Tag Archives: Dave Valle

On This Day In Red Sox History: A Father’s Day Walk-off

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June 16, 1996 was Father’s Day. The Red Sox and Rangers squared off for the final game of a four game set at Fenway Park. The Red Sox had taken two of the first three, but had gotten spanked 13-3 the day before. The teams took the field that Sunday afternoon for a 1:08 start time.

Taking the Field

The Red Sox sent left-hander Vaughn Eshelman to the mound. Eshelman was coming off his best start of the season but still had an ERA of 7.33. He was opposed by Lynn, Massachusetts native Ken Hill. Hill was coming off his worst start of the season, having been battered by the Brewers for nine runs. However, he was still 7-5 with a 3.65 ERA for the season.

Eshelman took the mound first to begin the afternoon. Rene Gonzales hit a one out double. Rusty Greer then hit a shallow fly to left-center which Lee Tinsley made a nice play on and doubled Gonzalez off second base to end the inning. It was the first of two outfield assists on the day for Tinsley.

In the bottom half of the inning, Ken Hill got two quick outs before walking Mo Vaughn. Jose Canseco always seemed to take a walk in front of him as a personal insult, and he deposited an 0-2 offering over the Monster to give the Red Sox the 2-0 lead.

The Rangers loaded the bases with no one out in the top of the second inning. After a strikeout of Warren Newson, backup catcher Dave Valle singled to left to score two runs. A walk reloaded the bases but Eshelman was able to get out of it without any further damage.

The Red Sox would score a run in the third to take back the lead. After loading the bases, a groundout by Reggie Jefferson brought home Jeff Frye. They threatened again in the fourth. Lee Tinsley got an infield single after the leadoff walk to Troy O’leary. However, O’leary was picked off second. Lee Tinsley stole second to get a man back in scoring position but the Sox were unable to bring him home.

The Rangers Storm Ahead

Eshelman ran into all sorts of trouble in the fifth. The nine hitter, Kevin Elster, singled to left to start the inning. Damon Buford then homered to left, just his second of the season, and Texas had the lead. A single, a hit batter and another single brought home a run and chased Eshelman from the game. He was still responsible for two men on base however, and they didn’t stay there. Mickey Tettleton doubled off Rich Garces to score a run and Dean Palmer brought home the other run with a base hit. Vaughn Eshelman recorded no outs in the fifth and was charged with seven runs for the day.

The score stayed 7-3 until the seventh, when the Rangers widened the gap. Rich Garces pitched a third inning, which didn’t work out so well. Garces struck out two batters that inning, but also gave up a double to Dean Palmer and a two-run homer to Dave Valle. Valle’s home run was his first of the season. The Red Sox trailed 9-3 at the seventh inning stretch and no one in Boston was enjoying Father’s Day very much.

Dave Valle played for the Red Sox briefly in 1994 before being traded for Tom Brunansky.

Red Sox Claw Back

The Red Sox showed some fight in the bottom half of the seventh. Down 9-3, they weren’t ready to concede just yet. Mo Vaughn hit a ground-rule double to put two men in scoring position with two outs. A Jose Canseco double scored Frye and Vaughn to make it a 9-5 ballgame. A single by Reggie Jefferson and a walk to Mike Stanley loaded the bases and ended Ken Hill’s afternoon. He had been left in too long, throwing 124 pitches and allowing four straight baserunners.

The left-handed Ed Vosberg was brought in to face Troy O’leary. O’leary had his struggles against lefties, batting under .200 against them without a homer that season. He won the battle however, singling on the eighth pitch of the at-bat to score Canseco and Jefferson.

Hill, who had only allowed three runs through six innings, wound up allowing seven runs. The Red Sox had cut the lead to 9-7 after seven.

Father’s Day Heroics

Joe Hudson replaced Rich Garces on the mound and tossed two scoreless innings to keep the Sox within striking distance. The Rangers went to their closer Mike Henneman for the ninth. The Sox had come back against Henneman in the first game of the series, scoring two runs in the bottom of the tenth to win the game 8-7. The Red Sox would bookend the series by handing Henneman losses.

Mo Vaughn singled to right to begin the ninth, his fourth hit of the game and fifth time reaching base. Jose Canseco followed Vaughn with a single into left, his fourth hit of the day. The Red Sox 3-4 hitters were a combined 8-9 with a walk, home run, four runs batted in and six runs scored. After a first pitch strike to Reggie Jefferson, Henneman threw a wild pitch to move both runners up and put the tying run on second base. It didn’t matter where they were, as the next pitch to Jefferson he hit a line drive deep to left and up into the screen above the Green Monster. A walk-off home run for Reggie Jefferson on Father’s Day. The Sox had come from 9-3 down to stun the Rangers with a 10-9 victory.

When I interviewed Reggie Jefferson last September, he instantly brought up this game as one that stands out to him from his playing days.

On This Day in Red Sox History: Scott Cooper Goes Cycling

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On April 12, 1994, the Red Sox and Royals played the second game of a three game series at Kansas City’s Kauffman Stadium. The Red Sox had won the previous game 8-5 to improve to 5-2 on the season. This game, they would match up 38 year old Danny Darwin with the Royals ace, Kevin Appier. No one would have expected the onslaught that was about to occur.

Red Sox Jump All Over Appier

Kevin Appier was coming off a season which saw him place third in the American League Cy Young vote. His record had been 18-8 and he posted a league leading 2.56 ERA. In three of his four full seasons to this point he had pitched to a sub-3.00 ERA. He was an ace, no doubt about it. But Appier did not have his stuff on this night.

Speedster Otis Nixon started things off with a bunt single. After a walk to Billy Hatcher, Mike Greenwell doubled to right, scoring Nixon for the game’s first run. Mo Vaughn then crushed a pitch down the right field line that resulted in a triple, scoring two runs. Andre Dawson made it five consecutive baserunners when he singled home Mo. The 39 year old Dawson then stole second base, one of only two steals he would record that season, and the last stolen bases of his Hall of Fame career. A Tim Naehring walk brought Scott Cooper to the plate for the first time. Cooper’s double to right scored both baserunners, extending the lead to 6-0 without even one out being recorded. Appier actually set down the next three guys in order to keep the score at 6-0.

The Red Sox tacked on another run in the second when Billy Hatcher homered to left leading off the inning. This was Hatcher’s only home run for the Red Sox that season before being traded on May 31st for Wes Chamberlain. The Royals scratched out a run in the bottom of the inning and it was a 7-1 ballgame after two.

Cooper Provides the Fireworks

Scott Cooper came to bat again in the third. This time his hit to right cleared the wall for a home run, his first of the young season. Two batters later, catcher Dave Valle hit the only home run of his Red Sox career. Valle would be traded in the middle of June for old friend Tom Brunansky. Appier would finish out the inning and call it a night, surrendering nine runs in just three innings of work.

The Royals showed a little fight in the bottom half of the third, getting two men on base for a Dave Henderson three-run home run. But the Red Sox still held a 9-4 lead.

Scott Cooper batted again in the fifth, with two outs and the bases empty. Cooper lined one the other way down into the left field corner. When Vince Coleman went to play it, the ball squirted past him along the fence. Cooper had slowed down, but sped back up on his way to third. He again slowed going around third, but got waved home with two outs. Cooper was meat at the plate, but it gave him the triple, leaving him just a single shy of the cycle.

Red Sox Offense Explodes

Sidearmer and future Red Sox Stan Belinda took the mound for the Royals in the sixth. For some reason he pitched the whole inning. The Red Sox sent 12 men to the plate, scoring eight runs, although just two were earned. Belinda walked four men in the inning and two errors were committed. John Valentin led off the inning with a walk, then later in the inning hit a three-run homer to left-center.

Up 17-4 entering the seventh, the Red Sox still weren’t finished. Facing the Royals closer, the Red Sox expanded their lead to 21-4. Mo Vaughn hit a two-run homer, giving him a triple and a home run on the night. Then, with two men on and needing a single for the cycle, Cooper ripped one to right, scoring both runners. Not being selfish for the cycle, Cooper continued on to second for his second double of the night. Cooper now had 11 total bases and five runs batted in.

Cooper Caps Off the Cycle

Scott Cooper got one more shot to complete the cycle. With the Red Sox now up 22-8, the Royals sent infielder David Howard to the mound to finish the game. Scott Cooper led off the inning against him and hit a sharp ground ball into center field for his fifth hit of the game and to cap off his cycle. This was the first cycle for a Red Sox player since Mike Greenwell completed the feat in 1988.

The Red Sox loaded the bases in the inning but did no more scoring. The Royals got three meaningless runs before the game finished, giving the Red Sox a 22-11 victory. This was the most runs the Sox had scored in a game since they scored 24 against the Cleveland Indians on August 21, 1986. Cooper would go on to be the Red Sox representative in the All-Star Game for the second straight season in 1994. This was the best game of the two time All-Stars career; 12 total bases, 5 runs batted in and the cycle.

The Worst Catchers in Red Sox History

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The worst catchers in the history of the Boston Red Sox tend to be guys who played a long time ago, or did not spend much time with the team. These guys are not incredibly well-known, like the best catchers are. See how many of the following names you know or remember playing. Since poor position players are harder to come up with than good ones, I am doing the worst three players at each position.

Marc Sullivan

Marc Sullivan was a 2nd round pick of the Red Sox out of the University of Florida in 1979. Despite not demonstrating the ability to hit in the minors, Sullivan was able to find his way to the majors for a few seasons. Sullivan showed his first bit of promise in professional ball in 1981 when he hit .268 with 14 homers in the low minors. However, the next season in double-a he only batted .203 with a homer. Despite this dreadful showing, he got his first taste of the bigs that September. He spent the entire season of 1984 in the minors while struggling. In 1985 he managed to hit 15 home runs, but only batted .204. In his brief showings in the Major Leagues between 1982 and 1984 he was 5-12 at the plate.

By early 1985 Sullivan was up in the big leagues for good. Sullivan may not have deserved this honor though as he never even batted .200 again. As Rich Gedman’s backup in 1985, Sullivan batted .174. Backing up Gedman again in 1986, Sullivan raised his average to .193, homering just once and posting a .512 OPS. As a reward, he actually started more games at catcher than anyone else for the Red Sox in 1987. Gedman’s play fell off a cliff following his holdout, leading to the extra playing time. Sullivan hit .169 with a career low .435 OPS. He got on base at a .198 clip while slugging to the tune of .238.

Sullivan was at least solid behind the dish, throwing out 24 base stealers in 1987. He threw out 36% of runners for his career. This helped improve his career WAR too a -1.5. His career batting line was .186 with 5 home runs and a .236/.258/.494 triple slash.

Javy Lopez

Lopez wasn’t with the Red Sox long, but he was a big disappointment. Lopez is one of the better offensive catchers in baseball history. For his career he hit .287 and averaged 28 home runs and 93 runs batted in per 162 games played. Most of that production came for the Braves, where he is probably the best catcher in team history. Lopez had been playing with the Orioles since signing with them prior to the 2004 season. After a stellar first season there, Lopez had been okay between 2005 and 2006 when the Red Sox traded for him during the waiver trade period.

Following the injury to Jason Varitek, the Red Sox were looking to add a reliable catcher to pair with Doug Mirabelli. The thought was that Lopez would give the Red Sox some juice behind the plate until Varitek came back. Always a poor backstop, it was his bat that gave him value. Lopez proceeded to hit .190 for the Red Sox. He failed to homer in any of his 63 at-bats, driving in just four runs. With his measly two walks, Lopez posted a .215/.270/.485 batting line with Boston. The team fell out of contention and Lopez was ultimately released shortly after Varitek returned in early September.

Javy Lopez of the Red Sox walks off during the game against the Mariners August 26, 2006 (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

Mike Ryan

Ryan was actually a pretty good defensive backstop. His glove and arm was all he really brought to the table. For the time period, he may have been alright as a backup catcher, but was miscast as the Red Sox main catcher for a couple of seasons. He managed to hit three home runs amongst his 17 base hits in 1965. Ryan then became the Red Sox top catcher for the 1966 season. That season he batted .214, the highest total of his career with more than 70 at-bats. Despite the poor offensive showing, Ryan did throw out 34 base runners.

Ryan started for most of the season during the Red Sox “Impossible Dream” season of 1967. He clashed with Dick Williams though, who wanted a better bat behind the plate and questioned Ryan’s game calling abilities. Mike Ryan batted .199 and was eventually replaced as the starting catcher when the Sox acquired Elston Howard. It was his final season in Boston as Williams didn’t want him around anymore.

In total, Mike Ryan batted just .201 with 7 homers and 70 RBI while with the Red Sox. His OPS was just .539 during that time. He did add value behind the plate, throwing out 61 would be base stealers over three seasons. His total WAR was -1.8.

Boston Red Sox players Mike Ryan and Russ Gibson at training camp in Winter Haven, Fla., on March 1, 1967. (Photo by Dan Goshtigian/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Dishonorable Mentions:

Russ Gibson, Dave Valle, Bob Tillman