1967 American League Pennant Race

August 31, 1967 at Fenway Park
White Sox 4 (73-59), Red Sox 2 (76-59)

Once again the American League tightened to where the first place team and fourth place team were seperated by just a game and a half as the White Sox took care of the Red Sox in their series opener.  Rookie Cisco Carlos didn’t pick up the win, but he kept the White Sox in the game in just his second big league start.  He gave up two runs on one hits and two walks with three strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings.  It was Don McMahon who picked up the win with two innings of shutout relief to close out the game.  Gary Bell went the distance for the Red Sox but he took the loss.  He dropped to 10-11 and he gave up four runs on nine hits and two walks with seven strikeouts.

Most of the White Sox offense came via the long ball.  Tommie Agee belted a solo homerun while Pete Ward went yard with a two run shot.  The Red Sox managed just two hits in the game and one of them was an RBI double by Rico Petrocelli.

August 30, 1967 at Yankee Stadium
Red Sox 2 (76-58), Yankees 1

After playing 28 innings yesterday, the Red Sox and Yankees played eleven more in an extra frame win for the Red Sox.  Carl Yastrzemski had the game winning hit with a solo homerun in the eleventh.  It was his 35th long ball of the season.  Reggie Smith also had a nice game and he went two for five with a double and a run.

Jerry Stephenson almost saw a nice start go to waste.  He gave up just one run on four hits with four strikeouts in seven innings.  John Wyatt improved to 8-6 and he gave up two hits and a walk with two strikeouts in four innings of shutout relief.

August 29, 1967 at Yankee Stadium
Red Sox 2 (75-57), Yankees 1

Jim Lonborg did it again as the Red Sox won their second straight and took the first game of their doubleheader with the Yankees.  He improved to 18-6 and he gave up one run on three hits with eleven strikeouts in the complete game victory.

Lonborg even helped out his own cause with a single and an RBI.  Reggie Smith singled, drew two walks and scored a run.

August 29, 1967 at Yankee Stadium
Yankees 4, Red Sox 3  (75-58)

Doubleheaders can be tough, but when the second game is the equivalent of more then two games because it goes 20 innings, it makes for a long day.  Bucky Brandon, in his sixth inning of work, gave up the deciding run in the bottom of the 20th inning as the Yankees salvaged a sweep with the Red Sox.

The newly acquired Ken Harrelson made his debut and made an impact by belting a solo homerun in the second inning.  Harrelson was released by the Athletics after he was quoted (he says he was misquoted) as saying A’s owner Charlie Finley was a menance.  He went to the highest bidder and that team was the Red Sox, who ponied up $150,000 for the outfielder.

August 28, 1967 at Yankee Stadium
Red Sox 3 (74-57), Yankees 0

The Red Sox remained tied for first with a nice shutout loss by Dave Morehead and Sparky Lyle.  Morehead picked up the win and he improved to 4-2.  He gave up four hits and four walks with four strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings while Lyle shut the Yankees out through 3 2/3 innings to pick up his fourth saveof the season.

Reggie Smith drove in one of the three Red Sox runs with a solo homerun.  Jerry Adair continued to hit the ball well and he went two for four.

August 27, 1967 at Comiskey Park
Red Sox 4 (73-56), White Sox 3 (70-57)

It was the Red Sox and White Sox second doubleheader in three days and like the previous doubleheader on Friday, the Red Sox kicked things off with a win.  Gary Bell improved to 10-10 with a nice start and he gave up three runs (one earned) on seven hits and two walks with four strikeouts in 8 1/3 innings.  John Wyatt got the final two batters out and he picked up his 18th save while Fred Klages took the loss for the White Sox.  He fell to 2-3 and he gave up three runs on six hits and two walks with two strikeouts in five innings pitched.

Carl Yastrzemski led the way for the Red Sox with a pair of solo homeruns.  The two homers brought his season total up to 34 on the season.  Pete Ward went two for three with a walk and an RBI for the White Sox.

August 27, 1967 at Comiskey Park
White Sox 1 (71-57), Red Sox 0 (73-57)

Gary Peters pitched his head off as the White Sox salvaged a split in their doubleheader with the Red Sox and in the process, they cost the Red Sox sole possession of first place in the American League.  Peters threw a eleven inning complete game shutout in which he gave up just four hits and three walks.  The win pushed Peters record to 15-7 while a fantastic start by Jose Santiago went to waste for the Red Sox.  Santiago gave up three hits and two walks with seven strikeouts in 9 2/3 innings while Bucky Brandon took the loss when he gave up the lone run in the eleventh inning when he walked Rocky Colavito with the bases loaded.

Colavito had the lone RBI for either side as the White Sox managed just three hits.  George Thomas was the hitting star for the Red Sox and he went two for four.

August 26, 1967 at Comiskey Park
Red Sox 6 (72-56), White Sox (70-56)

The Red Sox passed the Twins as it seemed like every day saw a new first place team in the American League.  Jerry Stephenson improved to 2-0 with a nice start.  He gave up two runs on just three hits and five walks with three strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.  Bucky Brandon shutout the White Sox through the final 3 1/3 and he picked up his third save of the season.  For the White Sox, Joe Horlen fell to 14-5.  He gave up five runs on ten hits and one walk in 4 1/3 innings.

George Scott and Reggie Smith both had three hits, a run and an RBI in the win.  For the White Sox, Don Buford went two for three with a walk and a run.

August 25, 1967 at Comiskey Park
Red Sox 7 (71-55), White Sox 1 (69-55)

Jim Lonborg won his seventeenth game of the season as the Red Sox kicked off a doubleheader against the team they started the day in first place with.  Lonborg gave up just one run on seven hits with six strikeouts in the complete game win.  For the White Sox, Gary Peters took the loss and he fell to 14-7.  He was knocked around for four runs and he didn’t even make it out of the season inning.

George Scott went four for five with two runs and two RBIs while Carl Yastrzemski went three for three with a walk, a triple and three runs for the Red Sox.  For the White Sox, the lone run came on a solo homerun by Pete Ward.

August 25, 1967 at Comiskey Park
White Sox 2 (70-55), Red Sox 1 (71-56)

The White Sox managed a split in their doubleheader with the Red Sox behind a nice outing by Cisco Carlos and some nice relief pitching from Bob Locker.  It was Carlos’ major league debut and while he didn’t pick up the win, he did all he could to keep the White Sox in it.  He gave up just four hits and a walk with three strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings.  Bob Locker gave up a run in 2 2/3 innings and he improved to 6-3.

For the Red Sox, it was Lee Stange who’s solid start was wasted.  He gave up one run on seven hits and a walk with one strikeouts in six innings.  John Wyatt gave up a run in the ninth and he fell to 7-6 on the season with the loss.

The game winning run came on a walk off RBI single by Ken Berry in the bottom of the ninth.  Berry finished the game with two hits and he drove in the other White Sox run with his sixth homerun of the season.  Reggie Smith singled for the Red Sox and he drove in their lone run.

Oddly, the split cost both teams their share of first place because the Twins, who sat just a half game back of both teams, catapulted both of them with a doubleheader sweep.  The Tigers also sat right there in contention just a game and a half back of the now first place Twins.

August 24, 1967 at Fenway Park
Red Sox 7 (70-55), Senators 5

The Red Sox scored a majority of their runs via the long ball as they moved back into a tie for first place with the White Sox in the American League.  Elston Howard had the big shot with a three run homer while Jerry Adair and Jim Landis both belted solo homers in the win.

Dave Morehead picked up the win with a solid start and he improved to 3-2 on the season.  He gave up two runs on five hits and one walk with seven strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings.  John Wyatt got a couple of batters out in a tough ninth inning and he picked up his seventeenth save of the season.

August 23, 1967 at Fenway Park
Senators 3, Red Sox 2 (69-55)

The Red Sox stay on top of the American League was a short one (at least this time) as they fell from their perch after losing to the Senators to snap a seven game winning streak.  Sparky Lyle gave up a run in the top of the ninth that proved to be the game winner and a pretty good start by Jose Santiago went waste.  Santiago gave up two runs on two hits with two walks and seven strikeouts in seven innings.

Carl Yastrzemski belted his 32nd homerun, a solo shot in the fourth inning.  Norm Siebern singled and drove in the other run for the Red Sox.

August 22, 1967 at Fenway Park
Red Sox 2 (68-54), Senators 1

The Red Sox made it six straight wins as they took the first game of their doubleheader with the Senators. Jerry Stephenson picked up his first win of the season with a nice start.  He gave up just one run on six hits and two walks with five strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings.  John Wyatt closed out the game and he picked up his 16th save of the season.

The Red Sox got all of the runs they needed with a pinch hit, two run triple from Dalton Jones.  Jose Tartabull went two for three and he was the only Red Sox hitter to reach base twice.

August 22, 1967 at Fenway Park
Red Sox 5 (69-54), Senators 3

The Red Sox made it seven straight games as they finished a sweep of their doubleheader over the Senators.  More importantly, the Red Sox moved into a tie for first place in the American League White Sox. 

Gary Bell picked up the win and he improved to 9-10 on the season.  He gave up three runs on five hits and one walk with five strikeouts in seven solid innings.  Bucky Brandon pitched two perfect innings to close out the game and he picked up his second save of the season.

Reggie Smith belted a two run homer in the sixth inning to tie the game up.  George Scott singled, drew a walk and drove in two runs

August 21, 1967 at Fenway Park
Red Sox 6 (67-54), Senators 5

Six different Red Sox drove a run a piece as the Red Sox picked up just enough to win their fifth straight game to move to within a game of the first place White Sox and Twins.  The game winner came in the bottom of the ninth when Elston Howard hit a walk off RBI single to score Jerry Adair.  Reggie Smith had a nice day at the plate and he went two for three with a triple, a run and an RBI.

Jim Lonborg didn’t bring his best stuff so it was nice the Red Sox could still pull out the win.  Longborg gave up four runs in seven innings and John Wyatt improved to 7-5 when he gave up a single run in two innings of relief.

August 20, 1967 at Fenway Park
Red Sox 12 (65-54), Angels 2  (62-59)

The Red Sox and Angels continued to go in opposite directions as the Angels lost their sixth straight game while the Red Sox won their third.  George Bruent took the brunt of the damage in the blowout loss and he fell to 11-15 when he gave up five runs in just two innings of work.  Lee Stange struck out ten and he gave up two runs in a complete game as he improved to 8-8.

Reggie Smith brought the big stick and he homered twice and drove in five.  Rico Petrocelli and Carl Yastrzemski also went yard and for Yaz, it was his 30th of the season.  For the Angels, Tom Satriano went two for three and he drew a walk to be the only Angels hitter to reach base three times.

August 20, 1967 at Fenway Park
Red Sox 9 (66-54), Angels 8 (62-60)

The Red Sox overcame an eight run deficit in a dramatic come from behind win to finish both a series and doubleheader sweep over the Angels.  For the Red Sox it was their fourth straight win and it was at the expense of the Angels eighth straight loss.

Things looked grim as the Angels jumped out to an eight run lead only to see the Red Sox chip away at it and finally tie it in the sixth inning.  Then in the eighth, Jerry Adair belted a solo homerun to give the Red Sox their winning run.  Carl Yastrzemski had a big three run homer while Dalton Jones had two hits, two runs and two RBIs.

For the Angels, Don Mincher brought the big stick.  He went three for four with his nineteenth homerun, two RBIs and two runs.  Roger Repoz went two for three with two walks, a double, a run and an RBI.

Minnie Rojas took the loss for the Angels when he gave up two runs in his three innings of relief.  Jose Santiago improved to 7-4 with two innings of shutout relief.

August 19, 1967 at Fenway Park
Red Sox 12 (64-54), Angels 11 (62-58)

The Angels continued their slide as they dropped their fifth straight game in a crazy one with the Red Sox.  Pitching went out the window as the two teams combined for 23 runs on 29 hits and the Red Sox held off a ninth inning rally by the Angels to win it by a single run.

Carl Yastrzemski was one of the hitting stars for the Red Sox in the win.  He went four for five with his 29th homerun, two RBIs and four runs.  George Scott also went yard and he finished the game three for five with two runs and two RBIs.  Four different Angels homered with Rick Reichardt going two for four with his twelth homerun, three RBIs and a run in the loss.  Jimmie Hall went two for three with two walks, two runs and two RBIs.

Dan Osinski picked up the win with 1 1/3 innings of shutout relief.  Jim Coates took the loss for the Angels although he was hardly the worst pitcher going for the Red Sox.

August 18, 1967 at Fenway Park
Red Sox 3 (63-54), Angels 2 (62-57)

Gary Bell outdueled Jack Hamilton as the Red Sox took the opener in the series between the two teams.  Bell improved to 8-10 and he gave up two runs on four hits and one walk with five strikeouts in the complete game win.  Jack Hamilton took the loss for the Angels and he fell to 6-3.  He gave up two runs (one earned) on four hits and three walks with two strikeouts in five innings of work.

Rico Petrocelli tripled, drew a walk, drove in a run and scored twice to lead the way for the Red Sox.  For the Angels, Jimmie Hall was the hitting star with a pair of solo homers. 

The big blow to the Red Sox didn’t show up on the scoreboard though.  In the bottom of the fourth inning, Hamilton hit Tony Conigliario in the face and the slugger had to be carried off the field.  He’d miss the rest of the 1967 season and all of 1968 because of injury.

August 17, 1967 at Fenway Park
Tigers 7 (63-54), Red Sox 4 (62-54)

The Tigers avoided a sweep at the hands of the Red Sox but they needed ten innings to do it.  Earl Wilson left the game with a 4-1 lead but Fred Lasher gave up three runs in the eighth to send the game into extra frames.  Fortunately, the Tigers rallied for three runs in the top of the tenth and walked away with their only win of the series.

Fred Gladding picked up the win after he held the Red Sox scoreless in the ninth and tenth innings.  Sparky Lyle took the loss for the Red Sox.

Willie Horton hit two homeruns and drove in three to lead the way for the Tigers.  Al Kaline hit homerun number 20 and he scored twice and Norm Cash tripled, scored and drove in a run.

Jerry Adair had the big game at the plate for the Red sox.  He had three hits, including two doubles, and he drove in two.  George Scott had two singles and he scored twice.

August 16, 1967 at Fenway Park
Red Sox 8 (62-53), Tigers 3  (62-54)

Denny McLain was hit hard in a blow out loss to the Red Sox.  He gave up five runs in 2 2/3 innings and three of the five hits he gave up were homeruns.  Lee Stange was also knocked around for the Red Sox but Bucky Brandon picked him up and threw seven innings of shutout relief to pick up his fifth win of the season.

George Scott was the primary adversary against McLain.  He homered twice and drove in four runs.  Reggie Smith had two hits and drove in two while Jose Tartabull and Jerry Adair had two hits and a run a piece.

Norm Cash’s two run homerun in the second inning was pretty much the extent of the Tigers’ offense.  Willie Horton and Don Wert each had two hits.

August 15, 1967 at Fenway Park
Red Sox 4 (61-53), Tigers 0  (62-53)

The Red Sox took game one in a big three game series with the Tigers.  Dave Morehead was lights out and he held the Tigers scoreless on only six hits.  He walked one and struck out eight.  Joe Sparma took the loss for the Tigers.  He gave up three runs on three hits, but two of those hits were homeruns. He lasted only four innings.

Carl Yastrzemski hit homerun number 28 for Boston.  He also drove in a run on a sac. fly.  Reggie Smith and George Scott also hit solo homeruns for the Red Sox.  Jim Price was the only Tiger who could figure out Morehead.  He had three hits in four at bats.

August 13, 1967 at Anaheim Stadium
Angels 3 (62-53), Red Sox 2 (60-53)

The Angels moved themselves ahead of the Red Sox in the American League standings as the finished a three game sweep over Boston.  Rickey Clark improved to 9-8 with 7 2/3 shutout innings and Bill Kelso got the final out of the game to pick up his ninth save of the season.  Jim Lonborg took the loss and he fell to 16-6.  He gave up three runs on five hits and two walks with four strikeouts in just four innings.

Jose Cardenal and Roger Repoz belted solo homeruns for the Angels in the win.  Rico Petrocelli drove in both Red Sox runs with his twelth homer of the year.

August 12, 1967 at Anaheim Stadium
Angels 2 (61-53), Red Sox 1 (60-52)

The Angels tied the Red Sox in the standings with their second straight win in another pitcher’s duel.  This time it was Jack Hamilton who got it done on the mound for the Angels.  He gave up one run on six hits and one walk with four strikeouts in six innings.  Minnie Rojas threw three shutout frames to close the game out and he earned save number 21.  For the Red Sox, Gary Bell took the loss despite a decent start.  He gave up two runs on five hits and a walk with four strikeouts in six innings of work.

Don Mincher belted a solo homerun for the Angels.  Jim Fregosi went two for four and he drove in the other run for the Angels.  Joe Foy led the way for the Red Sox with two singles and he drove in the only run.

August 11, 1967 at Anaheim Stadium
Angels 1 (60-53), Red Sox 0 (60-51)

Jim McGlothlin held the Red Sox to just three hits in a pitchers duel with Red Sox starter Lee Stange.  McGlothlin walked one and struck out four in the shutout win while Stange gave up just the one run on four hits and a walk with five strikeouts in seven innings of work.

Jimmie Hall scored the only run of the game for either side.  In the fourth inning, he singled and eventually scored on a wild pitch.  Mike Andrews had two of the three hits in the game for the Red Sox.

August 9, 1967 at Municipal Stadium
Red Sox 5 (60-50), Athletics 1

Jim Lonborg continued his fantastic season with another nice start in Red Sox win in their final with the Athletics.  He improved to 16-5 and he gave up just one run on seven hits and two walks with seven strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings.

Jerry Adair singled three times and drove in three in the win.  Elston Howard pitched in with two singles and he scored two times.

August 8, 1967 at Municipal Stadium
Athletics 5, Red Sox 3  (58-50)

The Red Sox continued their slide with their fourth straight loss in the front end of a doubleheader with the A’s.  Tony Conigliaro was a perfect three for three and he belted his 20th homer of the season in the loss while Rico Petrocelli went yard for the eleventh time this season.

Dave Morehead fell to 1-2 with a tough start.  He gave up five runs (four earned) on seven hits and a walk with six strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.

August 8, 1967 at Muncipal Stadium
Red Sox 7 (59-50), Athletics 5

The Red Sox came back from four runs down to end their four game losing streak in the second game of their doubleheader with the A’s.  It was the heart of the lineup that did the bulk of the damage.  Jerry Adair went three for five with a run and an RBI while Carl Yastrzemski went two for four with an RBI and two runs.  Tony C. had capped off a nice twin bill with a double, a single, two RBIs and a run.

John Wyatt picked up the win with a shutout eighth inning and he improved to 6-5 on the season.  Bucky Brandon got the final two batters out to pick up his first save of the season.

August 6, 1967 at Metropolitan Stadium
Twins 2 (57-48), Red Sox 0 (58-49)

The Twins tied up the Red Sox by finishing up a three game sweep at home in a battle of Cy Young contenders.  Dean Chance got the better end of the deal and he held the Red Sox to five perfect innings and the win improved his record to 14-8 on the season.  Jim Lonborg fell to 15-5 and he gave up two runs on four hits and one walk with seven strikeouts. 

Bob Allison doubled and he drove in a run.  Cesar Tovar drew a walk and he scored a run. 

August 5, 1967 at Metropolitan Stadium
Twins 2 (56-48), Red Sox 1 (58-48)

The Twins made it two straight over the Red Sox as Dave Boswell held the Red Sox to a single run on three hits.  The win improved to 9-8 and he gave up three walks with five strikeouts.  Lee Stange took the loss and he fell to 7-7.  He gave up two runs on six hits and two walks with four strikeouts in seven innings.

Tony Oliva went two three for four with two doubles and an RBI for the Twins while Zoilo Versalles went two for four with a solo homerun.  Rico Petrocelli was the hitting star for the Red Sox.  He went two for three with a solo homerun.

August 4, 1967 at Metropolitan Stadium
Twins 3 (55-48), Red Sox 0 (58-47)

The Twins one a big one as they took care of the Red Sox in an important series between two of the top teams in the American League.  In this one, Jim Merritt threw a five hit shutout and he improved to 8-3 on the season.  Bucky Brandon took the loss for the Red Sox with a rough start.  He gave up two runs (one earned) on six hits and three walks with three strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings.  The loss dropped him to 4-9 on the season.

Tony Oliva went two for three with an RBI to lead the way for the Twins. Carl Yastrzemski was the only Red Sox hitter with two hits.

August 3, 1967 at Fenway Park
Red Sox 5, Athletics 3  (58-46)

The Red Sox got back on track despite a rough start but Bill Landis.  Bill Landis gave up three runs in two innings but Dave Morehead picked him up out of the pen.  He gave up four hits and a walk with one strikeout in five shutout innings of relief.

Mike Andrews was the hitting star.  He went three for five with a homerun, three RBIs and a run.  The homer was Ryan’s seventh long ball of the season.

August 2, 1967 at Fenway Park
Athletics 8, Red Sox 6  (57-46)

John Wyatt gave up two runs in the seventh and two runs in the eighth as the Red Sox blew a one run lead.  The four runs came on five hits and the loss dropped him to 5-5 on the season.

Mike Andrews went one for three with a homerun, two RBIs and three runs.  Tony Conigiliaro went one for two with two RBIs and a run.

August 1, 1967 at Fenway Park
Athletics 4, Red Sox 3 (56-45)

The Red Sox came scored three runs to make a 4-0 deficit a one run game but that’s all they’d get in a narrow loss in the first game of their doubleheader with the Athletics. All three runs came on a big three run shot by Carl Yastrzemski in the sixth inning. The homerun was his 27th of the season.

Dave Morehead fell to 0-1 on the season. He gave up four runs on four hits and three walks in just two innings of work.

August 1, 1967 at Fenway Park
Red Sox 8 (57-45), Athletics 3

The Red Sox evened up the scored in their doubleheader and salvaged a split with the Athletics in their doubleheader.  Mike Ryan belted a three run homer and Tony Conigiliaro went three for five with two runs.

Jim Lonborg improved to 15-4 on the season with a nice start.  He gave up three runs (one earned) on eight hits and five walks with three strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings.  Sparky Lyle held the A’s hitless in the final 3 2/3 innings and he picked up his second save of the season.