This Week in Red Sox 1986

The first four games of the ALCS proved intensely discouraging for Red Sox Nation. The Rocket was battered  by the Angels in game 1, allowing 10 hits and 8 runs in 7 1/3 innings as California romped, 8-1 at Fenway.The Angels reached Clemens for 4 in the second inning, as Roger uncharacteristically walked 2, gave up an rbi hit to Ruppert Jones, a double to rookie Wally Joyner, and a two-run single to Brian Downing. Three more in the eighth chased Clemens, who was allowed to throw 144 pitches. The Sox hitters could do little with 6’7″ Mike Witt, who went all the way, scattering 5 hits and carrying a no-hitter into the fifth. “The wrappings of invincibility were torn apart in a hurry, ” wrote Leigh Montville. “What have we here? The California Angels ignored all the pretty pictures and all the shiny numbers of the long season and simply ripped and pulled.”

Boston would bounce back the next afternoon in a rather sloppy 9-2 win behind a fine pitching effort from Bruce Hurst. The Globe recorded seven errors-mental and physical-that marked the contest. The Sox led 3-2 after six, but notched 3 in the seventh and 3 more in the eighth to put it away. Though the home squad piled up 13 hits. including 3 each by Wade Boggs and Marty Bdarrett and a two-run homer in the eighth by Jim Rice, it was the misplays that stood out. To quote the Globe: “Seventh inning: Grich bobbles Buckner grounder. With bases full, DeCinces bobbles Evans bouncer as Buckner scores and misses tag on Rice, who later scores. Schofield throws away Gedman’s double play ball, letting Baylor score and Gedman reach safely.” Dan Shaughnessy, ever the critic, laid in on Sox shortstop Spike Owen: “He played shortstop like a guy with two bags of groceries trying to pass through a subway turnstile. He was tentative, tight, confused, flustered, and erratic….It was downright Buddinesque.” The reference was to late-50’s Sox shortstop Don Buddin, who passed away earlier this year.

Thursday the 9th was an off day, but the big news was Johnny Mac’s decision to start Clemens Saturday on three days rest rather than go with Al Nipper. According to Larry Whiteside: “Nipper was visibly shaken by the news…He apparently got the word from reporters rather than directly from McNamara. ‘I have nothing to say’ was Al’s only comment.” Mac did admit that he hadn’t talked to the pitcher, but he would. Unfortunately, the Sox skipper was never the best communicator.

As the series moved to Anaheim, the Sox woes continued, with Oil Can Boyd suffering a 5-3 loss. Can was pitching well, locked in a 1-1 tie with John Candelaria. Suddenly, it fell apart. A Dick Schofield homer, a Bob Boone single, and a Gary Pettis homer later, it was 4-1. The Sox rallied with two in the eighth on three hits and a balk off reliever Donnie Moore, but the Angels added an unearned tally off Calvin Schiraldi in the bottom half. Shaughnessy’s headline was “Schofield and Pettis provide the power?” Dan pointed out that Schofield, whose father played briefly with the Sox and was nicknamed Ducky, had 28 career homers in 3 years, and that Pettis had 12 in 4 seasons. “Schofield and Pettis,” he wrote “has anybody seen Bucky Dent?”

Every day since the series began, the Globe had featured a front-page photo beside a short summary of the game. On Sunday morning the 12th, the picture was one of Schiraldi grimacing in agony. It came when he hit Downing with a breaking ball, allowing pinch hitter Devon White to score and tie the game on the way to a 4-3 Angels victory. Mac’s decision to start Roger had seemed to be working, as the Rocket entered the ninth with a 3-0 lead. Buckner’s double off Don Sutton broke a scoreless tie in the sixth, and a single by Barrett combined with more sloppy Angels play seemed to clinch it with Clemens on the mound. McNamara would be criticized for sending Roger out in the ninth after hurling 120-plus pitches on three days rest. And the Rocket faded quickly. A leadoff homer by Doug DeCinces was followed by one-out singles by Schofield and Boone. Schiraldi came in and Jim Rice, a big factor in the Sox drive to the AL East title, misplayed an easy fly and compounded the error by overthrowing two cutoff men and allowing Schofield to score. It was now 3-2, and after an intentional walk to load the bases, Schiraldi fanned Bobby Grich and was one out away from a huge win.

But as would happen several times in the 86 postseason, the closer couldn’t close it out. On a 1-2 count, Schiraldi hit Downing to force in the tying run. Two innings later, Grich’s hit scored Jerry Narron with the winning run. Since the Sox bullpen was still a shambles, Schiraldi was still in there to take the loss. After the game, with most of his teammates taking refuge in the trainer’s room, Calvin was there to speak to the media. “It’s not easy,” he said. It’s just sad.”

Now down 3-1 and facing elimination the following afternoon, the Sox seemed to be heading for a quick exit in the postseason. But there is, of course, must more to the story.