The Red Sox ended the series at Chicago with a 12─2 victory.[34]
July
In the second game of the series (July 1), the Red Sox defeated the Blue Jays 9─7, with Tom Seaver making his debut with the Red Sox.
The Red Sox played only 161 games, as a road game scheduled against the Milwaukee Brewers on September 24 was rained out, and was not rescheduled as it had no bearing on the divisional race.[43]
Highlights
On April 29 at Fenway Park, 23-year-old Roger Clemens struck out 20 Seattle Mariners to set a major league record for a nine-inning game.[44][45][46][47]
Clemens finished the regular season with 24 wins, the most by a Red Sox pitcher since Mel Parnell won 25 games in 1949.
Season standings
This was the first season since 1904 that the Yankees franchise (then known as the Highlanders) finished second in the standings to the Red Sox franchise (then known as the Americans).[48]
On May 17, the Red Sox held an old-timers game at Fenway, before a scheduled game with the Texas Rangers. The game—themed to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the pennant-winning 1946 Red Sox—welcomed back 19 alumni of the team and was also the first to invite non-Red Sox alumni.[53] Besides Ted Williams, Luis Tiant, and Rico Petrocelli, the day featured appearances by all three DiMaggio brothers: Joe, Vince, and Dom.[54] The umpiring crew included Hall of Fame inductee Jocko Conlan.[54]
Illegal Firing of Tommy Harper
General Manager Haywood Sullivan, a supporter of the all-white and anti-Black Elks Club of Winter Haven, Florida (where the team then held spring training), would welcome the organization into the Red Sox' Chain of Lakes Park clubhouse to invite the white players and white front-office personnel only to the Elks' segregated facilities. Former outfielder and coachTommy Harper spoke against this practice in 1985 and the Red Sox retaliated and fired Harper. On July 1, 1986, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission vindicated Harper and cited the Red Sox for illegal actions.[55]
Roster
Red Sox Debuts
Game log
Player stats
Batting
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples;HR = Home runs; R = Runs; RBI = Runs batted in; Avg. = Batting average; OBP = On base percentage; SLG = Slugging percentage
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
Pitching
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
^ a bWhiteside, Larry (April 14, 1986). "Red Sox Sock Chicago, 12-2". The Boston Globe. pp. 33 & 36.
^"The 1986 Boston Red Sox". Retrosheet. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
^"Events of Wednesday, April 30, 1986".
^"Events of Saturday, May 31, 1986".
^"Events of Monday, June 30, 1986".
^"Events of Thursday, July 31, 1986".
^"Events of Sunday, August 31, 1986".
^"Events of Tuesday, September 30, 1986".
^"Events of Sunday, October 5, 1986".
^"Red Sox-Milwaukee game is postponed". Bangor Daily News. Bangor, Maine. AP. September 25, 1986. p. 24. Retrieved October 11, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
^Cafardo, Nick (April 30, 1986). "Kall him Dr. Klemens". Nashua Telegraph. (New Hampshire). Patriot Ledger Sports Service. p. 17.
^Golden, Ed (April 30, 1986). "Clemens fans 20 Mariners". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. p. D1.
^"Boston's Clemens makes history". The Bulletin. (Bend, Oregon). UPI. April 30, 1986. p. D2.
^Gammons, Peter (May 12, 1986). "Striking out toward Cooperstown". Sports Illustrated. p. 26.
^Vaccaro, Mike (2005). Emperors and idiots: The hundred year rivalry between the Yankees and Red Sox, from the very beginning to the end of the curse. New York: Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-51354-2.
^Scott Cooper page at Baseball Reference
^Steve Lyons page at Baseball Reference
^Spike Owen page at Baseball Reference
^"Detroit Tigers 6, Boston Red Sox 5". Retrosheet. April 7, 1986. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
^"Fenway Park through the Years [1986]: Non-Red Sox Baseball At Fenway Park". MLB.com. Boston Red Sox. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
^ a bPrice, Terry (May 18, 1986). "Old-Timers Hit Close to Home". Hartford Courant. p. E6. Retrieved May 17, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
^Margolick, David (March 23, 1986). "Boston Case Revives Past and Passions". The New York Times. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
^"The 1986 BOS A Batting Splits for Rich Gedman". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"The 1986 BOS A Batting Splits for Bill Buckner". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on April 26, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"The 1986 BOS A Batting Splits for Marty Barrett". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"The 1986 BOS A Batting Splits for Wade Boggs". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on October 16, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"The 1986 BOS A Batting Splits for Rey Quinones". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"The 1986 BOS A Batting Splits for Jim Rice". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"The 1986 BOS A Batting Splits for Tony Armas". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"The 1986 BOS A Batting Splits for Dwight Evans". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"The 1986 BOS A Batting Splits for Don Baylor". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"The 1986 BOS A Batting Splits for Ed Romero". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"The 1986 BOS A Batting Splits for Spike Owen". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"The 1986 BOS A Batting Splits for Steve Lyons". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"The 1986 BOS A Batting Splits for Marc Sullivan". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"The 1986 BOS A Batting Splits for Dave Henderson". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"The 1986 BOS A Batting Splits for Dave Stapleton". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"The 1986 BOS A Batting Splits for Mike Greenwell". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"The 1986 BOS A Batting Splits for Kevin Romine". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"The 1986 BOS A Batting Splits for La Schelle Tarver". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"The 1986 BOS A Batting Splits for Glenn Hoffman". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"The 1986 BOS A Batting Splits for Mike Stenhouse". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on February 26, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"The 1986 BOS A Batting Splits for Pat Dodson". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"The 1986 BOS A Batting Splits for Dave Sax". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"The 1986 BOS A Pitching Splits for Roger Clemens". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 18, 2024. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
^"The 1986 BOS A Pitching Splits for Oil Can Boyd". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 18, 2024. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
^"The 1986 BOS A Pitching Splits for Bruce Hurst". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"The 1986 BOS A Pitching Splits for Al Nipper". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"The 1986 BOS A Pitching Splits for Tom Seaver". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"The 1986 BOS A Pitching Splits for Jeff Sellers". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"The 1986 BOS A Pitching Splits for Mike Brown". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on July 9, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"The 1986 BOS A Pitching Splits for Rob Woodward". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on March 23, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"The 1986 BOS A Pitching Splits for Bob Stanley". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"The 1986 BOS A Pitching Splits for Joe Sambito". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"The 1986 BOS A Pitching Splits for Steve Crawford". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"The 1986 BOS A Pitching Splits for Tim Lollar". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"The 1986 BOS A Pitching Splits for Sammy Stewart". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"The 1986 BOS A Pitching Splits for Calvin Schiraldi". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on February 6, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"The 1986 BOS A Pitching Splits for Mike Trujillo". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on February 29, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"The 1986 BOS A Pitching Splits for Wes Gardner". Retrosheet. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"Cy Young". MLB.com. Archived from the original on January 2, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"Most Valuable Player". MLB.com. Archived from the original on September 29, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"Pitcher of the Month". MLB.com. Archived from the original on January 19, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"Stats: 1986; Player; Hitting; Regular Season; MLB; All Positions; Batting Average". MLB.com. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"Stats: 1986; Player; Hitting; Regular Season; American League; All Positions; Walks". MLB.com. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"Stats: 1986; Player; Hitting; Regular Season; MLB; All Positions; On-Base Percentage". MLB.com. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"Stats: 1986; Player; Pitching; Regular Season; American League; ERA". MLB.com. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"Stats: 1986; Player; Pitching; Regular Season; American League; Wins". MLB.com. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^"1986 All-Star Game Box Score, July 15". Baseball Reference. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
^Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 3rd edition. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 2007
^Boston Red Sox Media Guide. 1986. p. 104. Retrieved March 14, 2021 – via Wayback Machine.
External links
1986 Boston Red Sox team page at Baseball Reference
1986 Boston Red Sox season at baseball-almanac.com