1986 Boston Red Sox Season Summary

Record: 95-66, 1st in American League East (7 teams)
Runs Scored: 794
Runs Allowed: 696
Pythagorean W-L: 90-71

Manager(s): John McNamara (95-66)
Ball Park: Fenway Park

Post-Season Results

Won AL Championship Series over California Angels (4-3)
Lost World Series to New York Mets (4-3)

Notable Moments from 1986

28 March 1986 - The Yankees and Red Sox trade designated hitters as Mike Easler goes to New York in exchange for Don Baylor. Baylor bats .238 in 1986 for the pennant-winners, hitting 31 home runs and knocking home 94 runs while leading the league for the third straight season with 35 hit-by-pitches.

7 April 1986 - Despite hitting the very first pitch of the season for a home run, Dwight Evans and the Red Sox lose 6-5 to the Tigers in Detroit.

29 April 1986 - Roger Clemens sets a major league record by recording 20 strikeouts in a 3-1 win over Seattle at Fenway Park; he allows just three hits and walks none in the complete game effort.

30 April 1986 - Three Boston pitchers combine to strike out 16 Seattle batters in a 9-4 win for the Red Sox over the Mariners, one day after Roger Clemens strikes out 20 Seattle batters.

8 June 1986 - Wade Boggs goes hitless in Boston's 7-3 loss to Milwaukee. Boggs, over the past 162 games for the Red Sox, has played in all but two games, batting exactly .400 during that stretch.

27 June 1986 - Roger Clemens raises his record to a perfect 14-0 with a 5-3 win over the Orioles in Baltimore.

15 July 1986 - Getting the starting nod for the American League squad, Roger Clemens pitches three perfect innings to earn All-Star Game MVP honors.

21 August 1986 - Boston clobbers Cleveland 24-5 at Cleveland Stadium; the Red Sox score 12 runs in the sixth inning alone, with 11 of those coming with two outs.

10 September 1986 - With a 9-4 win in Baltimore over the Orioles, Boston extends its winning streak to 11 games as Roger Clemens wins his 22nd decision.

28 September 1986 - Boston wins the American League East division with a week left in the season thanks to a convincing 12-3 win over Toronto at Fenway Park.

12 October 1986 - The Red Sox, on the brink of elimination in the ALCS, are saved by Dave Henderson's two-out, ninth-inning home run against the Angels at Anaheim Stadium that temporarily gives Boston a 6-5 lead; the Sox eventually go on to win 7-6 in eleven on a sacrifice fly by "Hendu."

15 October 1986 - Boston completes the comeback from a 3-1 series deficit with a 8-1 win over California to claim the American League pennant.

25 October 1986 - One out from what seemed like certain victory in Game Six of the World Series, Boston allows three runs in the bottom of the tenth at Shea Stadium in New York as the Mets win 6-5 to tie the series at three games. The winning run scores when a grounder down the first base line off the bat of Mookie Wilson dribbles through Bill Buckner's legs.

27 October 1986 - Despite an early 3-0 lead, the Red Sox lose Game Seven 8-5 to the Mets as New York wins its second World Series title in front of 55,032 fans at Shea Stadium.

12 November 1986 - Only the second player to earn the honor unanimously, Roger Clemens becomes the first Red Sox pitcher since Jim Lonborg in 1967 to win the Cy Young Award. It is the first of three with Boston and seven total in his career.

18 November 1986 - 24-game-winner Roger Clemens becomes the first Red Sox pitcher to be named American League Most Valuable Player and the first pitcher to win the honor since Vida Blue in 1971.