The Sox’ road woes continued as the team moved to Chicago, though Al Nipper temporarily stopped the bleeding in a 3-1 victory. Nipper, who went into the game with a 4-7 record and a 5-plus ERA, threw a complete game victory, allowing 7 hits. He was backed by homers from Don Baylor and Dwight Evans. The White Sox’ Floyd Bannister also went the full 9 innings. When was the last time we saw both pitchers go all the way?
Problems returned the next night, however, as Chicago took a 4-1 decision behind little-known Joe Cowley, who entered with an ERA of 5.03. Jeff Sellers lasted just 2 1/3 innings and surrendered 6 hits and 4 runs, which was enough as Cowley gave up only 2 safeties in 8-plus. Present White Sox skipper Ozzie Guillen contributed 2 hits. The Bosox fell to 3-9 on their trip and were batting a composite .214. In the last 5 games, Marty Barrett was 2 for 19 and Wade Boggs 2 for 17.
Not even the Rocket could turn things around. The next night, he was given a 2-0 advantage but faded in the fifth, allowing the home squad to take a 3-2 lead. After runner Harold Baines was called safe on a throw from Bill Buckner to Clemens, Roger exploded on umpire Greg Kosc, leading to his ejection. “I never disputed a call before, ” Clemens said afterward. But I must be such a troublemaker that he is going to take it out on me.” Interesting words, considering Roger’s current legal problems. The White Sox would explode on relievers Sammy Stewart, Tim Lollar, and Bob Stanley for a 7-2 victory. Losing 2 of 3 to the fourth place Chicagoans, the Red Sox concluded their road trip at 3-9. Luckily for them, the Yanks were also losing, but a 7 game lead had dwindled to 4.
The Sox came home to face the World Champion Kansas City Royals, who must have had other things on their minds. Just a few days before, manager Dick Howser had been operated on for a malignant brain tumor; Mike Ferraro was the interim skipper. Sadly, Howser would pass away less than a year later.
Boston did get a good job from Bruce Hurst, who won his first home game since May 5, a 5-3 triumph. Staked to a 3-0 lead, Hurst surrendered 3 homers in the fifth to tie the game. Jim Rice’s sixth inning single drove in the winner, with Buckner also knocking in a pair. Calvin Schiraldi, who would play a big part in the season, threw 2 shutout innings in relief.
The bullpen remained a problem, however. Tom Seaver left the next contest with a 2-1 advantage in the seventh. Twenty pitches later, the Sox trailed 9-2, as the first 12 Royals reached base and 11 scored on the way to a 13-2 rout. Dan Shaughnessy called it “the Raging Bullpen Redux, starring Bob Stanley and Tim Lollar as the Torch Twins.”
Given the situation, Schiraldi was assuming a bigger role. His first career save made a 5-3 winner out of Nipper in the series’ rubber game. Boggs’ seventh inning hit broke a 3-3 tie. “Only a day after the Boston bullpen helped the Royals to 11 hits and 11 runs in one inning”, wrote Kevin Dupont, “Schiraldi stomped to the mound and looked like Dick Radatz.”
Shaughnessy’s Sunday column pointed out that although the Sox had lost only 3 games to the New Yorkers during the trip, the Orioles, Blue Jays, Indians, and Tigers “were given new hope.” Detroit had gone from 14 games out to a manageable 5 1/2.
The Mets, meanwhile, had a 20 game lead, the biggest of any squad since the 1975 Reds. Significantly, Boggs’ average had dropped from nearly .400 to .346. No Sox batter appeared in the top homer and rbi men, and even the Rocket, at 17-3, had fallen to second in winning percentage behind the Yankees’ Dennis Rasmussen. The Mets’ Wally Backman and Len Dykstra were both among top NL batters, while Gary Carter was sixth in homers and second in rbi’s. The top four Met hurlers were a combined 46-13.
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