I have a vivid memory of watching the progress of a Yankees game on Fenway's scoreboard, but I assumed it was in a subsequent trip -- the next year, maybe 1979 -- at a time when the Red Sox and Yankees were battling for first place. On that day in 1976, Boston was in fifth place, 15.5 GB New York.
It turns out it was the same afternoon as my Fenway debut.
The Yankees were hosting the Angels and California had built up an 8-0 lead. The game was in the ninth inning when the 0 on the manual scoreboard in the Wall went down. Enough people in the park had noticed it so there was a low murmur through the crowd (my father and I were in Section 17). What number would come up in its place? I remember it took awhile; maybe the guy in the Wall wanted to create some suspense. Finally ...
8.
The Yankees had tied the game.
Munson grounded out 6-3. Piniella singled to right. Chambliss doubled to right. Nettles singled to right (8-1). Velez walked. Healy singled to center (8-2). Randolph doubled to right (8-4). Verhoeven relieved Tanana. May (hitting for Stanley) singled to right (8-6). White homered (8-8). Munson F7. Piniella reached on E4. Monge relieved Verhoeven. Rivers (running for Pinella) picked off/caught stealing 1-3-6.
The Angels rallied off Sparky Lyle and won the game in 11 innings.
Angels - 100 111 220 03 - 11 17 1
Yankees - 000 000 008 00 - 8 10 2
I always remember your story about the zero disappearing and the 8 going up. So it was on your first trip to Fenway! Very cool.
ReplyDeleteWas this related to the Sparky Lyle link I sent?
No.
ReplyDeleteSomeone on SABR-L noted that on May 15, the Orioles had shut out Cleveland for eight innings before allowing 8 in the ninth and was wondering if that was a record for most runs in the ninth after having zero through the first eight?
One reply: "I'm positive that sometime in the 1970s or 1980s (might have been late '60s but I don't think so), the Yankees trailed the Angels in Anaheim 9-0 going into the top of the ninth. They then scored 9 runs to tie the game 9-9, but nevertheless lost to the Angels in extra innings."
Someone else: "There was no such game, but there was this one: which was played at Yankee Stadium [against the Angels], in which the Yankees trailed 8-0 going to the bottom of the ninth, scored eight to tie, and then lost 11-8 in 11 innings."
That sounded like the game I remembered so I looked at the URL and saw the date!
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Also: For games for which Retrosheet has play-by-play, the most runs scored in the 9th inning by a team that was shut out through 8 is 10. That has occurred twice:
August 15, 1962
September 17, 2005
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There was also some talk about odd major league debuts, including one where a guy fouled a ball off his head and knocked himself unconscious.
Wow, talk about come from behind! Sounds even better than the Mother's Day Miracle, though of course in that game, the come from behind team actually won the game!
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