September 5, 1985: Cleveland Indians (65-68) @ Boston Red Sox (68-64)
Thirty games left in this season that promised so much early but looks to be kind of fizzing out to a disappointing conclusion if our recent form is any indication. Tonight’s nightcap sees Bob Ojeda facing southpaw Jamie Easterly, and we really need to get something going here if we are to have any hope at all. That wind has really picked up, which might explain the fairly low turnout tonight. Or else they’ve started giving up on us already.
Bill Buckner YTD stats entering the game
Game Recap
Jim Rice knocks one in with a single in the 1st to give us the early lead, only for Ojeda to implode in the next as they tag him for 4 on 4 hits and once again we find ourselves playing catch-up.
I get my 100th ribbie for the season with a run-scoring double in the 3rd but they have all the answers as Carmelo Castillo goes solo yard in the next to erase that one of ours and send Ojeda off for an early shower.
This one is done in the 5th as they just tear our shoddy excuse for a bullpen apart with a crooked number.
Or so I think… I’ve seen plenty in baseball, but none to match what happens next.
It is 13-5 after 8 with us seemingly headed for another embarrassing loss. Not even Jim Rice’s 3-run homer to bring us to that point gave indication the rest would be a formality.
I’ve got a printout of the game log for that inning—I’ll let it tell the story.
You’re reading that right—11 runs on 11 hits, capped by a 3-run Boggs home run (his 5th hit of the game) for a 16-13 walkoff win.
Outrageous. Is this the spark we so desperately needed? Or just a freaky win despite a dreadful performance? I guess we'll see.
Best Performances, News & Highlights of the Day
(click link for BBRef boxscore)
- MLB Debuts: NIL
- Daily Notes: IRL, not quite the drama we just witnessed, but Boston's first two batters - Dwight Evans and Wade Boggs - crack homers off Cleveland's Neal Heaton in Boston's 13-6 win in the first game. Evans adds another home run to back Oil Can Boyd's first win in seven weeks. Cleveland wins the nitecap 9-5..