Game 1 October 4, 1975 @ Fenway Park , Boston
Kansas City 1
Boston 2
Boston leads series 1-0
The game was scoreless into the top of the 4th. With two outs George Brett hit a solo homer off of Luis Tiant to put KC on top 1-0 . Royals starter Al Fitzmorris was outstanding and he was able to carry that lead intothe 7th. Lindy McDaniel came on to pitch the 8th and need just three more outs to seal the win, but those three outs didn't come. Carl Yastrzemski led off the 9th with a ground out. But then Jim Rice singled and Fred Lynn followed with a double to put runners on 2nd and 3rd. Carlton Fisk popped out to 2nd Baseman Frank White leaving it up to Bernie Carbo. Carbo came through, lacing a single to right plating Rice and Lynn to give the Red Sox a dramatic win in game one. Tiant went all the way for Boston only allowing three hits. Lynn was the only player in the game with more than one hit.
Game 2 October 5, 1975 @ Fenway Park , Boston
Kansas City 6
Boston 0
Series tied 1-1
Game two was all Kansas City as the Royals took and early lead and starter Steve Busby silenced the Red Sox hitters with a 3 hit shutout performance. KC took a 2-0 lead in the top of the 2nd thanks to a two out, two run homer by Frank White. They added another in the 4th on sac fly by George Brett. Busby had retired the first 11 batters he faced until a two out double by Carl Yastrzemski in the bottom of the 4th broke the string. The Royals put the game out of reach in the 8th scoring three runs with two outs. John Mayberry singled in a run and George Brett singled in two more. The series is all tied up heading to Kansas City.
Game 3 October 7, 1975 @ Royals Stadium, Kansas City
Boston 8
Kansas City 10 (10 Innings)
Kansas City leads 2-1
This one was a wild back and forth affair that the Royals rallied late to win. Boston jumped on Royals starter Dennis Leonard for two runs in the first. Jim Rice knocked in one with a ground out and Fred Lynn doubled in one. Boston added two more in the 3rd in almost identical fasion. One run scored when Rice hit into a double play and another socred on a Lynn double making it 4-0 Boston.
The Royals got one back in their bottom half of the 3rd when Freddie Patek drew a bases loaded walk off of Red Sox starter Bill Lee. In the top of the 5th Fred Lynn came on with two on and two out and he smacked his third double of the game. Doug Griffin scored but Rick Burlesson was thrown out at home by Hal McRae. Boston now had a 5-1 lead. However, the Royals kept themselves in the game by answering with two in their half of the 5th. An RBI double by John Mayberry and a sac fly by George Brett made it a 5-3 game. The Royals sent Paul Splitorff to the mound to start the sixth and the Sox greated him with three runs. Rico Petrocelli singled in Carlton Fisk and then later in the inning Burlesson came through with a two out, two run single. The Sox now had an 8-3 lead. The Roylas got one more off of Lee in the 7th on an RBI double by Mayberry to make it 8-4. Dick Drago came on for the Sox to start the 8th and he surrendered another run back to KC on an RBI single by Bob Stinson. Still Boston carried a fairly comfortable 8-5 lead into the 9th as Drago returned to the hill to close out the game. KC however, had other plans. Amos Otis led off with a walk. He stole 2nd and scored on Mayberry's single. McRae singled and Brett grounded out, putting runners at 2nd and 3rd. Al Cowens pinch hit for Freddie Patek. He grounded out to 2nd scoring Mayberry and McRae took 3rd. Tony Solaita pinch hit for Cookie Rojas and delivered a game tying single. Boston called on Jim Willoughby to get the final out and we head to extra innings. Lynn singled to start the 10th (his 5th hit of the day!) but he never left first. Willoughby returned to the mound for the bottom of the 10th. Vada Pinson and Jim Wholford ground out. But then Otis walked and then stole 2nd. Slightly rattled, Willoughby then made a mistake to Mayberry and big John deposited the pitch into the seats in left. A game winning two run homer giving KC a 10-8 win and a 2-1 series lead. Lynn was 5-5 with 3 doubles and 3 RBIs. Burlesson was 4-5 with 2 runs and 2 RBIs. Mayberry was 5-6 with 3 runs and 5 RBIs, 2 doubles and the game winning homer. Otis was 2-4 with 4 runs, and 2 steals. Wohlford had 3 hits.
The Royals got one back in their bottom half of the 3rd when Freddie Patek drew a bases loaded walk off of Red Sox starter Bill Lee. In the top of the 5th Fred Lynn came on with two on and two out and he smacked his third double of the game. Doug Griffin scored but Rick Burlesson was thrown out at home by Hal McRae. Boston now had a 5-1 lead. However, the Royals kept themselves in the game by answering with two in their half of the 5th. An RBI double by John Mayberry and a sac fly by George Brett made it a 5-3 game. The Royals sent Paul Splitorff to the mound to start the sixth and the Sox greated him with three runs. Rico Petrocelli singled in Carlton Fisk and then later in the inning Burlesson came through with a two out, two run single. The Sox now had an 8-3 lead. The Roylas got one more off of Lee in the 7th on an RBI double by Mayberry to make it 8-4. Dick Drago came on for the Sox to start the 8th and he surrendered another run back to KC on an RBI single by Bob Stinson. Still Boston carried a fairly comfortable 8-5 lead into the 9th as Drago returned to the hill to close out the game. KC however, had other plans. Amos Otis led off with a walk. He stole 2nd and scored on Mayberry's single. McRae singled and Brett grounded out, putting runners at 2nd and 3rd. Al Cowens pinch hit for Freddie Patek. He grounded out to 2nd scoring Mayberry and McRae took 3rd. Tony Solaita pinch hit for Cookie Rojas and delivered a game tying single. Boston called on Jim Willoughby to get the final out and we head to extra innings. Lynn singled to start the 10th (his 5th hit of the day!) but he never left first. Willoughby returned to the mound for the bottom of the 10th. Vada Pinson and Jim Wholford ground out. But then Otis walked and then stole 2nd. Slightly rattled, Willoughby then made a mistake to Mayberry and big John deposited the pitch into the seats in left. A game winning two run homer giving KC a 10-8 win and a 2-1 series lead. Lynn was 5-5 with 3 doubles and 3 RBIs. Burlesson was 4-5 with 2 runs and 2 RBIs. Mayberry was 5-6 with 3 runs and 5 RBIs, 2 doubles and the game winning homer. Otis was 2-4 with 4 runs, and 2 steals. Wohlford had 3 hits.
Game 4 October 8, 1975 @ Royals Stadium, Kansas City
Boston 7
Kansas City 1
Series tied 2-2
A pitching rematch of game one as Luis Tiant took the mound trying to keep Boston's season alive against Al Fitzmorris who was spectacular in game one. This time Boston got to Fitzmorris early. In the 2nd inning, Fred Lynn, Carlton Fisk and Bernie Carbo all strung together three singles in a row. It had the makings of a big inning, but Fitz got Rico Petrocelli to hit into a 3-6-3 double play scoring Lynn, but snuffing out the inning. The Sox faithful had to wonder if that was going to come back to haunt them, escpecially when KC tied it in the bottom of the 2nd on an RBI single by Jim Wohlford. But in the top of the 4th, Petrocelli redeemed himself. He came up with two on and one out and smacked a three run homer to put the Sox up 4-1 and they never looked back. They went on to an easy 7-1 win and force a deciding game back in Boston. Tiant went the distance, striking out 8 and earned his 2nd win of the series. Fisk was 5-5 with 3 runs, Petrocelli was 3-4 with 4 RBIs, Carl Yastrzemski also had 3 hits. Hal McRae had 3 hits for KC.
Game 5 October 10, 1975 @ Fenway Park, Boston
Kansas City 18
Boston 1
Kansas City wins series 3-2
Steve Busby vs Rick Wise in the winner take all game five showdown. As far as elimination games go, this may have been the most anti climatic one ever! The Royals scored five in the first, and six in the 2nd to essentially end the series right there. In the first, with one out, Amos Otis singled, John Mayberry singled and Hal McRae walked to load the bases. Wise uncorked a wild pitch for the first run. Al Cowens, George Brett and Cookie Rojas all followed with RBI singles. Buck Martinez drove in the 5th run with a groundout. Wise stayed in the game and went back to the mound to start the 2nd inning. Freddie Patek led off and reached on an error by Doug Griffin. He stole 2nd and then scored on a two run homer by Otis. That was all for Wise and really all for the Red Sox. Reggie Cleveland came in and fanned the flames even more. Mayberry and McRae singled. Cowens singled in one. Brett singled, Rojas singled in one, Martinez walked to score a run and it was 10-0 and the Royals World Series ticket was punched. They went on to score in every inning except the 5th and 6th. Boston's lone run came on an RBI single by Carlton Fisk in the 2nd. Cowens and Brett each went 5-6. Cowens scored 4 runs and knocked in 4. Brett and Rojas each knocked in 3. Fred Lynn had 3 hits for Boston.
1975 ALCS MVP - John Mayberry, Kansas City
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John Mayberry was named the MVP of the 1975 ALCS. In five games, John batted .409 with one homer and six RBI's. He also had three doubles and scored a team high nine times.