With a crowd of 48,817 on hand, the first-place Tigers stood off the Red Sox, 7-5, in a battle for East division leadership. Jim Rice smashed a two-run homer for the Red Sox in the first inning, but the Tigers erupted for four runs in the third. Ron LeFlore singled, stole second and scored on a single by Lou Whitaker. Rusty Staub followed with a homer to put the Tigers ahead, 3-2. Jason Thompson then walked and raced home when a bunt single by Steve Kemp was misplayed by both Butch Hobson and Dwight Evans.

The Tigers, however, did not put the game away until the eighth when they added their final three runs on a walk to Kemp, singles by Milt May and Tim Corcoran and double by Alan Trammell. The Red Sox rallied in the ninth, chasing Bob Sykes when Evans hit a two-run homer. Bob Bailey greeted John Hiller with another homer but the reliever then retired the side to save Sykes' third straight victory. [The Sporting News]



Detroit Tigers 7, Boston Red Sox 5
Game Played on Friday, May       19, 1978 (Night game) at Tiger Stadium
Red Sox      2  0  0    0  0  0    0  0  3  -   5 13  3
Tigers       0  0  4    0  0  0    0  3  x  -   7 10  0


Red Sox              AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Tigers               AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Burleson ss           3   1   1   0     2   0   .197      LeFlore cf            5   1   1   0     0   0   .286
Remy 2b               5   0   2   0     0   2   .296      Whitaker 2b           3   1   2   1     1   0   .361
Rice lf               5   1   1   2     0   2   .355      Staub dh              3   1   1   2     1   0   .289
Yastrzemski 1b        5   0   0   0     0   1   .291      Thompson 1b           3   1   0   0     1   1   .313
Fisk c                3   0   2   0     1   0   .258      Kemp lf               2   1   1   0     2   1   .303
Lynn cf               4   0   1   0     0   1   .320      May c                 4   0   1   0     0   2   .343
Hobson 3b             3   1   1   0     1   1   .276      Corcoran rf           4   1   1   1     0   0   .229
Evans rf              4   1   2   2     0   0   .267      Mankowski 3b          2   0   1   0     1   0   .283
Bailey dh             4   1   3   1     0   0   .200        Rodriguez 3b        1   1   0   0     0   0   .324
Torrez p              0   0   0   0     0   0   .000      Trammell ss           4   0   2   2     0   0   .322
  Burgmeier p         0   0   0   0     0   0   .000      Sykes p               0   0   0   0     0   0   .000
  Stanley p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .000        Hiller p            0   0   0   0     0   0   .000

Totals               36   5  13   5     4   7             Totals               31   7  10   6     6   4

Time of Game: 2:30   Attendance: 48,817
Left on Base: Red Sox 8, Tigers 6
DP: Red Sox 2, Tigers 4
Errors: Lynn, Hobson, Evans
Doubles: Fisk (7), Mankowski (1), Trammell (3)
Home Runs: Rice (12), Evans (4), Bailey (1), Staub (4)
Stolen Bases: LeFlore (16)
GIDP: Burleson (6), Evans (1), Remy (4), LeFlore (1), Staub (7)


Red Sox                IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Torrez L(5-2)           7.1   8   6   5   6   4   1  33   4.30
Burgmeier               0     1   1   1   0   0   0   1   4.97
Stanley                 0.2   1   0   0   0   0   0   3   3.69
Totals                  8    10   7   6   6   4   1  37

Tigers                 IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Sykes W(3-0)            8    12   4   4   3   5   2  35   1.38
Hiller SV(4)            1     1   1   1   1   2   1   5   2.51
Totals                  9    13   5   5   4   7   3  40

Umpires: HP - Joe Brinkman, 1B - Dale Ford, 2B - Nick Bremigan, 3B - Russ Goetz


RED SOX 1ST: Burleson singled to center; Remy struck out; Rice
homered [Burleson scored]; Yastrzemski flied out to center; Fisk
walked; Lynn flied out to right; 2 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Red Sox
2, Tigers 0.

TIGERS 1ST: LeFlore flied out to left; Whitaker walked; Staub
flied to right in foul territory; Thompson was called out on
strikes; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Red Sox 2, Tigers 0.

RED SOX 2ND: Hobson grounded out (third to first); Evans singled
to left; Bailey singled to center [Evans to third]; Burleson
grounded into a double play (third to second to first) [Bailey
out at second]; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Red Sox 2, Tigers 0.

TIGERS 2ND: Kemp walked; May flied out to center [Kemp to
second]; Corcoran flied out to right [Kemp to third]; Mankowski
flied out to left; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Red Sox 2, Tigers 0.

RED SOX 3RD: Remy singled to right; Rice lined into a double
play (right to first) [Remy out at first]; Yastrzemski struck
out; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Red Sox 2, Tigers 0.

TIGERS 3RD: Trammell grounded out (first unassisted); LeFlore
singled to right; LeFlore stole second; Whitaker singled to
center [LeFlore scored (RBI), Whitaker to second (error by
Lynn)]; Staub homered [Whitaker scored]; Thompson walked; On a
bunt Kemp singled to third [Thompson scored (error by Hobson)
(unearned) (no RBI), Kemp to third (error by Evans)]; May struck
out; Corcoran flied out to right; 4 R (3 ER), 4 H, 3 E, 1 LOB.
Red Sox 2, Tigers 4.

RED SOX 4TH: Fisk doubled to left; Lynn singled to center [Fisk
to third]; Hobson struck out; Evans grounded into a double play
(second to first) [Lynn out at second]; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Red Sox 2, Tigers 4.

TIGERS 4TH: Mankowski walked; On a bunt Trammell forced
Mankowski (catcher to shortstop); LeFlore grounded into a double
play (pitcher to shortstop to first) [Trammell out at second]; 0
R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Red Sox 2, Tigers 4.

RED SOX 5TH: Bailey singled to center; Burleson flied out to
right; Remy singled to left [Bailey to second]; Rice struck out;
Yastrzemski flied out to right; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Red Sox
2, Tigers 4.

TIGERS 5TH: Whitaker grounded out (second to first); Staub
walked; Thompson forced Staub (first to shortstop); Kemp struck
out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Red Sox 2, Tigers 4.

RED SOX 6TH: Fisk flied out to center; Lynn struck out; Hobson
singled to center; Evans flied out to center; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1
LOB.  Red Sox 2, Tigers 4.

TIGERS 6TH: May struck out; Corcoran flied out to center;
Mankowski doubled to left; Trammell singled to left [Mankowski
out at home (left to catcher)]; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Red Sox
2, Tigers 4.

RED SOX 7TH: RODRIGUEZ REPLACED MANKOWSKI (PLAYING 3B); Bailey
grounded out (pitcher to first); Burleson walked; Remy grounded
into a double play (second to shortstop to first) [Burleson out
at second]; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Red Sox 2, Tigers 4.

TIGERS 7TH: LeFlore grounded out (third to first); Whitaker
singled to center; Staub grounded into a double play (shortstop
to first) [Whitaker out at second]; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Red
Sox 2, Tigers 4.

RED SOX 8TH: Rice grounded out (second to first); Yastrzemski
grounded out (first unassisted); Fisk singled to center; Lynn
lined to first; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Red Sox 2, Tigers 4.

TIGERS 8TH: Thompson flied out to center; Kemp walked; May
singled to right [Kemp to third]; BURGMEIER REPLACED TORREZ
(PITCHING); Corcoran singled to right [Kemp scored, May to
second]; STANLEY REPLACED BURGMEIER (PITCHING); Rodriguez forced
May (shortstop to third) [Corcoran to second]; Trammell doubled
to right [Corcoran scored, Rodriguez scored, Trammell to third
(on throw to home)]; LeFlore flied to right in foul territory; 3
R, 3 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Red Sox 2, Tigers 7.

RED SOX 9TH: Hobson walked; Evans homered [Hobson scored];
HILLER REPLACED SYKES (PITCHING); Bailey homered; Burleson
walked; Remy struck out; Rice struck out; Yastrzemski grounded
out (second to first); 3 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Red Sox 5, Tigers
7.