Opening a showdown series, the Tigers defeated the Red Sox, 4-1, and moved into first place in the East Division. Mickey Lolich struck out 15, allowed only six hits and beat the Red Sox for the fourth time this season, all in complete games. With a crowd of 51,518 on hand, Al Kaline started the Tigers' scoring with a homer off John Curtis in the first inning. A baserunning mishap then proved costly to the Red Sox when they picked up their run in the third. Tommy Harper singled with one out and took third on a single by Luis Aparicio. Carl Yastrzemski doubled, scoring Harper, but Aparicio slipped en route to the plate and scrambled back to third. Yastrzemski, trying to advance on the throw home, also arrived at third and was tagged out. Reggie Smith then struck out to end the inning.

Aurelio Rodriguez broke the 1-1 tie with a homer in the fifth. Kaline singled in the sixth, Duke Sims sacrificed and Rodriguez singled for another run. Kaline singled again in the eighth and when Sims bunted, Carlton Fisk threw wildly, Kaline going to third and Sims reaching first on the error. With one away, Kaline was out trying to score on a grounder by Willie Horton, but Rodriguez singled to drive in Sims for his third RBI of the game. [The Sporting News]



Detroit Tigers 4, Boston Red Sox 1
Game Played on Monday, October   2, 1972 (Night game) at Tiger Stadium
Red Sox      0  0  1    0  0  0    0  0  0  -   1  6  1
Tigers       1  0  0    0  1  1    0  1  x  -   4  8  0


Red Sox              AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Tigers               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Harper cf             5   1   1   0     0   2   .254      Taylor 2b             3   0   0   0     0   1   .303
Aparicio ss           4   0   2   0     0   0   .257        McAuliffe ph,2b     1   0   0   0     0   0   .238
Yastrzemski 1b        3   0   1   1     1   2   .263      Kaline rf             4   2   3   1     0   0   .310
Smith rf              3   0   0   0     1   2   .272      Sims c                2   1   0   0     0   0   .240
Petrocelli 3b         3   0   0   0     1   2   .241      Howard 1b             3   0   0   0     0   0   .245
Fisk c                4   0   0   0     0   1   .296        Cash 1b             1   0   0   0     0   1   .261
Evans lf              2   0   1   0     2   1   .300      Horton lf             2   0   0   0     1   1   .229
Griffin 2b            3   0   0   0     0   3   .261        Gamble pr           0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
Curtis p              2   0   0   0     0   2   .094        Northrup lf         1   0   0   0     0   0   .259
  Newhauser p         0   0   0   0     0   0   .000      Rodriguez 3b          4   1   3   3     0   0   .238
  Gagliano ph         1   0   1   0     0   0   .266      Stanley cf            4   0   1   0     0   1   .234
  Beniquez pr         0   0   0   0     0   0   .242      Brinkman ss           3   0   1   0     0   0   .204
  Siebert p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .236      Lolich p              3   0   0   0     0   2   .067
  Veale p             0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Bolin p             0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Kosco ph            0   0   0   0     0   0   .233

Totals               30   1   6   1     5  15             Totals               31   4   8   4     1   6

Time of Game: 3:05   Attendance: 51,518
Left on Base: Red Sox 10, Tigers 6
DP: Red Sox 0, Tigers 1
Errors: Fisk
Doubles: Yastrzemski (18)
Home Runs: Kaline (10), Rodriguez (13)
Sacrifice Hits: Griffin (15), Sims 2 (3)
GIDP: Fisk (11)
Hit by Pitch: Aparicio (2,by Lolich), Kosco (2,by Lolich)


Red Sox                IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Curtis L(11-8)          5.2   6   3   3   1   4   2  24   3.73
Newhauser               0.1   0   0   0   0   0   0   1   2.43
Siebert                 1     1   1   1   0   1   0   5   3.80
Veale                   0.2   0   0   0   0   1   0   2   3.18
Bolin                   0.1   1   0   0   0   0   0   2   2.93
Totals                  8     8   4   4   1   6   2  34

Tigers                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Lolich W(22-14)         9     6   1   1   5  15   0  38   2.50
Totals                  9     6   1   1   5  15   0  38

Hit by Pitch: Lolich 2 (11)
Wild Pitches: Curtis (6)

Umpires: HP - Jim Honochick, 1B - Nestor Chylak, 2B - Frank Umont, 3B - Lou DiMuro


RED SOX 1ST: Harper lined to third; Aparicio singled to left;
Yastrzemski walked [Aparicio to second]; Smith struck out;
Petrocelli struck out; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Red Sox 0, Tigers
0.

TIGERS 1ST: Taylor grounded out (pitcher to first); Kaline
homered; Sims grounded out (second to first); Howard flied out
to right; 1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Red Sox 0, Tigers 1.

RED SOX 2ND: Fisk made an out to shortstop; Evans was called out
on strikes [Evans out at first (catcher to first)]; Griffin was
called out on strikes; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Red Sox 0, Tigers
1.

TIGERS 2ND: Horton struck out; Rodriguez flied out to center;
Stanley singled to right; Curtis threw a wild pitch [Stanley to
second]; Brinkman made an out to shortstop; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1
LOB.  Red Sox 0, Tigers 1.

RED SOX 3RD: Curtis struck out; Harper singled to left; Aparicio
singled to left [Harper to third]; Yastrzemski doubled to center
[Harper scored, Aparicio to third, Yastrzemski out at third
(center to shortstop to catcher to third)]; Luis Aparicio
slipped going to HP; When he retreated to 3B, Carl Yastrzemski
was already there; Smith was called out on strikes; 1 R, 3
H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Red Sox 1, Tigers 1.

TIGERS 3RD: Lolich struck out; Taylor was called out on strikes;
Kaline grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Red Sox 1, Tigers 1.

RED SOX 4TH: Petrocelli walked; Fisk struck out; Evans singled
to center [Petrocelli to third]; Griffin was called out on
strikes; Curtis struck out; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Red Sox 1,
Tigers 1.

TIGERS 4TH: Sims grounded out (pitcher to first); Howard
grounded out (second to first); Horton grounded out (shortstop
to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Red Sox 1, Tigers 1.

RED SOX 5TH: Harper made an out to first; Aparicio was hit by a
pitch; Yastrzemski struck out; Smith popped to first in foul
territory; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Red Sox 1, Tigers 1.

TIGERS 5TH: Rodriguez homered; Stanley was called out on
strikes; Brinkman singled to left; On a bunt Lolich forced
Brinkman (third to shortstop); Taylor grounded out (third to
first); 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Red Sox 1, Tigers 2.

RED SOX 6TH: Petrocelli struck out; Fisk flied to right in foul
territory; Evans walked; Griffin struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1
LOB.  Red Sox 1, Tigers 2.

TIGERS 6TH: Kaline singled to left; Sims out on a sacrifice bunt
(pitcher to first) [Kaline to second]; Howard grounded out
(shortstop to first); Horton walked; GAMBLE RAN FOR HORTON;
Rodriguez singled to center [Kaline scored, Gamble to third];
NEWHAUSER REPLACED CURTIS (PITCHING); Stanley flied out to left;
1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Red Sox 1, Tigers 3.

RED SOX 7TH: CASH REPLACED HOWARD (PLAYING 1B); NORTHRUP
REPLACED GAMBLE (PLAYING LF); GAGLIANO BATTED FOR NEWHAUSER;
Gagliano singled to right; BENIQUEZ RAN FOR GAGLIANO; Harper
struck out; Aparicio made an out to first; Yastrzemski struck
out; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Red Sox 1, Tigers 3.

TIGERS 7TH: SIEBERT REPLACED BENIQUEZ (PITCHING); Brinkman flied
out to center; Lolich was called out on strikes; MCAULIFFE
BATTED FOR TAYLOR; McAuliffe lined to first; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0
LOB.  Red Sox 1, Tigers 3.

RED SOX 8TH: MCAULIFFE STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING 2B); Smith
walked; Petrocelli flied out to right; Fisk grounded into a
double play (third to second to first) [Smith out at second]; 0
R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Red Sox 1, Tigers 3.

TIGERS 8TH: Kaline singled to left; Sims reached on a fielder's
choice on a sacrifice bunt [Kaline to third (error by Fisk)];
VEALE REPLACED SIEBERT (PITCHING); Cash struck out; Northrup
reached on a fielder's choice [Kaline out at home (third to
catcher), Sims to second]; BOLIN REPLACED VEALE (PITCHING);
Rodriguez singled to left [Sims scored, Northrup to second];
Stanley forced Rodriguez (third to second); 1 R, 2 H, 1 E, 2
LOB.  Red Sox 1, Tigers 4.

RED SOX 9TH: Evans walked; Griffin out on a sacrifice bunt
(third to first) [Evans to second]; KOSCO BATTED FOR BOLIN;
Kosco was hit by a pitch; Harper struck out; Aparicio flied out
to left; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Red Sox 1, Tigers 4.