The ’86 Sox went to Yankee Stadium on June 16 for a crucial three-game series and got off to a fine start with a 10-1 drubbing of the New Yorkers. Roger Clemens went to 12-0 as three hits each by Jim Rice and Tony Armas led a 16-hit attack. Yankee starter Ron Guidry was knocked out after two innings. Guidry, the winning pitcher in the famous Sox-Yankee playoff game in 1978, was beginning to fade at age 36.
The next night, as they mourned the untimely death of Wade Boggs’ mother, the Sox made it two straight with a 7-6 victory. Boston again began early with a five-run first, jumping to a 7-2 advantage and holding on with Bob Stanley getting the win and Joe Sambito the save. Dewey Evans led the way with 2 homers and 4 rbi’s as the Bosox extended their AL East lead to 5 1/2 games.
The sweep was completed on Wednesday night as Don Baylor’s three-run double in the eighth gave Oil Can Boyd his ninth win by a 5-2 score. Yankee owner George Steinbrenner fined Ken Griffey Sr $10,000 for being AWOL and ripped his team. “The defense stinks,” he was quoted as saying in language that was most likely stronger. It was the first Sox sweep in Gotham in four years.
Perhaps suffering a bit of a letdown, the team came home and were buried 14-3 by the still -dangerous Orioles. Baltimore smacked 20 hits off Mike Brown and 5 relievers before 34, 826 fans, the biggest Fenway crowd of the year. Future Sox star Mike Boddicker ran his record to 10-1. The previous day, an off day, the city of Boston had been shocked by the death of Celtics first draft choice Len Bias from a cocaine overdose.
Saturday the 21st belonged to the Rocket, as Roger ran his mark to 13-0 with a 7-2 victory. Besides leading the majors in wins, he also led the AL with a 2.18 ERA and 114 strikeouts. Leigh Montville wrote in the Globe : “Nothing is guaranteed in any sport, but isn’t a win from Roger Clemens the closest thing there is to a guarantee?” The crowd of over 35,000 was the biggest in Fenway since 1978. Only three pitchers in major league history had more wins to open a season. The Sox streak ended at one, however, as Storm Davis of the Orioles went 7 shutout innings in a 4-0 victory, allowing only 3 hits. Sox starter Jeff Sellers saw his mark fall to 0-3.
Preparing to entertain the revenge-minded Yankees, Boston stood at 44-23 and led New York by 6 games and Baltimore by 7.
Boggs still led the majors in hitting with a .390 average, while Rice was ninth in the AL at .320. Baylor had 15 homers and 47 rbi’s.
At 46-19, the Mets were easily the best team in baseball. Incidentally , Davey Johnson, who managed the Mets from ’84 to ’89, recently took over the managing job of the Washington Nationals at the age of 68.
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