Dodger right fielder Reggie Smith greeted Red Sox closer Dick Drago with a leadoff solo blast to left in the ninth to give the Dodgers a 5-4 walk-off win, knotting the World Series at one game apiece. The long ball was prominently featured in Game 2. Both of these offensive powerhouses flexed their muscles at Chavez Ravine combining for 5 homers and 29 hits.
After spotting Boston an early 1-0 lead on a RBI single by Jim Rice, Dodger ace Tommy John then settled in after that rough first inning scattering 6 singles over his next 6 innings of work. Los Angeles evened things up on a Rick Monday solo jack in the bottom of the second.
The Dodgers then picked away adding runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh to take a 4-1 lead. Steve Garvey drilled a bullet into the bleachers in the fifth and added a RBI single in the sixth to close the book on Boston starter Bill Lee. Lee couldn't really get into a rhythm as he escaped a bases-loaded jam in the third and had traffic on the sacks in every inning except the first.
John gave way to the Dodger bullpen in the eighth after Jim Rice took him deep to center to cut the lead to 4-2. It was the second RBI of the game for Rice and his fifth homer which gave him the lead in both categories for the postseason. Rice has 5 round trippers and 12 RBI to go along with a .400 batting average.
Elias Sosa was the first Los Angeles reliever called upon by skipper Tommy Lasorda. Sosa was the top setup man for Los Angeles in the regular season with a 10-5 record and a 2.59 ERA, but he didn't have it on this outing. He issued a walk to Carlton Fisk,and Dwight Evans then followed with a two-run homer to left to tie the contest up at 4-4. Sosa promptly got the hook without having recorded an out.
Al Dowling then came on and got Rico Petrocelli on a fly to left but gave up back to back singles to Rick Burleson and pinch-hitter Juan Beniquez. After giving a free pass to Denny Doyle to load the bases, Dowling was yanked, and Lasorda called upon lefty Lance Rautzhan to face Cecil Cooper and Fred Lynn. Cooper went down swinging and Lynn hit a lazy fly into foul ground on the third base side to end the inning.
Red Sox closer Dick Drago retired the Dodgers in order in the bottom half of the eighth, and Boston staged another uprising in the ninth with a two-out double by Dwight Evans. The Dodgers opted to intentionally walk Rico Petrocelli to go after Boston shortstop Rick Burleson. The move paid off as Rautzhan retired him on a grounder to second.
Reggie Smith's game-winning blast was his third dinger of the playoffs and allowed Lance Rautzhan to pick up his third win of the postseason. Rautzhan has become a weapon out of the Dodger bullpen tossing 4.2 scoreless innings. Smith has also had a tremendous postseason batting .458 and is now tied for the team lead in homers with Steve Garvey and Dusty Baker.
This loss had to have left the Red Sox feeling this was a comeback victory opportunity that they let slip away, squandering two chances in the eighth and ninth to tack on runs.
The series now shifts to Fenway Park for Game 3. The probable pitchers for the games in Boston are featured below the scorecard and game highlights. For a summary of Game 1, click here.
After spotting Boston an early 1-0 lead on a RBI single by Jim Rice, Dodger ace Tommy John then settled in after that rough first inning scattering 6 singles over his next 6 innings of work. Los Angeles evened things up on a Rick Monday solo jack in the bottom of the second.
The Dodgers then picked away adding runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh to take a 4-1 lead. Steve Garvey drilled a bullet into the bleachers in the fifth and added a RBI single in the sixth to close the book on Boston starter Bill Lee. Lee couldn't really get into a rhythm as he escaped a bases-loaded jam in the third and had traffic on the sacks in every inning except the first.
John gave way to the Dodger bullpen in the eighth after Jim Rice took him deep to center to cut the lead to 4-2. It was the second RBI of the game for Rice and his fifth homer which gave him the lead in both categories for the postseason. Rice has 5 round trippers and 12 RBI to go along with a .400 batting average.
Elias Sosa was the first Los Angeles reliever called upon by skipper Tommy Lasorda. Sosa was the top setup man for Los Angeles in the regular season with a 10-5 record and a 2.59 ERA, but he didn't have it on this outing. He issued a walk to Carlton Fisk,and Dwight Evans then followed with a two-run homer to left to tie the contest up at 4-4. Sosa promptly got the hook without having recorded an out.
Al Dowling then came on and got Rico Petrocelli on a fly to left but gave up back to back singles to Rick Burleson and pinch-hitter Juan Beniquez. After giving a free pass to Denny Doyle to load the bases, Dowling was yanked, and Lasorda called upon lefty Lance Rautzhan to face Cecil Cooper and Fred Lynn. Cooper went down swinging and Lynn hit a lazy fly into foul ground on the third base side to end the inning.
Red Sox closer Dick Drago retired the Dodgers in order in the bottom half of the eighth, and Boston staged another uprising in the ninth with a two-out double by Dwight Evans. The Dodgers opted to intentionally walk Rico Petrocelli to go after Boston shortstop Rick Burleson. The move paid off as Rautzhan retired him on a grounder to second.
Reggie Smith's game-winning blast was his third dinger of the playoffs and allowed Lance Rautzhan to pick up his third win of the postseason. Rautzhan has become a weapon out of the Dodger bullpen tossing 4.2 scoreless innings. Smith has also had a tremendous postseason batting .458 and is now tied for the team lead in homers with Steve Garvey and Dusty Baker.
This loss had to have left the Red Sox feeling this was a comeback victory opportunity that they let slip away, squandering two chances in the eighth and ninth to tack on runs.
The series now shifts to Fenway Park for Game 3. The probable pitchers for the games in Boston are featured below the scorecard and game highlights. For a summary of Game 1, click here.
Sensational 70s World Series - Probable Pitchers
Game 3 - Fenway Park
Regular Season
Rick Wise (15-13), 3.35 vs Don Sutton (12-8), 3.73
Game 4 - Fenway Park
Regular Season
Reggie Cleveland (11-6), 3.48 vs Doug Rau (13-7), 2.38
Game 5 - Fenway Park
Regular Season
Luis Tiant (15-9), 3.47 vs Burt Hooten (15-5), 3.44
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