Sox Collapse, Mets Take Series in Seven (10/27/86)

Most of the world saw this coming after the Boston Red Sox committed an all-time collapse in Game 6 but it doesn't make it hurt any less. After a rainout postponed Game 7, the New York Mets finally pounded the final nail in the Red Sox coffin with an 8-5 comeback victory to win the 1986 World Series. The Sox took a 3-0 lead and Bruce Hurst continued his dominance for 5 innings....then it all went to hell as the Mets got the last laugh in Shea Stadium.

                                                Doom and gloom all around

Ron Darling was scheduled to start Game 7 before the rainout and he took the mound to start the game. Wade Boggs lined out to short to start and Marty Barrett flied out to right. Bill Buckner got a mock standing ovation by the Mets crowd but he shut them up real quick with a base hit to right. Jim Rice flied out to right to end the inning. Oil Can Boyd was scheduled to start Game 7 before the rainout but Sox manager John McNamara decided to start Bruce Hurst on 3 days rest. At first the gamble worked in the bottom of the first when Mookie Wilson grounded out to second on the first pitch. Tim Teufel popped up to second and Keith Hernandez lined out to center to end the inning.

The Red Sox took out their frustrations of Game 6 on Darling in the top of the second inning. Dwight Evans and Rich Gedman crushed back to home runs, the Gedman homer popping out of the glove of Strawberry in right field. Dave Henderson walked but Spike Owen popped up to short. Hurst bunted Henderson over to second and Dave scored on the roller up the middle hit by Boggs to increase the lead. Barrett caught Ray Knight asleep at third with a bunt single. With a chance to break the game open early....Buckner flied out to center to end the inning. Still, the Sox shook off the effects of Game 6 to take a 3-0 lead.

                                              Gedman helps out with a home run

Hurst breezed through the bottom of the second as Gary Carter was snuffed out on a bunt single attempt to start. Darryl Strawberry popped up to left but Ray Knight singled. Kevin Mitchell grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Sox missed a chance to hit Darling hard in the top of the third when Rice singled off the left field wall but Mitchell gunned him down at second trying to stretch. Evans popped up to center and Gedman grounded out to first to end the inning. Hurst cruised in the bottom of the third as well, punching out Rafael Santana to start. Darling hit a ball hard to right but Evans snared it at the wall. Wilson flied out to right to end the inning.

The Sox knocked out Darling in the top of the fourth as Henderson was plunked to start. Owen flied out to right and Hurst sacrifice bunted Henderson over to second, shades of the second inning. That was it for Darling as Mets manager Davey Johnson pulled him in favor of Sid Fernandez. Boggs walked to put two men on and with another chance to break it open....Barrett flied out to right to end the inning. Hurst remained perfect in the bottom of the fourth as Teufel whiffed, Hernandez flied out to a running Evans in right and Carter grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Sox went quietly in the top of the fifth inning as Buckner flied out to right, Rice whiffed and Evans also swung and missed at strike three to end the inning. Hurst would not be denied in the bottom of the fifth as Strawberry flied out to center to begin. Knight grounded out to short and Mitchell whiffed to end the inning. At this point Hurst was working on a 1 hitter with 4 innings to go after already dominating his first two World Series starts. He could have been a legend in Boston if he could have gotten those last 12 outs.

                                                       1 hit through 5 for Hurst

Fernandez returned for the top of the sixth and froze Gedman to start. Henderson flied out to center and Owen watched strike three go by to end the inning. The wheels fell off for Hurst in the bottom of the sixth although Santana grounded out to short to start. Lee Mazzilli pinch hit for Fernandez and singled. Wilson singled and Teufel walked to load the bases. Sox manager John McNamara came out to chat with Bruce but to no avail as Hernandez dealt the crushing blow to Hurst with a base hit to center that scored Mazzilli and Wilson, moving Teufel to third. Wally Backman pinch ran for Teufel and he scored when Evans dove for a Carter flare and missed. Hernandez was tagged out at second but the game was tied. Strawberry flied out to left to end the inning but Hurst was done and the game was tied.

                                                   The Mets tie it up

Shea Stadium was in a frenzy as Roger McDowell took over on the mound with Tony Armas pinch hitting for Hurst. Armas whiffed on 3 pitches. Boggs grounded out to third and Barrett grounded out to short to end the inning. For some inane reason, Sox manager John McNamara brought in Calvin Schiraldi to pitch the bottom of the seventh despite getting rocked and rolled in Game 6. The gamble failed miserably for the Sox as Knight blasted a leadoff home run to put the Mets just 6 outs away from victory. Lenny Dykstra pinch hit for Mitchell and singled before a wild pitch moved him up to second. Santana singled home Dykstra to increase the lead as the crowd got even louder. McDowell bunted Santana to second as Sox manager John McNamara finally realized his mistake and pulled Schiraldi out of there.

                                               Knight gives the Mets the lead

Lefty specialist Joe Sambito was brought in but the idiot McNamara decided to intentionally walk Wilson, which begs the question why would you bring in the lefty only to intentionally walk the lefty batter? That move also backfired because Sambito walked Backman to load the bases. Hernandez flied out to center but Santana scored to give the Mets what seemed to be an insurmountable lead. That was it for Sambito as Bob Stanley was brought in to mop up the mess. Stanley did manage to get Carter to ground out to end the inning but the Mets were up 6-3 and on the verge of the title.

                                                      Another run, another nail in the coffin

With their backs to the wall, the Sox briefly sprang to life in the top of the eighth against McDowell. Buckner blooped a single to left to open the inning and Rice lined a base hit past Santana. Evans continued to torture Mets pitching by lining a double to center that scored both runners to cut the lead to 1. That meant if McNamara let Sambito pitch to Wilson, maybe the 6th run doesn't score and its now a tied game. Instead, Davey Johnson brought in lefty Jesse Orosco to face the lefties. Once again McNamara was asleep as Gedman didn't try to bunt Evans to third, instead he lined out to second, nearly getting Evans doubled off at second. There would be no magic for Henderson this time as he whiffed. Finally McNamara got his head out of his ass by pinch hitting the righty Don Baylor for Spike Owen to face Orosco. Unfortunatey Baylor grounded out to short to end the inning but the Sox had gotten within a run 6-5.

                                              One last moment of glory for the Sox

Inexplicably McNamara pulled off a double switch, putting Ed Romero at short but bringing in Al Nipper of all people to relieve Stanley. Oil Can Boyd was nowhere to be found and once AGAIN the move backfired as Strawberry smashed a solo home run off Nipper to kill any momentum the Sox generated. Knight singled and moved to second on the groundout by Dykstra. Santana was intentionally walked and Davey Johnson was going to live or die with Orosco, so he left him in to bat. As if anything else could go wrong this season, Orosco who had just 3 at-bats all season faked a bunt and singled up the middle with the entire infield breaking to field a bunt. Santana scored to ice the game. McNamara then pulled Nipper for Steve Crawford which begs the question why he didn't have Crawford start the inning? Wilson was plunked to load the bases but Crawford recovered to get Knight at home on a force by Backman. Hernandez grounded out to end the inning but it was all over, 8-5 Mets.

                               Nipper can't bear to watch anymore, neither can Roger Clemens

The season came to an end in the top of the ninth inning. Romero hit one up the elevator shaft, caught by Hernandez for the first out. Boggs grounded out to second and Orosco punched out Barrett to put the Sox out of their misery. The Mets had won the game and the World Series by a score of 8-5.

                                                                    Ugh


Jackass of the Night should be John McNamara just like in Game 6 for all his idiotic decisions but unfortunately it has to be a player so its Calvin Schiraldi. He was charged with the loss, allowing 3 runs that ended up being the difference in the game in just 1/3 of an inning pitched.

                                           Game 7 Jackass....same as Game 6


The Good:

Bill Buckner was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Jim Rice was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Dwight Evans did all he could, going 2 for 4 with a home run and 3 total rbi's.

Dave Henderson walked, was hit with a pitch and scored a run in 4 plate appearances.

Bob Stanley retired the only man he faced.

Steve Crawford got the final two outs of the eighth inning.



The Bad:

Spike Owen was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Tony Armas struck out as a pinch hitter.

Don Baylor was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Ed Romero was 0 for 1 in his plate appearance.

Al Nipper allowed 2 runs on 3 hits and a walk in just 1/3 of an inning.



The Ugly:

Wade Boggs was just 1 for 4 with a walk but drove in a run.

Marty Barrett was just 1 for 5.

Rich Gedman was just 1 for 4 but made the hit count as it was a solo home run.

Bruce Hurst fell apart in the 6th inning and was charged with 3 runs in his no-decision. Had he not fell apart, the Sox may have won the game.

Joe Sambito walked two and allowed an inherited runner to score in 1/3 of an inning.




Final Thoughts:

Is this team cursed? It sure feels like it after one of the greatest seasons in history with so many high points crashed harder than a 747 jet. If Game 6 wasn't bad enough, this was just as bad. The Sox had a 3-0 lead in the 6th inning and it blew away. Then John McNamara brought in the wrong pitcher 3 times and it cost the Sox the game. He brought in Schiraldi who sucked, Sambito who walked 2 guys (albeit one intentionally) and Nipper who sucked. For all the heat Bill Buckner took about Game 6, most of which wasn't his fault to begin with, he deserves no blame for Game 7. McNamara made one bumbling decision after another and Schiraldi couldn't get it done twice. Its a shame such a promising season came to an end like this. In 1967 and 1975 you could say the better team won and no hard feelings, but the Sox had the Mets dead to rights twice and couldn't put them away. As it is, this is one of the all-time chokes that may never be equaled. How can the Sox come back from this? You come within a strike of winning it all in Game 6 and 12 outs in Game 7 and lose both games. I dread to think what 1987 will be like with the world series hangover they're going to have. Give the Mets the credit they deserve for coming back down 2-0 going to Fenway, coming back in Game 6 and then again in Game 7. They earned their World Series title, too bad the Sox couldn't put them away.

Angels Win Game 4 in 11, Sox on Brink (10/11/86)

So much for this season. The Boston Red Sox reached the playoffs for the first time in 11 years and promptly fell on their face. After falling behind the American League Championship Series 2 games to 1 to the California Angels, for 8 innings of Game 4 it looked like the Sox were going to even the series. The Sox had a 3-0 lead going into the bottom of the ninth but Sox manager John McNamara went with ace Roger Clemens too long. He was pulled with the lead down to 3-2 and Calvin Schiraldi promptly puked it up. 2 innings later Bobby Grich drove home Jerry Narron and the Angels put the Sox on the brink with a 4-3 win in 11 innings at Anaheim Stadium.

                                                            Dammit

Don Sutton got the ball in the top of the first inning and Wade Boggs grounded out to first to start. Marty Barrett grounded out to short and Bill Buckner flied out to center to end the inning. Clemens got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Ruppert Jones led off by striking out swinging to start. Clemens blew away Bobby Grich before Brian Downing grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

The Sox went quietly in the top of the second as Jim Rice grounded out to second to start. Don Baylor whiffed before Dwight Evans popped up to third to end the inning. Clemens cruised in the bottom of the second as Reggie Jackson whiffed to start. Doug DeCinces lined a base hit to right before George Hendrick advanced Doug to second with a grounder to third. Dick Schofield whiffed to end the inning.

Rich Gedman led off the top of the third inning by flying out to right as Al Michaels on commentary mentioned Sutton had allowed one run against the Sox all year to this point. Tony Armas watched strike three go by before Spike Owen grounded out to short to end the inning. Bob Boone took strike three to start the bottom of the third but Gary Pettis lined a broken bat single to left. Pettis was thrown out by the alert Gedman trying to steal but Jones drew a walk. Grich whiffed to end the inning.

Bob Uecker joined the broadcast booth briefly as Boggs doubled to the right field wall to start the top of the fourth. Barrett dropped down a bunt to advance Boggs to third but he couldn't score on Buckner's fly out to right. Rice lined out to short to end the inning, what a waste. Clemens walked Downing to start the bottom of the fourth but Jackson flied out to the centerfield warning track. DeCinces hit a routine grounder to Owen who tried to hook shot the ball like a basketball and the throw went over Barrett's head for an error. Hendrick banged into a double play to end the inning.

Sutton cruised in the top of the fifth as Baylor flied out to deep center to start. Evans popped up to first and Gedman popped up to third to end the inning. Schofield was rung up for strike three to start the bottom of the fifth before Boone popped up to right. Pettis smacked a single to left and Jones walked, but Grich grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the sixth when Armas broke his cold streak by dumping a single to center to begin. Owen dropped down a bunt to advance Tony to second and Armas went to third on the grounder by Boggs. Barrett walked and Buckner doubled into the right field corner to score Armas to put the Sox on top. Rice grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox leading 1-0.

                                                 Buckner drives in a run

Clemens cruised in the bottom of the sixth as Downing popped up to third to start. Owen made a great stab to rob Jackson of a hit before DeCinces flied out to deep center to end the inning.

Baylor doubled down the left field line to begin the top of the seventh before taking third on the fly out by Evans. That was it for Sutton as Gary Lucas came in to strike out Gedman. Vern Ruhle replaced Lucas and got Armas to fly out to center to end the inning. Dave Henderson took over for Armas and Clemens got Hendrick to ground out to short to start the bottom of the seventh. Schofield also grounded out to short but Boone singled to right. Pettis was frozen for strike three to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the eighth as Owen singled to right to start. Boggs moved Owen to second on a grounder and a wild pitch moved Spike to third. Barrett whacked a base hit to center to score Owen and chase Ruhle. Charles Finley came in and a passed ball moved Barrett to second before Buckner hit a routine grounder to second. The ball went under Grich's glove and Barrett scored with Buckner moving to second. Doug Corbett came in and Rice hit a routine grounder to DeCinces and THAT ball went under his glove for another error. Baylor whiffed but Evans walked to load the bases. With a chance to break the game open....Gedman grounded into a force to end the inning. The Sox led 3-0 but one more hit would have most likely ended it.

                                                   Sox pour it on

Clemens kept up the good work in the bottom of the eighth inning although Jones smacked a ground rule double into the right field stands. Grich flied out to center and Downing whiffed after a fan caused Buckner to drop a pop up in foul territory. Jackson grounded out to second to end the inning. If Clemens was done, he would have been credited with an absolute gem of 8 innings of shutout ball.

                                                  Clemens with 8 shutout innings

The Sox went quietly in the top of the ninth as Henderson popped up to center to start. Owen grounded out to second and Boggs lined out to short to end the inning. For whatever reason, Sox manager John McNamara decided to send Clemens out to finish the game. The move backfired as DiCences belted a solo home run just over the wall to put the Angels on the board. Boggs made a great throw to nail Hendrick at first to put the Sox two outs away from a tied series. It didn't come as Schofield lashed a base hit to left and Boone stuck his bat out to poke a single to left to chase Clemens. McNamara left him in too long and it cost him the game as Clemens went 8 1/3 and was charged with 3 runs. Calvin Schiraldi came in as Devon White ran for Boone at first. Pettis lined a ball to left but Rice completely misjudged it and the ball went over his head. Schofield scored and the others moved into scoring position. Jones was intentionally walked to set up a double play and Schiraldi froze Grich for strike three. One strike away from victory, Schiraldi actually hit Downing to tie the game. Unbelievable....Jackson grounded out to second to end the inning but the Angels tied it 3-3.

                            Deborah Schiraldi can't bear to watch Calvin give up the lead

The Sox were deflated in the top of the tenth with Jerry Narron now behind the plate. Barrett lined out to center to begin before Buckner grounded back to the mound. Rice grounded out to short to end the inning. Schiraldi came back for the bottom of the tenth and DiCences flied out to the right field wall to start. Hendrick whiffed and Schofield popped up to right to end the inning.

The Sox went quietly in the top of the eleventh as Baylor grounded out to third to start. Evans also grounded out to third and Gedman grounded out to second to end the inning. The Angels put the Sox out of their misery in the bottom of the eleventh with Schiraldi still on the mound. Narron lined a base hit to right and a sacrifice bunt by Pettis moved him to second. Jones was intentionally walked to set up a double play but Grich lined a base hit to the left field corner. Narron came all the way around to score the winning run to put the Angels up 3 games to 1 with their come from behind 4-3 win in 11.

                                                       Dead Sox


Jackass of the Night is Calvin Schiraldi. He allowed the tying runs to score in the ninth and the winning run to score in the 11th.

                                                  Calvin Jackass


The Good:

Marty Barrett was 1 for 3 with a walk, rbi and run scored.

Tony Armas was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Spike Owen was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Roger Clemens almost went the distance, allowing 3 runs in 8 1/3 innings. He struck out 9 batters.



The Bad:

Jim Rice was 0 for 5.

Rich Gedman was 0 for 5.

Dave Henderson was 0 for 1 at the plate.



The Ugly:

Wade Boggs was just 1 for 5.

Bill Buckner was just 1 for 5 but drove in a run.

Don Baylor was just 1 for 5.

Dwight Evans was 0 for 4 but drew a walk.




Final Thoughts:

Looks like it just isn't the Sox year. Frankly if it wasn't for the Angels throwing up on themselves in Game 2 this would have been a four game sweep. They got shut down by Mike Witt in Game 1 and looked lost against John Candelaria in Game 3. Now they have to go up against Witt again in Game 5 and it doesn't look good. It seems like the Angels are a team of destiny because every break has gone their way when it mattered. The Sox had this one in the bag if McNamara brought in Bob Stanley or Schiraldi in for the bottom of the ninth but he left Clemens in too long. Then how the hell does Schiraldi HIT Downing on a 1-2 count? The offense hasn't been great in this series at all and they're one loss away from winter. The Sox still have at least one game left and they play it at high noon tomorrow with Bruce Hurst as the season's last hope against Witt at Anaheim Stadium.

Angels Take Game 3 With 7th Inning Rally (10/10/86)

For 6 innings it looked like the Sox could hang with the AL West champion California Angels in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series. Oil Can Boyd pitched well but the Angels rallied in the 7th inning with home runs from Dick Schofield and Gary Pettis. The Sox rallied in the 8th inning but the Angels hit the killshot against Calvin Schiraldi. When it was over the Angels took the crucial game from the Sox 5-3 at Anaheim Stadium.

                                                     Angels take Game 3

John Candelaria got the start for the Angels and Wade Boggs led the game off with a pop up to center. Marty Barrett grounded out to third and Bill Buckner whiffed with his bat flying to end the inning. Boyd started the bottom of the first by walking Gary Pettis but the alert Rich Gedman gunned him down trying to steal. Wally Joyner grounded out to second and Brian Downing looked at strike three to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second inning when Jim Rice drew a leadoff walk. Don Baylor singled through the hole at short but got himself picked off when he strayed too far down the path. Dwight Evans singled to left to send Rice to third and Gedman's base hit to center scored Rice to give the Sox the lead. Tony Armas popped up to first before Spike Owen grounded back to the mound to end the inning with Boston ahead 1-0.

                                                    Rice scores the first run

Reggie Jackson flied out to center to begin the bottom of the second before Doug DeCinces flied out to left. Ruppert Jones grounded out to second to end the inning.

Downing ran down a Boggs liner to left to start the top of the third before Barrett grounded out to short. Buckner whiffed again with his bat flying to end the inning. Boyd stayed tough in the bottom of the third as Grich popped up to third to start. Boggs made a great running play to nail Schofield at first before Boone grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fourth as Rice looked at strike three to start. Baylor flied out to center and Evans flied out to right to end the inning. The Angels threatened in the bottom of the fourth although Boyd snared a liner by Pettis to start. Joyner and Downing struck back to back singles but Jackson popped up to short. DiCences hit a squibber that hit the first base bag. Buckner fired home and Joyner was ruled safe. Sox manager John McNamara ran a gold medal worthy sprint out of the dugout to challenge the call along with an irate Gedman, Boyd & Buckner. Home plate umpire Terry Cooney ran for cover as third place umpire Rich Garcia correctly overruled the call, Joyner was out at home. Angels manager Gene Mauch ran out of the dugout with a crowbar and chased Garcia away as Cooney said Mauch was out of the game. When the mayhem ended the Sox still led 1-0.

                                        "HE WAS OUT GODDAMMIT!!!" - JM

The Sox had a golden chance to ice the game in the top of the fifth but pissed that away although Gedman singled to start. Armas doubled off the right field fence but Owen grounded out to first. Boggs walked to load the bases but Barrett squandered a chance by popping up to first. Buckner grounded out to first to end the inning and the Sox pissed away a big chance. Boyd navigated the bottom of the fifth as Jones grounded out to second to begin. Grich flied out to left but Schofield doubled into the gap. Boone popped up to third to end the inning.

Rice whiffed to begin the top of the sixth inning but Baylor walked. Evans and Gedman both flied out to center to end the inning. The Angels tied it in the bottom of the 6th although Boyd froze Pettis for strike three to start. Joyner walked and Downing hit a ground ball to third. Boggs went to second but Joyner slid in safely. Jackson turned back to clock and singled home Joyner to tie the game. Boyd started wrestling with himself for giving up the shutout as Gedman and McNamara had to come out and calm him down. The Angels fans went wild to try to rattle Boyd but it failed as DeCinces banged into a double play to end the inning. Boyd was furious with himself in the dugout as the game was tied 1-1.

                                             Mr. October does it again

Candelaria cruised in the top of the seventh inning as Armas flied out to center to start. Owen took strike three and Boggs flied out to left to end the inning. The Angels put the game away in the bottom of the seventh although Jones hit a comebacker to Boyd to start. Grich took strike three but Schofield crushed a 500,000 foot home run to give the Angels the lead. Boone stuck his bat out and singled to center and Pettis iced the game with a 2 run bomb halfway to Hawaii. That was it for Boyd who gave up two big mistakes in the 7th inning to seal his doom after 6 2/3 innings. Joe Sambito came in and got  Joyner to ground to second to end the inning but it was 4-1 Angels.

                                                     Dammit Boyd

The Sox refused to go quietly in the top of the eighth inning against Angels closer Donnie Moore. Barrett lashed a base hit to left but Buckner popped up to center. Rice doubled just out of the reach of Jones to put runners in scoring position before Moore was charged with a balk to advance Rice to third and score Barrett. Schofield ran into foul territory to reel in a pop up from Baylor but Evans drew a walk. Gedman ripped a single to right to score Rice and put the go-ahead run at first. With the game on the line...Armas lined out to center to end the inning with the Sox down 4-3. The Sox got close but couldn't get the knockout punch.

                                              Gedman inches the Sox closer

Just as soon as the Sox got back in the game, the Angels got the big insurance run off Calvin Schiraldi in the bottom of the eighth. Downing lined out to short to start but Jackson drew a walk. DeCinces hit a routine grounder to Boggs...under his glove as Jackson made a mad dash to third on the error. Armas made a great diving catch of a line drive by Jones but couldn't gun down the 40 year old Jackson at home. Grich lined out to left to end the inning with the Angels ahead 5-3.

                                                  Great catch...not the best throw

Mike Greenwell pinch hit for Owen to open the top of the ninth with Devon White now in right field. Greenwell popped up to Pettis before Boggs also flied out to center. Barrett lined a single to right to bring the tying

                                                                    Angels win


Jackass of the Night is Oil Can Boyd. He pitched well but couldn't finish the job, allowing 4 runs in 6 2/3 innings.

                                                                Oil Can Jackass



The Good:

Marty Barrett was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Jim Rice was 1 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Don Baylor was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Dwight Evans was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Rich Gedman was 3 for 4 with 2 rbi's.

Joe Sambito retired the only man he faced.



The Bad:

Bill Buckner was 0 for 5.

Spike Owen was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Mike Greenwell popped up as a pinch hitter.



The Ugly:

Wade Boggs was 0 for 4 with an error but walked.

Tony Armas was just 1 for 4.

Calvin Schiraldi gave up the insurance run but it was unearned due to the Boggs error.




Final Thoughts:

This was a really tough loss considering the prospect of having to pitch Roger Clemens on 3 days rest tomorrow. Basically if it wasn't for the Angels throwing up on themselves in Game 2, they essentially should be up 3-0 right now. The Sox couldn't hit Candelaria the same way they couldn't hit Witt in Game 1. The prospect of facing both of them again is frightening. Now they have to face Don Sutton tomorrow and hope they can crack him, otherwise they're down 3 games to 1 and forget about it. The Sox look to even the series tomorrow night when they send Roger Clemens to the mound on 3 days rest to take on Don Sutton in Game 4 at 8:00 PM eastern time at Anaheim Stadium.

Sox Hammer Angels in Game 2 (10/8/86)

That's more like it. After the California Angels shelled the Boston Red Sox in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series, this time it was the Red Sox who shoved it up the Angels collective bungholes in Game 2. For 6 innings the Sox held a slim 3-2 lead when the Angels threw up on themselves in the 7th inning. Bruce Hurst tossed a complete game allowing just 2 runs while Jim Rice settled matters with a 2 run homer in the 8th inning. When it was over the Sox had evened the series and sent it back to Anaheim with a 9-2 win at Fenway Park.

                 Sox even the series

Hurst took the ball in the top of the first inning and Rick Burleson popped up to Marty Barrett in short right to begin the game. Wally Joyner knocked down Wade Boggs with a base hit to third but was erased on the Brian Downing force. Doug DeCinces popped up into the sun but Dwight Evans snared it to end the inning. McCaskill got the ball in the bottom of the first and the Sox immediately tagged him. Boggs tripled off the Monster before Barrett doubled down the right field line to put the Sox up 2 batters into the game. Bill Buckner hit a shot but right to Gary Pettis and Barrett was caught in a rundown on a ground ball by Rice. Baylor singled off the Monster to put runners at the corners but Dwight Evans lined out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                             Boggs gets the rally started, Barrett finishes it

Hurst struck out George Hendrick to begin the top of the second before Bobby Grich hit a broken bat bloop single. Dick Schofield flied out to a running Tony Armas before Bob Boone hit a routine pop up but Spike Owen dropped for an error in foul territory. Boone failed to take advantage of the second chance as he looked at strike three to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the first when Rich Gedman singled to left center to start. Armas whiffed but Owen atoned for his error with a base hit off a rock that went up the middle, fooling Schofield. McCaskill was blinded by the sun on a ground ball by Boggs which was ruled a hit to load the bases. Barrett lined a base hit to drive in another run as Gedman scored. Buckner banged into a double play to end the inning but the Sox were ahead 2-0.

                                                        Gedman scores a run

Hurst kept up the pace in the top of the third inning as Pettis grounded out to third to start. Mark "The Bird" Fidrych was shown in the crowd as Burleson flied out to right. Evans climbed the wall in right to rob Joyner of a home run to end the inning. Rice whiffed to begin the bottom of the third before Baylor drew a walk. Evans flied out to right before Gedman grounded into a force to end the inning.

The Angels struck back in the top of the fourth as Downing led off with a base hit just in front of Armas. DeCinces whacked a single into left field but Hendrick popped up to third. Grich hit a routine grounder to third but Boggs booted it to load the bases on the error. Owen compounded the situation by failing to get the ball out of his glove on a grounder by Schofield to score Downing. Hurst got a big out when Boone popped up to second and Pettis lined out to a running Armas to end the inning but it was 2-1 Sox.

                                             "Oooooopssssss" - Boggs

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fourth as Armas and Owen both grounded out to first to start. Boggs grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Angels tied it up in the top of the fifth inning although Burleson grounded out to short to begin. Joyner crushed a 500,000 foot home run to tie the game. Downing popped up to first and DinCinces grounded out to short to end the inning with the game tied 2-2

                                                     Tie game

The Sox retook the lead although Barrett led off the bottom of the fifth by looking at strike three. Buckner singled up the middle but Rice whiffed. Baylor drew a walk and Evans hit a routine pop up to Grich but he lost it in the sun. The ball dropped in and Buckner scored to give the Sox the lead on the "single" by Evans. Evans ended up on second and Baylor on third but Gedman was rung up on a check swing to end the inning with the Sox now ahead 3-2.

                                              "I got it, I got it...I don't got it" - Grich

Hurst got Hendrick to pop up to Buckner to begin the top of the sixth. Grich and Schofield struck back to back singles before the Angels made a huge blunder. Boone lined a single to left and Rice gunned it to the cutoff man. Angels third base coach Moose Stubing never moved and Grich rounded third. He figured the throw was coming home so he trotted back to third only to see Schofield barreling toward third. Hung up, Grich was tagged out and was FURIOUS with Stubing for falling asleep at the switch. Hurst froze Pettis for strike three to end the inning with the lead still intact.

                                                           YERRR OUT!

Boston failed to capitalize on the break in the bottom of the 6th as Armas grounded out to short to start. Owen grounded out to first before Boggs lined out to second to end the inning.

Hurst came back for the top of the seventh and Burleson hit a bloop single just in front of a diving Armas to start. Joyner helped the Sox by banging into a double play before Downing whiffed to end the inning. The Angels puked on themselves in the bottom of the seventh inning although Barrett took strike three to start. Buckner hit a routine grounder to second that Grich booted for an error. Rice lined a base hit to center and Baylor walked to load the bases. Evans hit a routine grounder to third but DiCences tripped and fell, allowing Rice to reach third safely. Buckner scored the insurance run and the bases were reloaded. Gedman hit a perfect double play ball to second but Schofield threw the relay throw to first away which allowed Rice to score. Baylor made the turn for home and Joyner heaved the ball over everything which allowed Don to score the killshot. The Angels managed to commit 3 errors (4 really) in the same inning. Armas grounded out to third but the Sox now led 6-2

                                              Angels need the Benny Hill theme

Dave Henderson came in for Armas in the top of the eighth and DeCinces flied out to right to begin. Hurst had to hustle to field a throw from Buckner to get Hendrick at first and Grich grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox wrapped up the scoring in the bottom of the eighth with Gary Lucas now on the mound. Owen drew a walk and Boggs dropped down a bunt to move him a second. Barrett singled Owen to third and Buckner scored Spike with a sac fly to left. That was it for Lucas as Doug Corbett was brought in to pitch to Rice. Rice made the Angels pay by smashing a 2 run home run into the Angels bullpen to end the scoring. The Fenway faithful started serenading the Angels with "Na na na na, kiss him goodbye" before Baylor singled off the Monster. Evans lined out to 3rd to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-2.

                                                   Rice hits one out

Dave Stapleton took over at first in the top of the ninth and Barrett caught a looper by Schofield to start. Boone flied out to center but Pettis singled to center. Burleson grounded into a force to end the game. The Sox had taken Game 2 with a 9-2 win to send the series to California tied.

                 Big, big win


Hero of the Night is Bruce Hurst. The offense was rocking and rolling but Hurst went the distance allowing just 2 runs, 1 earned.

                                                                 Hurst the Hero
                                                 

The Good:

Wade Boggs was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Marty Barrett was 3 for 5 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Jim Rice was 2 for 5 with a 2 run home run.

Don Baylor was 2 for 2 with 3 walks and a run scored.

Spike Owen was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.



The Bad:

Tony Armas was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.



The Ugly:

Bill Buckner was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run and scored twice.

Dwight Evans was just 1 for 5 but drove in 2 runs.

Rich Gedman was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run and scored.



Honorable Mention:

Dave Henderson played centerfield in the final 2 innings.

Dave Stapleton played first base in the top of the ninth.




Final Thoughts:

Even though it was a feel good win to beat up the Angels, trouble looms on the horizon. The Sox are going to have to rely on Oil Can Boyd and Al Nipper in Anaheim and that may not be ideal. The injury to Tom Seaver put the Sox behind the 8-ball after Hurst and Clemens. The Sox offense is going to have to step up in the next two games to get it back to Clemens and Hurst in the following games. As for this one, the Sox offense didn't really pound the Angels as it was California just throwing up on themselves. The Angels couldn't get out of their own way defensively and they're going to rebound for sure in Anaheim. Still, Hurst stepped up big and now its time for the others to pitch in if the Sox want to get to the World Series for the first time in 11 years. After an off-day tomorrow, the Sox travel to Anaheim for Game 3 of the series. Oil Can Boyd goes for the Sox up against John Candelaria this Friday night at 8:00 PM Eastern Time at Anaheim Stadium.

Angels Rout Sox in Game 1 (10/7/86)

Well the American League Championship Series is off to a terrible start for the Boston Red Sox. In their first LCS action in 11 years, the California Angels stomped them into submission. Potential AL Cy Young champ Roger Clemens was lit up for 8 runs as Angels ace Mike Witt held the Sox to just 1 run in a complete game 5 hitter. Brian Downing outscored the Sox all by himself and the Angels ripped homefield away from the Sox with an 8-1 win at Fenway Park.

                                                          Angels strike first

Clemens got the ball in the top of the first inning an Ruppert Jones began the game by watching strike 3 go by right down the middle. Wally Joyner doubled into the right field corner but Brian Downling lined out softly to third. Reggie Jackson drew a walk but Doug DeCinces took Tony Armas to the wall for the third out to end the inning. Witt got the ball in the bottom of the first and Wade Boggs drew a walk to begin. Marty Barrett banged into a double play and Bill Buckner lined out to center to end the inning.

The Angels iced the game early in the top of the second although Clemens blew away Rob Wilfong to begin. Dick Schofield whiffed on a fastball right down the middle but Bob Boone and Gary Pettis drew back to back walks. Jones singled up the middle to score Boone to put the Angels on top. Joyner doubled into the left field corner to score Pettis with the deciding run. Downing also doubled into the left field corner to clear the bases. Clemens blew away Jackson but the game was out of reach already, 4-0.

                                                  Downing outscored the Sox by himself

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the second as Jim Rice grounded back to the mound to begin. Don Baylor popped up to first before Dwight Evans grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Angels struck again thanks to poor fielding by the Sox in the top of the third. Doug DeCinces grounded out to short before Wilforng hit a routine grounder to Spike Owen. Owen then threw the ball 400 feet completely out of Fenway for an error. Clemens recovered to punch out Schofield but Boone singled up the middle. Pettis grounded a base hit past the diving Buckner to score Wilfong with another run. World Middleweight boxing champion Marvin Hagler cheered when Jones popped up to short to end the inning but it was 5-0 Angels.

                                                              Nice throw Owen

Witt continued his domination in the bottom of the third as Rich Gedman popped up to center to start. Former Boston College quarterback Doug Flutie was shown in the crowd as Tony Armas grounded out to third. Owen whiffed on a pitch in the dirt to end the inning.

Clemens settled down in the top of the fourth as Joyner grounded out to first to begin. Downing flied out to left and Jackson grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox went quietly in the bottom of the fourth as Boggs lined out to left to start. Barrett flied out to right as Al Michaels said Bob Boone's father Ray signed Barrett to the Sox. Buckner popped out to center to end the inning.

DeCinces began the top of the fifth inning with a single to center but Wilfong flied out to center. Schofield popped up to left and Boone grounded out to first to end the inning. Rice led off the bottom of the 5th by grounding out to short. Baylor hit one up the elevator shaft before Evans was rung up for strike three to end the inning. Witt had thrown 5 no-hit innings.

Clemens came back for the top of the sixth in a silent Fenway and Pettis flied out to center to start. Jones grounded out to first and Joyner popped up to right to end the inning. Gedman led off the bottom of the sixth by popping up to center. Armas flied out to right but Owen walked to break up the streak of 16 in a row retired by Witt much to author Stephen King's delight. Boggs broke up the no hitter by beating out a chopper to third. Barrett lined a single to right to score Owen to break up the shutout. Buckner popped up to left to end the inning but the Sox were on the board 5-1.

                                                      "The Angels are scary" - SK

Clemens cruised in the top of the seventh inning as Downing flied out to center to start. Jackson popped up to third in foul territory but DeCinces grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox failed to come back in the bottom of the seventh inning as Rice popped up to Boone who reached into the stands to snare the ball. Baylor doubled off the Monster but was stranded when Evans grounded out to third. Downing made a great diving catch to rob Gedman of an rbi hit to end the inning.

The Downing catch sucked the life out of Fenway as the Angels added to the lead in the top of the eighth inning. Clemens came back to get Wilfong to ground out to second to begin. Clemens' 135th pitch was lined to right by Schofield for a base hit. Schofield swiped second and scored on the bloop single to right by Boone. Pettis singled to right off the exhausted Clemens to chase him. Clemens was game but had thrown over 140 pitches and ended up giving up 7 total runs in 7 1/3 innings.

                                               "Man oh man you sucked tonight" - JM

Joe Sambito was summoned to face old pal Rick Burleson pinch hitting for Jones. Burleson popped up to first but Joyner walked to load the bases. That was it for Sambito as Sox manager John McNamara brought in Bob Stanley to pitch to Downing. Sambito was probably the better option as Downing lined a base hit to left that scored both Boone and Pettis. Jackson grounded into a force to end the inning with the Angels ahead 8-1.

                                                       Pettis is safe and the Sox are done

The Sox tried to rally in the bottom of the eighth with Devon White now in right field. Armas popped up to left but Owen beat out an infield single to second. Boggs was robbed by a diving Joyner to advance Spike to second but Barrett also beat out an infield single to put runners at the corners. Buckner popped up to left to end the inning.

Stanley came back for the top of the ninth as DeCinces grounded out to short to start. Wilfong grounded out to second and Schofield popped up to center to end the inning. Witt came back to complete the game in the bottom of the ninth. The Sox went quietly as Rice whiffed to start before Baylor popped up to right. Evans also popped up to right to end the game. The Angels had taken Game 1 of the ALCS with a convincing 8-1 win.

                                                 Witt and the Angels celebrate


Jackass of the Night is Roger Clemens. Sure the offense did nothing against Witt but the frontrunner for AL MVP got shelled in his playoff debut. He lasted 7 1/3 innings but gave up 8 runs off 10 huts and 3 walks.

                                              Cy Young Clemens is LCS Jackass


The Good:

Wade Boggs was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Marty Barrett was 2 for 4 and drove in the Sox only run.



The Bad:

Bill Buckner was 0 for 4.

Jim Rice was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Dwight Evans was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Rich Gedman was 0 for 3.

Tony Armas was 0 for 3.



The Ugly:

Don Baylor was just 1 for 4.

Spike Owen was 1 for 2 with a walk and a run scored but his error allowed a crucial run to score.

Joe Sambito retired only one of the two men he faced.

Bob Stanley allowed an inherited runner to score but none of his own in 1 1/3 innings.




Final Thoughts:

That was GARBAGE. In the Sox first LCS action in 11 years they completely laid an egg. Clemens had his lunch handed to him and Witt completely shut down the Sox offense. Hopefully this was just opening game jitters because if the Angels take tomorrow's game then its adios muchachos. The Angels were the West Division champs for a reason and they pounded Clemens in this one. Everything they hit found a hole and sometimes there's nothing you can do about it but come back the next day. This puts the Sox in a huge hole with games 3-5 in Anaheim and needing to rely on Oil Can Boyd and Al Nipper in the absence of proven post-season starter Tom Seaver. The Sox better hope they can win tomorrow afternoon in Game 2 when Bruce Hurst takes on Kirk McCaskill at 3:05 PM at Fenway Park.