Boston looked to grab a series lead as the series shifted to New York. However, no one could have anticipated what lay in wait for them in a game of epic offensive output. The Red Sox sent Bronson Arroyo to the bump to face Ralph Terry in this contest. Terry owned a 16-3 record in 1961 with a tidy 3.15 ERA. It was the second of four tremendous winning seasons with the Yankees as he would compile a dazzling 66 – 38 record from 1960 to 1963. Arroyo was establishing himself as a starter in Boston in 2004 as he had 29 starts. He had 10-9 mark but only made two career post season starts in 12 appearances. In retrospect, it may have been a good idea to keep him in the bullpen.
Boston jumped on the home team quickly and led 4-0 after
only two innings of play. After successive singles by Mark Bellhorn, Manny Ramirez
and David Ortiz in the first, Trot Nixon drilled a one out two run single. Then
in the second after a one out double by Bill Mueller, Mark Bellhorn clubbed a
two run homer to silence the raucous Yankee crowd. They wouldn’t be quiet for
long as the hometown team delivered a three run third inning to pull New York
within one run. With Bobby Richardson standing on third after a lead off single,
the Yankees pieced together a two out rally with three consecutive doubles by Mickey
Mantle, Yogi Berra, and Elston Howard making the score 4-3.
In response, the Red Sox would widen the lead to 7-3 in the
fourth with Mark Bellhorn stealing the offensive spotlight once again. Bill
Mueller hit a single and was pushed to second after Johnny Damon was hit by an
errand Ralph Terry offering. Bellhorn deposited a pitch into the left field bleachers
for a three run homer. It would be the last time Boston would have the lead in
this game, and it was the last inning pitched by Ralph Terry as he was torched
for ten hits and seven earned runs. Now the counterpunch - New York loaded the
bases in the bottom of the inning on singles by Johnny Blanchard, Bobby Richardson
and Tony Kubek. With one out, Roger Maris launched a crippling blow, lining a
tracer into the right center field seats for a grand slam to tie the game 7-7. New
York would put runner on the corners after singles by Mantle and Berra to chase
Arroyo from the game. Tim Wakefield came on and an Elston Howard sacrifice fly
drove in Mantle to give the Yankees an 8-7 advantage, closing the book on
Arroyo’s day. He was butchered for 12 hits and 8 earned runs in only 3.1
innings pitched.
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse for Boston,
their defense also fell apart in the fifth. The Yankees would put up a snowman but
only 3 runs would be earned. Richardson lined a one out single to center and
was plated by a Kubek double. Bobby Richardson was an incredible 5-6 in this
game, scoring 4 runs and is currently the top hitter in the series with a .571
mark. Maris singled to put runners on the corners, and Kubek would score on a
fielding gaff by Boston left fielder Manny Ramirez as he whiffed on catching
Mantle’s deep fly to left, making the score 10-7 New York. Boston intentionally
walked Berra to load the bases looking for the double play to get out of the
inning. Wakefield got the tailor-made ground ball hit right at Bellhorn, but
Mark Bellhorn giveth and he taketh away. Bellhorn tossed the relay wide of
Orlando Cabrera allowing two Yankee runs to score. Bill Skowron then stepped up
and clubbed a three run homer to make the score 15-8. A Johnny Blanchard homer
closed the book on Tim Wakefield and pushed the Yankee total to 16. Looking more
closely at Bellhorn’s day, he drove in 5 runs in this game, but his error led
to 6 Yankee runs and a convincing New York Game 3 victory.
The New York bullpen smothered the smoldering Boston offense
after Terry’s exit, pitching six innings allowing only one run. New York would
tack on two more runs, making this a very forgettable day for the Boston Faithful.
The top five batters in the Yankee lineup would register an incredible 14 -28
scoring 14 runs and driving in 10.
This game is an eerie reminder of the third game in Boston
during the 2004 ALCS when the Yankees massacred Boston 19-8 at Fenway to go up
3-0 in the series. We all know what happened after that embarrassment.
Hopefully, history repeats itself. Also, I have one important footnote to
share. This game should demonstrate beyond a shadow of a doubt that my honesty is
intact in playing these games. You don’t know how excruciatingly painful it was
to play through to the end of this game. My thumb was pretty itchy to push that
PS button on the controller and reset the game, but my damn morality got in the
way – DRAT!
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