Impossible Dream???

[bigpapi]

June 15,16,17 at Detroit Tigers (35-31)

June 15-Rocky Colavito hit his 497th career HR, a 3 run shot, and Tony Muser went 4-5 with a pair of runs batted in, as Boston battered the Tigers 9-2. (41-26)
W-Cecil Upshaw (3-1) L-Pat Dobson (5-6)

June 16-Willie Horton had 2 hits including a 3 run HR and Bill Sudakis added a 3 run bomb of his own as Detroit beat the Sox 8-6. (41-27)
W-Mike Krukow (6-8) L-Roger Moret (6-6) S-Les Cain (1)

June 17-Don Baylor had 2 hits and 2 RBI and Ron Guidry pitched 7 innings of 1 run ball, striking out 5 as Boston took two of three from the Tigers, winning 5-1. (42-27)
W-Ron Guidry (9-1) L-Jim Rooker (4-6) S-Rollie Fingers (2)

June 18,19,20 v Kansas City Royals (22-47)

June 18-Reggie Smith went 4-4 with a HR and 4 RBI, and Billy Conigliaro hit a 3 run HR, his 3rd of the year as Boston outslugged KC 11-9. (43-27)
W-Sparky Lyle (3-2) L-Ken Turner (0-1)

June 19-Don Baylor hit a 3 run HR, his 23rd of the year, and Jonah Stickles pitched a complete game, allowing just 1 run and 6 hits, as Boston beat the Royals 6-1. (44-27)
W-Jonah Stickles (4-4) L-Dave McNally (0-12)

June 20-Billy Conigliaro hit his 4th HR of the year, a 3 run shot, and Jose Ortiz went 3-4 with 3 runs batted in as Boston swept Kansas City, winning easily 10-3. (45-27)
W-Roger Moret (7-6) L-Wilco Rhodes (5-10)

MLB Injuries:
Jimmy Wynn's first season with the Texas Rangers will end early as Wynn suffered a broken wrist after being hitten by a pitch. Wynn hit .328 21-70 so far this year.

Ellie Hendricks of the Chicago White Sox suffered a herniated disc in his back and will undergo surgery and miss the rest of the year. Hendricks was hitting .252 6-39 in his first year with Chicago.

Rafael Robles of the Texas Rangers was hit in the head by a pitch last week and will miss significant time with a concussion. Robles had taken the place of Jim Brinkman who is also out for the year.

MLB Retirements:

Bill White retired after 17 season in the bigs. White started with San Fransisco, before moving onto St. Louis, Philadelphia, Oakland and finishing up with the White Sox. He hit 290 career homeruns, including 10 straight years of 20 or more. He also leaves behind a career .287 average with 2262 hits. White was the MVP of the 1967 World Series, to add to his 5 All-Star Games and 7 Gold Gloves.

MLB Milestones:

Zoilo Versailles of the Minnesota Twins scored his 1000th run

Jack Fisher of the New York Mets threw a no hitter against the Chicago Cubs on June 16. Fisher walked 2 and struck out 5 in his masterpiece. Boxscore below:

Chicago Cubs at New York Mets
June 16, 1973

                     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 +  R  H  E
          Cubs (CHC) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0    0  0  1
          Mets (NYM) 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 x    6 12  0

CHICAGO              ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
V. Davalillo (CF)     4  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .268
R. Hunt (2B)          4  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .272
B. Chance (1B)        3  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .234
M. Schmidt (3B)       2  0  1  0  0  0  0  1    .242
B. Williams (LF)      3  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .199
D. May (RF)           3  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .219
K. Rudolph (C)        2  0  1  0  0  0  0  0    .221
J. Arcia (SS)         3  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .267
J. Colborn (P)        0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .067
 J. Campbell (RF)     1  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .296
 L. Gura (P)          1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
 P. Hennigan (P)      0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .000
 R. Skidmore (P)      1  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .296
TOTALS               27  0  2  0  0  0  5  1


         CHICAGO   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
      J. Colborn  2.0  5  0  1  4  2  0  41   5.11
         L. Gura  5.0  5  1  0  0  0  3  68   5.56
     P. Hennigan  1.0  2  0  1  2  2  0  18   3.79
          TOTALS  8.0 12  1  2  6  4  3 127

NEW YORK             ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
T. Dean (SS)          4  2  0  0  0  1  0  0    .241
K. Poulsen (3B)       4  2  0  0  0  0  0  0    .286
E. Kranepool (1B)     4  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .290
A. Otis (CF)          3  0  1  1  0  0  1  0    .285
R. Swoboda (LF)       4  2  0  2  0  0  0  0    .319
K. Singleton (RF)     4  2  0  1  1  3  0  0    .243
T. Haller (C)         4  1  0  1  0  0  0  0    .286
M. Andrews (2B)       4  2  0  1  1  2  0  0    .156
J. Fisher (P)         4  0  0  0  0  0  2  0    .027
TOTALS               35 12  1  6  2  6  3  0

   2B:  R. Swoboda (10)
   HR:  M. Andrews (1), K. Singleton (6)
   GIDP:  R. Swoboda, J. Fisher

        NEW YORK   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
       J. Fisher  9.0  0  2  0  0  0  5  97   2.67
          TOTALS  9.0  0  2  0  0  0  5  97

     WP: J. Fisher (9-3)
     LP: J. Colborn (1-3)

     Temperature: 69F
     Wind: 5 MPH (out to right)
     Attendance: 55,217
     Time: 2:26

Next for the Sox is 3 games at home against the Chicago White Sox followed by a road trip that starts with 3 games in KC against the Royals.

[bigpapi]

June 21,22,23 v Chicago White Sox (38-34)

June 21-Reggie Smith went 3-4 with 2 RBI and Rocky Colavito hit HR number 498, a solo shot, as Boston beat Chicago 5-4. (46-27)
W-Ron Guidry (10-1) L-Gary Peters (8-6) S-Sparky Lyle (17)

June 22-Tommy Agee went 2-4 with a HR and 2 RBI, and Dal Maxvill went 2-2 with 2 RBI, helping the White Sox beat the Red 9-7. (46-28)
W-Pedro Borbon (5-4) L-Jim York (0-1) S-Cy Acosta (3)

June 23-Rocky Colavito hit a 2 run single, and Toby Harrah went 3-4 with an RBI as Boston took two of three from Chicago, winning 5-4. (47-28)
W-Jonah Stickles (5-4) L-Jim O'Toole (4-8) S-Sparky Lyle (18)

June 24,25,26 at Kansas City Royals (22-53)

June 24-Jose Cardenal went 204 with 3 RBI and Felipe Alou added a 3 run HR as KC surprised the Sox, winning 8-6. (47-29)
W-Gary Lavelle (3-1) L-Cecil Upshaw (3-2) S-Greg Shanahan (7)

June 25-Ron Allen hit a pinch hit, RBI single off Sparky Lyle in the bottom of the 9th inning, driving in Ron Clark as the Royals beat Boston 6-5. (47-30)
W-Ken Turner (1-1) L-Rollie Fingers (4-4)

June 26-Ed Herrmann went 2-4 with 2 RBI, and Vida Blue pitched 8 shutout innings, striking out 8 as the Royals completed the sweep of Boston, blanking the Sox 3-0. (47-31)
W-Vida Blue (3-7) L-Reggie Cleveland (7-4) S-Greg Shanahan (8)

MLB Injuries:

Ken Holtzman of the Chicago Cubs will miss the rest of the year and most of next season with a torn rotator cuff. Holtzman went 5-4 with a 4.02 ERA this season with the Cubs.

MLB Milestones:

Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds scored his 1000th run.

MLB Retirements:

Luis Aparicio retired this week after playing 17 season with the Chicago White Sox, Baltimore, Washington/Texas, and finishing up with San Fransisco. Aparicio was a career .264 hitter, with 2410 career hits, and 7th all time with 623 steals. Aparicio also ended his career with 9 All-Star Games, 8 Gold Gloves and the Rookie of the Year Award in 1956.

Ending June and heading into July is 3 games in New York against the Yankees followed by 3 games in Detroit against the Tigers.

[bigpapi]

Complete Team Stats Through June 30-(team leaders in bold)

1973 Batting             Team    G   AVG    AB    H  2B  3B  HR   BB    K   SB  CS    R  RBI   SLG   OBP
Baylor, Don               BOS   77  .292   312   91  17   3  24   42   43    5   6   66   71  .596  .377
Harrah, Toby              BOS   76  .274   310   85  12   2  13   48   44   12   3   56   48  .452  .371
Simmons, Ted              BOS   75  .294   309   91  17   2  14   41   22    0   0   56   39  .498  .376
Petrocelli, Rico          BOS   72  .305   282   86  22   0  11   47   51    0   2   39   51  .500  .404
Bowa, Larry               BOS   70  .262   267   70   9   4   2   18   23   13   6   37   30  .348  .308
Colavito, Rocky           BOS   61  .276   232   64  12   0  10   22   35    0   0   35   39  .457  .337
Smith, Reggie             BOS   52  .368   231   85  20   3  13   31   29    4   1   50   47  .649  .443
Ortiz, Jose               BOS   58  .252   206   52  13   3   0   21   36   17   2   29   30  .345  .319
Grabarkewitz, Billy       BOS   53  .272   195   53   7   3   6   27   30    7   2   30   25  .431  .363
Conigliaro, Billy         BOS   47  .265   189   50  11   2   4   12   38    0   1   19   22  .407  .308
Shamsky, Art              BOS   38  .205   132   27   5   1   2   12   26    0   0   12   14  .303  .281
Muser, Tony               BOS   30  .324   108   35   7   1   0   15   18    1   0   12    9  .407  .411
Evans, Dwight             BOS   24  .261    92   24   6   1   2    6   21    0   0    9   16  .413  .303
Conigliaro, Tony          BOS   15  .281    64   18   1   2   6    3   18    0   0   10   13  .641  .314
French, Jim               BOS    9  .308    26    8   1   0   0    5    4    0   0    6    3  .346  .406
Brett, George             BOS    3  .250    12    3   0   0   0    2    3    0   0    2    0  .250  .357
Sutherland, Gary          BOS    1  .000     3    0   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0  .000  .000

Complete Team Pitching Stats-(team leaders in bold)

1973 Pitching            Team     IP   ERA    G  GS   W   L  SV    K   BB   R/9
York, Jim                 BOS   24.2  0.73   17   0   0   1   0   16    5  6.57
Upshaw, Cecil             BOS   48.1  2.61   30   0   3   2   0   24    8 10.06
Fingers, Rollie           BOS   45.0  3.00   32   0   4   4   2   39   12 10.40
Brett, Ken                BOS    3.0  3.00    3   0   0   0   0    1    0  6.00
Stickles, Jonah           BOS   77.2  3.36   11  11   5   5   0   48   25 11.12
Guidry, Ron               BOS  121.2  3.55   18  18  11   1   0  100   48 12.95
Lyle, Sparky              BOS   33.0  3.55   31   0   3   2  18   27    8 10.36
Garber, Gene              BOS   37.1  3.62   23   0   2   0   0   32   16 13.02
Lee, Bill                 BOS   30.2  3.82    4   4   1   2   0   18    3 12.62
Moret, Roger              BOS  117.0  4.46   18  18   7   7   0   78   37 13.77
Cleveland, Reggie         BOS  117.0  4.62   18  18   8   4   0   62   35 12.69
Ellis, Dock               BOS   76.0  6.16   14  13   5   5   0   42   38 16.93

[bigpapi]

American League Standings Through June 30-

[bigpapi]

National League Standings Through June 30-

[bigpapi]

After a short term addiction to Guitar Hero, I am back .

June 27,28,29 at New York Yankees (38-40)

June 27-Wayne Simpson pitched 7 1/3 solid innings, and Bob Hansen hit a 2 run single as New York beat Boston 5-3. (47-32)
W-Wayne Simpson (9-7) L-Jonah Stickles (5-5) S-Jack Aker (6)

June 28-Al Yates went 3-5 with 2 RBI and Mel Stottlmyre pitched 8 innings of 2 run ball, helping the Yankees to a 3-2 win over Boston. (47-33)
W-Mel Stottlemyre (5-10) L-Roger Moret (7-7) S-Jack Aker (7)

June 29-The Sox hit 5 homeruns, including 2 by Rico Petrocelli and a 3 run shot by Don Baylor as Boston avoided the sweep, winning 10-4. (48-33)
W-Ron Guidry (11-1) L-Derek Pritchard (7-8)

June 30, July 1,2 at Detroit Tigers (46-35)

June 30-Reggie Cleveland pitched a complete game shutout, allowing just 2 hits and 1 walk while striking out 3, and and Jose Ortiz hit a 2 run double as Boston blanked Detroit 3-0. (49-33)
W-Reggie Cleveland (8-4) L-Mickey Lolich (7-4)

July 1-Larry Bowa went 2-3 with 3 RBI, and Rocky Colavito added 4 hits as Boston beat up on the Tigers 11-5. (50-33)
W-Dock Ellis (6-5) L-Pat Dobson (7-8)

July 2-Boomer Scott went 3-4 with a HR and 3 RBI, and Willie Horton added a 2 run shot as the Tigers avoided the sweep, beating Boston 9-6. (50-34)
W-Bill Wilson (8-3) L-Roger Moret (7-8) S-Fred Gladding (7)

MLB Trade News:

In a headscratcher, the Milwaukee Brewers send 24 year old OF Jose Cruz and P Don Secrist to the San Diego Padres in exchange for OF Duque Paez, OF Jim Lentine, C Jim Gaudet, and P Bill Campbell
Edge San Diego as Cruz is a budding superstar and I can't understand why Milwaukee would trade him.

MLB Injuries:
Ron Hansen of the Houston Astros is out for the year with a Ruptured Disc in his lower back. Hansen hit .215 with 5 HR and 19 RBI in his first year with Houston.

Hal McRae of the Montreal Expos is out until September with a broken ankle. McRae was hitting .320 9-56 in his first full season with Montreal.

MLB Milestones:

Roberto Clemente of the Philadelphia Phillies drove in his 1500th run

Leading into the All-Star Break is 3 games in Cleveland against the Indians followed by a week off for All-Star festivities!

[bigpapi]

July 3,4,5 at Cleveland Indians (40-44)

July 3-Dwight Evans went 3-4 with 5 RBI, and Rico Petrocelli added 3 hits as Boston beat up on Cleveland 10-5. (51-34)
W-Gene Garber (3-0) L-Jerry Koosman (10-6)

July 4-Ted Simmons hit his 15th HR of the year, and Tony Muser hit his first career shot, a 2 run blast helping Reggie Cleveland, who pitched a complete game as Boston beat the Indians 5-2. (52-34)
W-Reggie Cleveland (9-4) L-Charles Lemay (6-10)

July 5-Cleveland avoided the sweep as Champ Summers had 3 hits and 2 RBI, and Billy Harris had 3 hits helping Cleveland to a 10-4 win. (52-35)
W-Steve Hargan (7-5) L-Jonah Stickles (5-6)

All-Star Break:

1973 Home Run Derby
Darrell Evans of the Atlanta Braves outslugged Rick Monday of the Oakland A's 6-5 to take the Home Run Derby Title this year. Don Baylor, the only Boston entry was knocked out in the first round after hitting 7 homeruns. Complete results below:

1973 Home Run Showdown

FIRST ROUND (10 Outs)

PLAYER                          HOMERS
Darrell Evans (ATL)                 11
Rick Monday (OAK)                    9
George Foster (CLE)                  9
Mike Schmidt (CHC)                   9
Jimmy Wynn (TEX)                     8
Don Baylor (BOS)                     7
Steve Garvey (LAD)                   5
Ron Cey (LAD)                        5
Bobby Bonds (SFG)                    5
Bill Freehan (DET)                   3

SECOND ROUND (5 Outs)

PLAYER                          HOMERS
Darrell Evans (ATL)                  4
Rick Monday (OAK)                    4
George Foster (CLE)                  2
Mike Schmidt (CHC)                   2

FINAL ROUND (5 Outs)

PLAYER                          HOMERS
DARRELL EVANS (ATL)                  6
Rick Monday (OAK)                    5

     WINNER: Darrell Evans

1973 All-Star Game
Darrell Evans homered twice and drove in 4 and Mike Schmidt hit a pinch hit 3 run shot as the National League won a slugfest over the American League 11-9. Red Sox in the game were Toby Harrah (5-2 2R) and Don Baylor (1-4 BB) named starters and Ron Guidry was named but did not appear. Rick Monday went 3-4 with a pair of homeruns and 7 RBI in the loss. Boxscore below:

National League All Stars at American League All Stars
July 10, 1973

                     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 +  R  H  E
      All Stars (NL) 2 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 5   11 17  0
      All Stars (AL) 0 5 1 0 0 1 0 2 0    9 14  1

NATIONAL LEAGUE      ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
A. Otis (CF)          5  3  0  2  0  1  1  0    .295
T. Fuentes (SS)       4  2  0  1  0  1  0  0    .331
 D. Rader (P)         1  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .311
S. Garvey (1B)        5  2  0  1  0  1  0  0    .346
D. Evans (3B)         5  3  0  3  2  4  0  0    .324
B. Bonds (RF)         5  3  0  1  0  0  0  0    .293
R. Cey (DH)           2  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .347
 M. Schmidt (P)       3  1  0  1  1  3  0  0    .261
D. Money (2B)         5  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .287
R. Carty (LF)         4  1  0  1  0  0  1  0    .339
 D. Smith (P)         0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .328
B. Boone (C)          3  0  1  1  0  0  0  0    .271
TOTALS               42 17  1 11  3 10  3  0

   2B:  T. Fuentes, A. Otis, B. Bonds 2
   HR:  D. Evans 2, M. Schmidt
   GIDP:  S. Garvey, D. Evans, R. Carty

                   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
       J. Fisher  5.0 11  4  2  8  8  2 127   2.44
     J. Marichal  3.0  3  1  0  1  1  3  53   2.84
      T. Griffin  1.0  0  0  0  0  0  1   9   2.30
          TOTALS  9.0 14  5  2  9  9  6 189

AMERICAN LEAGUE      ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
P. Blair (CF)         5  4  0  2  0  2  0  0    .325
T. Harrah (2B)        4  2  0  2  0  0  0  0    .286
J. Lowenstein (LF)    3  0  2  1  0  0  0  0    .337
R. Monday (RF)        4  3  1  2  2  7  1  0    .324
D. Baylor (DH)        4  1  1  0  0  0  0  0    .289
B. Freehan (C)        5  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .251
B. Robinson (3B)      5  3  0  2  0  0  2  0    .328
F. Alou (1B)          2  1  1  0  0  0  0  0    .317
 G. Foster (P)        1  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .321
 J. Howarth (P)       0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .289
 T. Munson (P)        1  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .306
J. Fregosi (SS)       3  0  0  0  0  0  1  0    .268
 T. Oliva (P)         2  0  0  0  0  0  0  0    .330
TOTALS               39 14  5  9  2  9  6  0

   2B:  B. Robinson 2
   HR:  R. Monday 2
   HBP:  T. Harrah
   GIDP:  D. Baylor
   CS:  D. Baylor

                   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
         T. John  5.0  8  0  1  3  3  0  80   2.28
       J. Palmer  3.0  4  0  1  3  3  2  61   4.26
       R. Nelson  0.2  5  1  1  5  5  1  35   2.60
      K. Tekulve  0.1  0  0  0  0  0  0   5   2.41
          TOTALS  9.0 17  1  3 11 11  3 181

     WP: J. Fisher
     LP: R. Nelson
     SV: T. Griffin

     Temperature: 79F
     Wind: 2 MPH (out to center)
     Attendance: 40,613
     Time: 3:35

Starting off the 2nd half of the season for the Sox are 3 games in California against the Angels followed by 3 in Detroit to face the Tigers.

MLB Trade News:

It was a busy All-Star break with regards to trade activity. First, Philadelphia sends SS Chris Speier and P Gary Wagner to the Montreal Expos in exchange for CF Elliott Maddox, P Kyle Becker, P Donny Dochart, 3B Pat Scanlon, P Larry Landreth, P Rick Kreuger and 2B Earl Agus. Edge Montreal here as all the "Talent" sent to Philly is well below average.

San Fransisco sends P Bob Rauch
Chicago (NL) sends P Larry Gura
Gotta give the edge to SF now as Gura is a talented 25 year old, but Rauch could end up being the better talent in the long run.

Texas sends P Dave Campbell
Cincinnati sends OF Al Oliver
Edge Texas here as Oliver moves right into the lineup and Campbell is a couple years away.

St. Louis sends C Jeremy Reybok, CF Larry Harlow, 3B Jerry Maddox
Kansas City sends C Ellie Rodriguez
Good move here by the Cardinals, sending 3 "C" level prospects for a capable starting catcher.

(Editors Note: It's been a while since the last update, so it may take me a bit to get back into the swing of things, but hopefully I can keep this going until '08.

[bigpapi]

July 12,13,14 at California Angels (46-41)

July 12-Toby Harrah went 3-5 with 3 RBI and Ron Guidry improved to 12-1 on the year as Boston beat the Angels 5-4. (53-35)
W-Ron Guidry (12-1) L-Marty Pattin (1-2) S-Sparky Lyle (19)

July 13-Jim Hibbs, Johnny Callison and Randy Brown each drove in a pair of run as California hammered Boston 8-1. (53-36)
W-Carl Morton (3-3) L-Reggie Cleveland (9-5)

July 14-Billy Parker drove in 2 runs and Catfish Hunter pitched 8 innings of 1 run ball, helping the Angels take two of three from Boston, winning 3-1. (53-37)
W-Catfish Hunter (10-5) L-Roger Moret (7-9) S-Tom Burgmeier (10)

July 15,16,17 at Detroit Tigers (53-37)

July 15-Ted Simmons, Billy Grabarkewitz, and Tony Muser each had 3 hits and 2 RBI as Boston took a 1 game lead over the Tigers, winning 7-3. (54-37)
W-Jonah Stickles (6-6) L-Pat Dobson (8-9)

July 16-Willie Horton had 2 hits, a HR and 4 RBI,and Joe Foy had 3 hits and 2 RBI helping Detroit tie the Sox in the AL East, winning 9-4. (54-38)
W-Mike Krukow (9-9) L-Dock Ellis (6-6) S-Ken Forsch (3)

July 17-Willie Horton and George Scott each hit 2 run homeruns as the Detroit Tigers took over first place in the AL East, beating Boston 6-2. (54-39)
W-Dave Lemanczyk (3-2) L-Ron Guidry (12-2) S-Ken Tatum (3)

MLB Trade News:

The Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals came to terms on a deal this past week that saw Boston send P Dock Ellis to the Cards in exchange for 2 minor leaguers, CF Gorman Thomas, and P Steve Foucault. Ellis was 54-17 in 2 1/2 years with Boston, but only 6-6 with a 6.30 ERA this year, while Thomas was hitting .294 21-72 in AA this season, and Foucault was 4-5 4.19 with St. Louis this year, he will start in AAA in Boston's organization.

Also, New York (NL) sends P Mardie Cornejo
Oakland sends SS Bert Campaneris
Edge Mets here as Campaneris is one of baseball's elite base stealers, and Cornejo may be an above average pitcher 3 years from now.

Up next for the now second place Red Sox is 3 games in Cleveland against the Indians followed by 3 at home against the 1st place Tigers.

[bigpapi]

July 18,19,20 at Cleveland Indians (43-50)

July 18-Ted Simmons went 2-4 with 3 RBI, and Don Baylor added a 2 run homeruns as Boston blitzed the Indians 10-1. (55-39)
W-Reggie Cleveland (10-5) L-Charles Lemay (6-12)

July 19-The Red Sox pounded out 21 hits, including 3 by Reggie Smith, Don Baylor, Rico Petrocelli, and Billy Grabarkewitz as Boston beat up on Cleveland again, today 9-4. (56-39)
W-Bill Lee (2-2) L-Steve Hargan (7-6)

July 20-John Lowenstein and George Foster each hit 3 run homeruns as Cleveland avoided the sweep, beating Boston 9-4. (56-40)
W-John Denny (4-11) L-Roger Moret (7-10)

July 24,25,26 v Detroit Tigers (55-41)

July 24-Ron Guidry pitched a complete game, scattering 7 hits while walking just 1 and striking out 3 and Don Baylor added 2 hits and an RBI as Boston nipped Detroit 3-1. (57-40)
W-Ron Guidry (13-2) L-Dave Lemanczyk (3-3)

July 25-Wayne Comer went 2-4 with a HR and 2 RBI, and Mickey Lolich pitched 7 solid innings as Detroit beat Boston 4-2. (57-41)
W-Mickey Lolich (10-5) L-Reggie Cleveland (10-6) S-Ken Forsch (4)

July 26-A great game. Boston took a 2-0 in the first on a 2 run HR by Rico Petrocelli, and Detroit tied it in the 2nd with a pair. The Sox regained the lead when Rico Petrocelli hit a grand slam in the 3rd, but Detroit came back to tie in the top of the 4th at 6. The game stayed tied at 6 until the bottom of the 10th inning when Toby Harrah drove in Rico Petrocelli, giving Boston a 7-6 win. Cecil Upshaw pitched 4 perfect innings in relief for the win. (58-41)
W-Cecil Upshaw (4-2) L-Ken Forsch (5-1)

MLB Trade News:

A few deals were consumated as we approach the trade deadline...

Houston sends P Doug Konieczy, P Rick Williams
Montreal sends P Steve Carlton
If Carlton can finally harness his control, this will be a big win for the Astros, even if Konieczy lives up to his potential (90).

New York (AL) sends P Larry Gowell, P Tom Brown, P Luis Quintana
Pittsburgh sends OF Al Bumbry
Edge New York as Bumbry becomes their leadoff hitter and starting CF for 3 average minor league pitchers.

Los Angeles sends LF Jerry Turner, 2B Juan Bonilla
Montreal sends OF Cleon Jones
Edge LA as they further deepen their bench in pursuit of a NL West crown.

MLB Retirements:

Lindy McDaniel retired after 18 years in the big leagues with St. Louis, Chicago (NL), San Fransisco, Boston, Atlanta, and Chicago (NL) again. He retires with 186 saves, good for 4th all time. He ends up with a career mark of 122-98 3.54 ERA in 868 career games.


Ending July and heading into August for Boston is 3 games against the Yankees in New York followed by 3 more against the Tigers at Fenway. In between will also be trade deadline news!

[bigpapi]

Complete Team Stats Through July 31-(team leaders in bold)

1973 Batting             Team    G   AVG    AB    H  2B  3B  HR   BB    K   SB  CS    R  RBI   SLG   OBP
Harrah, Toby              BOS   98  .304   398  121  16   3  16   63   56   16   6   74   65  .480  .399
Simmons, Ted              BOS   95  .313   396  124  27   4  17   47   28    0   0   78   58  .530  .384
Baylor, Don               BOS   95  .295   386  114  22   3  31   56   57    8   8   83   90  .609  .387
Petrocelli, Rico          BOS   90  .300   357  107  23   0  14   55   59    0   2   50   64  .482  .392
Bowa, Larry               BOS   89  .259   344   89  11   4   2   20   36   15   7   43   42  .331  .297
Smith, Reggie             BOS   74  .315   327  103  26   4  15   45   47    5   1   68   54  .557  .399
Grabarkewitz, Billy       BOS   75  .263   281   74   7   3   7   36   47    9   5   38   39  .384  .349
Colavito, Rocky           BOS   63  .289   242   70  12   0  10   22   36    0   0   38   40  .463  .347
Ortiz, Jose               BOS   63  .253   225   57  14   3   0   23   38   19   2   30   32  .342  .323
Conigliaro, Billy         BOS   54  .258   217   56  13   2   4   14   45    0   1   23   23  .392  .306
Muser, Tony               BOS   48  .328   183   60   9   1   1   19   30    1   0   22   17  .404  .394
Evans, Dwight             BOS   44  .272   169   46  12   3   2   17   37    0   0   19   28  .414  .347
Shamsky, Art              BOS   41  .190   142   27   5   1   2   13   29    0   0   13   14  .282  .272
Conigliaro, Tony          BOS   15  .281    64   18   1   2   6    3   18    0   0   10   13  .641  .314
Jenkins, Fergie           BOS   23  .174    46    8   0   0   0    1   14    0   0    2    2  .174  .191
French, Jim               BOS   12  .229    35    8   1   0   0    7    6    0   0    6    3  .257  .349
Brett, George             BOS    3  .250    12    3   0   0   0    2    3    0   0    2    0  .250  .357
Foucault, Steve           BOS   37  .000     4    0   0   0   0    1    2    0   0    0    0  .000  .200
Sutherland, Gary          BOS    1  .000     3    0   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0  .000  .000

Complete Team Pitching Stats Through July 31-(team leaders in bold)

1973 Pitching            Team     IP   ERA    G  GS   W   L  SV    K   BB   R/9
York, Jim                 BOS   35.2  1.77   26   0   0   1   0   22   11  8.33
Garber, Gene              BOS   45.2  3.35   29   0   3   0   0   42   18 12.42
Fingers, Rollie           BOS   52.0  3.46   38   0   4   4   2   43   13 10.73
Upshaw, Cecil             BOS   66.0  3.55   40   0   4   3   0   36   18 12.00
Stickles, Jonah           BOS   97.1  3.70   14  14   6   6   0   60   28 11.37
Lyle, Sparky              BOS   41.0  3.73   37   0   3   3  19   31   10 11.41
Guidry, Ron               BOS  148.0  3.77   22  22  13   2   0  117   57 13.38
Jenkins, Fergie           BOS  149.0  3.87   24  24   7  11   0  130   26 11.66
Lee, Bill                 BOS   43.2  4.12    6   6   2   2   0   24    6 12.37
Foucault, Steve           BOS   58.0  4.19   37   0   4   5   6   37   37 15.21
Cleveland, Reggie         BOS  154.1  4.32   23  23  11   6   0   89   42 12.65
Moret, Roger              BOS  140.1  4.87   22  22   8  10   0   93   50 14.56
Brett, Ken                BOS   10.0  5.40    6   1   0   0   0   10    4 14.40

[bigpapi]

July 27,28,29 at New York Yankees (49-50)

July 27-Ted Simmons had 5 hits, and Rico Petrocelli and Billy Grabarkewitz each had 3 RBI as Boston beat up on New York 12-4. (59-41)
W-Roger Moret (8-10) L-Mel Stottlemyre (6-13)

July 28-Bob Hansen had 3 hits and 3 RBI, and Thurmon Munson added a 2 run double as the Yankees nipped Boston 8-7. (59-42)
W-Ron Kilmkowski (5-4) L-Sparky Lyle (3-3)

July 29-Steve Whitaker had 2 hits, including a grand slam, and Al Bumbry added 5 hits as New York won a slugfest in a 13-12 win over the Sox, in a game that included 48 hits. (59-43)
W-John Cumberland (1-1) L-Cecil Upshaw (4-3)

July 30,31 August 1 v. Detroit Tigers (56-43)

July 30-Dick McAuliffe hit a 2 run HR, and Bob Christian had the go-ahead RBI single in the 8th as Detroit climbed within 1/2 game of Boston with a 3-2 win. (59-44)
W-Mike Krukow (10-10) L-Fergie Jenkins (0-1) S-Fred Gladding (8)

July 31-Larry Bowa hit a bases clearing double, and Reggie Cleveland pitched a complete game, striking out 10 as Boston beat Detroit 5-1. (60-44)
W-Reggie Cleveland (11-6) L-Dave Lemanczyk (3-4)

August 1-Dwight Evans hit a go ahead 3 run HR, and Reggie Smith added a 2 run shot as Boston took two of three from Detroit, winning 6-3. (61-44)
W-Roger Moret (9-10) L-Mickey Lolich (10-6) S-Cecil Upshaw (1)

MLB Trade News:

California sends P Ralph Bolling, CF Paul Schilling, 2B Hugh Yancey
Chicago (NL) sends 1B Bob Chance
Edge Chicago as Chance is aging and they get 3 viable minor leaguers for him.

The big trade however included the Sox as they send 4 minor leaguers, P Dick Ruthven, 1B Jeff Burroughs, LF Ben Ogilvie, and P Bert Blyleven to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for P Fergie Jenkins. Jenkins was 7-10 with a 3.89 ERA this year, and is 111-79 with a 3.00 for his career. Jenkins also has almost a 5/1 (1533/369) K/BB ratio for his career. Going to Chicago are 4 prospects, including Ruthven who was 11-4 3.54 this year and 11-3 3.41 last year, and Burroughs who has hit 23 HR's thusfar. It was a steep price to give up, but we needed an ace, and Jenkins who is signed through 1977, fits the mold.

Up next for the Sox is 6 games at home against the Baltimore Orioles.

[bigpapi]

August 3,4,5 v Baltimore Orioles (52-53)

August 3-Don Baylor homered twice, driving in 3 and Fergie Jenkins won his first game as a Red Sox, pitching into the 9th as Boston beat Baltimore 6-4. (62-44)
W-Fergie Jenkins (1-1) L-Jim Palmer (9-9) S-Sparky Lyle (20)

August 4-Roger Freed hit a 3 run HR in a 4 run 3rd inning, and Dave Roberts pitched 7 2/3 innings of 1 run ball as Baltimore beat Boston 4-2. (62-45)
W-Dave Roberts (14-7) L-Ron Guidry (13-3) S-Elias Sosa (4)

August 5-Paul Blair went 2-5 with 2 RBI and Bud Harrelson went 3-4 with an RBI as the Orioles nipped the Sox 4-3. (62-46)
W-Wayne Garland (10-8) L-Reggie Cleveland (11-7) S-Jan Dukes (13)

August 7,8,9 v Baltimore Orioles (54-54)

August 7-Don Baylor hit homeruns number 34 and 35, including a tie breaking 3 run HR in the bottom of the 9th inning, giving Boston a 7-4 win over the Orioles. (63-46)
W-Rollie Fingers (5-4) L-Gary Lance (2-2)

August 8-Boog Powell broke out of his season long slump, homering twice off Fergie Jenkins as Baltimore beat up on Boston, winning 6-2. (63-47)
W-Jim Palmer (10-9) L-Fergie Jenkins (1-2)

August 9-Ron Guidry pitched a complete game, allowing just 1 run in the 9th inning, and Ted Simmons hit a 2 run single as Boston took two of three from Baltimore, winning 4-1. (64-47)
W-Ron Guidry (14-3) L-Dave Roberts (14-8)

MLB Injury News:

The Red Sox have announced that RP Rollie Fingers will miss the rest of the season with shoulder tendinitis. Fingers was 5-4 with a 3.40 ERA this year in the last year of his contract with Boston.

Curtis Brown of the Texas Rangers will miss the rest of the year with a torn ligament in his right knee. Brown was hitting .273 7-45 in his first full season with Texas.

MLB Milestones:

Vada Pinson of the Montreal Expos recorded his 2500th hit.

Next for the Sox is 3 more games at home against the Baltimore Orioles, followed by 3 in Fenway against the California Angels.

[CatKnight]

Welcome back, bigpapi!

[bigpapi]

Thanks Cat, I got the BM bug early this year I think!

[bigpapi]

August 11,12,13 v Baltimore Orioles (55-56)

August 11-Curt Blefary hit a pair of solo HR's (23,24), and Paul Blair hit a 2 run shot (19), as Baltimore outlasted Boston in an 8-7 slugfest. (64-48)
W-Ron Scheuler (3-2) L-Steve Foucault (0-1) S-Frank Bertaina (1)

August 12-A 7 run 2nd inning, capped by a grand slam by Ted Simmons (21), and Rico Petrocelli homered (15) and drove in 3, as Boston beat up on the Orioles 12-7. (65-48)
W-Roger Moret (10-10) L-Woodie Fryman (6-12)

August 13-Roger Freed hit a 2 run HR in the top of the 8th inning, to cap a comeback from a 4-1 defecit as Baltimore beat Boston 5-4. (65-49)
W-Gary Lance (3-2) L-Sparky Lyle (3-4) S-Frank Bertaina (2)

August 14,15,16 v California Angels (66-48)

August 14-Ted Simmons went 4-5 with 3 RBI, and Don Baylor hit his AL leading 36th HR of the year, a 3 run shot, as Boston beat the Angels 9-6. (66-49)
W-Ron Guidry (15-3) L-Andy Messersmith (10-13) S-Sparky Lyle (21)

August 15-7 different Red Sox drove in runs, including 2 each by Reggie Smith, Rico Petrocelli and Dwight Evans, and Reggie Cleveland threw his 5th complete game and 3rd shutout of the year as Boston ran all over the Angels 10-0. (67-49)
W-Reggie Cleveland (12-7) L-Marcelino Lopez (13-9)

August 16-Billy Conigliaro hit a tie breaking solo HR in the 6th inning, as Boston completed the sweep of California, squeaking past the Angels 3-2. (68-49)
W-Roger Moret (11-10) L-Clyde Wright (6-4) S-Sparky Lyle (22)

MLB Milestones:

Curt Flood of the St. Louis Cardinals secured his 2500th career hit

MLB Retirements:

Bill Monbouquette retired this week after 15 MLB seasons. He pitched for Boston (1958-65), Detroit (66-68) and the LA Dodgers (68-73). He compiled a line of 136-119 with a 3.71 career ERA. His best year came in 1963 when he went 20-10 with a 3.81 ERA for the Red Sox.

MLB Injury News:

Don Secrist of the San Diego Padres will miss the rest of this season and probably all of 1974 with a torn rotator cuff. Secrist was acquired by the Padres from the Milwaukee Brewers this year. He was 1-0 3.63 in 13 games with San Diego after going 3-2 6.47 with Milwaukee. Some would say that Secrist was a victim of overuse, after going 5-5 with a 2.70 ERA last year, pitching 80 games, but throwing 120 innings in those games.

Next for Boston is 3 more games against the Baltimore Orioles, this time in Baltimore, followed by 3 games against the 2nd place Detroit Tigers, who come to Boston just 3 1/2 games out of first.