Fenway Flashback: 1975 - Brewers Top Sox in Series Opener

September 5, 1975: Brewers Top Sox in Series Opener

With the Sox beginning the second leg of their road trip in Milwaukee, they held an eight-game lead over the Orioles after sweeping them in Baltimore and had pulled even with Oakland for homefield advantage. The four-game series in Middle America offered the Brewers, once only 4.5 games back at the All-Star break but now 22.5 out, a chance to play the spoiler.

Pitching Matchup and Lineups

Boston turned to left-hander Bill Lee in the opener, while the Brewers countered with right-hander Pete Broberg.

Boston’s lineup:

Cecil Cooper (DH)

Denny Doyle (2B)

Carl Yastrzemski (1B)

Fred Lynn (CF)

Jim Rice (LF)

Carlton Fisk (C)

Dwight Evans (RF)

Rick Burleson (SS)

Rico Petrocelli (3B)

Game Recap

Both teams came out swinging, trading runs in the first inning. Boston struck first when Carl Yastrzemski singled home Denny Doyle with one out. But Milwaukee answered quickly. Third baseman, Don Money singled, advanced on a wild pitch, and scored on Hank Aaron’s RBI single. Aaron himself came around on right fielder, Sixto Lezcano’s two-run homer, giving the Brewers a 3–1 lead.

From there, the starters settled in, keeping both lineups quiet until the sixth, when Milwaukee added insurance. Second baseman Pedro Garcia connected for his fifth home run of the season, extending the lead to 4–1.

Broberg kept Boston in check until the ninth, when the Sox scratched across an unearned run thanks to a…