Game 5: Red Sox 7, Angels 6 (11 innings)
At Anaheim Stadium, Sunday, Oct. 12, 1986
Before Bill Buckner was Bill Buckner, Dave Henderson was Bill Buckner. The Red Sox outfielder dashed to the center-field wall to snag a long drive by second baseman Bobby Grich in the sixth, but when Henderson collided with the wall the ball popped out of his glove and bounced harmlessly over the fence for a two-run homer and a 3-2 Angels lead.
California added two more runs in the seventh on a Rob Wilfong RBI double and a Brian Downing sacrifice fly, but it didn't look like Mike Witt would need any additional help. Bidding to become the first pitcher to throw two complete games in an LCS, Witt took the mound in the ninth with a 5-2 lead.
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| Without Dave Henderson's dramatic homer in Game 5 of the ALCS, the Red Sox never would have reached the World Series. |
In baseball, three outs make an inning. In the 1986 playoffs, three outs made a lifetime.
Buckner opened the inning with a single. After Jim Rice went down on strikes, Don Baylor hammered a long drive that sailed just over the outstretched glove of Gary Pettis and into the outfield seats, cutting Boston's deficit to 5-4. Witt got Dwight Evans to pop out to third, leaving him one out from a second straight complete game, but Evans would be the last batter he saw. Playing the percentages, Mauch elected to bring in reliver Gary Lucas, who had dominated Boston's Rich Gedman during the regular season. Lucas threw just one pitch -- drilling Gedman and putting the tying run on first base.
Mauch brought in his closer, Donnie Moore, still bothered by a weak shoulder. Moore quickly ran the count 0-2 against Dave Henderson, putting the Angels one strike from the World Series. But Henderson would win the battle, driving a 2-2 split-fingered fastball high and deep into the California sky to give the Red Sox a 6-5 advantage over the stunned Angels.
In the bottom of the ninth, the Angels came within 90 feet of the World Series. Bob Boone singled to start the inning and Gary Pettis bunted to move pinch runner Ruppert Jones into scoring position. Rob Wilfong tied the score with a single and advanced to third on a Dick Schofield single. McNamara ordered an intentional walk to Downing to set up a force out at home, which loaded the bases with just one out. However, the Angels failed to capitalize. Doug DeCinces lofted a fly ball to shallow right field and Bobby Grich hit a soft liner to Boston reliver Steve Crawford to end the rally.
The Red Sox finally finished the game in the 11th. Donnie Moore hit Don Baylor to put the Boston's leadoff batter on base. Dwight Evans followed with a groundball single, and Rich Gedman bunted safely to load the bases with no one out. Dave Henderson finished his heroics, lofting a sacrifice fly to center field to score Baylor and give the Red Sox a come-from-behind win, 7-6.
Boston ab r h rbi California ab r h rbi
Boggs 3b 5 0 1 0 Burleson 2b 2 0 0 0
Barrett 2b 5 0 0 0 Wilfong ph-2b 3 0 2 2
Buckner 1b 4 0 1 0 Schofield ss 5 0 1 0
Stplton pr-1b 1 1 1 0 Downing lf 3 0 0 1
Rice lf 5 1 1 0 DeCinces 3b 5 1 2 0
Baylor dh 4 2 1 2 Grich 1b 5 1 1 2
Evans rf 5 0 1 0 Jackson dh 5 0 1 0
Gedman c 4 2 4 2 Hendrick rf 3 0 1 0
Armas cf 2 0 0 0 White pr-rf 2 1 1 0
Henderson cf 2 1 1 3 Boone c 3 1 3 1
Owen ss 2 0 0 0 Jones pr 0 1 0 0
Greenwell ph 1 0 1 0 Narron c 0 0 0 0
Romero pr-ss 2 0 0 0 Pettis cf 3 1 1 0
TOTALS 42 7 12 7 TOTALS 39 6 13 6
Boston 020 000 004 01 -- 7 12 0
California 001 002 201 00 -- 6 13 0
DP-California 2. 2B-Gedman (1), DeCinces 2 (2),
Wilfong (1). HR-Baylor (1), Gedman (1), Grich (1),
Boone (1), Henderson (1). S-Burleson, Boone, Pettis.
SF-Downing, Henderson. CS-Downing (1), White (1).
Time-3:54. Att.-64,223.
Boston ip h r er bb k
Hurst 6.0 7 3 3 1 4
Stanley 2.1 4 3 3 2 1
Sambito 0.0 1 0 0 0 0
Crawford W, 1-0 1.2 1 0 0 2 1
Schiraldi S, 1 1.0 0 0 0 0 2
California ip h r er bb k
Witt 8.2 8 4 4 0 5
Lucas 0.0 0 1 1 0 0
Moore L, 0-1 2.0 4 2 2 1 0
Finley 0.1 0 0 0 0 0
Lucas pitched to one batter in ninth. Sambito pitched
to one batter in ninth.
HBP-Baylor by Moore, Gedman by Lucas.
Umpires - Roe (HP), Garcia (1b), Barnett (2b),
McCoy (3b).
Game 6: Red Sox 10, Angels 4
At Fenway Park, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 1986
California returned to Boston with a 3-2 series lead and a chance to finish off the series, but it would have been impossible to tell. A visibly dejected Angels team stumbled through a 10-4 loss. The Red Sox broke open a 2-2 game in the third with five runs after Bobby Grich, who was filling in for Joyner at first, made a costly throwing error.
Gary Lucas exacted a small bit of revenge, finally striking out Rich Gedman, but it meant little as the California offense was shut down by "Oil Can" Boyd and Bob Stanley.
California's Reggie Jackson passed George Brett for No. 1 on the all-time ALCS hits list, while Spike Owen led the Red Sox with four hits.
California ab r h rbi Boston ab r h rbi
Pettis cf 5 0 1 0 Boggs 3b 4 2 1 0
Jones rf 4 1 0 0 Barrett 2b 4 1 3 1
Downing lf 5 1 1 1 Buckner 1b 4 1 2 1
Jackson dh 5 1 3 1 Stpltn pr-1b 1 0 1 0
DeCinces 3b 5 0 1 1 Rice lf 5 1 0 1
Schofield ss 4 1 2 0 Baylor dh 4 2 1 0
Grich 1b 3 0 1 0 Evans rf 4 0 2 1
Wilfong 2b 4 0 2 0 Gedman c 4 1 2 0
Boone c 3 0 0 0 Henderson cf 3 1 0 1
Howell ph 0 0 0 0 Owen ss 4 1 4 2
Narron c 0 0 0 0
TOTALS 38 4 11 3 TOTALS 37 10 16 7
California 200 000 110 -- 4 11 1
Boston 205 010 20x -- 10 16 1
E-Grich, Owen. DP-California 3, Boston 1.
2B-Jackson 2 (2), DeCinces (3), Barret (2).
3B-Owen (1). HR-Downing (1).
Time-3:23. Att.-32,998.
California ip h r er bb k
McCaskill L, 0-2 2.1 6 7 5 2 1
Lucas 1.1 2 0 0 0 1
Corbett 2.2 7 3 3 1 1
Finley 1.2 1 0 0 0 1
Boston ip h r er bb k
Boyd W, 1-1 7.0 9 3 3 1 5
Staley 2.0 2 1 0 1 0
PB-Boone. HBP-Grich by Boyd, Baylor by Corbett.
Umpires - Garcia (HP), Barnett (1b), McCoy (2b),
Cooney (3b).
Game 7: Red Sox 8, Angels 1
At Fenway Park, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 1986
What Roger Clemens didn't do to finish the series, the crumbling Angels defense did.
Clemens carried a four-hit shutout into the eighth inning, while Angels starter John Candelaria got tagged for seven runs -- all unearned. The Red Sox scored three runs in the second following a Dick Schofield error. Gary Pettis then muffed Dave Henderson's fly ball in the fourth to set up an RBI single by Spike Owen and a three-run shot by Jim Rice. Clemens' University of Texas teammate Calvin Schiraldi finished off the game.
In the locker room, All-Star second baseman Bobby Grich announced his retirement, drained from the emotional roller coaster of the series. Months later, at the beginning of spring training, his manager followed him into retirement.
"We won it once," Gene Mauch said. "We just couldn't win it twice."
California ab r h rbi Boston ab r h rbi
Jones rf 4 1 1 0 Boggs 3b 5 0 1 2
Wilfong 2b 1 0 0 0 Barrett 2b 4 0 0 0
Burleson 2b 3 0 2 0 Buckner 1b 2 0 1 0
Downing lf 3 0 1 0 Stpltn pr-1b 1 1 0 0
Jackson dh 4 0 0 0 Rice lf 4 2 1 3
DeCinces 3b 4 0 1 1 Baylor dh 4 1 2 0
Schofield ss 4 0 0 0 Evans rf 3 2 1 1
Pettis cf 4 0 0 0 Gedman c 4 0 0 1
Grich 1b 2 0 0 0 Henderson cf 3 1 0 0
Howell ph 1 0 0 0 Owen ss 4 1 2 1
Boone c 2 0 1 0
Narron ph 1 0 0 0
TOTALS 33 1 6 1 TOTALS 34 8 8 8
California 000 000 010 -- 1 6 2
Boston 030 400 10x -- 8 8 1
E-Pettis, Owen, Schofield. DP-Boston 1.
2B-Baylor (3). HR-Rice (2), Evans (1).
SB-Owen 1.
Time-2:39. Att.-33,001.
California ip h r er bb k
Candelaria L, 1-1 3.2 6 7 0 3 2
Sutton 3.1 2 1 1 0 2
Moore 1.0 0 0 0 0 0
Boston ip h r er bb k
Clemens W, 1-1 7.0 4 1 1 1 3
Schiraldi 2.0 2 0 0 0 5
HBP-Grich by Clemens. Umpires - Barnett (HP),
McCoy (1b), Garcia (2b), Brenigan (3b).