Meyer, the Tigers left fielder, was at the plate with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the ninth inning at Tiger Stadium tonight. The Tigers trailed the Boston Red Sox, 6-5.
Meyer pulled a 1-1 fastball from reliever Diego Segui down the right field line---about six inches foul. The drive would have won the game for the Tigers, no doubt.
Two pitches later, Meyer grounded into a game-ending, 6-4-3 double play as what was left of a crowd of 9,874 groaned collectively.
"That's baseball," Meyer said afterward.
Indeed.
The Tigers (23-34) saw their modest two-game winning streak come to an end.
Meyer had two of the team's 10 hits, but missing his third by inches was yet another example of how the Tigers just don't seem to get the breaks at home, where they are 10-21.
Wise had a rough start, but settled into 8.1 innings for Boston
The game started ominously, as the Bosox scored four times in the first inning off starter Lerrin LaGrow (2-9).
Three batters into the game, the Red Sox led 3-0 after Carl Yastrzemski pulled a LaGrow slider into the right field upper deck. They tacked on another run after a Jim Rice double and Rico Petrocelli single.
The Tigers answered with two runs of their own in the first. Ron LeFlore led off with a home run, and after the next three Tigers reached base, it was 4-2 Boston thanks to a Willie Horton single.
The Red Sox led 5-2 before the Tigers tied the game with two runs in the third and one in the fourth.
But that's when Boston starter Rick Wise got stingy.
Wise survived a rocky four innings before settling down and retiring 16 of the next 17 hitters, giving way to Segui with one out in the ninth and a runner on first base.
A LeFlore single and Gary Sutherland walk greeted Segui before the veteran threw the double play ball to Meyer.
Notes: Livonia native Bernie Carbo started in right field for Boston and went 0-for-5...Rookie pitcher Ike Brookens made his debut after being called up from Toledo to replace Gene Pentz, who was sent down after last night's game. The right-handed Brookens entered the game in the sixth inning and pitched 1.1 innings of one-hit ball...LeFlore had three hits, one RBI and a stolen base...The series finale will be played on Polish-American night. Yastrzemski and Boston coach Eddie Kasko are to be among those honored on the field before the game.
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Tigers record: 23-34 (actual 25-32)
Home: 10-21
Away: 13-13
Last 10: 3-7
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