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From the archives | May 14

Carl Yastrzemski’s big day is too little

A savage band of Detroit Tigers, surging back on two home runs and two singles by Willie Horton, overcame Red Sox leads of 5-0 and 6-5 - pounding Dick Radatz for four runs in the tenth inning - to beat the Red Sox, 12-to-8, before 10,721 last night at Fenway.

Against Radatz in the tenth Jerry Lumpe’s triple, Don Demeter’s run-scoring double, a one-run single by Horton and a two-run double by Norm Cash provided four runs and spelled defeat for the Red Sox. Terry Fox was the winning pitcher.

The game provided a tremendous slugging duel between Horton and Boston’s Carl Yastrzemski. Yastrzemski batted in the first five Boston runs with home runs in the first and second innings, later tripled, singled and doubled.

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Horton who hit two-run homers against Bob Heffner in the third and against Jack Lamabe in the sixth, also had a couple of singles. Horton now in his last 15 at bats has six home runs, one doubled and five singles.

Yastrzemski, who hit three home runs in the Yankee series, has five home runs for his last five games.

The Red Sox gave righthander McLain a rough time in the first. Lennie Green walked. Frank Malzone popped out, and Yastrzemski crashed McLain’s 1-0 pitch into the right field seats - well over the bull pen - for two runs.

Following Yaz’s homer, Tony Conigliaro, Lee Thomas and Felix Mantilla all walked. There still was only one down. Acting manager Bob Swift walked out to the mound. He must have muttered words of wisdom to McLain, for, on seven pitches, he struck out Ed Bressoud and Mike Ryan.

But Yaz was just warming up. Bennett opened the second with a sliced single to left off McLain, then romped to third on Green’s single to the right. With one down, Yastrzemski hit the 0-1 pitch into the left field net for a three-run homer which made it 5-0 for the Sox in two innings.

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By the time the second inning was over, Ed Rakow was pitching for the Tigers.

It was, however, too good to be true, The Tigers started the third against Bennett as though they were taking batting practice,

Jake Wood led with a homer into the net in left. Don Wart singled and Don Demeter sent him to second with a line to left. And they did it with ease.

Bob Heffner tried to rescue Bennett, but couldn’t. Al Kaline doubled off the fence in left, scoring Wert and sending Demeter to third. With Horton at bat, Heffner wild pitched Demeter across the plate to cut the Boston lead to 5-3.

Then there was a sound like the detonation of a bomb. Horton smashed a home run over the screen in left, scoring Kaline ahead of him to tie the score at 5-5.

With five runs in and still nobody out, Jackie Lamabe - third Sox’ pitcher of the inning - relieved Heffner.

Lamabe yield two singles and a walk, but with a double play tucked in between, got out of the inning without a further score. In all 10 Tigers went bat in the frame.

It was 5-5 with Lamabe opposing Rakow, until - with one down in the fifth - Mantilla dissolved the tie with a homer over the left field screen, Felix’s fourth. That made it 6-5 for the Red Sox.

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In the sixth, the Tigers again surged from behind. Wert led with a walk and, as Demeter struck out, stole second, Kaline singled to center, scoring Wert to make it 6-6.

Up came Horton again with a smash eight rows up in the center field seats - for a two-run homer that made it 8-6 for Detroit. It also brought Jay Richie to the mound in place of Lamabe.

With one down in the sixth, Yastrzemski tripled off the wall in center. But Rakow struck out Conigliaro, got Lee Thomas on a grounder to Demeter at first base.

In the seventh, it was the Red Sox’ turn to come back.

Mantilla led with a walk.

When the count went 2-0 on Bressoud, right hander Larry Sherry replaced Rakow and induced Bressoud to foul out.

But Mike Ryan singled to left, moving Mantilla to second. And with two down, Green doubled off the fence in left center - scoring Mantilla and enabling Ryan running from first to slide under catcher Bill Freehan’s tag with the run that tied the score at 8-8.

Dick Radatz took over the Sox pitching in the eighth and retired the side in order, striking out Gorton for the third out,