Justice Delayed: The Boston Red Sox Rain-Out Win Over Detroit Is Payback For 1972

Eddie Kasko and the 1972 Red Sox deserved a better fate than lazy schedule-makers handed them. This past Tuesday night, the Boston Red Sox caught a break. Leading the Detroit Tigers 4-1 at Fenway Park, with the game in the sixth inning, Detroit loaded the bases with one out. Then the rain came and pounded the field. Ninety minutes the game was called and Boston was awarded the win. The Tigers, with considerable sympathy from the national press cried foul. It’s considered customary to wait two hours and in either case, this was a game far from over and a good chance that it will loom large in the standings during the wild-card race in September. I understand Detroit’s frustration and in all fairness, I think they’re right. But as I watched a talk show on ESPN where the commentators ripped into the decision and how Detroit got robbed, I wanted to shout “What about 1972?!” Yes, indeed—what about 1972. The Red Sox & Tigers ran a great AL East race to the finish line that year and it...