April 15, 1985: Chicago White Sox (2-1) @ Boston Red Sox (4-1)
Keen to rebound strongly today after yesterday’s horror show and it looks like Bruce Kison was pitching hurt – he’s set to miss about a month or so it seems. Anyway, it’s Bruce Hurst back on the hill for us today against my old mate Terrific Tom Seaver. At 40, Tom may have lost a bit of zip off his number one, but he is still extremely effective and will take some beating. He and I are close friends, having played against each other for all those years, and I get him up to my farm in the offseason when the stars align. That doesn’t change how we play against each other – well, maybe it makes us try even harder so we got something to ride the other about when we’re hanging out. Have to concede Tom’s had a bit better of it over the years. In 99 plate appearances – second only of all pitchers behind Knucksie Niekro, in fact – he’s held me to a 244 average with just 7 RBI and not a one home run. Hmmmm. Wind's blowing out today, so let's see him try to groove one past me - I'll give that boy whiplash!
Bill Buckner YTD stats entering the game
Game Recap
They fly out of the blocks again, tagging Bruce for three in the top 1st on homers to Scott Fletcher and Harold Baines. That’s the last thing you want is to give Tom an early stake and he comes out looking sharp, totally fooling me in the 2nd as I ground out U3 to close the frame. I don’t help our cause in the next as a grounder I shoulda swallowed up to end the inning goes straight through my legs – never had that happen before but it gifts them an unearned run to go four clear. I'll never hear the end of that one from Mr Seaver.
I square the ledger in the 4th, however, singling one in with two out after Dewey Evans had smacked a solo homer to get us on the scoresheet. We’ve cut the deficit in half to 4-2 and given Tom something to chew on.
That gap becomes just the one when, after he gets me to ground out to second, Tommy leaves one up in the zone and Marty Barrett – not known for his power – deposits it on top of the Monster by about a foot or so. Once again, though, we’re our own worst enemies as Glenn Hoffman, just in the game for Jackie Gutierrez, boots one with two out in the 8th and a run comes in to make it 5-3. Three errors and just four hits for us to this point, not good enough by half.
We’re still down by 2 going into the 9th as Tom comes out in favour of closer Bob James, with me set to lead it off. He leaves one a bit too far over the plate but I just miss it and can do no better than send Ron Kittle to the warning track before it falls harmlessly into his glove. Geds and pinch-hitter Steve Lyons – in his first-ever MLB at-bat – can’t do no better and we drop another one.
Best Performances, News & Highlights of the Day
The Real Deal
- MLB Debuts: Steve Lyons, Bill Latham
- Daily Notes: IRL, Jackie Robinson made his MLB debut on this day in 1947.