Page 25 - 1975 BoSox

18 ’75—THE RED SOX TEAM THAT SAVED BASEBALL
e Red Sox overcame the fears of the press and their fans, clinching the Eastern Division title despite a 5-2 loss to the Cleveland Indians on September 27; Baltimore lost a doubleheader to the Yankees, eliminat- ing them as competition. e Red Sox then prepared to meet the West Division-winning Oakland Athletics in the American League Championship Series.
Oakland had won three straight world championships, and after winning 98 games to lead the American League West the Athletics were heavily favored to defeat the Red Sox. But Boston won the rst two games in Fenway Park, and hung on for a 5-3 victory in Oakland to sweep the A’s in three games.
Doyle wasn’t surprised by the team’s “upset” of the defending world champions. “We had a team that never thought we would lose. We went into every game expecting to win. e fans might have been surprised that we swept Oakland, but we weren’t.”
Doyle had three hits during the three-game series. But his scouting report on Oakland pitcher Ken Holtzman may have been his biggest contribution. Holtzman, who had won 18 games for the A’s, was the losing pitcher in Games One and ree.
“I watched him when I thought we might face him in the playo s. And I had faced him in the National League. I noticed that when he was going to throw a curve to a left-handed hitter, he ared his glove during
his windup and delivery. I passed that on to Yaz, Lynn, Carbo, and Cooper. It helped all of us.”
e 1975 World Series between the Red Sox and the Cincinnati Reds ranks high among Series classics. e teams split the rst two games at Fenway Park, with the Red Sox winning the opener behind a Luis Tiant masterpiece, while the Reds came from behind to win Game Two, 3-2.
e Reds won Game ree at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, but Tiant threw 163 pitches for a 5-4 Game Four win to tie the Series. A 6-2 Reds win in Game Five brought the Red Sox home to Boston with their backs against the wall.
Game Six featured Carlton Fisk’s dramatic 12th-inning home run that has become baseball’s most watched video clip. But Doyle was involved in a ninth-inning play that allowed the game to get to the 12th. e score was tied, 6-6, and the bases were loaded with no one out when Fred Lynn lifted a y to short left eld. When Reds left elder George Foster made the catch, Doyle, at third, tagged up and attempted to score the winning run. He was thrown out at the plate and the stage was set for Fisk’s subsequent game- winning home run. After the game, Zimmer told the press, “I was yelling, ‘no, no, no’ and with the crowd noise he thought I was saying, ‘go, go, go.’’’