1986 American League Championship Series

vs.

1986 AL Championship Series (4-3): Boston Red Sox (95-66) over California Angels (92-70)

• BR 1986 ALCS Summary

Introduction

Although outshined by the 1986 National League Championship Series, the 1986 American League Championship Series was a classic of its own, filled with drama and unexpected turns.

The California Angels, looking to reach the World Series for the first time in franchise history, led the series 3-1 after four games. In Game 5, the Angels had a 5-2 lead entering the top of the 9th inning, before a tiring Mike Witt gave up a two-run homer to Don Baylor. Still, with closer Donnie Moore on the mound, they were one strike away from the World Series when Dave Henderson homered to give the Boston Red Sox a one-run lead. The demoralized Angels managed to tie the game in the bottom of the 9th, then in extra innings Henderson hit a sacrifice fly to give the Sox the win. The Red Sox then easily won home games in Games 6 and 7 to move on to a classic World Series encounter with the New York Mets.

Umpires

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

Results

Game 1

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Angels	0	4	1	0	0	0	0	3	0	8	11	0
Red Sox	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	5	1
WP: Mike Witt (1-0), LP: Roger Clemens (0-1)
Home Runs: - none

• Attendance: 32,993

Game 2

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Angels	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	2	11	3
Red Sox	1	1	0	0	1	0	3	3	X	9	13	2
WP: Bruce Hurst (1-0), LP: Kirk McCaskill (0-1)
Home Runs: CAL - Wally Joyner (1); BOS - Jim Rice (1)

• Attendance: 32,786

Game 3

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Red Sox	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	3	9	1
Angels	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	1	X	5	8	0
WP: John Candelaria (1-0), LP: Oil Can Boyd (0-1), SV: Donnie Moore (1)
Home Runs: CAL - Gary Pettis (1), Dick Schofield (1)

• Attendance: 64,206

Game 4

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	R	H	E
Red Sox	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	0	0	0	3	6	1
Angels	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	1	4	11	2
WP: Doug Corbett (1-0), LP: Calvin Schiraldi (0-1)
Home Runs: CAL - Doug DeCinces (1)

• Attendance: 64,223

Game 5

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	R	H	E
Red Sox	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0	1	7	12	0
Angels	0	0	1	0	0	2	2	0	1	0	0	6	13	0
WP: Steve Crawford (1-0), LP: Donnie Moore (0-1), SV: Calvin Schiraldi (1)
Home Runs: BOS - Rich Gedman (1), Don Baylor (1), Dave Henderson (1); CAL - Bob Boone (1), Bobby Grich (1)

• Attendance: 64,223

Game 6

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Angels	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	4	11	1
Red Sox	2	0	5	0	1	0	2	0	X	10	16	1
WP: Oil Can Boyd (1-1) , LP: Kirk McCaskill (0-2)
Home Runs: CAL – Brian Downing (1)

• Attendance: 32,998

Game 7

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Angels	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	6	2
Red Sox	0	3	0	4	0	0	1	0	X	8	8	1
WP: Roger Clemens (1-1), LP: John Candelaria (1-1)
Home Runs: BOS – Jim Rice (2), Dwight Evans (1)

• Attendance: 33,001

Further Reading

• Howard Burman: Season of Ghosts: The '86 Mets and the Red Sox, McFarland, Jefferson, NC, 2013. ISBN 978-0-7864-7042-6
• John Kuenster: Heartbreakers: Baseball's Most Agonizing Defeats, Ivan R. Dee Publishers, Chicago, IL, 2001. ISBN 978-1566634120
• Bill Nowlin and Leslie Heaphy, ed.: The 1986 Boston Red Sox: There Was More Than Game 6, SABR, Phoenix, AZ, 2016. pp. 339-359. ISBN 978-1-943816-19-4
• Dan Shaughnessy: One Strike Away: The Story of the 1986 Red Sox, Beaufort Books, New York, NY, 1987. ISBN 978-0825304262

Related Sites

<< 1985 1986 Postseason 1987 >>

NL Championship Series (4-2) Mets over Astros

World Series (4-3) Mets over Red Sox

AL Championship Series (4-3) Red Sox over Angels