Mike Greenwell's ill advised attempt at a sinking liner in the seventh inning robbed the Red Sox of a late 4-3 lead and led to the game winning run in a 5-4 New York victory. Don Baylor was the author of the low liner which turned into a triple for the 36 year old DH. This drove in Ron Hassey from second after he doubled to tie the game. Willie Randolph followed with an RBI single to give New York their second lead of the game, and they would make it count for a 2-1 series lead.
Ironically, it was Greenwell who spearheaded a Boston counterattack in the fourth inning. He led off the inning with an opposite field solo blast to tie the score at 1-1. Don Mattingly clubbed an opposite field jack of his own back in the first inning to stake the Yankees to a quick 1-0 advantage.Mattingly has been red hot, batting at a .583 clip after the first three games of this series. Ellis Burks followed Greenwell with a single and was promptly driven in by a Jim Rice double to right center. New York starter Joe Cowley almost wiggled out of the inning retiring the next two Boston hitters but Jody Reed delivered a clutch single to plate Rice and push the lead to 3-1.
New York answered right back in the bottom half of the inning. Ron Hassey hit his first of two doubles in the game and was knocked in by Willie Randolph ground out to narrow the gap to 3-2.
Then Boston countered in the fifth as Jim Rice sat back on a Cowley change up and back footed a blast into the left field bleachers. Cowley was battered around for 8 hits in 5.1 innings and never really got on track in this game.
Boston starter Mike Boddicker seemed to have things in hand as he held New York to only 4 hits in 6 innings of work, but things slipped away in the seventh. Dave Winfield got the comeback off the ground with a one out single. He came around to count after the Hassey double to make the score 4-3.Baylor then delivered his decisive liner that Greenwell tried to backhand but the ball sank below his glove and rolled to the fence. Baylor lumbered around the bases and wound up on third when the dust settled.
Both teams have opted to go back to their Game 1 starters for Game 4 as it will be a rematch of Roger Clemens against Ron Guidry in a battle of aces. New York's one weakness is depth in the starting pitching department, so they have elected to bypass Ed Whitson and turn to Guidry on short rest. Boston is banking on a repeat result from Clemens as he was fabulous in his Game 1 victory. If Clemens delivers, they have 18 game winner Bruce Hurst which should give them an advantage against Phil Niekro if a Game 5 is needed. Niekro was brilliant in his Game 2 win, but there may be some doubt in his ability to reprise his efforts.
*ICYMI Game 2 > http://buzzingthetowersawx.blogspot.ca/2014/09/alds-game-2-88-red-sox-vs-85-yankees.html
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