fb-pixelBumbling Red Sox manage a split on walkoff hit - The Boston Globe Skip to main content
From the archives | June 22

Bumbling Red Sox manage a split on walkoff hit

The night was about Rocky Colavito and just plain “rocks” at times, but Don Demeter’s double to score Carl Yastrzemski gave the Red Sox a split in the double-header with the Indians, losing 3 to 2 and winning 6 to 5 at Fenway Wednesday night.

Demeter lined a drive off the wall in left field in the ninth off Tom Kelley to keep everyone from suffering from complete exasperation, along with having to see an old friend, Dick Radatz, go through his ritual of waving his arms after another of his “saves.”

Rich came into the game in the ninth inning of the opener and got two men out to give the Indians their second straight win by a run over the Red Sox and the crowd of over 10,000 gave the right-hander a mixture of cheers and catcalls as he headed towards the dressing room.

Advertisement



Colavito had three home runs during the night, two in the opener while Steve Hargan was winning his first start of the year, and another off Bob Sadowski in the second, all of them with nobody on base.

Our own Latin, Tony Conigliaro, hit two, and Demeter along with his game winning smash, hit a homer in the first game.

The first game was lost on a wild pitch by Jim Lonborg, who pitched fairly well again without getting any runs to work on. The right-hander walked Larry Brown in the fifth inning, wild pitched him to second, and little Vic Davalillo scored him with a single to right field.

The other runs had come on Colavito’s homers in the second and sixth, while the Red Sox had their homers in the seventh off Hargan. Conigliaro hit his on the first pitch in the inning, and after George Scott had grounded out, Demeter met the first pitch again and lined it into the stands.

Advertisement



There was one last flicker in the ninth when Scott singled off Bobby Allen with one out, but the bus came in with Radatz. He fanned Demeter, got Smith on a groundball, then came the old familiar winning gesture with both hands.

And things looked rather sour for a while in the second game. Bob Sadowski wasn’t firing the ball but he was doing well enough. His club scored in the second inning on Scott’s triple to center and Joy Foy’s single. But Scottie was to have a bad time in the next inning.

Brown singled and with one out Davalillo singled to right field. Brown going to third base. Chico Salmon doubled for a run and Wagner walked. Colavito fouled out about 30 feet behind first base and Davalillo edged towards the plate. Scott finally threw when Vic broke but it was too late.

Conigliaro’s homer off Siebert tied the game in the fourth, and Colavito had the Indians ahead in the sixth. Then the Indians got a bit messy. Lennie Green, who had replaced Carl Yastrzemski, benched because of his weak hitting, doubled.

Tartabull grounded to Brown and the second baseman tried to cut down Green at third. He tossed the ball into his dugout, instead, for a run, and Tartabull got to second. Conigliaro grounded to the box, and was out, but Tartabull edged along when Siebert tried to pick him off and threw over the second baseman’s head, Jose scored on Petrocelli's fly to center.

Advertisement



The Red Sox were in a giveaway mood again in the seventh. Siebert singled with one out and Salmon dropped a single to right. Conigliaro bobbled the ball so on came Siebert. The throw home had Seibert, but the pitcher bowled over Bob Tillman and scored. That ended Sadowski and John Wyatt cane in. Wagner singled for the leading run.

In the Red Sox eighth, Whitfield had Demeter’s pop fly, but booted it for a two-base error. Tartabull sacrificed and Conigliaro singled in the tying run. Now things were set up for the finale.

With two out in the 9th, Yastrzemski, who had batted for Wyatt in the seventh, and stayed in the game, walked and Demeter hit his double. Wagner went to the wall hoping to make the catch. It was feet over his head, bounced about 20 feet back and the long throw home never came close to getting Yastrzemski.