1986 American League Championship Series

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The 1986 American League Championship Series was a back-and-forth battle between the Boston Red Sox and the California Angels for the right to advance to the 1986 World Series. The Red Sox came in with a 95-66 record and the AL East division title, while the Angels went 92-70 during the regular season to win the AL West.

Managers: John McNamara (Boston), Gene Mauch (California)

Umpires: Larry Barnett, Larry McCoy, Terry Cooney, Nick Bremigan, Rocky Roe, Rich Garcia

Series MVP: Marty Barrett, Boston

Television: ABC (Al Michaels and Jim Palmer announcing)

1 Series Summary
2 Game Summaries
3 Aftermath
4 Quotes of the Series
5 External link

[edit] Series Summary

Game	Score	Date	Location	Attendance
1	California - 8, Boston - 1	October 7	Fenway Park	32,993
2	California - 2, Boston - 9	October 8	Fenway Park	32,786
3	Boston - 3, California - 5	October 10	Anaheim Stadium	64,206
4	Boston - 3, California - 4 (11 innings)	October 11	Anaheim Stadium	64,223
5	Boston - 7, California - 6 (11 innings)	October 12	Anaheim Stadium	64,223
6	California - 4, Boston - 10	October 14	Fenway Park	32,998
7	California - 1, Boston - 8	October 15	Fenway Park	33,001

[edit] Game Summaries

[edit] Game 1

October 7: Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
California	0	4	1	0	0	0	0	3	0	8	11	0
Boston	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	5	1
W: Mike Witt (1-0) L: Roger Clemens (0-1)
HRs: CAL – none; BOS – none

Angels' left fielder Brian Downing went 2-for-5 with 4 RBIs and Mike Witt pitched a 5-hit complete game, as California cruised to an 8-1 win.

[edit] Game 2

October 8: Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
California	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	2	11	3
Boston	1	1	0	0	1	0	3	3	X	9	13	2
W: Bruce Hurst (1-0) L: Kirk McCaskill (0-1)
HRs: CAL – Wally Joyner; BOS – Jim Rice (1)

The next day, the tables were turned. Bill Buckner scored the winning run in the 5th inning on a Dwight Evans double, and the Red Sox tacked on insurance runs in the 7th and 8th innings to win 9-2 and tie the series at 1 game all.

[edit] Game 3

October 10: Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, California

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Boston	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	3	9	1
California	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	1	X	5	8	0
W: John Candelaria (1-0) L: Oil Can Boyd (0-1) S: Donnie Moore (1)
HRs: BOS – none; CAL – Dick Schofield (1), Gary Pettis (1)

In the 7th inning, Dick Schofield homered for California to give the team a 2-1 lead. Gary Pettis followed shortly thereafter with a two-run home run of his own, and the Angels went on to win 5-3. California took a 2-1 series lead.

[edit] Game 4

October 11: Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, California

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	R	H	E
Boston	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	0	0	0	3	6	1
California	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	1	4	11	2
W: Doug Corbett (1-0) L: Calvin Schiraldi (0-1)
HRs: BOS – none; CAL – Doug DeCinces (1)

Roger Clemens, the Game 1 loser for the Red Sox, started Game 4, and was solid for most of the game. Boston put up a run in the 6th, and two more in the 8th on two hits, a wild pitch, a passed ball, and two errors, but left the bases loaded. In the bottom of the ninth, Doug DeCinces led off with a home run. After the next batter grounded out, Shofield and Bob Boone singled. After coming within two outs of a complete game, Clemens was removed, and Boone was replaced with a pinch runner. Pettis, batting next, doubled to score Shofield. Ruppert Jones was intentionally walked to load the bases, a fatal mistake, as two batters later, Downing was hit by a pitch, forcing in the tying run.

Angels' relief pitcher Doug Corbett pitched a perfect 10th and 11th innings, and California broke through in the bottom of the 11th. Jerry Narron scored on Bobby Grich's one-out single, giving California a 4-3 win and a 3-1 series lead.

[edit] Game 5

October 12: Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, California

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	R	H	E
Boston	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0	1	7	12	0
California	0	0	1	0	0	2	2	0	1	0	0	6	13	0
W: Steve Crawford (1-0) L: Donnie Moore (0-1) S: Calvin Schiraldi (1)
HRs: BOS – Rich Gedman (1), Don Baylor (1), Dave Henderson (1); CAL – Bob Boone (1), Bobby Grich (1)

California looked set to earn their first ever trip to a World Series. Grich, the previous night's hero, homered to give California a 3-2 lead in the 6th inning. Rob Wilfong appeared to put the nail in the coffin with an RBI double in the 7th, and the Angels led 5-2 after eight innings.

The Angels came within one strike from their first-ever AL Pennant. Witt was two outs away from his second complete game victory of the series, when Don Baylor hit a two-strike, two-run home run to pull within 5-4. After retiring the next batter, Witt was replaced by Gary Lucas. With his very first pitch, Lucas hit batter Rich Gedman, and was replaced by Donnie Moore. Moore built up two strikes on Dave Henderson before Henderson launched a home run into the left field stands, stunning the hometown crowd. Boston had taken a 6-5 lead.

The lead would not last, however, as in the bottom of the 9th, Boone singled, and Jones pinch-ran for him. Pettis sacrificed him to second, and Wilfong singled him home, tying the game. Schofield singled, sending Wilfong to 3rd, and Downing was intentionally walked to load the bases with 1 out. All of Boston's top-half heroics would be washed away with a mere sacrifice fly at this point. But instead, DeCinces hit only a short fly ball to right field. A subsequent line-out to pitcher Steve Crawford then ended the inning.

The teams settled down and the 10th inning was again scoreless, but the Red Sox loaded the bases in the top of the 11th for Henderson. Henderson hit a sacrifice fly, scoring the go-ahead run, and Calvin Schiraldi retired the Angels in order in the bottom of the 11th, completing a shocking comeback, and breaking the hearts of Angel Nation.

[edit] Game 6

October 14: Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
California	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	4	11	1
Boston	2	0	5	0	1	0	2	0	X	10	16	1
W: Oil Can Boyd (1-1) L: Kirk McCaskill (0-2)
HRs: CAL – Brian Downing (1); BOS – none

Still reeling from their Game 5 loss, the Angels took an early 2-0 lead, but the Sox tied the score without a hit in the bottom of the 1st. Any remaining heart the Angels had appeared to have been crushed by a six-hit, five-run rally in the third inning. Boston went on to win 10-4 to tie the series.

[edit] Game 7

October 15: Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
California	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	6	2
Boston	0	3	0	4	0	0	1	0	X	8	8	1
W: Roger Clemens (1-1) L: John Candelaria (1-1)
HRs: CAL – none; BOS – Jim Rice (2), Dwight Evans (1)

The Red Sox clinched the American League championship with three unearned runs in the 2nd inning and a 3-run home run from Jim Rice in the 4th. The Angels never mounted a comeback, and Boston won 8-1 to win the series 4 games to 3, providing another bitter defeat for the Angels.

[edit] Aftermath

By virtue of winning the ALCS, the Red Sox advanced to the 1986 World Series, where they faced the New York Mets, with memorable results. Like the Angels in the ALCS, the Red Sox found themselves one strike away from winning the World Series, yet could not hold the lead. Taking a 5-3 into the bottom of the 10th inning of game 6, the Red Sox gave up three runs, culminating on an infamous ground ball through the legs of Bill Buckner to hand the Mets a 6-5 victory. The Mets would go on to win game 7 and the Series.

As for the Angels, Donnie Moore was regarded the goat of the series for giving up Henderson's home run in Game 5, and then his game-winning sacrifice fly two innings later. Moore was blasted by the sports media, and the fans. He sank into depression and alcoholism over the next two years, and committed suicide on July 19, 1989.

In retrospect, most people consider the 1986 postseason to be one of the best (if not the best) postseasons of all time.

[edit] Quotes of the Series

The pitch . . . To left field and deep and Downing goes back...and it's gone! Unbelievable! You're looking at one for the ages here. Astonishing! Anaheim Stadium was one strike away from turning into Fantasyland! And now the Red Sox lead 6-5! The Red Sox get four runs in the ninth on a pair of two-run homers by Don Baylor and Dave Henderson. - ABC's Al Michaels calling Dave Henderson's dramatic home run off of Donnie Moore in Game 5.

Dave Henderson, its a long way from Seattle. - Al Michaels pointing out that Dave Henderson had played for the last place Seattle Mariners earlier in 1986.