1987 BOSTON RED SOX ...
75 YEARS & A FENWAY HANGOVER ...
 

1987 was another year that saw the Red Sox trying to shake off the hangover from a heartbreaking collapse. The ’86 team let a World Series title slip through their grasp and the Red Sox dragged their own unique set of baggage into the new season. 

Apart from letting free agents Tony Armas, Sammy Stewart, Dave Stapleton and Tom Seaver walk away, the front office made few moves. The bad memories of how the year before came to an end remained and the fans were not in a forgiving mood. They still turned out, but now there was an air of cynicism and expected disappointment.

There were two million fans who came out the previous season, up about 1/2 million more than previous years. And the demand for the upcoming year's tickets went through the roof. The players however did not benefit from the increased revenue.

Roger Clemens, had a salary of $220K in 1986, less than the league average of $370K. The Sox offered him an increase to $500K. He knew what he was worth at the gate and wanted a $1M contract. Jim Rice was making over $2M and Wade Boggs was paid $1.6M. Bob Stanley and Dwight Evans each made $1M

As a result, Clemens walked out of spring training. After a month MLB stepped in and mediated a new deal somewhere in the middle. Clemens would be paid $650K this season and over $1M plus incentives the next year.

After the World Series ended, Rich Gedman was set to join other major leaguers in a seven-game exhibition series in Tokyo. Gedman, though, was unable to participate in the series after fracturing his cheekbone while warming up Detroit Tigers pitcher Willie Hernández.

One of the game’s better catchers, Gedman was making $650K and also wanted $1M. The Red Sox had concerns, in part because of his injury. His mental strength was also a new concern, as Sox management knew he would field incessant questions from the media as to whether Bob Stanley’s wild pitch was actually a passed ball. The Sox missed the deadline to sign him on January 8th, making him eligible to sign with other clubs and preventing the Red Sox from re-signing him until May 1st.

With Gedman out, John Marzano, an All-American catcher with Temple in 1984, and the leading hitter on the US Olympic team in Los Angeles, was thought to be ready to challenge for the starting position. But he hit only .194 in spring training and did not field very well. He was sent down to Pawtucket, where it was thought he would benefit from playing every day.

So, catcher Danny Sheaffer, who had been in the Red Sox organization since 1981 and hit .340 at Triple-A Pawtucket in 1986, went north instead of Marzano. Gedman's backup, Marc Sullivan, solidified his position by hitting .350 in spring training and became the Sox starting catcher.

Ellis Burks made a strong impression on the Red Sox with an outstanding spring training. He was the team’s last cut and optioned to Pawtucket. But there was no stopping in Pawtucket for Mike Greenwell, who was also known as "Gator" for wrestling alligators in Florida. He came north with the Red Sox after spring training.

Ed Romero played only two innings in spring training, but Marty Barrett hurt his wrist the first week of the regular season, and Romero got more of a chance to play regularly.

With additional help from Ted Williams, who stayed and worked with Sam Horn after Boston went north to start the season, altering the way he gripped a bat and shortening his stance, Horn became a force in Pawtucket, batting .376 with 11 homers by mid-May.

Firstbaseman Pat Dodson got his chance and played a lot at first base in spring training, in place of the injured Bill Buckner. He batted .364 in his first nine spring games and displayed excellent defense at first base. He made the Sox roster and lived his dream of being on a major-league team on Opening Day.

"Oil Can" Boyd suffered from a sore shoulder from the year before, and it didn't get much better, signaling a collapse that would ultimately get him into treatment for a drug problem.

The Sox started the season without Clemens, Boyd or Gedman, and Bob Stanley became the Sox starter on Opening Day in Milwaukee. He gave up three runs on nine hits and lost 5 to 1. The Brewers beat the Sox 3-2 the next day on April 8th. Wes Gardner had entered with the game tied and blew a good effort from Al Nipper, giving up three straight hits and the winning run in the seventh inning.

In the final game of the series on April 9th, having already passed the milestone of getting his first major-league hit in the sixth inning, catcher Danny Sheaffer hit a game-tying home run in a slugfest that the Sox eventually lost, 12-11, giving the Brewers an opening series sweep. Sheaffer later indicated in an interview that it was the most favorite moment of his playing career.

After the disappointing season-opening road trip, Bruce Hurst won the home opener against the Blue Jays, with a 3-0, three-hitter on April 10th. Marc Sullivan had gotten hits in his first three games to start the season, including a home run on the first pitch he saw.

Roger Clemens made his debut in the following game on April 11th. He breezed through the first three innings but then surrendered four runs in the fourth inning. When he was removed from the game, he received a hearty round of "boos" from the Fenway Park crowd. Steve Crawford, Joe Sambito and Wes Gardner gave up seven more runs, for an 11 to 1 shellacking.

On April 12th, Don Baylor had two mighty swings, driving in five runs to help Bob Stanley to an 8-3 victory over the Blue Jays. After eight innings however Calvin Schiraldi came in to finish the game. He walked the first three batters he faced, gave up a run, but then closed the door.

Al Nipper got the ball in the next game on April 14th. He gave up nine hits but just one run, as the Rangers stranded ten runners in scoring position. Thus he protected the lead he got on Don Baylor's three-run homer in the first inning and won 4 to 1.

In a game against the Texas Rangers on April 15th, with help from Dwight Evans’ sixth-inning grand slam, the Sox were up a run when Wes Gardner came in during the seventh inning to preserve the precarious lead. What Bruce Hurst had left on the bases for Gardner to contend with was runners on second and third and nobody out. Gardner most definitely was up to the challenge. He struck out the side with 14 pitches, protected the 5-4 lead, and the Sox's third straight win.

After losing two in Toronto, the Sox won the next two and split the series. On April 18th, the Sox staged a 6 to 4 come-from-behind decision. Danny Sheaffer, in his second start, collected two RBI singles and broke a 4-4 tie.

The next day, on April 19th, Al Nipper was nearly flawless in a 4 to 1 win. After falling behind 1-0, Wade Boggs led the Sox back and tied things up with a homer. Bill Buckner then doubled and made it home thanks to Dwight Evans.

Roger Clemens lost his next start in Toronto, then he got back on track with a three-hitter in an 8-0 victory over the estimable Kansas City Royals at Fenway on April 21st. He had a no-hitter after six and had retired 16 straight.

The next night, on April 22nd, Bob Stanley flushed the Royals, allowing only four hits in a 1-0 victory. It was his first shutout since 1980.

The Sox were on the road at the end of the month and got mired in a slump that saw them swept three games in Texas and two in Oakland. But they came out in the Kingdome on April 29th and beat the Mariners 11-5. Mike Greenwell was filling in for the injured Jim Rice, who had a sore elbow, and after getting just one hit in his first 11 at-bats, he knocked out three hits and came through with four RBIs.

The Sox had dug themselves into a 9-13 hole and were already 9 1/2 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers, sitting in 6th place. They looked like a team that was past its prime and needed contributions from some of its talented prospects. April proved to be a nightmare for Pat Dodson. He was 0-for-the-month, batting 11 times with no hits and six strikeouts, although he showed excellent defense and felt confident of his progress. The Red Sox optioned him back to Pawtucket on April 29th and called up Ellis Burks to see what he could do.

After starting 14 of the team’s first 22 games, Marc Sullivan was hitting .163 and was benched in favor of Danny Sheaffer. Dave Sax was sent to Pawtucket also, to make room for Marty Barrett, who was coming off the disabled list. Sax would never play in another major league game.

On the night of April 30th, John McNamara inserted Burks into the starting lineup as the center fielder in Seattle. Burks was hitless in three at-bats with a weak ground ball back to the mound, followed by a strikeout and a foul popup. He also dropped a line drive on which he had attempted to make a diving catch during the 11-2 Mariners victory.

The next night on May 1st, in Anaheim, Burks, collected three hits and provided the spark for a 12-3 victory over the California Angels. Burks had two doubles, a single and a walk in his second game with the Red Sox. His first major league hit drove in a pair of runs.

Meanwhile, Rich Gedman had signed a two-year deal for a reported $883,000 per year, and played his first game on May 2nd, pinch-hitting for Danny Sheaffer at Anaheim. To make room for him, Rob Woodward was sent to Pawtucket. The Sox lost that game, 4 to 2.

But the Sox won only two of their ten games on the road trip, having left home 5 1/2 games out and coming back to Fenway on May 4th, 10 1/2 games behind.

With Bruce Hurst (3-3) throwing his second shutout of the year, on May 5th, when the Sox returned to Boston, the Red Sox went after the Athletics with a 10-hit attack winning 6 to 0. Mike Greenwell and Dwight Evans each drove in a pair of runs in a display of timely hitting. Hurst threw his third complete game and struck out 14, tying a career-high. He scattered five hits and finished with 10 or more strikeouts for the 11th time in his career, third only to Smoky Joe Wood (18) and Roger Clemens (13) on the all-time Red Sox list.

Then on May 6th, Greenwell blasted a three-run homer in the seventh to lead the Sox to a 6-2 decision over Oakland.

Returning to Shea Stadium on May 7th, for the first time since losing the World Series, the Sox dropped a 2-0 decision to the World Champs in the name of the Jimmy Fund. Tom Bolton, on loan from Pawtucket, went the final six innings, allowing the two runs on four hits while striking out four and walking one. Two days later, the Sox, in need of a middle reliever, brought Bolton up from Pawtucket.

Back at Fenway on May 8th, Dwight Evans came through in the clutch with a three-run shot in the eighth inning, that broke a 3-3 tie against the Angels for a 6-4 victory.

Bruce Hurst’s 8-0 shutout on May 10th against the Angels was his third of the year, becoming the first Sox lefthander since Bill Lee (1975) to pitch back-to-back shutouts. Ellis Burks apparently liked Angels pitching because he connected for his first major-league home run against future Hall of Famer Don Sutton in the third inning.

On May 12th, Jeff Sellers helped the Sox beat Seattle, scattering five hits.

Playing more regularly, shortstop Ed Romero put together a 15-game hitting streak from April 21st thru May 13th in which he went 18-for-50 and a .360 BA.

The Sox closed out a 4-3 homestand and went on to Minnesota, where they lost 2-of-3 and Kansas City where they lost two more games. In Minnesota on May 16th, Roger Clemens faced off against Bert Blyleven and beat him 6 to 1. Bill Buckner's three-run homer sealed the deal in the ninth inning. Wade Boggs also belted his second homer in the last two games. Boggs went 4-for-5 on May 20th in Kansas City and Bruce Hurst scattered four hits to beat the Royals 7 to 1.

Coming back to Fenway, the Sox started their homestand by losing three straight to Chicago but then swept the visiting Indians in four straight games.

Led by an Ellis Burks grand slam, and a three-run shot by Marty Barrett, the Sox came from behind on May 25th against the Indians, after watching Bruce Hurst lose the grip of a 6-0 lead. They bounded back with Burks' fourth homer of the year, and the first grand slam of his career.

Al Nipper pitched a craft 7 1/2 innings and saw Dave Henderson belt a three-run homer in the third inning, on May 26th. Wade Boggs (.346 BA) added three hits to assume the AL batting lead, as the Sox beat the Tribe, 6 to 5.

Roger Clemens, strong, confident, and a man who knows exactly what to do with even the most meager lead, treated the Fenway Faithful to a 1-0 victory over the Cleveland on May 27th. Clemens blazed away with a fastball clocked at 94-97 miles an hour for his second shutout. His six-hit masterpiece made the most of the run the Sox gave him in the fifth inning, on Bill Buckner's sac fly that scored Jim Rice. He pitched out of jams in the sixth and eighth innings to hold on to the win.

John Leister made his major league debut the next night, May 28th against the Indians. He’d thrown a three-hitter against Rochester, bringing his record to 5-1 with a 2.67 ERA. The Red Sox optioned Jeff Sellers to Pawtucket to bring him up. Leister gave up six runs in the two innings he pitched. Each of the first four batters he faced got a base hit and scored. The Indians were up 6-1 after two innings.

Then Dwight Evans led the way back with three hits, including his 299th career homer in the come-from-behind 12-8 victory. For the fourth time in his 15-year career, he drove in six runs and sparked the Red Sox' comeback from a 6-1 deficit, as they completed a four-game sweep of the last-place Indians. He overshadowed a historic performance by Cleveland's Joe Carter, who became the first visitor ever to post two three-homer games at Fenway.

The Sox then headed out to Chicago and after losing the first two match-ups, they snuck by the White Sox, 10-9 on May 31st. After being seven runs down in the second inning, the Red Sox battled back. They did it on the backs of Bill Buckner who homered, Jim Rice who banged out four hits, and Tom Bolton who shut the door on the White Sox for 4 1/3 innings. Behind just a run in the ninth, 9-8, the Red Sox got two men on and Mike Greenwell lined a double that scored them both to put them ahead. Calvin Schiraldi pitched the last two innings. He walked two in the ninth but struck out two, to preserve the win.

On June 2nd, the Sox came from behind again. After seemingly gift-wrapping the game for the Twins, the Red Sox snatched it back at the last minute. Calvin Schiraldi, who entered a tie game in the eighth inning, had uncorked a wild pitch to give Minnesota the lead. Then Bill Buckner's two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the ninth inning, off Minnesota relief ace Jeff Reardon, lifted the Red Sox to a 6-5 victory.

Then on the next night, June 3rd, the Red Sox pulled out a 7-6, 10-inning victory over the Twins, who left town wondering if they'd awakened a sleeping giant. The Sox once trailed in this contest, 6-2. But this last-gasp revival included Mike Greenwell's game-tying two-run homer in the ninth and Wade Boggs' game-winning single in the 10th, which brought a happy ending for the Fenway Park fans.

The Sox came from behind again on June 4th. Wade Boggs paced his team to an 8-5 victory over the Tigers. Boggs drove in a pair of runs with a triple, as part of a five-run sixth inning. In the last 28 games, Boggs was batting .417 (43-for-100) with five homers and 21 RBIs. But the Sox lost the next three games to Detroit.

In Baltimore, Bob Stanley stopped the losing streak with a 6 to 2 win on June 8th. The Sox pounded out six doubles and Spike Owen connected for three of them. Dwight Evans, Don Baylor and Ellis Burks each had three hits.

Bruce Hurst (7-4) survived a homer by Cal Ripken in the first innings and waited for Jim Rice and Burks to produce the tying and go-ahead runs, for a 2-1 come-from-behind win on June 9th in Baltimore.

Burks hit his second grand slam of the year as part of a two-homer, seven-RBI performance that led the way to a 15-4 rout of the Orioles on June 10th. In the sixth, second baseman Marty Barrett slammed one over the left-field fence for his second career grand slam, punctuating a three-game sweep for the Sox. The opportunity was there for the Sox to make a run at redemption, and if nothing else, have a good season.

The Red Sox next went to Detroit and it was just the place to make such a stand and leapfrog the team directly in front of them. But Roger Clemens was hammered late in the game of the series opener and that 11-4 loss was the start of a three-game series sweep.

After another to start the series in Cleveland, Clemens came through with a 4-0 shutout of the Indians in Cleveland on June 17th. Ellis Burks had hit five home runs during the road trip and brought his home-run total to 10 the next night on June 18th. But a 7-5 loss against the Indians, put the Sox at 11 1/2 games out of first.

The Sox tried to right the ship facing the Yankees at Fenway on June 20th, Al Nipper pitched a five-hitter and won 9 to 4. Dwight Evans hit his 10th homer and had two other hits for a total of three RBIs, extending a hitting streak to 21 games. Ellis Burks banged out two hits and his ninth stolen base in ten attempts.

Clemens got back on track, by beating the Yankees 4 to 2 in a June 21st game that won a series with the Yanks. Evans belted a two-run homer that tied the game and Burks hit the go-ahead home run the next inning. it was the third time the rookie had provided the Sox with a game-winning blast.

"Oil Can" Boyd came off the DL and John Leister (13.85 ERA) was shipped back to Pawtucket. Boyd won his only game of the year on June 22nd, against the Brewers 5-2, who were on their way to 93 wins.

One of their nice wins took place on June 23rd. The Sox came back from a 5-0 deficit, streaking to a 9-5 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers, paced by Burks' three-run homer in the sixth. They also had a key two-run single by Jim Rice in that inning, to break a 5-5 tie. Marc Sullivan was a frequent target of boo-birds when he did play. It was especially vocal at this game when he had a passed ball and struck out twice before being replaced.

Rookie Todd Benzinger, who had been called up from Pawtucket to take Bill Buckner's place when he went on the DL, got one or more base hits in each of his first three games, and his first runs batted in – four of them – came on June 24th, thanks to a pair of two-run singles in a game the Sox won, 8-7, against the Brewers to sweep a three-game series and give the Sox five straight wins.

The Sox went into Yankee Stadium for a weekend series and lost the first two games. The final game on Sunday, June 28th, was another good game for Al Nipper, who gave up five hits. Bill Buckner, not having played in three weeks, came up with a clutch hit in the fourth inning that led to a 6-2 victory. Don Baylor finally set an unenviable record with the 244th time he was hit by a pitch. It was the 17th time he had been hit this season.

It was all Wade Boggs on June 29th and 30th against the Orioles. In the first game of the series, Boggs blasted his second career grand slam, a sixth-inning shot that put the frosting on the Sox's seventh victory in nine games, 14-3. He also had a single in the first inning and a triple in the fourth, which gave him a career-high seven runs batted in for the night.

The next night a bunch of timely runs in the fifth and sixth wiped out a 7-4 Baltimore lead and led to a 13 to 9 win. What the Sox got in the process, was an even higher level of hitting proficiency from Boggs (3 for 3 with two walks), who inched his American League-leading average up to .391.

The Red Sox (37-39) finished the month having gone 15-12 and were 10 1/2 games out, in fifth place.

On July 1st the Sox completed a sweep of the Orioles giving Roger Clemens six runs, while the "Rocket" allowed six hits, winning 6 to 2. Todd Benzinger doubled and smacked a two-run homer.

Against exclusively mediocre-to-awful teams, the Sox next lost three of four in Oakland, winning 2-0 on July 3rd, when Jeff Sellers came up with a six-hit, 2-0 shutout.

But next, they were swept by the Angels in three games and could only split a four-game set at lowly Seattle.

Spike Owen came back to haunt the Seattle Mariners on July 10th in the Kingdome. Owen drove in one run and scored another in the ninth inning as the Sox broke a 4-4 tie and took a 7-4 victory, ending a six-game losing streak on the West Coast.

Roger Clemens struck out six Mariners in the first two innings and nine overall in a 10-4 victory on July 11th. The Sox knocked out 18 hits in his support. Wade Boggs and Ellis Burks each homered while Jim Rice and Dwight Evans had three hits apiece.

Going into the All-Star break, the Red Sox were 26-13 at home; no team in baseball had fewer home losses. However, the Sox were 15-34 on the road; no team in baseball has more road losses. Sox pitchers allowed 22 homers during the 3-8 completed West Coast trip. The Red Sox had baseball's worst catching corps in the first half of the season. leaving people wondering if Rich Gedman would ever be the same. The Sox bullpen had nine saves, the fewest in baseball. Joe Sambito didn't save a game in the first half. Steve Crawford got hurt just when he finally was starting to pitch well, but it was more bad news when Bruce Hurst said his shoulder was hurting.

The All-Star Game was played on July 14th at Oakland. The National Leaguers were shut out 2-0 in 13 innings. Wade Boggs started at third base and went hitless in three times up. Dwight Evans was 2-for-2 after he took over in right field in the 7th inning. Bruce Hurst was on the team but didn't pitch.

After the break, the Oakland A's came to Fenway and on July 18th, after Jim Rice's ninth-inning homer brought the Red Sox into a 3-3 tie, Dave Henderson stepped to the plate in the 10th and cranked a two-run blast into the right-field seats to hand the Sox a 5-3 victory.

The Sox however lost 3-of-4 to the A's and then lost 2-of-3 to the Angels. Roger Clemens shut out the Angels, 3 to 0 on July 21st. The Boston Globe’s Jack Craig unloaded on Marc Sullivan when he struck out with the bases loaded in the game. “The longer Sullivan plays, the more it appears he is on the team because his father, Haywood Sullivan, wants Marc and his young family to enjoy the good life in the majors rather than the bad life in the minors."

On July 23rd, Bill Buckner's Red Sox career came to an end, after spending time on the DL with a debilitating hip problem. He was released to make room for rookie Sam Horn. Horn was batting .322 with a league-leading 30 homers and 84 RBIs at Pawtucket.

The Red Sox had stranded 695 runners, more than any other team in the American League. Jim Rice was heating up, batting .462 (12-for-26) with three homers and seven RBIs in his last six games.

The Sox won a see-saw 5 to 4 victory over the Mariners on July 24th. Bruce Hurst (11-6, 9-1 at Fenway) pitched a complete game. Don Baylor hit his 15th homer in the sixth inning, to put the Sox ahead for good.

On July 25th, it took precisely 109 minutes and five innings for Sam Horn, to achieve cult status in his new hometown. With the score 5-5 in the bottom of the fifth, Horn drove a hanging slider into the left-field net, and the Red Sox were en route to a 19-hit, 11-5 victory over the Mariners. Horn was summoned for a curtain call in his first major league game.  Tom Bolton held Seattle scoreless over the final five innings, as the Red Sox rallied for the win.

The Sox didn't need most of the 16-hit explosion in an 11-1 demolition in a sweep of the Seattle Mariners on July 26th. Roger Clemens struck out 14 Mariners, including the side in three innings, and won his 50th game in the majors. In his second game, Sam Horn had three more hits and another homer, making him the fourth player to homer in his first two major league games.

Rich Gedman tore a ligament at the base of his left thumb in a home-plate collision with Jesse Barfield of the Toronto Blue Jays on July 27th, ending his season prematurely. Gedman underwent surgery on his left thumb and the Red Sox called up catcher, John Marzano up from Pawtucket to replace him. Marc Sullivan was hitting only .171, while Danny Sheaffer was at an anemic .107. The team was going nowhere, so it seemed like a good time to see what Marzano could do.

In his fifth major-league game on July 29th, Sam Horn hit his third home run, a towering 450-foot two-run blast in a 6-5 victory at Toronto, that landed on the football field of the Toronto Argonauts, beyond the right field fence at Exhibition Stadium, around the 10-yard line.

On July 31st, Roger Clemens (11-7) shut out the Royals in Kansas City, 4 to 0 in a three-hit shutout. The "Rocket" had not allowed an earned run in his last three starts, all of which had been complete-game victories. John Marzano made his major-league debut and went 0-for-3 at the plate.

Ellis Burks had wielded a hot bat for the Sox at the plate. Going into August, he had hit safely in 18 of 20 games at .344 (32-93). In just eight games, Sam Horn had hit five homers at a .433 clip (13 for 30), with 10 runs batted in. 

On August 1st, John Marzano threw out the first baserunner who attempted to steal on him, future MLB All-Star and NFL Star Bo Jackson in Kansas City. Ellis Burks bunted for a single for the sixth time this season, then stole his 15th base in the 4-0 loss.

Dwight Evans hit two home runs on August 2nd. It was the 18th time he had hit two in a game. The Sox lost 13-5 on August 2nd and had lost two of the three games played against the Royals.

On August 3rd, John Marzano went 2-for-4 and collected his first big-league hit, a three-run homer in an 11-2 rout in Texas.  Dwight Evans and Sam Horn also homered. Horn banged out four hits. Bruce Hurst allowed just three hits to gain his 12 wins and went the distance for the 12th time this year.

Dwight Evans (.323 BA) was having a marvelous season, and in Texas on August 4th, staring at another demoralizing defeat, the Sox were saved by the booming bat of Evans. Dewey hit another pair of home runs, including the game-winner in the ninth inning for an 8-6 victory over the Rangers. His first blast, a three-run shot, put the Sox ahead, 5-4, in the sixth. The second, a two-run job in the ninth, brought the Sox back from a 6-5 deficit. Evans now had 25 homers and 88 RBIs this season.

Down 3-2 to the Royals at Fenway, heading into the ninth inning on August 7th, Don Baylor walked and Dwight Evans hit a ball off Bo Jackson's glove in center for a double. With the two on second and third, Baylor scored the tying run on a sac fly. Then Spike Owen and Mike Greenwell walked to load the bases and Marty Barrett drew yet another walk to walk in Owen with the deciding run, 4 to 3.

"Oil Can" Boyd's season ended on August 8th when his ailing right shoulder wouldn't let him pitch anymore. Bruce Hurst won again at Fenway in beating the Royals, 8 to 3. Ellis Burks was a perfect 3-for-3 with two doubles.

On August 10th, Roger Clemens shut down the Blue Jays, 9 to 1 at Fenway. He threw 153 pitches for his 13th complete game, the best in the majors. Mike Greenwell (.332 BA) had three hits as did Sam Horn (.362 BA) and Wade Boggs (.367 BA).

With another workmanlike complete game performance against the Rangers, Bruce Hurst (14-6) raised his home record to 11-1 on the year and 9-0 in his last 11 starts on August 14th, beating the Rangers, 9 to 3.

On August 15th, in another game against the Rangers, the Sox were losing 6 to 3. Wes Gardner was handed the ball in the seventh inning with his record of 0-5 in 33 appearances. This time he held the Rangers off, allowing the Red Sox to come back with four runs to take a 7-6 lead, and then hold it for his first win since 1984, picking a runner off second base to end the game.

John Marzano belted two homers and collected four RBIs on August 16th against the Rangers, pacing the Sox in a 12-2 trashing. Marzano finished 3 for 4. Spike Owen also homered, his first of the season.

Glenn Hoffman was traded to the Dodgers on August 18th for a player to be named later. In Chicago, Spike Owen had four hits and drove in three runs as Red Sox batters reached base on 20 hits winning 14 to 8. Marty Barrett also had four hits and Dwight Evans was 3-for-5 and slugged his 28th home run.

Back in Boston, the Sox swept the AL West leaders, the Minnesota Twins in three games. In the first match-up on August 21st, Roger Clemens sailed to his 13th win with a nine-strikeout effort in beating Minnesota, 11-3. Mike Greenwell had another three-hit night and Dwight Evans had three singles, driving in two of the runners.

The next game on August 22nd was a 5-5 tie in the seventh inning, when Wade Boggs unloaded his 21st homer that beat the Twins, 6 to 5. Still commuting to Boston from an apartment in Pawtucket, Todd Benzinger was fortunate to have escaped serious injury or death while heading home, when a truck driver fell asleep and crashed into his car, sending him flying into the back seat as the car overturned.

Jeff Sellers struck out ten Twins batters on August 23rd, winning 6 to 4 and completing the sweep. The Sox came from behind scoring five runs in the fifth inning on homers by Don Baylor and Dwight Evans.

On August 25th, Al Nipper, Steve Crawford and Wes Gardner combined to beat the White Sox, 7 to 3. Sam Horn slugged two home runs and John Marzone had one. Evans drove home his 100th and 101st runners of the season.

On August 31st, Evans posted his career-high 33 homers and 109 runs batted in. He had another two home run game and collected four RBIs leading a 15-hit attack in Cleveland. It pushed Roger Clemens and the Red Sox to a 7-3 victory.

For the month, Dwight Evans was unstoppable. In only four games did he not get a hit. He went 38-for-104 (.365 BA) with 13 home runs and 31 RBIs in 27 games.

The Sox were active at the September trade deadline, but they were Sellers. Ellis Burks had split time in center with Dave Henderson and they became close friends rather than rivals. In fact, Henderson provided great help to Burks in outfield positioning and in reading hitters. Burks later identified Henderson as one of his greatest influences and closest friends in the game. The front office liked what it saw from Burks so much in center field that they traded Henderson to San Francisco on September 1st for Randy Kutcher.

Don Baylor, the veteran DH turned 38 and posted only 16 homers, 63 RBIs and a .239 BA. He was traded to Minnesota. Pat Dodson was a September call-up from the PawSox. With Henderson and Baylor traded away, there was an open roster spot for him. He batted only .226, however, with two home runs and six RBIs to finish the season.

On the field, the Sox knocked out 17 hits and Jeff Sellers pitched a 9-0 shutout against the Twins in Minnesota. Marty Barrett, Wade Boggs and Mike Greenwell each had three hits with four RBIs, but the Sox lost the next two games.

Roger Clemens struck out 10 Cleveland Indians and chalked up his 15th win on September 4th with a 5-2 victory at Fenway Park. Clemens was 11-2 in his last 17 starts and 7-1 in his last ten.

The Sox's last winning streak of the season started on September 8th and lasted five games at home. They beat the Yankees, 8 to 6 on September 8th. With the score tied 1-1, the Sox scored six runs, thanks to a three-run home by Todd Benzinger who had three hits.

The next night on September 9th, Roger Clemens struck out 12 batters and tied "Smoky" Joe Wood with 18 games of 10 or more strikeouts. Wade Boggs (.363 BA) had three hits and Mike Greenwell (.343 BA) had two. Jim Rice belted his 13th homer in a 5-3 win over the Yankees.

Next, the Sox swept the Orioles in three games. Spike Owen had three hits that drove in three runs on September 10th. John Marzano's broken-bat single gave the Sox a 5 to 4 win in the eighth inning.

Todd Benzinger hammered three home runs in his last four games, adding one on September 11th in a 9-3 victory. He was on a tear, going 10-for-15.

In the ninth inning of the game on September 12th, Ellis Burks stole second easily and, two seconds later, had scored the deciding run in the Red Sox' 4-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. Burks’ decision to steal was with the American League's leading batter, Wade Boggs, at the plate in a tie game. Burks' speed worked successfully, but it took a skipping ground-ball single off Boggs' bat that just eluded the glove of diving first baseman, Eddie Murray, for the Sox to finish the job and defeat the Orioles.

Benzinger’s biggest game was on September 15th in Detroit when he drove in seven runs with a first-inning grand slam and a pair of RBI singles, but the Red Sox lost, 9-8.

Mike Greenwell was hitting .374 (58 for 155) since the All-Star Game, increasing his batting average by a whopping 33 points to a man-sized .340, and was acquiring something of a reputation as a guy who not only hits the ball often but a guy who hits the ball hard. But Mark McGwire would be the American League Rookie of the Year. He'd already hit 41 homers and been on the cover of USA Today.

September call-up, shortstop Jody Reed sparkled in his first start on September 18th, getting three hits (all singles) in six at-bats in the second game of a doubleheader against Baltimore at Memorial Stadium. Marty Barrett was 4-for-6 and Pat Dodson homered. Kevin Romine had three hits, including two doubles, and scored two runs. The Sox had lost the opening game, 9 to 4 as Sam Horn banged out his 10th home run. But they split the day with a 10-7 win in the nitecap.

On September 20th, the Red Sox beat the Orioles again, in straight sets. Roger Clemens shut down the O's on three hits in the opener, winning 5 to 1. He fanned nine while going the route. Sam Horn hit a solo homer in the second. John Marzano singled home Spike Owen in the fifth and Dwight Evans crushed a three-run homer in the eighth, his 34th.

John Leister's best shot at a win eluded him in the second game. He pitched 7 1/3 innings and had a 3-1 lead when Wes Gardner came in with a man on first. The first batter Gardner faced was Fred Lynn, who homered against his former team, tying the score. Todd Benzinger's home run started a three-run ninth inning rally and the Sox won 6 to 3, giving Gardner the win.

On September 21st, Sam Horn and Spike Owen each stroked doubles and Benzinger tripled off the center field wall, beating the Tigers 9 to 4.

In Milwaukee on September 25th, Clemens won again, 9 to 2, striking out ten for the seventh time this season. He led the league with five shutouts and 16 complete games. Sam Horn hit two home runs. His second landed a few rows short of the scoreboard overlooking the center field bleachers, close to 450 feet away. John McNamara said it was the longest home run he ever saw hit that stayed in the County Stadium.

John Leister left the September 27th game after five innings with a 6-3 lead in Milwaukee, only to see Wes Gardner, Bob Stanley, and Calvin Schiraldi surrender six runs, losing 9 to 6.

The Yankees got a taste of Roger Clemens, on September 30th, as he overpowered them with a 13-strikeout, 7-0 dispatch for his 19th victory and sixth shutout of the season.

The next day, on October 1st, the Sox rallied from a 5-1 deficit, to beat the Yankees, 7 to 5. Ellis Burks was 3-for-6, Marty Barrett was 3-for-4 and John Marzano doubled two times. After giving up five runs, Al Nipper retired the last nine batters to preserve his victory.

Then, in an extra-inning pitching duel that evolved into a classic Mexican standoff on October 2nd, Jeff Sellers matched Milwaukee's Teddy Higuera pitch for pitch, going a career-high 11 innings in his final mound appearance of the season. Spike Owen made Sellers' effort worthwhile when he hit his second homer of the season over the "Green Monster", lifting the Red Sox to a 3-2, 12-inning victory.

And finally, Roger Clemens finished a 16-3 run with a commanding, 4-0, two-hit, 12-strikeout demonstration of pitching superiority over the Milwaukee Brewers in the final game of the season on October 4th. The victory was his 20th of the season, thus making him the first man since Tommy John in 1979-80 to register back-to-back 20-win seasons in the American League.

All in all, the 1987 team fared poorly and couldn't even win half their games. After a title run the year before, the Red Sox slumped to a 78-84 record, leaving the club 20 games behind the first-place Tigers in 5th place.

Roger Clemens (20-9) captured his second consecutive "Cy Young Award". He finished second in innings pitched (281 2/3), third in ERA (2.97), and tied for first with 20 wins with Oakland's Dave Stewart, who struck out 256 batters. He pitched seven shutouts, and 18 complete games, which led both leagues. For September, he was 6-1 with a 1.51 ERA, striking out 70 batters in 59 2/3 innings. Since the All-Star break, he was 13-3 with a 2.03 ERA.

Other than Clemens, the rest of the Sox hurlers seemed to be in a collective funk as the staff finished 12th out of 14 teams with a 4.77 ERA, contributing to the club’s disappointing 78-84 record and fifth-place finish.

Bruce Hurst possessed a stellar 14-6 record in mid-August before a severe virus (typically reported as mononucleosis) sapped his energy. He lost seven of his last eight starts to finish with a 15-13 record and a 4.41 ERA but set career highs with 15 complete games and 190 strikeouts.

Al Nipper suffered a severely pulled rib cage muscle in June, landed on the DL, and missed almost four weeks. He finished with an 11-12 record and 5.43 ERA in 174 innings, surrendering 30 homers.

Bob Stanley fell apart in 1987. The “Steamer” started 20 games and went 4-15 with a 5.01 ERA.

"Oil Can" Boyd was able to pitch in only seven games all year, until surgery in August. Then it was discovered he had a hairline fracture in his arm, the result of the tussle with the police in 1986.

Jeff Sellers started the season with the club, going 2-1 before heading back to Pawtucket in late May. He returned in June for the rest of the season. His overall numbers, 7-8 and a 5.28 ERA do not look pretty, but he made an impression during the season’s second half. Starting in July, he tossed four complete games. Five of his losses came when the Red Sox managed just one run or none.

The bullpen was not reliable, as Calvin Schiraldi never got his confidence back following the World Series loss at Shea Stadium. After developing tendinitis in May, Schiraldi had an inconsistent season as he tried to bring some variety to accompany his still-strong fastball. His performance was 8-5 with a 4.41 earned-run average and just six saves. He gave up 15 home runs in 83 2/3 innings.

Wes Gardner led the team with 10 saves in 89 2/3 innings pitched but had a 5.42 ERA.

The season was not a good one for Steve Crawford. He was 5-4 with a 5.33 ERA and no saves. He went on the disabled list and had bone chips removed from his elbow for a second time.

Pitching in 47 games, Joe Sambito finished with an inflated 6.93 ERA in 37 2/3 innings pitched and tied a career high by giving up eight home runs. He was still effective against lefties, however, holding them to a .241 average.

Rob Woodward made the team as a reliever and appeared in three games in April, pitching poorly with a 10.12 ERA in 5 1/3 innings pitched. He was optioned to Pawtucket in May and was recalled on July 27th. He was sent back to Pawtucket in August and finished the season with Boston in September. He finished 1-1 with a 7.05 ERA in 37 innings pitched and was 12-8 with a 3.51 ERA in 136 innings pitched at Pawtucket.

Right-hander John Leister (pronounced Lister) pitched 30 1/3 innings for the Red Sox, giving up 31 earned runs. He finished his first stint in the majors with a record of 0-2 and an ERA of 9.20 in eight appearances.

WADE BOGGS

Wade Boggs churned out a proto-type .363 batting average and an on-base percentage of .461. Boggs also had a surprising power surge, with 24 home runs. The long ball was up all over baseball, giving rise to suspicion that the ball was juiced. No one knows for sure, but with Boggs’ power coming and going so quickly, it does lend credence to the idea that the ball might have been wound a little tighter than normal in 1987.

Rich Gedman had enjoyed a quality season in 1986 but didn't receive a single offer when he entered free agency at the beginning of the year. He was more or less forced to re-sign with the Red Sox and couldn't even do that until May 1st because of the rules of free agency. It was later determined that Major League Baseball owners had engaged in collusion to keep salaries low, and Gedman, along with several other players, received a settlement payment.

Gedman’s layoff appeared to have taken a toll. He had back spasms in May and went on the disabled list in early July for a pulled groin muscle. He then severely injured the thumb ligaments on his left hand and was done for the season. He hit only .205, with one home run in 52 games.

To make matters worse, Gedman's replacement was the son of team president Haywood Sullivan. When Marc Sullivan hit .198 in his sixty games, no one was feeling better about any potential nepotism going on at Fenway. Sullivan ended up batting .169 in the sixty games he played.

Rookie catcher and Olympian, John Marzano, appeared in 52 games and batted .244 with five homers. He also caught nine of Roger Clemens’ wins.

Dwight Evans began playing first base after a career as one of the game’s best defensive right-fielders. He had a great year at the plate and batted .305 with 34 home runs.

Ellis Burks’ batting line exceeded all expectations with 20 home runs and 27 stolen bases to accompany 59 runs batted in and a .272 batting average. He became only the third Red Sox player to total 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in the same season. He had 15 outfield assists and his defensive skills impressed many of his teammates.

Marty Barrett had another solid year, batting .293 with 15 stolen bases. He led all major league second basemen with a .988 fielding percentage, committing only nine errors in 767 chances over the last two seasons.

Ed Romero played in 88 games and remarkably drove in only 14 runs and batted .272. He’d played almost the same number of games at third base, second, and short, and even eight at first base. He started to become reconciled to the role of utility infielder.

Bill Buckner had offseason surgery on his feet and ankles but faced a slow rehabilitation process. He started the season at first base, but after batting .273 with two home runs through 75 games, he was released.

Todd Benzinger seemed to put it all together and had an excellent spring training. Over the first 65 games with the Pawsox, he hit .323 with 49 RBIs. In May, he earned himself “Player of the Week” recognition in the International League and in June a promotion to the Red Sox, filling an opening left by Bill Buckner. He played steadily, appearing in 73 games and hitting .278 (.344 OBP), with 43 RBIs. He was an outfielder, except for two games in which he played first base.

By the end of the season, Mike Greenwell played a variety of positions and was the starting left fielder because Jim Rice was in and out of the lineup with hand and knee injuries. In what was his official rookie season, Greenwell hit 19 home runs, drove in 89 runs, and batted .328.

Jim Rice’s career descent became painfully obvious. Bothered by injuries, he fell off with just 13 home runs, 62 RBIs, and a .277 BA. He also became a liability playing in the spacious outfields of other ballparks because of a sore knee.

Dave Henderson opened the season as the center fielder but was hampered by a slow start in which he ended April hitting .239, with three home runs and 18 strikeouts. As the Sox quickly fell off the pace in the AL East, John McNamara elected to go with a youth movement of his own by installing rookie Ellis Burks in center field and spelling Jim Rice occasionally with Mike Greenwell in left field.  Henderson was back in the same bench-warming role as he was when he first joined the Red Sox, and the outfield became even more crowded upon the arrival of Todd Benzinger, who played right field and first base. Henderson was traded to the Giants on September 1st.

Sam Horn launched five homers in his first nine games, and after adding another with five RBIs in his 12th game, he had started his career with five doubles, 16 RBIs, and 16 runs scored to go with his six homers. Although Horn inevitably cooled off a bit, he still clubbed 10 homers in his first 31 games. He set a major league record for the most home runs by a player who played in 50 or fewer games, with 14. He batted .278 in the 46 games he played.

Spike Owen started horrendously, getting only five hits in his first 35 at-bats, and was benched for more than a month. He came back in late May and hit more consistently upon his return, finishing with a .259 batting average, despite an 0-for-29 slump in late August,  with a career-high 48 RBIs. He got more than half of those RBIs in a total of 11 games. He had six games with three RBIs and another five games in which he drove in two.

As Owen was the Sox's starting shortstop, it relegating Glenn Hoffman to the bench. In 21 games, Hoffman hit .200 for the Sox before being demoted to Triple-A Pawtucket in June. He played in 46 games for Pawtucket before being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in August for minor leaguer, Billy Bartels.

After a slow start, Jody Reed hit .381 in his last 51 games to finish the season at .296 in Pawtucket. He led all PawSox hitters in games, at-bats, runs, hits, sacrifice bunts, and walks while whiffing just 23 times. He made just six errors in his last 62 games and set the franchise records for most games, fielding percentage, and fewest errors at short. He was called up to Boston on September 6th. he had nine hits in 30 plate appearances and knocked in eight runs.