Jim Rice smashed his 43rd homer and collected his 387th total base -- tops in the A. L. in 40 years -- as the Red Sox defeated the Blue Jays, 3-1, to pull within one game of the Yankees in the East division race. In 1938, Jimmie Foxx, also of the Red Sox, accounted for 398 total bases, including 50 homers.

The Red Sox started their scoring against the Blue Jays in first inning when Rick Burleson singled, stole second and crossed the plate on a single by Carl Yastrzemski. Butch Hobson doubled and Jack Brohamer singled to make it 2-0 in the fourth. After Rice connected for his homer in the fifth, the Blue Jays posted their run off Luis Tiant on a walk to Dave McKay and double by Alan Ashby in the sixth. [The Sporting News]



Boston Red Sox 3, Toronto Blue Jays 1
Game Played on Saturday, September 23, 1978 (Day game) at Exhibition Stadium
Red Sox      1  0  0    1  1  0    0  0  0  -   3  9  0
Blue Jays    0  0  0    0  0  1    0  0  0  -   1  7  1


Red Sox              AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG      Blue Jays            AB   R   H RBI    BB  SO    AVG
Burleson ss           5   1   1   0     0   0   .249      Bosetti cf            4   0   0   0     0   3   .257
Remy 2b               4   0   1   0     1   0   .274      Bailor rf             5   0   2   0     0   0   .269
Rice rf               5   1   2   1     0   1   .317      Howell 3b             5   0   0   0     0   2   .270
Yastrzemski lf        4   0   1   1     1   0   .278      Mayberry dh           4   0   0   0     1   0   .252
Fisk c                3   0   1   0     0   0   .281      Upshaw 1b             3   0   1   0     1   0   .243
Lynn cf               4   0   1   0     0   0   .290      A. Woods lf           3   0   0   0     1   1   .246
Hobson dh             4   1   1   0     0   2   .246      McKay 2b              3   1   2   0     1   0   .248
Scott 1b              4   0   0   0     0   0   .227      Ashby c               3   0   1   1     1   0   .270
Brohamer 3b           3   0   1   1     1   0   .241      Gomez ss              3   0   1   0     0   0   .222
Tiant p               0   0   0   0     0   0   .000        Ewing ph            1   0   0   0     0   0   .189
                                                            Johnson ss          0   0   0   0     0   0   .225
                                                          Jefferson p           0   0   0   0     0   0   .000

Totals               36   3   9   3     3   3             Totals               34   1   7   1     5   6

Time of Game: 2:53   Attendance: 30,059
Left on Base: Red Sox 10, Blue Jays 12
DP: Red Sox 0, Blue Jays 0
Errors: Howell
Doubles: Hobson (24), McKay (20), Bailor (28), Ashby (15)
Home Runs: Rice (43)
Stolen Bases: Burleson (8), Yastrzemski (4)
Caught Stealing: Remy (12)
Hit by Pitch: Fisk (7,by Jefferson), Bosetti (3,by Tiant)


Red Sox                IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Tiant W(11-8)           9     7   1   1   5   6   0  40   3.47
Totals                  9     7   1   1   5   6   0  40

Blue Jays              IP     H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR BFP    ERA
Jefferson L(7-15)       9     9   3   3   3   3   1  40   4.42
Totals                  9     9   3   3   3   3   1  40

Hit by Pitch: Tiant (5), Jefferson (3)

Umpires: HP - Jim Evans, 1B - Durwood Merrill, 2B - Marty Springstead, 3B - Rich Garcia


RED SOX 1ST: Burleson singled to right; Remy lined to shortstop;
Burleson stole second; Rice struck out; Yastrzemski singled to
left [Burleson scored]; Yastrzemski stole second; Fisk was hit
by a pitch; Lynn flied out to center; 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Red
Sox 1, Blue Jays 0.

BLUE JAYS 1ST: Bosetti struck out; Bailor singled; Howell struck
out; Mayberry grounded out (first unassisted); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1
LOB.  Red Sox 1, Blue Jays 0.

RED SOX 2ND: Hobson struck out; Scott grounded out (third to
first); Brohamer grounded out (pitcher to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E,
0 LOB.  Red Sox 1, Blue Jays 0.

BLUE JAYS 2ND: Upshaw made an out to shortstop; A. Woods walked;
McKay doubled to left [A. Woods to third]; Ashby was walked
intentionally; On a bunt Gomez forced A. Woods (pitcher to
catcher) [McKay to third, Ashby to second]; Bosetti was called
out on strikes; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 3 LOB.  Red Sox 1, Blue Jays 0.

RED SOX 3RD: Burleson grounded out (shortstop to first); Remy
walked; Remy was caught stealing second (catcher to second);
Rice reached on an error by Howell; Yastrzemski walked [Rice to
second]; Fisk popped to left; 0 R, 0 H, 1 E, 2 LOB.  Red Sox 1,
Blue Jays 0.

BLUE JAYS 3RD: Bailor doubled to left; Howell reached on a
fielder's choice [Bailor out at third (shortstop to third)];
Mayberry flied out to right; Upshaw singled to right [Howell to
second]; A. Woods was called out on strikes; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2
LOB.  Red Sox 1, Blue Jays 0.

RED SOX 4TH: Lynn grounded out (first unassisted); Hobson
doubled to left; Scott grounded out (shortstop to first);
Brohamer singled to center [Hobson scored]; Burleson forced
Brohamer (shortstop to second); 1 R, 2 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Red Sox
2, Blue Jays 0.

BLUE JAYS 4TH: McKay singled to right; Ashby flied out to
center; Gomez singled [McKay to third]; Bosetti reached on a
fielder's choice [McKay out at home (first to catcher), Gomez to
second]; Bailor flied out to right; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Red
Sox 2, Blue Jays 0.

RED SOX 5TH: Remy flied out to left; Rice homered; Yastrzemski
grounded out (second to first); Fisk made an out to second; 1 R,
1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Red Sox 3, Blue Jays 0.

BLUE JAYS 5TH: Howell grounded out (second to first); Mayberry
lined to center; Upshaw walked; A. Woods flied out to right; 0
R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Red Sox 3, Blue Jays 0.

RED SOX 6TH: Lynn singled to right; Hobson flied out to left;
Scott flied out to center; Brohamer walked [Lynn to second];
Burleson forced Brohamer (second to shortstop); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2
LOB.  Red Sox 3, Blue Jays 0.

BLUE JAYS 6TH: McKay walked; Ashby doubled to left [McKay
scored]; Gomez grounded out (second to first) [Ashby to third];
Bosetti struck out; Bailor made an out to shortstop; 1 R, 1 H, 0
E, 1 LOB.  Red Sox 3, Blue Jays 1.

RED SOX 7TH: Remy grounded out (first unassisted); Rice grounded
out (third to first); Yastrzemski flied out to center; 0 R, 0 H,
0 E, 0 LOB.  Red Sox 3, Blue Jays 1.

BLUE JAYS 7TH: Howell grounded out (second to first); Mayberry
walked; Upshaw flied out to left; A. Woods grounded out
(shortstop to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Red Sox 3, Blue
Jays 1.

RED SOX 8TH: Fisk singled to left; Lynn grounded out (second to
first) [Fisk to second]; Hobson struck out; Scott flied out to
right; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Red Sox 3, Blue Jays 1.

BLUE JAYS 8TH: McKay flied out to right; Ashby grounded out
(third to first); EWING BATTED FOR GOMEZ; Ewing popped to right;
0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.  Red Sox 3, Blue Jays 1.

RED SOX 9TH: JOHNSON REPLACED EWING (PLAYING SS); Brohamer flied
out to center; Burleson grounded out (shortstop to first); Remy
singled to left; Rice singled [Remy to second]; Yastrzemski
grounded out (second to first); 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.  Red Sox
3, Blue Jays 1.

BLUE JAYS 9TH: Bosetti was hit by a pitch; Bailor forced Bosetti
(first to shortstop); Howell struck out; Mayberry grounded out
(third to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.  Red Sox 3, Blue Jays 1.