O’s come back from 0-2 to win final 3 game and advance to round 2

Series Boxscores

8/1-8/2 - Memorial Stadium
GAME 1 - Red Sox 9, Orioles 5
Bill Monbouquette went the distance and notched the win even though at times his defense betrayed him.  Boston jumped all over Milt Papas who was gone after 3 innings of work where he gave up 5 runs (4 earned).  Gary Geiger hit 2 homers, as he went 3 for 4 with 4 RBI.  Boston broke it open with 3 runs off of Bob Mabe in the top of the 9th to make it 9-3.  A 2 run homer by Jackie Brandt gave the illusion that the game was actually closer than it was.

GAME 2 - Red Sox 4, Orioles 1
Suffice it to say, Tom Brewer (8 IP / 1 ER) pitched the game of his life against Steve   Barber (7IP / 2 ER), who wasn't too shabby himself.  Baltimore would score a solo run in the bottom of the 1st on a ground out, but that would be all the scoring that they would engage in today.  Boston tied it in the top of the 3rd when the "Splendid Splinter", Ted Williams, singled hom Brewer with 2 out.  Willie Tasby would single Williams home in the 6th to put Boston up 2-1 and Gary Geiger would put the exclamation point on the day by knocking in 2 with a pinch hit single in the 9th.  Mike Fornieles would pitch a clean 9th to notch the save and give the Bosox a commanding 2-0 lead in the series, which was heading to Fenway.

8/3-8/4 - Fenway Park
GAME 3 - Orioles 6, Red Sox 4 (11 inn)
Red Sox Nation will forever call this game, "the one that got away".  Ike Delock had a shutout going into the top of the 7th when the O's rallied to tie it at 2.  Jim Gentile walked to lead off the inning an Ron Hansen slugged a 2 run shot.  It looked like the Red Sox were going to rebound nicely when Marty Keough doubled home Geiger and Pete Runnels to put Boston back up by 2, but alas it was not meant to be.  Tom Borland allowed an RBI single to Marv Breeding and then allowed another to score on a wild pitch to tie the game up at 4.  Heading into extra innings the O's knew they were in a must win situation.  When you're in those spots you look toward your star players to make something happen.  Brooks Robinson is not only a star with the leather, but a star with the lumber.  Baltimore's star third sacker ripped into a 2-2 pitch by Fornieles and hit it over the fence on top of the Green Monstah for a 2 run shot.  Jack Fisher would fan the first two Red Sox batters (Clinton/Buddin) to start the bottom of the 11th, but Coughtry would line a pinch hit single to right and Pete Runnel would do the exact same thing to put runners on the corners for Pumpsie Green, who grounded weakly to short to end it.  Boston blew a golden opportunity to close it out and in doing so jump started the O's offense.

GAME 4 - Orioles 3, Red Sox 2
Hal Brown gave up 2 unearned runs in the bottom of the 3rd, no thanks to a throwing error by Ron Hansen on a routine grounder to short.  That allowed Pete Runnels to reach first.  All looked good when Bobby Thomson lined into a DP on a hit and run play, but Ted Williams singled and Frank Malzone double.  Vic Wertz hit a long fly to dead center that only Willie Mays could catch.  Thankfully for Wertz, Brandt isn't Mays and the ball fell in for a 2 run double.  Spot starter Billy Muffett was cruising along and posting goose eggs until he hit bumps in the road for the next 3 innings.  Baltimore would post solo runs in the 6th, 7th and 8th innings.  Once again fielding would come into play as Frank Malzone booted a 2 hopper hit by Gus Triandos, which allowed Robinson to score easily to tie the game.  Brooksie would then line an RBI single in the 9th to score Brown and put the O's ahead for good as Brownie went the distance by shutting out the Bosox from the 4th inning on.

8/5 - Memorial Stadium
GAME 5 - Orioles 9, Red Sox 1
The series made its way south on I-95, but the Bosox forgot to make the trip.  Up 2 games to 0 the Sahx blew two golden opportunities to close out the O's and seemed to have packed it in themselves.  Game 1 winner, Bill Monbouquette spotted the O's 3 big runs in the bottom of the first and was gone after giving up 5 runs on 11 hits in 6 sub par innings of work.  Gene Woodling would hit a 3 run shot in that inning as well as a 2 run shot in the 7th when Baltimore would score 4 big runs off of Tom Sturdivant and blow the game wide open.  Woodling would have himself a spectacular 4 for 4 day, which included 2 homers and a double.  Steve Barber would fan 8 Red Sox in 6 innings of work, where he would only give up 1 run.  Hoyt Wilhelm would come on and get the rare 3 inning save by shutting out the Bosox, who played like they left the engine running on the team bus.  In his final game Ted Williams could not muster up a homer in his final AB, but that had more to do with the fact that he was walked 3 times in 4 trips to the plate.  He did single in his only official AB and actually stole a base with 41 year old legs.  Baltimore will move on to face the Chisox, but can not afford to go down 2 games to 0.