A wild seventh inning decided the outcome in this contest as the '41 Red Sox evened the series with a 6-4 victory over the '78 Red Sox in Game 2 of their ALDS. The 1941 edition will now assume the home team role for the next two games.
After trading runs in the first inning, the '78 squad took a two-run lead in the third. Butch Hobson hit a lead-off double and scored on a Fred Lynn triple to deep center that eluded '41 Red Sox centerfielder Dom DiMaggio. Jim Rice brought Lynn in with a sacrifice fly. Hobson and Rice have been menacing at the plate for the junior version. Hobson is batting .625 and is second to Rice who leads the team batting an eye-popping .667.
'78 starter Mike Torrez never seemed to get settled in this one and the '41 version picked away quickly. Jimmie Foxx hit his first of two doubles into the right-center field gap in the fourth to score Ted Williams who had spanked a two-bagger of his own to narrow the gap to 3-2. In the following inning, Dom DiMaggio atoned for his misjudgment of Lynn's triple delivering a two-out double, and Bobby Doerr brought him home to knot the score. The big boys of the '41 club came to play in this one with Williams going 3-5, and Foxx and Doerr notched 2 ribbies apiece. Both Doerr and Williams are batting.444 in the series, and Foxx picked up player of the game honors.
The '78 Sawx had a golden opportunity in the fifth as Hobson and Jerry Remy both singled with no one out. '41 starter Mickey Harris came up clutch striking out Fred Lynn and Jim Rice, and Carlton Fisk grounded out to short end the inning.
It was a costly seventh inning for the 1978 Red Sox as starter Mike Torrez was struck in the head by a sharp grounder back to the mound off the bat of Bobby Doerr. Reports state that he'll be out for 1-2 weeks, so Boston will be missed a huge piece of their rotation moving forward. If the '78 squad can make it to the World Series, they could have Torrez back, but it'll be tough sledding without his services. Check out the highlights page for Torrez's perfect game. With Doerr on first, reliever Tom Burgmeier came on to strike out Ted Williams, but Jimmie Foxx was the author of the first two-out RBI of the frame with his second double of the game. Joe Cronin followed with a single to knock Burgmeier out of the game, and Pete Fox greeted Bob Stanley with a base hit that scored Foxx. The senior Sawx went up 5-3.
The junior squad had yet another glorious chance to add on in the home half of the seventh with one out. Rick Burleson had walked, and Jerry Remy registered his fourth hit of the game putting runners on first and second. Remy has been having an unbelievable series at the plate batting a blazing .556. Fred Lynn stepped up and lined a sinking drive into left field off '41 reliever Nels Potter. Ted Williams laid out to attempt a diving grab, but the ball deflected off his glove. Rick Burleson pulled up at third unsure if Williams made the catch, but Jerry Remy rounded second and headed to third causing a potential logjam. Seeing Remy approaching, Burleson then took off, but it was a fool's errand with the ball relayed into '41 catcher Johnny Peacock. He tagged out Burleson easily, and Remy was thrown out at third as he was caught in no man's land off third base for a uniquely ugly 7-6-2-5 double play. This Keystone Cops baserunning episode snuffed out a possible comeback for the '78 club.
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