On this date (June 27), twenty years ago, the Boston Red Sox set the MLB record for the most runs scored by a team in a game before making their first out. The game was played in Fenway Park and the opponents were the Florida Marlins – who lost to the Red Sox 25-8 and gave up ten runs before retiring a single BoSox batter.
The inning went like this:
Carl Pavano, who came into the game with a 6-8, 4.21 record on the season, started for the Marlins. To give you some idea of now potent this Red Sox lineup was, I put each player’s batting average entering the game in parenthesis after his name.
- CF Johnny Damon (.255) – Doubles to right on a 2-2 pitch.
- 2B Todd Walker (.302) – Singles to center (1-0 pitch), scoring Damon.
- SS Nomar Garciaparra (.343) – Doubles to center (0-1 pitch), Walker goes to third.
- LF Manny Ramirez (.314) – Hits a three-run homer to left (first pitch).
- DH David Ortiz (.287) – Doubles to right (2-1 pitch).
- 1B Kevin Millar (.316) – Singles to center on a 1-1 pitch, scoring Ortiz.
Miguel Tejera replaces Pavano on the mound. (Pavano has surrendered five runs on six hits, in just 22 pitches – and is responsible for Millar on first.) Tejera will see the Red Sox standing tough in the batter’s box. He will face just five batters, with three of those requiring at least eight pitches.
- RF Trot Nixon (.305) – Greets Tejera with a first-pitch single to right, with Millar moving to second.
- 3B Bill Mueller (.315) – Works Tejera for a nine-pitch walk, loading the bases.
- C Jason Varitek (.279) – The number-nine hitter lines a single to center (2-2 pitch), scoring Millar and Nixon and sending Mueller to second.
- Damon – Up for the second time in the inning, hits a 2-2 pitch, the ninth pitch of the at bat, for a triple to deep right, scoring Mueller and Varitek.
- Walker – Gets his second single of the inning, a groundball single to left scoring Damon. It comes on the ninth pitch of the at bat, a 3-2 count).
Allen Levrault replaces Tejera, who has given up four hits and a walk on 32 pitches. Levrault slows the carnage. Getting Garciaparra on a foul pop up. Ten runs have scored before this first out.
The Red Sox go on to score four more runs to take a 14-1 first-inning lead.
A few other tidbits:
Damon, who got three-fourths of the way to the cycle in the first inning (double, triple, single) will collect two more hits in his final four plate appearances. They will both be singles and he will not get the coveted cycle.- Six members of the Red Sox will collect at least three hits in the game.
- Despite giving up five runs in five innings, Red Sox’ starter Byung-Hyun Kim will get the win.
- The Red Sox will be eliminated by the Yankees in the American League Championship Series. The Mariners will make it to the World Series, where they also will fall to the Yankees.
Primary Resource: Baseball-Reference.com
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