A Fenway Thriller: Red Sox Zap the Yanks, 3-2

Keep your Sox on. George Scott boomed a homer into the Fenway right-center bleachers for the winning run and ended last night's Yankee game with an unassisted double play, as the Red Sox stayed alive in the A.L. East with a 3-2 victory.

Fireman Bill Campbell shut the door on the New Yorkers, killing a one-out, bases loaded rally in the eighth to pick up the save. The victory left Boston 2 1/2 games behind the Yanks with 10 games remaining.

Fred Lynn, he of the .250 average, opened the scoring in the bottom of the second inning. With two men out and George Scott on first, Lynn lofted a 3-2 Mike Torrez delivery to deep center, where it bounced off the wall and Mickey Rivers's nose to drive in Scott.

The Sox added their second tally in the bottom of the fourth on another misplaced ball in the outfield. Scott followed a Carlton Fisk single with an opposite-field liner to right, which Reggie Jackson decided to play leapfrog with, letting the ball bound off his glove and over his head. Fisk cruised home, and with starter Luis Tiant mowing down Yankees right and left, the Sox 2-0 lead looked strong.

Loo-ee lost his tuff in the fifth, though, giving up a solo shot halfway up the screen to Lou Piniella and allowing Willie Randolph to reach third before struggling out of the inning.

The hot-hitting Piniella tied it up in the sixth with a line-drive single off the wall against reliever Jim Willoughby, and it was beginning to look like a long winter.

"Boomer" Scott took charge in the bottom half of the frame, launching a Torrez pitch high over the right-center bullpen for what would stand up as the winning run.

The Bronx Bombers started banging away at Sox ace Bill Campbell with one out in the top of the eighth, though. Bang, Jackson slapped a rope up the middle for a single. Bang, Chris Chambliss sliced a double down the left-field line. Bang, Graig Nettles took first on an intentional walk. Enter Piniella, already the owner of two RBIs on the night, and bang--Campbell mowed both him and Willie Randolph down on a strikeout and a pop-up.

After that, the outcome of the game rested in the massive hands of the Boomer. With one out and Rivers on first in the ninth, Scott spared a wicked Roy White shot, doubled Rivers off first and suddenly, the game belonged to Boston.

Just as suddenly, the Red Sox were back in the thick of the American League East pennant race. Fenway's not dead yet.