For a time in early August of 88, the Morgan Sox seemed invincible. A 5-4 victory over Texas on the 4th put them in a tie with Detroit for first place and tied the longest home winning streak in AL history-22 games. No other manager in the annals of baseball had started his tenure with a 19-1 mark; Morgan's fame was taking on almost mythic proportions. He seemed more than magic- maybe Joe was really Superman, an older version of Clark Kent. Not surprisingly, he received a contract through 1989.
Win number 19 over the Rangers was a familiar one- the Sox were both good and lucky. After blowing a 3-1 lead, Boston broke a 4-4 tie in the eighth. Ellis Burks, starring both in the field and at the plate, walked, stole second and scored the winner on a Jody Reed single. As Burks was scoring, Jim Rice (walked intentionally) was almost caught off second, which would have nullified the run. But he made it back, and a resurgent Lee Smith shut down Texas in the ninth for his 18th save.
One little cloud stood in the Red Sox skies, however. Most of the 19 victories had been against mediocre squads like the Brewers and Rangers. They had not yet had to deal with the Yanks and Tigers, their rivals for the division lead, or Oakland, running away with the AL West.
The showdown came soon enough- 5 games at old Tiger Stadium. Almost immediately, things changed. Roger Clemens, AL Pitcher of the Month in July, was roughed up for 7 runs in 5 1/3 innings for an 11-6 defeat. The Bengals reached Roger early, wiping out a 3-0 deficit with 4 in the second and later slapped reliever Tom Bolton for 4 more in the seventh to clinch it. Walt Terrell was reached for 10 hits in 8 1/3 frames but picked up his sixth win. The next night was even worse. Detroit swept a rain-delayed twinbill by scores of 3-1 and 3-2. Starters Jack Morris and Eric King both gave strong performances, holding the Sox to 6 safeties in game one and 4 in game two. Another blow came in the form of injuries to relievers Bob Stanley and Dennis Lamp, who were both hurt in the first contest.
Suddenly the Magic was fading fast. The Townies had fallen to three games behind the Tigers, and it became four on Saturday the 7th as old nemesis Doyle Alexander outpitched Wes Gardner in a 4-2 win. As in two of the previous three games, Boston fell behind early, as the hot Bengals reached Gardner for 9 hits and 4 runs in 6 2/3. One of the few bright spots was a Todd Benzinger homer. Suddenly the Sox were four games behind. It was obvious that despite the wild 20-game ride, strong and experienced pitching like that of Detroit could stop a streak in its tracks.
Bruce Hurst, in a heroic effort, helped salvage the fifth contest by hurling 10 shutout innings for a 3-0 win. Benzinger came through again, singling in the winner off Guillermo Hernandez. Hurst, who sadly would be allowed to leave via free agency after the season, kept the Sox for an embarrassing five-game sweep. The lefty shut down Detroit on 6 hits, walking none. He threw 135 pitches, which (unfortunately) would never be permitted today. "And he delivered,'' wrote Dan Shaughnessy, " He was the Bruce Hurst who had the mighty Mets talking to themselves in October 86."
Despite the win, Boston stood 3 games behind. The old saying about good pitching stopping good hitting was very apparent. The Detroit staff had held Boston to a .207 average and 13 rbi's in the five games. The Sox were in the race, but it was far from over.
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