1986 Boston Red Sox season
| 1986 Boston Red Sox | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1986 American League Champions 1986 AL East Champions Roger Clemens named AL MVP | ||
| Division | Eastern Division | |
| Ballpark | Fenway Park | |
| City | Boston, Massachusetts | |
| Record | 95–66 (.590) | |
| Owners | Buddy LeRoux, Haywood Sullivan, Jean Yawkey | |
| President | Jean Yawkey | |
| Managers | John McNamara | |
| Television | WSBK-TV, Ch. 38 NESN (Ned Martin, Bob Montgomery) | |
| Radio | WPLM-FM 99.1 WPLM-AM 1390 (Ken Coleman, Joe Castiglione) | |
| Stats | ESPN.com Baseball Reference | |
| ||
The 1986 Boston Red Sox season was the 86th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished first in the American League East with a record of 95 wins and 66 losses. After defeating the California Angels in the ALCS, the Red Sox lost the World Series to the New York Mets in seven games.
Offseason
- November 13, 1985: Bob Ojeda, Tom McCarthy, John Mitchell and Chris Bayer (minors) were traded to the New York Mets for Calvin Schiraldi, Wes Gardner, John Christensen, and La Schelle Tarver.[1]
- December 11, 1985: Mark Clear was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for Ed Romero.[2]
- January 14, 1986: Alan Mills was selected in the first round (13th overall) of the amateur draft, but did not sign.[3]
- January 14, 1986: Curt Schilling was selected in the second round of the amateur draft, and signed on May 30.[4]
- March 28, 1986: Mike Easler was traded to the New York Yankees for Don Baylor.[5]
Spring training
The Red Sox held spring training at Chain of Lakes Park in Winter Haven, Florida, for the 21st season.
Regular season
| Month | Record | Cumulative | AL East | Ref. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Won | Lost | Position | GB | ||
| April | 11 | 8 | 11 | 8 | 2nd (tie) | 2+1⁄2 | [7] |
| May | 21 | 7 | 32 | 15 | 1st | +2+1⁄2 | [8] |
| June | 17 | 10 | 49 | 25 | 1st | +8 | [9] |
| July | 10 | 16 | 59 | 41 | 1st | +4 | [10] |
| August | 17 | 13 | 76 | 54 | 1st | +3+1⁄2 | [11] |
| September | 18 | 8 | 94 | 62 | 1st | +8+1⁄2 | [12] |
| October | 1 | 4 | 95 | 66 | 1st | +5+1⁄2 | [13] |
The Red Sox played only 161 games, as a road game scheduled against the Milwaukee Brewers on September 24 was rained out, and was not rescheduled as it had no bearing on the divisional race.[14]
Highlights
- On April 29 at Fenway Park, 23-year-old Roger Clemens struck out 20 Seattle Mariners to set a major league record for a nine-inning game.[15][16][17][18]
- Clemens finished the regular season with 24 wins, the most by a Red Sox pitcher since Mel Parnell won 25 games in 1949.
Season standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Red Sox | 95 | 66 | .590 | — | 51–30 | 44–36 |
| New York Yankees | 90 | 72 | .556 | 5½ | 41–39 | 49–33 |
| Detroit Tigers | 87 | 75 | .537 | 8½ | 49–32 | 38–43 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 86 | 76 | .531 | 9½ | 42–39 | 44–37 |
| Cleveland Indians | 84 | 78 | .519 | 11½ | 45–35 | 39–43 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 77 | 84 | .478 | 18 | 41–39 | 36–45 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 73 | 89 | .451 | 22½ | 37–42 | 36–47 |
This was the first season since 1904 that the Yankees franchise (then known as the Highlanders) finished second in the standings to the Red Sox franchise (then known as the Americans).[19]
Record vs. opponents
Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | BAL | BOS | CAL | CWS | CLE | DET | KC | MIL | MIN | NYY | OAK | SEA | TEX | TOR |
| Baltimore | — | 4–9 | 6–6 | 9–3 | 4–9 | 1–12 | 6–6 | 6–7 | 8–4 | 5–8 | 5–7 | 6–6 | 5–7 | 8–5 |
| Boston | 9–4 | — | 5–7 | 7–5 | 10–3 | 7–6 | 6–6 | 6–6 | 10–2 | 5–8 | 7–5 | 8–4 | 8–4 | 7–6 |
| California | 6–6 | 7–5 | — | 7–6 | 6–6 | 7–5 | 8–5 | 5–7 | 7–6 | 7–5 | 10–3 | 8–5 | 8–5 | 6–6 |
| Chicago | 3–9 | 5–7 | 6–7 | — | 5–7 | 6–6 | 7–6 | 5–7 | 6–7 | 6–6 | 7–6 | 8–5 | 2–11 | 6–6 |
| Cleveland | 9–4 | 3–10 | 6–6 | 7–5 | — | 4–9 | 8–4 | 8–5 | 6–6 | 5–8 | 10–2 | 9–3 | 6–6 | 3–10–1 |
| Detroit | 12–1 | 6–7 | 5–7 | 6–6 | 9–4 | — | 5–7 | 8–5 | 7–5 | 6–7 | 6–6 | 6–6 | 7–5 | 4–9 |
| Kansas City | 6–6 | 6–6 | 5–8 | 6–7 | 4–8 | 7–5 | — | 6–6 | 6–7 | 4–8 | 8–5 | 5–8 | 8–5 | 5–7 |
| Milwaukee | 7–6 | 6–6 | 7–5 | 7–5 | 5–8 | 5–8 | 6–6 | — | 4–8 | 8–5 | 5–7 | 6–6 | 4–8 | 7–6 |
| Minnesota | 4–8 | 2–10 | 6–7 | 7–6 | 6–6 | 5–7 | 7–6 | 8–4 | — | 4–8 | 6–7 | 6–7 | 6–7 | 4–8 |
| New York | 8–5 | 8–5 | 5–7 | 6–6 | 8–5 | 7–6 | 8–4 | 5–8 | 8–4 | — | 5–7 | 8–4 | 7–5 | 7–6 |
| Oakland | 7–5 | 5–7 | 3–10 | 6–7 | 2–10 | 6–6 | 5–8 | 7–5 | 7–6 | 7–5 | — | 10–3 | 3–10 | 8–4 |
| Seattle | 6–6 | 4–8 | 5–8 | 5–8 | 3–9 | 6–6 | 8–5 | 6–6 | 7–6 | 4–8 | 3–10 | — | 4–9 | 6–6 |
| Texas | 7–5 | 4–8 | 5–8 | 11–2 | 6–6 | 5–7 | 5–8 | 8–4 | 7–6 | 5–7 | 10–3 | 9–4 | — | 5–7 |
| Toronto | 5–8 | 6–7 | 6–6 | 6–6 | 10–3–1 | 9–4 | 7–5 | 6–7 | 8–4 | 6–7 | 4–8 | 6–6 | 7–5 | — |
Notable transactions
- June 2, 1986: The Red Sox selected Scott Cooper in the third round of the 1986 Major League Baseball draft.[20]
- June 29, 1986: Steve Lyons was traded by the Red Sox to the Chicago White Sox for Tom Seaver.[21]
- August 17, 1986: The Seattle Mariners traded Spike Owen and Dave Henderson to the Red Sox for Rey Quiñones and players to be named later (Mike Brown, Mike Trujillo, and John Christensen).[22]
Opening day lineup
| 24 | Dwight Evans | RF |
| 26 | Wade Boggs | 3B |
| 6 | Bill Buckner | 1B |
| 14 | Jim Rice | LF |
| 25 | Don Baylor | DH |
| 10 | Rich Gedman | C |
| 20 | Tony Armas | CF |
| 17 | Marty Barrett | 2B |
| 18 | Glenn Hoffman | SS |
| 47 | Bruce Hurst | P |
Source:[23]
Alumni game
On May 17, the Red Sox held an old-timers game at Fenway, before a scheduled game with the Texas Rangers. The game—themed to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the pennant-winning 1946 Red Sox—welcomed back 19 alumni of the team and was also the first to invite non-Red Sox alumni.[24] Besides Ted Williams, Luis Tiant, and Rico Petrocelli, the day featured appearances by all three DiMaggio brothers: Joe, Vince, and Dom.[25] The umpiring crew included Hall of Fame inductee Jocko Conlan.[25]
Illegal Firing of Tommy Harper
General Manager Haywood Sullivan, a supporter of the all-white and anti-Black Elks Club of Winter Haven, Florida (where the team then held spring training), would welcome the organization into the Red Sox' Chain of Lakes Park clubhouse to invite the white players and white front-office personnel only to the Elks' segregated facilities. Former outfielder and coach Tommy Harper spoke against this practice in 1985 and the Red Sox retaliated and fired Harper. On July 1, 1986, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission vindicated Harper and cited the Red Sox for illegal actions.[26]
Roster
| 1986 Boston Red Sox | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders
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Outfielders
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Manager
Coaches
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Game log
| 1986 Regular Season Game Log (95-66) (Home: 51-30; Road: 44-36) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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April (11-8) (Home: 7-4; Road: 4-4)
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May (21-7) (Home: 9-3; Road: 12-4)
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June (17-10) (Home: 7-6; Road: 10-4)
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July (10-16) (Home: 7-6; Road: 3-10)
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August (17-13) (Home: 7-5; Road: 10-8)
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September (18-8) (Home: 13-2; Road: 5-6)
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Player stats
Batting
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Rich Gedman | 135 | 462 | 119 | .258 | 16 | 65 |
| 1B | Bill Buckner | 153 | 629 | 168 | .267 | 18 | 102 |
| 2B | Marty Barrett | 158 | 625 | 179 | .286 | 4 | 60 |
| 3B | Wade Boggs | 149 | 580 | 207 | .357 | 8 | 71 |
| SS | Rey Quiñones | 62 | 190 | 45 | .315 | 2 | 15 |
| LF | Jim Rice | 157 | 618 | 200 | .324 | 20 | 110 |
| CF | Tony Armas | 121 | 425 | 112 | .264 | 11 | 58 |
| RF | Dwight Evans | 152 | 529 | 137 | .259 | 26 | 97 |
| DH | Don Baylor | 160 | 585 | 139 | .238 | 31 | 94 |
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ed Romero | 100 | 233 | 49 | .210 | 2 | 23 |
| Spike Owen | 42 | 126 | 23 | .183 | 1 | 10 |
| Steve Lyons | 59 | 124 | 31 | .250 | 1 | 14 |
| Marc Sullivan | 41 | 119 | 23 | .193 | 1 | 14 |
| Dave Henderson | 36 | 51 | 10 | .196 | 1 | 3 |
| Dave Stapleton | 39 | 39 | 5 | .128 | 0 | 3 |
| Mike Greenwell | 31 | 35 | 11 | .314 | 0 | 4 |
| Kevin Romine | 35 | 35 | 9 | .257 | 0 | 2 |
| La Schelle Tarver | 13 | 25 | 3 | .120 | 0 | 1 |
| Glenn Hoffman | 12 | 23 | 5 | .217 | 0 | 1 |
| Mike Stenhouse | 21 | 21 | 2 | .095 | 0 | 1 |
| Pat Dodson | 9 | 12 | 5 | .417 | 1 | 3 |
| Dave Sax | 4 | 11 | 5 | .455 | 1 | 1 |
Pitching
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roger Clemens | 33 | 254.0 | 24 | 4 | 2.48 | 238 |
| Oil Can Boyd | 30 | 214.1 | 16 | 10 | 3.78 | 129 |
| Bruce Hurst | 25 | 174.1 | 13 | 8 | 2.99 | 167 |
| Al Nipper | 26 | 159.0 | 10 | 12 | 5.38 | 79 |
| Tom Seaver | 16 | 104.1 | 5 | 7 | 3.80 | 72 |
| Jeff Sellers | 14 | 82.0 | 3 | 7 | 4.94 | 51 |
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Brown | 15 | 57.1 | 4 | 4 | 5.34 | 32 |
| Rob Woodward | 9 | 35.2 | 2 | 3 | 5.30 | 14 |
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Stanley | 66 | 6 | 6 | 16 | 4.37 | 54 |
| Joe Sambito | 53 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 4.84 | 30 |
| Steve Crawford | 40 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3.92 | 32 |
| Tim Lollar | 32 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6.91 | 28 |
| Sammy Stewart | 27 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 4.38 | 47 |
| Calvin Schiraldi | 25 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 1.41 | 55 |
| Mike Trujillo | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9.53 | 4 |
| Wes Gardner | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9.00 | 1 |
Postseason
ALCS
| Game | Score | Date | Location | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California – 8, Boston – 1 | October 7 | Fenway Park | 32,993 |
| 2 | California – 2, Boston – 9 | October 8 | Fenway Park | 32,786 |
| 3 | Boston – 3, California – 5 | October 10 | Anaheim Stadium | 64,206 |
| 4 | Boston – 3, California – 4 (11 innings) | October 11 | Anaheim Stadium | 64,223 |
| 5 | Boston – 7, California – 6 (11 innings) | October 12 | Anaheim Stadium | 64,223 |
| 6 | California – 4, Boston – 10 | October 14 | Fenway Park | 32,998 |
| 7 | California – 1, Boston – 8 | October 15 | Fenway Park | 33,001 |
World Series
| Game | Score | Date | Location | Attendance | Time of Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Red Sox – 1, Mets – 0 | October 18 | Shea Stadium (New York City) | 57,908 | 3:18 |
| 2 | Red Sox – 9, Mets – 3 | October 19 | Shea Stadium (New York City) | 57,911 | 2:44 |
| 3 | Mets – 7, Red Sox – 1 | October 21 | Fenway Park (Boston) | 33,595 | 3:09 |
| 4 | Mets – 6, Red Sox – 2 | October 22 | Fenway Park (Boston) | 33,920 | 3:22 |
| 5 | Mets – 2, Red Sox – 4 | October 23 | Fenway Park (Boston) | 34,010 | 2:55 |
| 6 | Red Sox – 5, Mets – 6 (10 inn.) | October 25 | Shea Stadium (New York City) | 57,908 | 3:18 |
| 7 | Red Sox – 5, Mets – 8 | October 27 | Shea Stadium (New York City) | 57,911 | 2:44 |
Game log
| 1986 Postseason Game Log |
|---|
1986 American League Championship Series vs. California – Boston wins series 4–3 |
1986 World Series vs. New York (NL) – New York (NL) wins series 4–3 |
Awards and honors
- Awards
- Marty Barrett, ALCS MVP
- Don Baylor, Silver Slugger Award (DH)
- Wade Boggs, Silver Slugger Award (3B), AL Player of the Month (May)
- Roger Clemens, American League Cy Young Award, American League Most Valuable Player, AL Pitcher of the Month (June)
- Bruce Hurst, AL Pitcher of the Month (September)
- Accomplishments
- Wade Boggs, American League Batting Champion, .357
- Wade Boggs, American League Leader, Walks (105)
- Wade Boggs, Major League Baseball Leader, On-base percentage (.453)
- Roger Clemens, American League Leader, ERA (2.48)
- Roger Clemens, American League Leader, Wins (24)
- Wade Boggs, Third Base, Starter
- Roger Clemens, Pitcher, Starter
- Rich Gedman, Catcher, Reserve
- Jim Rice, Outfield, Reserve
Farm system
References
- ^ Bob Ojeda page at Baseball Reference
- ^ Ed Romero page at Baseball Reference
- ^ Alan Mills Statistics and History - Baseball-Reference.com
- ^ Curt Schilling page at Baseball Reference
- ^ Don Baylor page at Baseball Reference
- ^ "The 1986 Boston Red Sox". Retrosheet. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
- ^ "Events of Wednesday, April 30, 1986".
- ^ "Events of Saturday, May 31, 1986".
- ^ "Events of Monday, June 30, 1986".
- ^ "Events of Thursday, July 31, 1986".
- ^ "Events of Sunday, August 31, 1986".
- ^ "Events of Tuesday, September 30, 1986".
- ^ "Events of Sunday, October 5, 1986".
- ^ "Red Sox-Milwaukee game is postponed". Bangor Daily News. Bangor, Maine. AP. September 25, 1986. p. 24. Retrieved October 11, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Cafardo, Nick (April 30, 1986). "Kall him Dr. Klemens". Nashua Telegraph. (New Hampshire). Patriot Ledger Sports Service. p. 17.
- ^ Golden, Ed (April 30, 1986). "Clemens fans 20 Mariners". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. p. D1.
- ^ "Boston's Clemens makes history". The Bulletin. (Bend, Oregon). UPI. April 30, 1986. p. D2.
- ^ Gammons, Peter (May 12, 1986). "Striking out toward Cooperstown". Sports Illustrated. p. 26.
- ^ Vaccaro, Mike (2005). Emperors and idiots: The hundred year rivalry between the Yankees and Red Sox, from the very beginning to the end of the curse. New York: Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-51354-2.
- ^ Scott Cooper page at Baseball Reference
- ^ Steve Lyons page at Baseball Reference
- ^ Spike Owen page at Baseball Reference
- ^ "Detroit Tigers 6, Boston Red Sox 5". Retrosheet. April 7, 1986. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
- ^ "Fenway Park through the Years [1986]: Non-Red Sox Baseball At Fenway Park". MLB.com. Boston Red Sox. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
- ^ a b Price, Terry (May 18, 1986). "Old-Timers Hit Close to Home". Hartford Courant. p. E6. Retrieved May 17, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Margolick, David (March 23, 1986). "Boston Case Revives Past and Passions". The New York Times. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
- ^ "Statmaster: A baseball Team Statistics Tool". Baseball-almanac. Retrieved July 27, 2007.
- ^ Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 3rd edition. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 2007
- ^ Boston Red Sox Media Guide. 1986. p. 104. Retrieved March 14, 2021 – via Wayback Machine.
External links
- 1986 Boston Red Sox team page at Baseball Reference
- 1986 Boston Red Sox season at baseball-almanac.com
- 1986 ALCS Official Souvenir Program
