» June 17, 1977: At Boston, the Sox jump on Yankee starter Catfish Hunter for four first-inning homers as Rick Burleson and Fred Lynn hit leadoff homers and Carlton Fisk, and George Scott follow suit later in the inning. Boston adds another homer enroute to an 11–1 win.
» July 31, 1978:
After scoring just five runs in their last six games, the Red Sox break out with a 9–2 win over the visiting White Sox. It is just the 3rd win for Boston in its last 13 games. Dennis Eckersley (12-4) earns the win, scattering six hits, while Rick Burleson has three hits including a bases loaded double.
» August 3, 1978: Boston and New York pick up where they left off last night, and the Red Sox score two runs in the 17th to win, 7–5, on RBIs by Rick Burleson and Jim Rice. Ex-Yankee Mike Torrez then stops New York, 8–1, in a rain-shortened game. Jim Rice, with only one homer in his last 33 games, hits a 3-run shot off Jim Beattie. Fred Lynn cracks a three run homer in the 7th and Bob Bailey follows with a shot off the upper deck facade in LF. Boston now leads Milwaukee by six games and the Yankees by eight 1/2 games.
» August 10, 1978:
The Red Sox trip the Indians, 6–5, in 13 innings as Butch Hobson scores the tying run on a bizarre play: He lofts a pop fly behind second base and races around to 2B as 2B Duane Kuiper loses the ball in the sun. Kuiper picks up the ball but bumps into 1B Andre Thornton and the ball rolls towards first base and C Bo Diaz. With Hobson motoring towards 3B, Diaz overthrows the base. Hobson, having slid into the third, picks himself up and races home. The throw from the outfield is in time to Diaz, but he can't get the ball out of his glove and a sliding Hobson is home free. A George Scott double and Rick Burleson single then wins the game. Bob Stanley (8–1) picks up the victory.
» October 1, 1978:
With the Yankees a game ahead and one to play, Cleveland's Rick Waits stops New York on five hits to win 9–2. Meanwhile, Boston takes their finale, their 8th in a row, on Luis Tiant's 5–0 shutout of the Blue Jays. Boston has two unearned runs in the 5th, a two-run homer by Rick Burleson in the 7th, and Jim Rice's 46th homer in the 8th for their scoring. Both teams end the season with identical 99–63 records, with a one-game playoff to determine the divisional champ.
» June 16, 1979: At Chicago, the Red Sox beat the White Sox 11–5 behind Rick Burleson's inside-the-park homer and Carl Yastrzemski's 1,000th extra base hit. Yaz is the 15th player to reach that plateau.
» December 10, 1980: The Red Sox trade SS Rick Burleson and 3B Butch Hobson to the Angels for 3B Carney Lansford, CF Rick Miller, and P Mark Clear.
» March 13, 1981: The Angels sign Rick Burleson to a 6-year, $4.2 million contract, making him the highest-paid SS in baseball history. Burleson was entering the last year of a 4-year contract that paid him $125,000 per year.
» April 14, 1982: In the longest game ever played at Anaheim Stadium, the Angels beat Seattle 4–3 on Bob Boone's RBI single in the bottom of the 20th inning. The game began yesterday, but was suspended after 17 innings. In the 20 innings, Angels SS Rick Burleson accounts for ML-record 15 assists. In the scheduled contest, California wins again, 2–1 in 10 innings.
» April 17, 1982: Lured by a cap night promotion, a stadium-record 61,640 fans pack Anaheim Stadium and see Brian Downing homer twice to lead the Angels to a 6–2 win over the Twins. In the 6th inning, SS Rick Burleson tears his rotator cuff making a throw to 1B and will be lost for the season.
BALLPLAYERS | TEAMS | CHRONOLOGY | TODAY | BOOKS | NEWSLETTER | ERRATA | FAQ
