The Tigers again pulled within less than one percentage point of first place in the East Division by defeating the Red Sox, 7-1, behind the six-hit pitching of Mickey Lolich. The victory put the Tigers at 80-67 for .5442 against 79-66 and .5448 for the Red Sox.

The Tigers scored three runs in the first inning to force the quick exit of Sonny Siebert. Dick McAuliffe doubled on a fly that Dwight Evans lost in the sun and Al Kaline followed with a fly that Tommy Harper misplayed for a two-base error, McAuliffe scoring. After Gates Brown and Norm Cash walked to load the bases, Duke Sims and Jim Northrup each drove in a run with a single.

The Red Sox picked up their lone tally on a triple by Bill Lee and sacrifice fly by Luis Aparicio in the third, but the Tigers added to their advantage with a run on singles by Mickey Stanley, Cash and Sims in the fifth. A single by McAuliffe, wild throw by Carlton Fisk on a pickoff play and sacrifice fly by Stanley produced another run before the Tigers ended their scoring with homers by Aurelio Rodriguez in the eighth and Kaline in the ninth. [The Sporting News]



Detroit Tigers 7, Boston Red Sox 1
Game Played on Saturday, September 23, 1972 (Day game) at Fenway Park
Tigers       3  0  0    0  1  0    1  1  1  -   7 13  0
Red Sox      0  0  1    0  0  0    0  0  0  -   1  6  2


Tigers               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Red Sox              AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
McAuliffe 2b          5   2   3   0     0   2   .243      Harper cf             3   0   0   0     1   0   .260
Kaline rf             5   2   1   1     0   1   .286      Aparicio ss           3   0   1   1     0   1   .254
G. Brown lf           0   1   0   0     1   0   .232      Yastrzemski 1b        4   0   1   0     0   0   .264
  Stanley cf          3   1   1   1     0   0   .236      Smith rf              4   0   0   0     0   3   .263
Cash 1b               3   0   1   0     2   0   .262      Petrocelli 3b         3   0   0   0     1   0   .244
Sims c                4   0   2   2     1   0   .224      Fisk c                4   0   1   0     0   2   .300
Northrup cf,lf        3   0   1   1     1   0   .249      Evans lf              4   0   1   0     0   0   .375
Rodriguez 3b          3   1   2   1     1   0   .233      Griffin 2b            4   0   1   0     0   0   .260
Brinkman ss           4   0   2   0     0   0   .200      Siebert p             0   0   0   0     0   0   .236
Lolich p              3   0   0   0     0   1   .071        Lee p               1   1   1   0     0   0   .154
                                                            Gagliano ph         1   0   0   0     0   0   .260
                                                            Newhauser p         0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
                                                            Kosco ph            1   0   0   0     0   0   .233
                                                            Peters p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .200

Totals               33   7  13   6     6   4             Totals               32   1   6   1     2   6

Time of Game: 2:28   Attendance: 30,407
Left on Base: Tigers 7, Red Sox 7
DP: Tigers 0, Red Sox 1
Errors: Harper, Fisk
Doubles: McAuliffe (14), Yastrzemski (17), Evans (2)
Triples: Lee (1)
Home Runs: Rodriguez (11), Kaline (7)
Caught Stealing: Northrup (6)
Sacrifice Hits: Lolich (11)
Sacrifice Flies: Stanley (7), Aparicio (5)
GIDP: Brinkman (14)


Tigers                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Lolich W(21-13)         9     6   1   1   2   6   0  35   2.56
Totals                  9     6   1   1   2   6   0  35

Red Sox                IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Siebert L(12-12)        0.1   3   3   2   3   0   0   7   3.78
Lee                     4.2   6   1   1   1   2   0  17   3.48
Newhauser               2     1   1   0   1   1   0   8   2.45
Peters                  2     3   2   2   1   1   2   9   4.32
Totals                  9    13   7   5   6   4   2  41

Umpires: HP - Dave Phillips, 1B - Nestor Chylak, 2B - Jim Evans, 3B - Larry Barnett


TIGERS 1ST: McAuliffe doubled to left; Kaline reached on an
error by Harper [McAuliffe scored (no RBI), Kaline to second];
G. Brown walked; Cash walked [Kaline to third, G. Brown to
second]; Sims singled to left [Kaline scored (unearned), G.
Brown to third, Cash to second]; Northrup singled to right [G.
Brown scored, Cash out at home (right to catcher), Sims to
second]; Rodriguez walked [Sims to third, Northrup to second];
LEE REPLACED SIEBERT (PITCHING); Brinkman grounded into a double
play (third to second to first) [Rodriguez out at second]; 3 R
(2 ER), 3 H, 1 E, 2 LOB.  Tigers 3, Red Sox 0.

RED SOX 1ST: Harper flied out to center; Aparicio singled to
left; Yastrzemski made an out to second; Smith grounded out
(second to first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Tigers 3, Red Sox 0.

TIGERS 2ND: Lolich grounded out (second to first); McAuliffe
singled to right [McAuliffe out at second (right to shortstop)];
Kaline popped to first in foul territory; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Tigers 3, Red Sox 0.

RED SOX 2ND: STANLEY REPLACED G. BROWN (PLAYING CF); NORTHRUP
CHANGED POSITIONS (PLAYING LF); Petrocelli made an out to
second; Fisk grounded out (third to first); Evans flied out to
right; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Tigers 3, Red Sox 0.

TIGERS 3RD: Stanley grounded out (third to first); Cash grounded
out (first to pitcher); Sims walked; Northrup flied out to
center; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Tigers 3, Red Sox 0.

RED SOX 3RD: Griffin flied out to center; Lee tripled to right;
Harper walked; Aparicio hit a sacrifice fly to center [Lee
scored]; Yastrzemski grounded out (second to first); 1 R, 1 H, 0
E, 1 LOB.  Tigers 3, Red Sox 1.

TIGERS 4TH: Rodriguez singled to center; On a bunt Brinkman
singled [Rodriguez to second]; Rodriguez was picked off second
(catcher to shortstop); Lolich was called out on strikes;
McAuliffe was called out on strikes; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Tigers 3, Red Sox 1.

RED SOX 4TH: Smith struck out; Petrocelli walked; Fisk was
called out on strikes; Evans grounded out (third to first); 0 R,
0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Tigers 3, Red Sox 1.

TIGERS 5TH: Kaline popped to catcher in foul territory; Stanley
singled to left; Cash singled [Stanley to third]; Sims singled
to right [Stanley scored, Cash out at third (right to third)];
Northrup grounded out (second to first); 1 R, 3 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Tigers 4, Red Sox 1.

RED SOX 5TH: Griffin flied out to right; GAGLIANO BATTED FOR
LEE; Gagliano grounded out (shortstop to first); Harper grounded
out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Tigers 4, Red
Sox 1.

TIGERS 6TH: NEWHAUSER REPLACED GAGLIANO (PITCHING); Rodriguez
popped to catcher in foul territory; Brinkman made an out to
second; Lolich flied out to right; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Tigers
4, Red Sox 1.

RED SOX 6TH: Aparicio popped to left; Yastrzemski grounded out
(second to first); Smith struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Tigers 4, Red Sox 1.

TIGERS 7TH: McAuliffe singled; Kaline struck out; McAuliffe was
picked off first but was safe on an error by Fisk [McAuliffe to
third]; Stanley hit a sacrifice fly to left [McAuliffe scored
(unearned)]; Cash walked; Sims flied out to center; 1 R (0 ER),
1 H, 1 E, 1 LOB.  Tigers 5, Red Sox 1.

RED SOX 7TH: Petrocelli grounded out (third to first); Fisk
singled to left; Evans flied out to center; Griffin singled to
center [Fisk to second]; KOSCO BATTED FOR NEWHAUSER; Kosco
forced Griffin (third to second); 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Tigers
5, Red Sox 1.

TIGERS 8TH: PETERS REPLACED KOSCO (PITCHING); Northrup walked;
Northrup was caught stealing second (catcher to second);
Rodriguez homered; Brinkman singled to right; Lolich out on a
sacrifice bunt (catcher to first) [Brinkman to second];
McAuliffe struck out; 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Tigers 6, Red Sox 1.

RED SOX 8TH: Harper flied out to center; Aparicio was called out
on strikes; Yastrzemski doubled; Smith struck out; 0 R, 1 H, 0
E, 1 LOB.  Tigers 6, Red Sox 1.

TIGERS 9TH: Kaline homered; Stanley grounded out (shortstop to
first); Cash grounded out (second to first); Sims made an out to
second; 1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Tigers 7, Red Sox 1.

RED SOX 9TH: Petrocelli flied out to center; Fisk struck out;
Evans doubled; Griffin flied out to right; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
 Tigers 7, Red Sox 1.