
In the second, former Red Sox outfielder Ben Oglivie greeted his old teammate by launching a solo homer off Lee, giving Detroit a 2–1 lead. From there, both offenses fell quiet until the bottom of the eighth.
Rick Burleson started a Red Sox rally by drawing just the second walk of the game off Bare. Beníquez executed a perfect sacrifice, and after a second out, Carl Yastrzemski drove in his second run of the game with a clutch RBI single to tie it at 2–2. Detroit called on righty Bob Reynolds, who got Lynn to ground out and end the inning.
Both teams went scoreless in the ninth, though Boston did load the bases. Lee held the Tigers again in the top of the tenth, setting the stage for dramatics.
Denny Doyle led off the bottom half with a single and promptly stole second. After Yaz flied out, Fred Lynn was intentionally walked to set up a force. But Jim Rice made Detroit pay, ripping the game-winning single for a 3–2 walk-off win.
Pitching Notes
Bill Lee (14–6) went the distance, throwing all 10 innings. He allowed two earned runs on 11 hits, walked one, and struck out one in a gritty, clutch performance.
Player Notes and Season Stats
Juan Beníquez: 2-for-4, run scored
Jim Rice: 2-for-5, walk-off RBI (72)
Carl Yastrzemski: 1-for-5, 2 RBI
Denny Doyle: 1-for-5, run scored
Boston’s timely hitting and Lee’s gutsy effort snapped their brief skid and set the tone for Game 2.
July 31, 1975 (Game 2): Moret Mows Down Tigers to Seal Sweep
Pitching Matchup and Lineups
With the opener secured, Darryl Johnson handed the ball to veteran southpaw Roger Moret. Detroit manager Ralph Houk, who would go on to manage Boston in the early 1980s, countered with righty Dave Lemanczyk, making just his second start of the season.
Boston’s Game 2 lineup:
Juan Beníquez (DH)
Denny Doyle (2B)
Carl Yastrzemski (1B)
Dwight Evans (RF)
Bernie Carbo (LF)
Rick Miller (CF)
Tim Blackwell (C)
Rick Burleson (SS)
Bob Heise (3B)
Game Recap
This time it was Boston who struck first. In the third, Burleson singled, Heise bunted him over, and Doyle brought him home with an RBI single for a 1–0 lead.
An inning later, Bernie Carbo made it 2–0 with an RBI single to drive in Yaz. Detroit answered in the fifth when Oglivie singled and eventually scored on a Gary Sutherland base hit, trimming the lead to 2–1. But that would be the Tigers’ lone breakthrough against Moret.
The Sox responded in the sixth. Doyle reached on an error, Yaz walked, and Dwight Evans dropped a sac bunt to put men on second and third. Detroit intentionally walked Carbo to load the bases, but Lemanczyk walked Rick Miller to force in a run. Tim Blackwell grounded into a fielder’s choice for another RBI, and Burleson capped the rally with a two-out RBI single to make it 5–1.
Boston added an insurance run in the seventh on a fielder’s choice by Evans that scored Beníquez. Moret retired the Tigers in order in the ninth to seal the sweep.
Pitching Notes
Roger Moret (8–1) was dominant, scattering nine hits in a complete game. He allowed just one earned run, walked one, and struck out eight Tigers.
Player Notes and Season Stats
Bernie Carbo: 2-for-3, double, RBI, run scored
Denny Doyle: 2-for-4, RBI, run
Carl Yastrzemski: 1-for-2, 2 walks, 2 runs
Rick Burleson: 2-for-4, RBI, run scored
Boston’s doubleheader sweep, coupled with an off day for all their closest rivals, gave the Sox some breathing room. As the calendar turned to August Baltimore sat 8.5 games back, the Yankees trailed by 10 games, and Milwaukee lingered at 11 games out. Meanwhile, Boston also gained ground in the race for home field advantage, cutting Oakland’s lead in to just 2.5 games.
As the Red Sox flipped the calendar to August, they were poised to flip the switch into postseason overdrive.
Stay tuned as we continue our day-by-day journey through the unforgettable 1975 Red Sox season.
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