Smith, Dodgers Blast Boston, 7-5, With Clutch Rally

The Boston Red Sox lost a heartbreaker yesterday afternoon in Vero Beach, Fla., when Reggie Smith of the Los Angeles Dodgers burned his former teammates by smashing a two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Smith's blast broke a 5-5 tie and gave the former Brooklynites a 7-5 victory. But Smith was not the only star in the Los Angles constellation of sluggers, as three other Dodgers--Steve Garvey, Ron Cey and Lee Lacy--also homered.

The game was a hard-fought contest, especially in the late stages. Lacy's blast in the seventh gave the Dodgers a 4-3 edge. The Red Sox regained the lead in the opening of the ninth with a pair of doubles by Doug Griffen and Andy Merchant and a Ramon Aviles single.

The Dodgers retaliated in the last of the ninth, scoring with a double-single-sacrifice fly combination. That evened the score as Smith stepped to the plate for his game-winning smash.