1989 BOSTON RED SOX ...
IN A WEAK A.L. EAST, THE SOX CAN'T CONTEND ...
 

The 1989 Boston Red Sox competed in a weak division, dubbed the A.L. "Least", keeping them in contention much of the year.

The Sox' pitching was in trouble, as lefty Bruce Hurst, a devout Mormon, had been turned off by the drinking and arguing during the previous season and bolted via free agency for San Diego, signing for $5.2M.

On January 16th, Wes Gardner filed for salary arbitration and then signed for one year at $285,000, more than double his 1988 salary of $117,000. With the departure of Hurst, it seemed Gardner was set to assume a full-time starting role.

The Sox rotation still had Roger Clemens, but the remainder of the starting rotation (Mike Boddicker, "Oil Can" Boyd, Gardner and John Dopson) were not thought to be much of a threat without Hurst.

The biggest firestorm Clemens ignited that year, came in December when he gave an interview to a television station in which he attacked anyone and everyone associated with the Red Sox, from management to teammates to fans. His complaint, “Travel, road trips and carrying your own luggage around isn’t all that fun and glory." It propagated the stereotype of the spoiled, pampered athlete and cast him in a negative light to fans.

Mike Smithson had been on a one-year deal and thus became a free agent but the Red Sox re-signed him for the 1989 season. “They saved my career,” he said of the Red Sox at the end of spring training. “I don’t care what I do or how I’m used, I just want to be here.” He added that not everybody could be a superstar “Let the superstars do superstar work and I’ll do the dirty work."

Shortstop Luis Rivera and pitcher John Dopson were traded from the Montreal Expos for Spike Owen and minor leaguer, Dan Gakeler on December 8th.

The everyday lineup benefited from an offseason trade that sent Todd Benzinger, Jeff Sellers and minor leaguer, Luis Vazquez to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for Nick Esasky, a power righthanded bat, tailor-made for Fenway Park along with reliever, Rob Murphy on December 13th.

On February 6th, free agent Danny Heep was signed and on February 15th, pitcher Greg Harris was brought on board.

On February 15th, Clemens and the Red Sox agreed to a three-year $7.5M contract. Then on February 21, Mike Greenwell signed a two-year contract worth $1.75M.

After a strenuous offseason of conditioning through basketball and racquetball, Sam Horn arrived at spring training 20 pounds lighter, ready to play. The competition as to whether between Carlos Quintana and Horn made spring training interesting. On April 1st, however, Quintana was sent to Pawtucket. Jim Rice was one of the hottest hitters during spring training with a 14-game hitting streak at one point.

Randy Kutcher made the team, as Joe Morgan appreciated his ability to serve as a third catcher. He said he had caught two full games in Triple A, but the Red Sox used him a lot in spring training.

The Margo Adams controversy came to the top again, as she revealed in a magazine interview, some not-too-flattering remarks Wade Boggs had confided to her about his teammates.  By the time spring training started, the team was divided and defensive. On Opening Day, Boggs was jeered with chants of “Maaargo, Maaargo” from the fans.

The Sox started the season slowly losing four straight games and manager Joe Morgan began to criticize his players to the media. Then, very quickly, the team was in trouble because a blood clot was found in "Oil Can" Boyd’s shoulder, Jim Rice had bone chips in his elbow, and Wes Gardner was arrested for domestic abuse.

The Red Sox went 1-4 before returning home, if not conquering heroes, but at least with a victory over the Royals on April 9th. The team's difficult first week ended with an 8-6 win, that held up through a ninth-inning rally.

Then the Sox beat the Indians, 5-2, in the home opener on April 10th. They stranded 12 runners, with at least one in each inning, and eight over the last four. They blew repeated opportunities to blow open the game, but still won thanks to  Nick Esasky who singled, doubled, and homered. The game was then left to Mike Smithson, who pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of Mike Boddicker. Smithson struck out Brook Jacoby looking, just before a snowstorm hit the park.

Roger Clemens got his 1,000th career strikeout at a critical moment on April 13th. The bases were loaded with none out in the second inning of a scoreless game with the Indians when he got Jacoby looking at a pitch. He ended with his first victory, a 9-1 win, that seemed ridiculously easy, considering the Sox left 13 runners on base in the first six innings. Clemens, although he gave up three hits, an unearned run and struck out eight in seven innings, was without his overwhelming stuff.

John Dopson got his first Red Sox win on April 14th. He pitched 7 2/3 innings in a 7-4 victory over the Orioles at Fenway. Dwight Evans and Mike Greenwell contributed with three hits apiece. A two-run homer by Greenwell sparked a five-run eighth inning and led to a 6-4 decision over Baltimore on April 17th.

The Sox climbed to .500 and into first place in the AL East in Cleveland on April 19th. They did it in with Roger Clemens fastballs and a seven-run lead, leading to an 8-4 victory. Nick Esasky went 4-for-4 with two singles, a double and his second home run.

The next night on April 20th, "Oil Can" Boyd threw 6 1/3 scoreless innings, gave up six hits and walked just one batter, in a 5-2 win against the Indians. The Sox had won seven of their last nine games and were in first place by 1/2 game.

After losing three straight, the team launched a 13-hit attack that added up to an 11-0 win on April 25th. It also gave Clemens a 3-0 record, as he went the distance for the first time this season. He fanned 11 and gave up three hits and three walks. It was his 19th career shutout, tying him for sixth on the Red Sox' all-time list. It also marked the 34th time he had 10 or more strikeouts in a game.

Leading the hit parade was Ellis Burks, who went 3 for 4, including a two-run homer. Jim Rice went 2 for 4, belted a stand-up triple in the seventh inning, and in the fourth slammed a 1-1 pitch over the left-field screen. Rich Gedman also homered down the right-field line, his second of the season.

On April 26th, the "Sons of Joe Morgan" beat the White Sox, 5-4, in overtime, winning on Dwight Evans' 10th-inning, bases-loaded, one-out single.

Ellis Burks slugged two homers on April 29th in beating the Texas Rangers, 8 to 5.

The Red Sox finished April as Roger Clemens lost a 2-1 duel with Nolan Ryan in Texas on April 30th. Ryan had hit Burks in the shoulder blade and helmet, forcing the center fielder to leave in the first inning. Burks had hit the two homers in the game before and this was Ryan's form of payback. Rafael Palmiero's two-run homer was the blow that beat Clemens in the eighth inning. They were a game out of first place at 10-12.

May started with a 13-6 beating of the Twins in Minnesota on May 1st. The Sox erupted for seven runs in the first inning. Jody Reed had four hits and Wade Boggs drove in five runs.

Ellis Burks hit a savage three-run homer that sounded like a gunshot in the Metrodome and gave the Red Sox a 4-2 victory over the Twins on May 2nd.

The next day the Red Sox crept silently back into first place, beating the White Sox, 8 to 4 on May 3rd. Mike Greenwell led the way going 3-for-3 with two doubles.

Free Agent pitcher Joe Price was signed by the Red Sox on May 5th, after being released by the San Francisco Giants.

On May 5th, at Fenway, the Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens rematch was a classic for six innings. Then it happened, as Ryan pitched inside to Ellis Burks. This time he threw a 2-2 fastball that buzzed past Burks' face. Burks stepped out, pointed to the pitcher, yelled and started toward the mound. Benches emptied and bullpens emptied. When play resumed, Burks got the ultimate revenge in the form of an RBI single, knocking Ryan out of the game and the Sox were on their way to a 7-6 victory.

With the health of "Oil Can" Boyd not certain, Mike Smithson had stepped into the starter's role and was immense on May 6th, shutting out the Rangers, 7 to 0. He gave up no walks and struck out six in the seven innings he pitched. The Sox had 13 hits, with Mike Greenwell and Wade Boggs each getting three. Jim Rice drove in a pair of runs with two singles.

The first-place Red Sox were 16-13 and had won three straight on May 7th, when they beat the Rangers, 9 to 5. Jody Reed was 2-for-4 and his two-run double started the scoring. Wade Boggs tripled and homered in four times up. John Dopson gave up one earned run in the six innings he worked.

In his next start, Roger Clemens gave up a leadoff first-inning single to Harold Reynolds and no other hits until there were two outs in the eighth in a 2-0 victory over Seattle on May 12th at the Kingdome. From start to finish, he towered over everything. It was one of those nights when he seemingly could do anything he wanted. In the second, he struck out Jeffrey Leonard on a high, devastating fastball. He struck out Ken Griffey Jr. in the fifth on a forkball that bounced on the plate and rolled past Rich Gedman for a wild pitch. In the seventh, he struck out Alvin Davis, the American League's No. 4 hitter, on three pitches, the last a searing fastball.

John Dopson cooled off the Angels in Anaheim for 6 1/3 innings, beating them, 5 to 2 on May 18th. The Sox had lost four straight on the West Coast but were still in first place.

On May 19th, the Red Sox beat the Oakland Athletics, 7-4, when Dwight Evans hit a grand slam off Dennis Eckersley in the 10th inning at the Oakland Coliseum. Including the playoffs last season, the Sox had lost 10 consecutive games there.

The Sox lost the next two games, but swept the Mariners in three straight back home at Fenway, to remain in first. On May 23rd, they rallied from a 4-0 deficit to hang a 6-5 loss on the M's. Dwight Evans won the game in the ninth, scoring Ellis Burks who had doubled. Evans had tied things up the inning before by driving in Mike Greenwell with a double.

The next night on May 24th, the Sox won again by a 6 to 5 score. Wade Boggs banged out three hits in the game. Bob Stanley and Lee Smith came in to relieve Mike Boddicker and kept Seattle from scoring after the Sox grabbed the lead.

In the final game of the series, the Sox slaughtered Seattle, 10-0 on May 25th. The Mariners handed the Red Sox five unearned runs in the second and succumbed to the masterful eight-hit hurling of Mike Smithson, his first shutout in a Red Sox uniform. Jody Reed, who was 10-for-23 in his last five games, scored the only run Smithson would need. Mike Greenwell had four hits and drove in four of the runs.

Various woes presented themselves among Sox pitchers. "Oil Can" Boyd and Wes Gardner both had arm problems and Mike Boddicker’s back was stiff. With a sore elbow, Gardner had to be placed on the disabled list and Eric Hetzel (3-2, 2.73 at the time in Pawtucket) was brought up from Pawtucket.

In the process, they were not embarrassed to be sitting on top of baseball's junkyard division. They were one game over .500 and skipped into first for the fourth time this month. They had won three straight, the longest winning streak since they won seven in a row in the final days of "Morgan's Magic" last summer.

On May 29th, Marty Barrett poked a Bob Welch 2-2 fastball into right field with one out in the 10th inning and delivered pinch runner, Randy Kutcher from second base for a 3-2 victory over the Oakland A's.

Two nights later, on May 31st, Rick Cerone turned Lee Smith from loser to victor in the process of beating the Athletics, 4-3, in 10 innings. Smith gave up a home run that cleared the visitors' bullpen in the top of the 10th. But the Sox came back with two in the bottom of the inning, as pinch hitter Cerone drove in the walk-off game-winner with two out.

The Sox were 24-24 on Memorial Day, but the AL East was so putrid that the Red Sox were actually in and out of first place during the last two weeks of the month with a .500 record. That’s a bad division under any circumstances, but even worse when you consider that prior to the realignment of 1994, there were only two divisions per league and each one had seven teams. Yet none of the AL East teams could win more than they lost almost two months into the year.

But the Sox quickly gave it all back. They lost six of eight, including being swept by the Toronto Blue Jays. On June 2nd, John Dopson balked in a run in the top of the third inning, the Jays’ third of the game. It was the difference-maker because Toronto won, 7-2.

The surprising Baltimore Orioles, who just one year earlier set a new standard of incompetence with 18 straight losses to open the year, started to play well and the Red Sox fell into a 5 1/2 game hole. No one expected the Orioles or the second-place Cleveland Indians, who hadn’t produced a real contender in decades, to keep up the pace.

In one of their worst losses in team history, the Red Sox blew a 10-run lead going into the seventh inning on June 4th and were stunned by a 13-11 loss to Toronto, in 12 innings. Mike Smithson was breezing along until he developed a blister. Bob Stanley took over and needed nine outs but gave up four runs. Then Lee Smith did his best imitation of Stanley by giving up a grand-slam homer in the ninth to put the Sox a run behind, 11-10. The Sox worked the game into a tie in the bottom of the ninth, but Dennis Lamp gave up a two-run homer in the 12th to complete their embarrassing day.

To make it worse (if that was possible), Marty Barrett went on the DL to have surgery to repair his partially torn cartilage in his right knee. He hurt the knee running to first in the ninth inning.

In Detroit on June 5th, behind Roger Clemens, the Sox bounced back and beat the Tigers, 5 to 2. Two nights later on June 7th, the Sox knocked out 12 hits in support of John Dopson, who allowed just four hits over seven innings, in a 6-1 victory over Detroit. Wade Boggs had a three-hit game, his second in three days.

The one game in which utility-man, Randy Kutcher worked as a catcher was at Yankee Stadium on June 8th. The Yankees held a 7-5 lead when he came into the game as a pinch-hitter in the top of the ninth. There were two Red Sox on base and two outs. He doubled down the right-field line, driving in both baserunners and tying the score. He caught Lee Smith in the ninth, Rob Murphy in the 10th, and Bob Stanley in the 11th, until the Yankees got to Stanley and won the game, 8 to 7.

The Sox won the next game with the Yankees, 14 to 8 on June 10th. The Sox hitters spayed 19 hits around in support of Roger Clemens. It was the first time the Sox had scored that many runs at Yankee Stadium in 35 years. Wade Boggs (.333 BA) had four more hits while Nick Esasky (3-for-4) and Rich Gedman belted homers. Bob Stanley (4.78 ERA) finished the game and gave up three runs. The Sox ended up losing three of the four games in New York.

Eric Hetzel was returned to Pawtucket on June 12th when Wes Gardner was reactivated from the DL.

On June 13th, John Dopson balked four times, yet the Sox beat the Tigers 8-7. Joe Morgan said, “Every time I go out to argue a balk, I stop by the mound and ask John, ‘Did you balk?’ He says yes. Then I turn around and walk back to the dugout. I guess I wouldn’t make a very good defense attorney.”

While attempting to make a diving catch in a game against Detroit on June 14th, Ellis Burks tore the cartilage in his left shoulder. He underwent surgery and missed the next 41 games.

On June 16th, Roger Clemens (8-4) gave up two hits, walked one and struck out a season-high 12, in a 2-0 victory over the White Sox at Comiskey Park.

The next night, on June 17th, the Red Sox got a strong effort from starter Mike Smithson and took a 6-1 victory over the White Sox on the strength of Dwight Evans' grand slam and Nick Esasky's two-run homer.

The Red Sox rolled past the White Sox on June 18th, winning 7 to 4. The team had 16 hits, 14 of which were singles and two were doubles. For the second time in five games, shortstop Luis Rivera went 4-for-4. They lost the finale, however, to fall six games behind the first-place Orioles, 1/2 game behind the Yankees and Indians.

Nolan Ryan held the Sox in check at Arlington on June 20th for seven innings before handing the game over to the Rangers' bullpen. They gave up six runs to the Sox and lost the game 6 to 3 when the final bell sounded. Wade Boggs dueled Ryan for nine pitches before getting a hit off him and then cashed in when he left with a double and was followed by another double by Mike Greenwell and a triple off the bat of Nick Esasky.

But the Sox lost the next two games in Texas. on June 21st, Sammy Sosa, hit his first career homer off Roger Clemens in a 10-3 Rangers win.

On June 24th, the Sox won two, one by day, 6-2, and again by night, 11-2, over the Minnesota Twins. Dwight Evans' three RBIs sparked the Game #1 win, as the Sox completed their first doubleheader sweep of the year with some clutch hitting from the fourth inning through the seventh. They rallied from a 1-0 deficit and pummeled Twins pitching for all 11 runs on nine hits across the four innings in Game #2.

Outfielder Jeff Stone was purchased from the Texas Rangers on June 26th.

John Dopson pitched like a stopper on June 29th in Milwaukee, beating the Brewers 2 to 1, and snapping a three-game losing streak. Rich Gedman drove in the winning run in the seventh inning with a double.

The Sox finished the month with another good pitching effort, this time from Mike Boddicker, 3 to 1 in Toronto. Boddicker (5-7) gave up only five hits and walked one batter in his best performance of the year thus far. The Sox (36-39) finished June in third place, 6 1/2 games out.

Eric Hetzel reached the major leagues and got his first start for the Red Sox on July 1st. He pitched an excellent game against the Blue Jays, allowing just three hits and no runs in 5 2/3 innings, winning 3 to 1. In the fourth and fifth, he retired the side in order. The Sox scored single runs in the third and fourth and added a third run on Mike Greenwell’s home run in the top of the sixth.

Danny Heep's pinch-hit homer in the 11th inning beat the Jays, 4 to 1, the next day on July 2nd. The night before, Rob Murphy, Mike Smithson, Joe Price, Randy Kutcher and Dana Williams were walking back to the hotel from dinner. Suddenly a black cat walked in front of them and the superstitious Rob Murphy took off down an alley, not to be seen. It worked for him. He got credit for the win this game. It was his first win of the season after going 0-3 this year.

The Sox's next win came back home against the Brewers on July 6th. Mike Boddicker hurled five perfect innings and the Sox won, 5 to 4.

Mike Greenwell's inside-the-park homer in the sixth inning broke a 4-4 tie against the Yankees the next night, on July 7th, and Rob Murphy's three innings of near-perfect relief delivered a 6-4 victory.

They thumped the Yankees two days later on Sunday, July 9th, 10 to 5 to conclude the first half. Bob Stanley made his first appearance in two weeks and was booed, but the crowd turned the boos into cheers when he beat up a beach ball with a rake. Luis Rivera went 3-for-3, reached base five times, homered and knocked in three runs.

On July 11th, amidst trade rumors swirling about him, Wade Boggs started for the American League All-Star team and hit back-to-back home runs with Bo Jackson in the first inning. The American Leaguers went on to beat the National League, 5 to 3 in Anaheim. Mike Greenwell also got into the game, replacing Bo in left field later in the game.

The Red Sox finally made it back to .500, five games behind, on the first game after the All-Star break, with Roger Clemens outdueling Minnesota Twins’ ace Frank Viola in the Metrodome, 3-1, allowing only two hits on July 13th. It was a battle between the two pitchers generally considered the American League’s best at the time, though this year’s "Cy Young Award" would go to the Kansas City Royals’ Bret Saberhagen.

Mike Boddicker dismantled the Twins with a 5-0 victory on July 14th. He allowed just three singles and spun his first complete game of the season. Nick Esasky homered and Kevin Romine had a single and a double, batting close to .500 over his last nine games.

The Sox lost four straight before Boddicker threw another shutout in his next start on July 19th. He beat the Rangers in Texas, 4 to 0. It was his fifth win in his last six starts.

In a 1-0 loss to the White Sox on July 21st, Eric Hetzel pitched 7 2/3 innings, allowing just four hits and one walk. The one run scored in the top of the eighth inning, a solo home run by Carlton Fisk. Red Sox batters left nine men on base and were unable to score even once. Hetzel’s ERA at this point was only 2.28

Randy Kutcher homered and drove home four runs in Chicago on July 23rd, where the Red Sox beat the White Sox, 8 to 2 behind Roger Clemens. He was the seventh Sox starter in ten games since the All-Star break to allow no more than one run. Nick Esasky hit his team-leading 15th homer.

Meanwhile, Carl Yastrzemski shared the Cooperstown Hall of Fame stage with the magnificent Johnny Bench and a glittering supporting cast of Red Schoendienst and Al Barlick, but in the end, Yaz knew he was the one they were waiting for.

As soon as Bart Giamatti turned to his right, and in a deep bass voice asked, "Carl, would you come forward," the thunder of applause ripped across the rolling green lawn that held a record crowd of more than 20,000. In moments, they were on their feet, shouting his name, and it echoed around the buildings that house the legends of the game. Yaz soaked in the applause.

The partisan Yaz crowd loved it. As he triumphed on stage, they rolled with him. This was Yaz as they had never seen him before. Not when he stood at first base following his 3,000th hit to share the moment with the Fenway Park crowd, and not even on his emotional Fenway farewell.

The Cincinnati Reds were grounded in Montreal after mechanics discovered hydraulic fluid leaking from the team's plane onto the tarmac, and couldn’t reach Cooperstown to play in the Hall-of-Fame game against the Red Sox the next day on July 24th.

The fans were treated to an enjoyable afternoon nonetheless. Nick Esasky and Jim Rice were co-winners of the hitting contest with six homers, and the Red Sox and a team called the "Yastrzemskis" played to a seven-inning, 4-4 tie on the grounds where Abner Doubleday supposedly marked out the first field with a walking stick.

Rice, Esasky, Wade Boggs and Elmira catcher Eric Wedge homered. Wedge's home run was the longest, a 400-foot shot into some trees beyond the left-center-field fence off one of his teammates, righthander Al Sanders. The team called out all the troops to compensate for the Reds' absence, including first base coach and former Orioles outfielder Al Bumbry. Bumbry, 42, was still in tremendous condition and went 1 for 3 with a stolen base off Rich Gedman, whose errant throw to second allowed Bumbry to advance to third. Other highlights included Rice striking out against Elmira righthander Paul Quantrill, a woman running on the field to kiss Mike Greenwell, a boy running on the field to get Greenwell's autograph and Rick Cerone, playing right field, making an astonishing running catch on Kevin Romine's line drive even though he banged his head on the top of the brick dugout before the game.

MIKE BODDICKER

When meaningful baseball commenced on July 25th, the next day, Mike Boddicker threw yet another shutout. This time he subdued the Royals at Fenway 10 to 0, running his scoreless inning streak to 24 1/3. The team had a season-high eight extra-base hits, four by Wade Boggs (.330 BA) with three doubles and a triple.

Two days later on July 27th, they beat the Royals, 7 to 2 behind John Dopson. After being nine games behind, the Sox moved to within 4 1/2 games of the league-leading Baltimore Orioles.

They ended up splitting four in Cleveland. After losing a doubleheader they won the next two games. Mike Smithson shut out the Indians, 5 to 0 for eight innings on July 29th. Nick Esasky hit the game-breaking three-run homer and Rob Murphy finished the game.

Mike Greenwell, hitting .307 with 12 homers and 65 RBIs, twisted his ankle attempting to scurry back to second base against the Cleveland Indians. While sliding, he caught his leg under his body and badly twisted the ankle, and ended up on the DL.

The next day, on July 30th, the Sox again beat the Indians, 5 to 2. The win moved the Sox to four games behind Baltimore and when the first-place Orioles, who had dropped their last 10 of 11, came to Fenway for a four game showdown.

The Sox came out attacking in Monday’s opener on July 31st, scoring six times in the second inning and winning 9-6. They hit six doubles in the game. The Orioles committed four errors and gave up four unearned runs, three in the six-run second. Dwight Evans hit his 13th homer and made a rally-starting catch in right field.

The story of this game, however, began and ended with The "Steamer", Bob Stanley. For the first time in exactly two weeks, he won, going 3 2/3 innings and allowing just three hits and a run in relief. He was booed just for warming up, but by the sixth, when he ended the inning by striking out Keith Moreland, he received a standing ovation from the fans behind the dugout.

Tuesday, August 1st, was a doubleheader, and the Red Sox took the opener when Ellis Burks broke a 3-3 tie in the seventh with an RBI double. Then the Sox took the nightcap as Nick Esasky ripped a three-run shot in the fourth and otherwise inconsistent Wes Gardner had a strong outing on the mound in a 6-2 win. They moved to only one game behind the Orioles for the AL East lead but lost the finale, 9 to 8.

Roger Clemens missed his start on August 2nd, the series finale. In that game, the Sox took a 6-0 lead and the Fenway Faithful could smell a first-place tie. But Eric Hetzel was again hit around and this time Bob Stanley’s relief efforts suffered the same fate in a 9-8 loss. Nick Esasky finished a 3-for-5 night with a towering homer. The series was clearly a success and the margin in the AL East, only two games. But the Red Sox had given away an opportunity for more.

On August 3rd, Jim Rice played in what would be, his final major league game, a 4-2 loss to the Indians. Rice left the game because of the bone chips in his sore elbow and was put on the DL. Esasky was 3-for-5 once again with another two-run homer, leading the team with 67 RBIs and 20 homers.

On August 5th, after Marty Barrett was reactivated, the Red Sox released Ed Romero. He was hitting .212 in 46 games, with six RBIs and only three errors in 161 chances. The Sox beat the Indians, 10 to 2 at Fenway and had three homers, from Danny Heep, Jody Reed and Wade Boggs.

On August 6th, the Sox retired Carl Yastrzemski's #8. Yaz joined Bobby Doerr (#1), Joe Cronin (#4), and Ted Williams (#9), as the only players to have their numbers retired by the Red Sox.

Roger Clemens left the August 6th game in the first inning, due to soreness in his arm. The game ended in on up note as the team rallied behind a homer from Ellis Burks to beat the Indians, 6 to 4.

On August 7th, the Sox selected pitcher Greg Harris off waivers.

After splitting four games with the Indians to end the home stand, the Sox moved on to Kansas City in 3rd place, 2 1/2 games behind. They lost the first two and won the third game, 6 to 2, on August 9th.

On August 11th, Roger Clemens and the Red Sox took the opener, 6-4, to crawl within 1 1/2 games of the staggering first-place Orioles. But once again, the Orioles stopped the Sox's momentum. Pete Harnisch pitched a three-hitter in the nightcap, beating the Sox, 4-1, and stuffed the Sox back under the .500 mark.

In the next game, on August 12th, the Sox had 20 hits, but they stranded 17 baserunners in the first 12. In the lucky 13th inning, Rich Gedman struck the winning blow with a ground-rule double to center that scored Kevin Romine. Gedman's hit broke an 8-8 tie and the Sox hung on for a 10-8 victory.

The four-game series with the Orioles resulted in a split between the pretender contenders. And so, the whole division continued to muddle along. But now Toronto was starting to come on strong.

When the Blue Jays arrived in Fenway on August 14th, for a three-game series, both teams were 2 1/2 games out. The series proved to be the eventual death knell of the season for the Red Sox.

The Sox scored twice early on in the Monday opener but got only two singles over the last six innings in a 4-2 loss. In the second game, on August 15th, Toronto ace, Dave Stieb, kept the Sox bats under control in a 7-2 rout.

Roger Clemens got the ball in Wednesday’s finale on August 16th and handed over a 3-2 lead to the bullpen. But Rob Murphy came on and blew the save, losing the game 7-3. The Sox were now in fourth place, 4 1/2 games behind the Orioles and three games behind the Blue Jays, who were in second place.

Then, in Milwaukee, the Brewers beat the Sox in the first two meetings, before the Sox took the final game on August 19th, 3 to 1 in 14 innings. The Sox left 14 men on base and left ten of them in scoring position. They had 13 hits and Ellis Burks made the last one count with a two-run single the the 14th.

Next, in New York, the Yankees beat them 6 to 4 on August 21st, moving the Sox to 6 1/2 games behind. Then things started to happen as the Red Sox won ten of their next eleven games, starting with a nine-game winning streak.

On August 22nd, Randy Kutcher hit his second home run of the year that broke a ninth-inning, 3-3 tie and gave the Red Sox a 4-3 win at Yankee Stadium. Mike Boddicker painted the corners for 6 1/3 innings while Dwight Evans homered in the sixth inning to beat the Yankees, 4 to 1 on August 23rd.

Next was a five-game sweep of the Tigers to start a homestand on August 25th. They started with winning both ends of a doubleheader, 4-2 and 11-3. Mike Smithson pitched a wonderful game in the opener putting down the first 13 batters he faced, and in the second game, the Sox broke a 2-2 tie in the fifth inning with a walk and three singles. Mike Greenwell's three-run double put the game out of reach.

The following day on August 26th, after Roger Clemens (13-9) gave up three singles that put the Sox in a 2-0 hole, they bounced back on Nick Esasky's triple, to beat the Tigers, 5 to 2.

On August 27th, Wes Gardner collapsed on the mound after he was struck by a line drive in the fifth inning of the Sox 7-1 win over Detroit. He suffered a fractured cheekbone that put him on the 21-day disabled list. The hit was the first time his head had met with a batted ball, and the injury cut short a frustrating and painful season. Joe Price took over, pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings and got the win when Ellis Burks hit a grand-slam homer.

The sweep was completed on August 28th with a 6 to 3 win. Mike Boddicker notched his 12th victory, Nick Esasky smacked his 26th homer and Lee Smith earned his 19th save. The Sox could only gain one game in the standings however and were 5 1/2 games behind Baltimore.

The Angels came to Fenway to finish the month and lost three of four. It started with a doubleheader sweep on August 29th, 8-4 and 13-5. They beat Bert Blyleven, who had won ten straight in the first game, thanks to a three-run homer from Dwight Evans. In the second game, Mike Smithson was pulled after 2 2/3 innings and was replaced by Dennis Lamp, who blanked the Angels for four innings. The Sox scored nine runs in the fourth inning of the second game a didn't look back. Wade Boggs had two hits in the inning.

Randy Kutcher was placed on the DL with a pulled groin and Carlos Quintana was called up from Pawtucket.

In the final game of the month, the Sox beat the Angels, 5 to 2. Roger Clemens struck out 13 batters and walked just one. Jody Reed had four of the team's 13 hits. The Sox had briefly nudged within four games of the lead at the end of the month.

On September 2nd, the Sox beat the visiting Mariners, 6 to 5. Dwight Evans belted a three-run homer to stake the Sox to a four run lead.

A West Coast trip followed and produced a 1-8 record which ended their pennant hopes. A 13-3 run, including taking a series in Toronto that briefly quelled the Jays’ pennant push, helped the Red Sox finish with a winning record.

The season came to an abrupt end for Ellis Burks during a September 6th game in Oakland in which Burks had gone 3-for-3 before he suffered a shoulder separation in a collision with Mike Greenwell in the outfield and surgery became necessary.

After losing eight straight and being ten games behind, the Sox went 13-3 to finish the season.

On September 15th, Roger Clemens notched his 15th win by beating the A's at Fenway, 7 to 2. A two-run triple by Rick Cerone put the Sox ahead. The next day, on September 16th, John Dopson continued his fine year and reliever Dennis Lamp held the A's in check, 5 to 2. The Sox swept the A's on September 17th, by beating them 7 to 6.

On the road in Toronto, the Sox took two of the three games they played. On September 18th, they won 6 to 3 to stop the Jays, who had won 17 of their last 21 games. Two days later the Sox ripped the Jays, 10 to 8. Dwight Evans had three hits including a homer, giving Roger Clemens his 16th win. Luis Rivera had a single, a double and a triple.

In Detroit, the Sox next won three straight. In the first meeting on September 22nd, the Sox overcame a 6-0 deficit in the sixth inning to overtake the Tigers, 9 to 7. Catcher John Marzano's passed ball allowed to Tigers to tie the game in the seventh inning, but he drove in the winner in the ninth inning.

The Sox buried the Tigers, 6-1 on September 23rd. Mike Boddicker pitched a great game. Wade Boggs had three hits to raise his average to .326 ... "Oil Can" Boyd pitched got his first win since the beginning of May, beating the Tigers 4 to 2 on September 24th.

On September 25th, Wade Boggs got hits in each of his first three at-bats, becoming the only player with 200 hits in seven consecutive seasons. He was on base in the first when Dwight Evans slashed a homer over the left-field screen, making him the only player with 20 or more homers in each of the last nine seasons.

Without any fanfare or appreciation, Bob Stanley announced his retirement and the team announced that Jim Rice, who was injured and had not played in almost two months, would not be invited back for the next season.

The Sox finished taking two of three from the Yankees and two of three from the Brewers at Fenway Park.

Perhaps the season could have been worse, given the general lack of depth. But sandwiched in between a string of AL East titles, 1989 has the look of one big lost opportunity for the Red Sox. They finished with an 83-70 record in third place.

Roger Clemens (17-11) had another good year, striking out his 1000th batter. He has a 3.15 ERA with 35 starts. He struck out 230 batters, the fourth straight year eclipsing the 200-strikeout threshold.

John Dopson enjoyed a nice full season, starting 28 games and producing a 12-8 record (with a 3.99 ERA), despite being out for most of August with an inflamed tendon in his right forearm. The dozen wins ranked third on the staff behind Clemens and Mike Boddicker who was 15-11, with a 4.00 ERA. One stat of Dopson’s that stands out was his 15 balks. The entire team had 18. It was a year, he said, when major league umpires began to apply the balk rule more forcefully.

There was confidence that Wes Gardner could contribute significantly and had made some adjustments to his fastball and breaking ball while adding a curve. He exhibited brief flashes of success and future promise, then was neutralized by problems with control and inconsistency. A rift grew between Gardner and Joe Morgan, who complained about Gardner’s inconsistency, saying he had nothing good – no breaking ball, no slider, only his fastball was effective and that wouldn’t last long. Neither the relationship with Morgan, the day-to-day pitching rotation, his private life, nor the right elbow were working well for Gardner. He had been on and off the disabled list, pitching in relief, as a closer, and a starter. He was the player representative and had endured trade rumors. He finished with a 3-7 record and a 5.97 ERA.

"Oil Can" Boyd (3-2, 4.42 ERA) started the season with the Sox but pitched poorly from the beginning of May to the start of September. All he could manage was to get into three games in the minors for a total of 12 innings.

After a brief, ineffective relief appearance in August, Eric Hetzel had to go on the 21-day disabled list (and a rehab assignment with Pawtucket) due to a strained muscle in his right elbow. He ended the season 2-3, with a 6.26 earned run average.

At age 38, after an offseason workout regimen prescribed by the Red Sox, Dennis Lamp kept the Sox in games with a 2.32 ERA in 112 1/3 innings pitched of long relief. His second half of the season was much stronger than the first half. The BoSox Club named him their “Man of the Year” and the Boston writers gave him their “Unsung Hero” award.

Mike Smithson pitched throughout the season, starting 19 games and relieving in 21 others. His record was 7-14  with a 4.95 ERA. In September, after a number of run-ins with Joe Morgan, Bob Stanley (5-2, 4.88 ERA) packed it in, announcing his retirement.

In the 15 games Greg Harris worked for the Sox, primarily as a middle reliever, he was 2-2, 2.57.

The offense needed to score a lot to cover for its problematic pitching, and this many holes weren’t going to cut it.

Nick Esasky enjoyed the best year of his career. By mid-September, local sportswriter Joe Giuliotti said that in acquiring him, the Red Sox had pulled off one of the biggest heists in 50 years. Esasky batted .277 and led the team with 30 homers and 108 RBIs. He was used in 154 games, and able to play in nearly every game and all but one game at first base with a .996 fielding percentage. He was the A.L. "Player of the Month" in August, won the team's "10th Player" award, and was named the Sox MVP by the Boston Baseball Writers.

Four other players had strong years. Wade Boggs continued to churn out hits with 205 and a .330 BA, third best in the American League. He led the majors with 51 doubles and held the MLB record with seven seasons of 200 or more hits.

Mike Greenwell was solid, if unspectacular in left, batting .308 with 36 doubles. After the All-Star break, he posted the longest hitting streak of his career, 21 games from July 15th to August 20th. He batted .361 during the streak, going 30-for-83.                              

Dwight Evans, now 37 years old, was still getting it done in right, with 20 home runs and 100 RBIs and batting .285. He was the only big league player to hit at least 20 homers in the decade, and the only player to drive in over 100 runs in the past three years.

The problems were mixed in though and they came from name players. Ellis Burks, the talented centerfielder could do it all. Because of injuries, he was limited to 97 games, batting .303 with 21 stolen bases. 

Jim Rice didn’t age as well and finished his career with a .234 BA and only 49 hits. The future Hall-of-Famer ended up in a DH role, playing only 56 games and hitting just three home runs. Unlike Ted Williams before him in left field, who homered in his last at-bat, and Yaz who was showered with gifts, Rice had let himself go and sat in the corner of the dugout popping sunflower seeds. But for 12 years he averaged 29 homers, 106 RBIs and a .304 BA.

Heralded prospect Sam Horn struggled mightily, much to the chagrin of the Red Sox faithful. He played the role of spelling Rice at DH and pinch-hit. On May 29th, he broke an 0-for-26 slump and the fans erupted into a loud derisive ovation. He batted only .148 in 54 at-bats.

Marty Barrett signed a big contract but suffered his first serious injury when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in June as he ran out a grounder. His subsequent surgery and therapy were mismanaged by Red Sox team physician Dr. Arthur Pappas. Although Barrett returned on August 5th to play second base, he missed 55 games and, for the season, played in only 86 games, hitting .256.

Jody Reed filled the vacuum after Barrett's injury at second base. He finished by hitting .377 in his last 33 games. He notched a .288 final average with 42 doubles overall. He hit more two-baggers than every major league player that year except for Kirby Puckett and Wade Boggs. He played well both at shortstop (.967 fielding percentage) and second base (.978).

At age 31, Danny Heep got the most playing time he’d ever gotten in his career as the Red Sox had injury issues in their outfield. He hit .300 in 320 at-bats with more walks (29) than strikeouts (26).

Kevin Romine got off to a bad start when he reported to spring training overweight. He batted .274 in 92 games.

Carlos Quintana was recalled four times from Pawtucket but struggled to adapt. In 34 games, he hit .208 with only five extra-base hits.

Randy Kutcher played six games at third base, six as DH, one as the catcher, and the rest of the games in the outfield (25 in right, 21 in center, and 11 in left.) He was a battler, the kind of scrapper that Joe Morgan liked, notably sliding hard to break up double plays. He stayed with the big league team the full year, appearing in nearly half the team’s games (77) and batting .225 in 160 at-bats, driving in 18 runs and scoring 28 times. He lost almost all of September however, to injuries.

Utility infielder Ed Romero chafed a bit under Joe Morgan. Things boiled over when he was removed in the middle of an at-bat in a June 11th game against the Yankees. Romero ran the count to 3-and-0 when the Yankees decided to change pitchers. Once he did, Morgan decided to change batters and send up Rich Gedman. Romero exploded, throwing a Gatorade cooler onto the field. “I don’t want to play for that man,” Romero said of Morgan. He shows me no respect. I just want to go somewhere else and play.” But no other teams had been asking about him.