Fenway Flashback: 1975 - Leonard Outduels Tiant as Sox Drop Finale

August 20, 1975: Leonard Outduels Tiant as Sox Drop Finale

The end of the road trip was finally in sight, and though the Red Sox had enjoyed their first day off in over a month, they were eager to return home to Fenway Park. The trip had been a success, Boston entered the finale in Kansas City with a 9–5 record, but the team hoped to secure a mini-sweep of the Royals and maintain its hold on both the AL East and home field advantage.

Pitching Matchup and Lineups

The finale featured a battle of old and new: veteran right-hander Luis Tiant for Boston against the Royals’ talented young righty, Dennis Leonard.

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)

Bob Heise (3B)

Game Recap

Like the previous night, both pitchers kept the offenses quiet through two innings before the Sox struck first in the third. With two outs, Cecil Cooper doubled and scored on Denny Doyle’s RBI single, giving Boston a 1–0 lead.

The Royals answered quickly. In the bottom of the fourth, John Mayberry ripped his 27th double of the season and scored on a single by the Royals’ gifted third baseman, George Brett. Al Cowens followed with an RBI single to give Kansas City a 2–1 lead. The Royals padded their advantage in the fifth when Amos Otis tripled and came home on another Mayberry double, his second of the game.

Leonard did the rest, holding Boston’s bats to just two more hits the rest of the way. In…