September 6, 1975: The Bats Erupt in Milwaukee
Following their loss in the series opener to Milwaukee on Friday night, the Sox remained tied with the A’s at the top of the league and were holding a 6.5-game lead over Baltimore in the East. The loss snapped Boston’s mini three-game win streak, and the Sox were eager to get back in the saddle against the struggling Brewers.
Pitching Matchup and Lineups
Both teams went with southpaws for the Saturday matinee. Boston trotted the reliable Roger Moret to the bump, while the Brewers countered with young Massachusetts native Bill Travers.
The Red Sox lineup for the second game of the series:
• Juan Beniquez (CF)
• Rick Burleson (SS)
• Dwight Evans (RF)
• Jim Rice (LF)
• Carlton Fisk (C)
• Rico Petrocelli (3B)
• Doug Griffin (2B)
• Bob Montgomery (C)
• Cecil Cooper (1B)
Game Recap
As was their custom, Boston got out to a quick start, and today they never looked back. Beniquez led off the game with a single and went to third on a one-out single by Evans. He scored on a forceout by Rice to give Boston a 1–0 lead. In the bottom of the first, the Brewers managed two hits off Moret but were unable to score, for all intents and purposes ending Milwaukee’s chances of winning that day.
The Red Sox bats exploded for seven runs in the top of the second inning, and the rout was on. Petrocelli led off with a single and went to third on Bob Montgomery’s one-out double. Cecil Cooper scored Petrocelli with a sac fly, and it looked like the young Travers might get out of the inning without much damage, but the top of the order had something different in mind.
Beniquez recorded his second hit in as many innings, delivering an RBI double to score Monty. Burleson then launched his sixth homer of the season to give Boston a 5–0 lead. Evans singled, drawing Travers’ short start to a close with an early trip to the showers. Jim Rice greeted reliever Pat Osburn with a single, and then Fisk hammered his eighth home run of the season into the County Stadium bleachers to make the score 8–0.
In the bottom of the third inning, Moret slipped a little, relinquishing a solo shot to Brewers third baseman Don Money, his fourteenth of the year, but that was all the Brewers could manage. In the top of the fifth, Boston got that run back when Fisk and Petrocelli led off with back-to-back singles, and Doug Griffin drove in Fisk with the team’s third consecutive single.
The Sox added six more runs in the top of the sixth to extend the lead to 15–1. Burleson, Evans, and Rice led off the inning with another three singles, driving reliever Larry Anderson out of the game (not that one!). Carlton Fisk greeted Lafayette Currence with a single of his own to make the score 12–1, and then Rico Petrocelli smacked his fifth homer of the year to put the Sox up by two touchdowns.
The Brewers fought back in the bottom half of the sixth against Moret when catcher Darrell Porter hit a two run homer and second baseman Pedro Garcia went back-to-back with a solo shot of his own to make the score 15–4.
Boston quickly got one of those runs back in the very next inning thanks to a double by Juan Beniquez and an RBI single by Dwight Evans. They completed their scoring for the day in the top of the eighth to make the score 20–4. Denny Doyle and Doug Griffin led off the inning by reaching safely on errors by the shortstop and second baseman, respectively. Bernie Carbo walked to load the bases, and then with two outs Bob Heise singled to score two. Dwight Evans ended the scoring with a two-RBI double of his own.
Darrell Johnson gave Moret the rest of the afternoon off and turned to rookie left-hander Rick Kreuger, who was making his major league debut. Kreuger got the first two men he faced to ground out and, after walking Porter, retired the side with a fly ball to center. In the bottom of the ninth, the Brewers put two on the board to make the final score 20–6. Gorman Thomas singled with one out, and Don Money doubled to put men on second and third. Charlie Moore, the Brewers’ left fielder, spoiled the rookie’s debut with a two-RBI single.
Pitching Notes
Roger Moret raised his season record to 12–3 with the victory, completing seven strong innings and allowing four earned runs on eight hits, one walk, and four strikeouts. Rookie Rick Kreuger pitched two innings in his major league debut, allowing two earned runs on three hits and one walk while recording one strikeout.
Player Notes and Season Stats
Every starter in the Red Sox lineup recorded a hit in the demolition of the Brewers. Dwight Evans led the way with five hits, three RBI, and two runs scored. Beniquez, Burleson, and Fisk all had three hits, and Petrocelli had four. It was a total team performance from top to bottom.
The win kept the Sox 6.5 games ahead of the second-place Orioles, who squeaked past the Yankees in thirteen innings, 7–6, at home. It also kept them in a dead heat with the A’s, who beat Fergie Jenkins and the Rangers 2–1 in the Bay Area.
With a doubleheader against the Brewers awaiting the next day, the Sox were able to sleep a little easier, having gotten back to their winning ways.
Stay tuned as we continue our day-by-day journey through the unforgettable 1975 Red Sox season.
Image courtesy of https://whentoppshadballs.blogspot.com/2020/06/not-really-missing-in-action-1976-rick.html