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October 2, 1978
1978 AL East Playoff
Bucky Dent Hits "The Home Run" To Sink The Sox |
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FENWAY PARK, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS -- For two bitter rivals, it all came down to one game at historic Fenway Park. The winner would earn a trip to the ALCS against the Kansas City Royals; the loser would go home with 99 wins -- and nothing to show for them.
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Starters: Ron Guidry vs. Mike Torrez
WP: Ron Guidry LP: Mike Torrez
SV: Rich "Goose" Gossage
HR: NYY: Reggie Jackson (8th), Bucky Dent (7th); BOS: Carl Yastrzemski (2nd)
In mid-July, the Red Sox were cruising toward first place in the AL East with a 14-game lead over the Yankees. But then New York replaced the irascible Billy Martin with the more easygoing Bob Lemon, and the Yankees soared into first. The Red Sox contributed with their own poor play, most notably four straight September blowout losses to the Yanks forever known as the "Boston Massacre." Only their eight consecutive victories to end the season allowed the Sox to finish tied with the Yanks at 99-63.
So the teams battled for win No. 100, as well as a shot at the Pennant, in a rare 163rd game of the regular season. The Yankees started Ron Guidry, whose record stood at 24-3, against former Yankee Mike Torrez (16-12). Veteran Carl Yastrzemski began the scoring with a home run off Guidry in the second, the only homer the Cy Young Award winner allowed to a left-hander all season. Boston tacked on a second run in the sixth.
To start the seventh, shortstop Bucky Dent strode to the plate following back-to-back singles by Roy White and Chris Chambliss. After a foul ball off his foot caused a visit from the trainer, Dent borrowed teammate Mickey Rivers' bat to send a 1-1 pitch from Torrez -- who laments that he took no warm-up pitches after the delay -- just over the Green Monster in left to give the Yanks a 3-2 lead.
The Yankees went up 5-2 on a solo homer by Reggie Jackson in the eighth, but the Red Sox showed some life with two runs off Rich Gossage in the bottom of the inning. In the final frame, the Sox had a man on third with two outs and Yastrzemski at bat, but the future Hall of Famer popped up to end the game.
Though his homer wasn't even the game winner, the light-hitting Dent -- who hit only four other homers that season, and 40 total over his 12-year career -- was clearly the hero. Dent, who would go on to earn the World Series MVP Award that year, may not have even batted had second baseman Willie Randolph not been injured. But without enough infielders available as replacements, the Yankees let Dent swing away into history.
Copyright 1978 by the Office of the Commissioner of Major League Baseball
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