Manifest Destiny: Sox Win Again, 6-5 On Four Homers and Last-Gasp Rally

With a dazzling attack of power hitting in the ninth and tenth innings yesterday, the second-place Boston Red Sox pulled out a seemingly lost ballgame, 6-5, to win two o the three-game series against the third place California Angels. It was the 12th Red Sox victory in 13 starts.

In a city where the Red Sox now make the headlines over the Detroit riots, where politicians invoke the ball club's name in attacks on the governor, and where even arty types are catching pennant fever, the biggest crowd of the season (34,193) gushed with emotion that has been unknown in Fenway Park since Ted Williams led the team to the Series in the '40's.

It was Sox third baseman Joe Foy, who, with his team behind 5-2 in the ninth and Mike Andrews on first base with a single, lined a home run into the left field nets. Then home town kid and singer of a current rock 'n' roll hit, Tony Conigliaro, tied the score at 5-5 with a one-out home run that sent the fans wild.

The game was not yet won, however. Carl Yastrzemski in the top of the tenth saved the tie with a leaping catch off the left field wall of Moose Skowron's line drive. He then ended the inning (see picture) by throwing our at the plate Don Mincher, who was trying to score from second on a single. Yastrzemski threw out the California first baseman, who had given the Angels their early lead with a three-run homer, by a margin so wide that the runner didn't slide.

Reggie Smith won the game in the Sox half of the inning. First up, he hit a sinking liner to right that skipped past California outfielders Bubba Morton for three bases. Ace reliever Minnie Rojas, who had given up his third and fourth home runs of the season the night before to the Sox, struck out catcher Russ Gibson and got pinch hitter Jerry Adair to hit a grounder to third. Watching the potential winning run instead of the ball, infielder Paul Schaal let it go through his legs to end the game.