July 7, 1967 at Tiger Stadium
Tigers 5 (43-34), Red Sox 4 (40-37)
The Tigers blew a big lead in the ninth inning to the Red Sox but held on to win the game in extra frames for their fifth straight win. The Tigers got off to a nice start in the first inning on RBI singles by Jerry Lumpe and Norm Cash and the Red Sox didn’t answer until the top of the seventh on Rico Petrocelli’s sac. fly to make it 2-1. The Tigers put two more runs on the board in the bottom of the seventh on Cash’s two run shot and the game went into the ninth inning with the Tigers up by three runs.
Joe Sparma got the first two batters out in the top of the ninth but then gave up a solo shot to Conigliaro. George Scott and Petrocelli hit back to back singles and Mayo Smith went to the pen and brought in Mike Marshall. Marshall couldn’t stop the damage though and a one run single by Reggie Smith and a one run double by Jerry Adair tied the game up at 4-4.
Neither team scored in the tenth and the Marshall held the Red Sox scoreless in the top of the eleventh. In the bottom of the eleventh, Norm Cash grounded out to start the inning before Jim Northrup singled. Then Bill Freehan came up huge with a walk off RBI double to end the game.
Sparma pitched 8 2/3 innings while Marshall picked up his first win of the season with 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief (the runners he let come home were Sparma’s). Gary Waslewski started for the Red Sox and he was gone after two innings. John Wyatt picked up the loss and he dropped to 4-4.