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1984 BOSTON RED SOX ...
The 1984 Red Sox were retooling its roster for what ultimately be a five-year run from 1986-90 where they won three AL East titles, a pennant, and came within one pitch of winning the 1986 World Series. In February, Judge John Greaney ruled in the legal battle for control of the team between Buddy LeRoux, Haywood Sullivan and Jean Yawkey, telling the sides that he would not decide the issue and to work it out themselves. Sullivan would eventually buy out LeRoux and stepped aside as General Manager. He hired Lou Gorman, who took over and inherited a gifted young pitching staff that was starting to blossom.
Under Gorman, personnel changes. Mike Easler was acquired by Gorman on December 6th, in a deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates, for starting pitcher John Tudor. On February 20th, veteran pitcher Rich Gale was acquired as a free agent. He joined Roger Clemens, pitchers Bill Moloney and Mike Schmid, along with firstbaseman Reggie Whittemore as non-roster invitees. In 1983, Clemens had raced thru the minors leagues going 7-2, with an ERA under 1.50 in Single A and Double A. 21-year-old Roger Clemens made his debut on March 8th against the Tigers in Winter Haven. He had a 10-pitch, three-strikeout inning in the three innings he pitched. Ultimately, he was sent to Pawtucket on March 26th, to get more innings under his belt. Also sent to Pawtucket were Rich Gale, pitcher Steve Crawford, catcher Marc Sullivan and outfielder Lee Graham. Spring training summed up Ed Jurak's job approach. He carried four different gloves with him, one suited for each infield position, and he typically took at least 25 grounders at each position during pregame infield practice. Jackie Gutierrez was getting a good look at shortstop to replace Glenn Hoffman, during spring training games, despite having just a half-year of Triple-A experience. The Sox needed depth because Hoffman was working his way back from left knee surgery. Hoffman was the better choice defensively, but Gutierrez was a better hitter. Gutierrez went north with the team along with pitcher Al Nipper. Nipper surprised Ralph Houk, who unexpectedly chose him as his long reliever instead of Rich Gale. The pitching staff appeared to be very strong with an overall 3.39 ERA, the lowest since the 1960s. The Sox had struck out 108 and walked only 53 in 212 2/3 innings. Bruce Hurst (1.00 ERA) was the Sox's top starter, having just allowed two earned runs in 18 innings of work. The other starters, Bobby Ojeda (2.90 ERA), "Oil Can" Boyd (2.86 ERA), Mike Brown (3.00 ERA) and Dennis Eckersley (3.75 ERA) all had great camps. On March 31st, the Sox beat the San Diego Padres, 20-10, in a home run hitting contest to benefit the "Tony Conigliaro Fund". Jim Rice (7), Tony Armas (6), Wade Boggs (4) and Dwight Evans (3) hit off coach Lee Stange. $5200 was raised.
The Sox lost the opening game to the Angels at Anaheim Stadium on April 2nd, by a 2 to 1 score. Bruce Hurst had a shutout going after 8 1/3 innings and was relieved by Bob Stanley after two men reached. After getting the second out, Stanley intentionally walked the bases loaded to set up a force play at any base. But shortstop Jackie Gutierrez threw a routine grounder past firstbaseman Dave Stapleton. Two runners scored and the Sox lost, 2 to 1. The next game on April 4th, with a second-straight one-run defeat staring them in the face, the Sox staged a come-from-behind 2-1 victory. Mike Easler belted a two-run homer in the ninth inning, to enable the Red Sox to gain some revenge. Doubles by Stapleton, Dwight Evans and Easler, led the Sox in scoring three runs in the ninth inning, to beat the Angels, 7 to 4 on April 5th. The Sox had wiped out a 2-0 deficit in the eighth inning when they scored four runs. But Rod Carew's two-run homer off Dennis Eckersley had tied the game back up in the bottom of the eighth. In Oakland on April 7th, Bruce Hurst shut out the A's 3-0. In the Red Sox scheme of things, that was very important, because in his two outings, Hurst had shown consistency. He therefore was seen in manager, Ralph Houk's eyes, as the stopper that every good staff must have. In the last spring training game, pitcher Mike Brown was drilled in the shin by a line drive. Initial reports indicated he would not be ready for his first start of the regular season, but he defied the odds and returned to action on April 8th. This return might have been premature, as he was roughed up in his first start, lasting only a third of an inning in Oakland and giving up six runs, losing 14 to 2. But the Red Sox wound up their opening season road trip to the West Coast with only three wins in their first eight games, and already were four games out of first place, when they opened at Fenway Park on April 13th. Opening Day at Fenway Park was a disaster. As the afternoon grew longer and colder, the Red Sox kept coming back. Mike Easler had four hits, two of which introduced him to Green Monster, Jerry Remy had three hits, Rich Gedman and Dwight Evans hit homers with a five-run bottom of the first. But, thanks to a record six double plays and a four-run eighth inning against Bob Stanley, the Tigers held on for a 13-9 victory that was an inauspicious opening for the 50th anniversary of the opening of the "new" Fenway Park. Sox pitchers were a combined 1-9 with a 5.12 ERA going into the game on April 20th. Bruce Hurst briefly righted the ship that night with a 3-1 victory over the A's at Fenway.
After losing the next night and eight of their last nine games, the Red Sox finally got superb power to set down the Oakland A's, 12-8, on April 22nd. They collected a season-high 15 hits, including three home runs, by Jackie Guttierez, Rich Gedman and Mike Easler, while Dennis Eckersley picked up his first victory of the year, despite seeing an 8-0 lead nearly vanished before Bob Stanley came on to save the day. The next night, on April 23rd, Marty Barrett showed he could help the Red Sox as he collected three hits and figured in both runs in a 2-0, rain-shortened victory over the California Angels. Then Bruce Hurst showed his complete command in a 2-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners on April 25th. Hurst lost a bid for his first shutout ever at Fenway. But in scattering five hits, he showed why the Red Sox believe he should be one of the keys if they are to be successful in the American League East. The Sox (7-12) completed their first home stand, still struggling to find a groove, in 5th place, nine games out of first, winning only four of their 11 games at home. Dennis Eckersley pitched his first complete game victory on April 27th in Chicago, by beating the White Sox, 5 to 3. Next, on April 28th, the Sox won a dramatic battle in Chicago. Bobby Ojeda was down 6-0, in a swarm of walks, a fly ball over Dwight Evans' head, and the first grand slam of Julio Cruz. Then, after Tony Armas hit a home run and Jim Rice tied it in the eighth with his first homer of the season, the White Sox went back in front, 7-6, on a walk, a stolen base and a passed ball, only to lose it, 8-7, in the ninth on a two-out infield squibbler, a dramatic RBI triple by Ed Jurak, and an error. The Sox finished April with a 9-13 record, in fifth place, 10 games out of first.
Home runs by Dwight Evans and Jim Rice, along with the pitching of Mike Brown and Bob Stanley, keyed the Sox in a 5-4 victory against the first-place Tigers in Detroit on May 2nd. The next night, Bobby Ojeda hooked up against Jack Morris and emerged a 1-0 victor in a pitchers' duel on May 3rd. A homer by Evans was all Ojeda needed as he struck out 10 of the Tigers. Jerry Remy dove for a ground ball on May 5th against the White Sox, and reinjured his knee. It would be his final game, other than as a pinch-hitter, in the majors. On May 6th, Bruce Hurst flirted with a no-hitter until Vance Law broke it up in the eighth inning with a home run, but Hurst won the game 3 to 1 against Chicago. Bobby Ojeda was on his game again, shutting out the Rangers, with some late-inning help from Bob Stanley, in Texas on May 9th, 2 to 0. Evans drove home Marty Barrett with the game-winner in the third inning. Roger Clemens had posted a 1.93 ERA in 46 2/3 innings for Pawtucket and, on May 11th was officially called up. "Oil Can" Boyd was sent back to Pawtucket to make room. Glenn Hoffman (.180 BA) struggled to play with a brace, playing in pain all year long, and lost the starting shortstop job to Jackie Gutierrez. After being swept in Kansas City, the Sox were 13-20 and already 14 games out, sitting in 7th place. Hitters were not coming through when there were men on base, and the defense was lackadaisical at best. The pitchers were walking the number eight and leadoff batters. Jim Rice (.217 BA) had grounded into 12 doubleplays. Wade Boggs and Dwight Evans were not driving in runs and Mike Easler was on pace to set a seasonal high in strikeouts. But on May 14th, Bobby Ojeda and Bob Stanley, once again teamed-up, and beat the Indians, in Cleveland, six to one. Jim Rice finally had a two-run homer and Jackie Gutierrez had three singles, an RBI and two stolen bases. Roger Clemens made his first start on May 15th in Cleveland. In his first big-league inning, he had two easy outs and got Pat Tabler to hit a ball off the end of his bat to right field for what appeared to be the end of the inning. But Dwight Evans let it drop for a single. Tabler then pulled off a delayed steal that fooled Marty Barrett, Jackie Gutierrez and Gary Allenson. Andre Thornton bounced a single up the middle to make it 1-0. By the time Clemens finished three innings, the Indians had four stolen bases and Thornton was on the way to the first multiple-stolen-base game of his 12-year career. In the fourth inning, the sky began to fall. Julio Franco looped a soft line drive into center, which Ron Hassey followed with a single to left. After Clemens made a quick play fielding a popup bunt, he got George Vukovich to hit a bouncer to Mike Easler. Clemens covered the bag, took the throw, and first-base umpire Rich Garcia said he missed the bag. Clemens ended with a no-decision and the Sox lost 7 to 5. At best, it had been a tarnished season thus far for Dennis Eckersley, but on May 16th, it was like the good old days. Eck came within two outs of his second complete game since 1982 in shutting down his old team, the Cleveland Indians, 5-2. The Sox had scored just 13 runs in their last six games. Wade Boggs collected four hits for the first time this season. He drove in three of the five runs, coming up with two clutch singles. The next night, on May 17th, the Red Sox, unable to get their offense and defense working together, blew a 10-3 lead as the Indians took them into the 10th inning tied, 10-10. But the Indians were one turn of the screw worse, losing 11-10 on a wild pitch that scored Rich Gedman with the winning run. And so, the last place Sox took 3 of 4 from the Indians. Roger Clemens picked up his first career win in Minnesota five days later, on May 20th, working seven innings and giving up four runs in a 5-4 victory. He was down 3-2, in the third inning. But from then until he left after the seventh, he allowed only a home run and two two-out singles. Bob Stanley finished with two perfect innings for his eighth save. Dennis Eckersley showed up to beat the Indians at Fenway, 6-3, on May 21st. Rich Gedman's two-run homer staked Eck to a 4-0 lead in the first inning. The next night, on May 22nd, during the third inning, a rat scurried out on the field in the game against the Indians. It moved from the Sox on-deck circle, crossed the first base line, and was headed toward Bruce Hurst on the pitcher’s mound, before juking to the left and crossing over the third base line. The crowd was transfixed and the players just stood around watching, but Ed Jurak grabbed the rat in his first baseman’s mitt and took it off the field to great applause. It became a national sensation while Hurst went on to beat the Indians, 7 to 1. On May 25th, Dennis Eckersley was traded to the Chicago Cubs for Bill Buckner and catcher Mike Brumley. Eckersley and Buckner could have both vetoed the trade, but each player thought a change in scenery would do them both some good. Al Nipper moved into the starting rotation after Eck was shipped to the Cubs.
The Fenway crowd got their first look at Clemens on May 26th. With Buckner playing first base for his new team, the Red Sox had the game seemingly wrapped up for Clemens, who left with a two-run lead in the seventh inning, but the Royals scored nine times in the seventh and eighth innings to put the Sox away, 11-7. On May 27th, the Red Sox "Old-Timers: retook the field at Fenway. The Yastrzemskis defeated the Williamses, 9 to 2. Bruce Hurst (6-4, 1.97 ERA) followed the next night, May 27th, with a 6-0 gem against Kansas City. In scattering nine base hits for his fourth career shutout, Hurst went the distance and recorded his first Fenway shutout. It was the first shutout by a Sox lefty at Fenway since Bill Lee did it in 1975. Hurst was honored with the American League "Player of the Week".
On May 29th, the club retired Ted Williams' #9 and Joe Cronin's #4. The numbers of the two legends were the first to be retired by the Red Sox. Cronin was fighting for his health and the people had bought seats to see Cronin and Williams. Ted called his former manager "the biggest part of the night," and as the former superstar shortstop, manager, general manager and American League president beamed down from a box above the third base stands, Williams remembered him by saying. "One of the great breaks I had in this game was that I got to play for a manager like Joe" With a showpiece 2-0 victory over the Minnesota Twins, on May 30th, Bobby Ojeda (5-4) deftly crafted a seven-hitter for his American League-leading third shutout of the season. In doing so Ojeda and Hurst were the first two left-handed pitchers to throw back-to-back shutouts for the Red Sox, since both Babe Ruth and Dutch Leonard accomplished it back in 1916. But the Red Sox were 16 1/2 games out on Memorial Day and in fifth place. The AL East was usually the toughest division, and it was even worse in 1984, with the Detroit Tigers coming out blazing to a 35-5 start.
Bruce Hurst became the American League's winningest left-handed pitcher on June 1st, when he beat the Brewers, 3-1, in Milwaukee. Roger Clemens followed it up the next game, on June 2nd, by beating the Brewers, 6 to 3. A two-run homer from Tony Armas and a solo shot off Mike Easler's bat gave him the runs he would need. Because of Clemens and Hurst, the Sox pitchers had allowed just four runs in their last 37 innings. Over the last 25 games, the Sox pitching staff's ERA was a respectable 3.58 On June 3rd, the Red Sox, who after two months of stumbling through the American League, completed their first sweep on the road since September 1982 with another 6-3 victory over the Brewers. Tony Armas had four hits, including two home runs. The three-game sweep was the first ever by the Sox at County Stadium. Then the Sox went into the Bronx and beat the Yankees, 5 to 4 on June 5th, behind Mark Clear and Bob Stanley. On June 6th, Bruce Hurst and the poise he showed in beating the Yankees, was the reason the Sox walked away with a 5-3 victory. He threw 154 pitches and was still able to hang in and improve his record to 8-4. It gave the Red Sox five victories in their last six games.
Back at Fenway, the Sox welcomed the Brewers. After losing the opening game, the Sox took the next three. On June 8th, a slumping Jim Rice, broke out with two homers and five RBIs to fuel an 11-3 Sox win. The next day, on June 9th, the Sox pummeled the Brewers again, 15-6. In the last two games, they scored 26 runs on 34 hits and hit six home runs. Mike Easler had a single, a double and a homer in this game, good for five RBIs. Jim Rice had three singles, and Dwight Evans homered and singled. Bill Buckner had an RBI single and a two-run homer, and Tony Armas had two doubles, a single and two RBIs. In the finale on June 10th, a pinch-hit triple by Rick Miller helped the Sox to a 5 to 4 victory. Mike Easler had a hitting streak of 15 games. Next, the Sox welcomed the Yankees. On June 11th, the Sox rallied in the bottom of the ninth for six runs, to beat the Yanks, behind Bruce Hurst, 9-6. But after tossing 382 pitches in his last three starts, Hurst missed 12 days with tightness in his arm. The next night, on June 12th, it was de ja vu all over again, as the Sox scored three runs in the bottom of the 8th for a 9-8 win over New York, behind Dwight Evans' homer. The Sox had recorded their fifth straight victory, all come-from-behind jobs. After winning 12 of their last 14 games, the winning streak was short-lived. The Sox, who were still 13 games behind, dropped eight straight games.
It was June 22nd in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays, that Roger Clemens stopped the Sox free-fall and won his first game at Fenway. He delivered a complete-game six-hitter and the legend of the "Rocket" was on its way to being born as he collected nine strikeouts. He became very aware of what his 95 mph fastball could do to the hitters and at one point, put down ten straight batters. On June 24th, the Red Sox nailed a 5-3 victory in 10 innings over the Blue Jays. Tony Armas' two-run homer off Dennis Lamp in the 10th inning was the game-winner. It was a dramatic battle at the plate against Lamp, whom he fouled off several tough pitches, before connecting. In Baltimore on June 25th, behind "Oil Can" Boyd the Sox unleashed a 12-hit assault and beat the Orioles, 7 to 4. Tony Armas led by driving in three runs with a triple and a double. The next night, on June 26th, the Sox won again, 5 to 2. Al Nipper, who grew up idolizing Tom Seaver, had a no-hitter going through five innings with a 4-0 lead. Dwight Evans had a career highlight game on June 28th, when his 11th-inning walk-off home run won a see-saw game with the Mariners at Fenway. Twice Seattle seemed to have the game wrapped up at 4-2 and 6-4, only to see the Sox come back twice to tie it. The dramatic homer also completed the cycle for Evans, as he became only the 15th Red Sox player to accomplish the feat. The Sox finished off the month winning 15 of 29 and were in fourth place, a distant 19 games behind the Tigers.
Then Gary Allenson scrapped a ball off the wall to give the Sox another 9th-inning walk-off win on July 3rd. Then to top that, Jim Rice strolled home with his fifth base hit of the day, a grand slam home run in the 10th inning, as the Red Sox pulled off a 13-9 victory over the Oakland A's on July 4th. The California Angels came to Fenway on July 5th and were out-slugged, 12 to 7 by the Red Sox. It was triggered by a 17-hit barrage led by Dwight Evans, who drove in six runs, four of which came with his second career grand slam homer. Mark Clear was great in the ninth inning the following night, who preserved an 8-7 win over the Angels. He had the tying and winning runs on base and struck out the last two batters. The Sox had 13 hits, including three apiece by Bill Buckner and Jackie Gutierrez, giving them 71 in the last five games. The two teams split a doubleheader on July 8th before the All-Star break. Bruce Hurst bedazzled the Angels in the opener for seven innings, but the Angels came back to tie the game. Then in the 10th inning, Mike Easler blazed a base hit past third to score Dwight Evans with the 3-2 walk-off win. Bruce Hurst seemed like a lock to be on the All-Star team for the American Leaguers, but tendonitis set in and he had to be shut down. His hot first half cooled down in the second half as a result, when he came back. The All-Star Game was played at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. The National Leaguers won the game, 3 to 1. Jim Rice appeared as a pinch hitter and struck out. After the break, the Sox traveled to Seattle and split a four-game set with the Mariners. On July 13th, "Oil Can" Boyd rode a 15-hit Sox attack to a 9-5 victory. Marty Barrett came through with three key hits and Wade Boggs drove in three runs. Al Nipper pitched eight strong innings and Sox batters banged out 14 hits in clubbing the Mariners, 11 to 3 on July 15th. Mike Easler (.315 BA) scorched a homer, giving him six in his last eleven games.
On July 16th, Bob Stanley came in to preserve a 4 to 1 over the A's in Oakland. It was his career 356th appearance which pushed him past Ellis Kinder for most appearances by a Sox pitcher. Stanley, not realizing this, tossed the ball into the stands after the last out. Bruce Hurst, the winning pitcher, knew what was going on however, and went into the stands and got the ball back for Stanley, who had no idea what happening. Marty Barrett and Jackie Gutierrez were on a tear. They carried Bobby Ojeda to a 6-1 win over the A's in the next game, on July 17th. Gutierrez broke a scoreless tie in the fifth and Barrett's two-run double sealed the game. Down the coast on July 20th, it took 10 innings but the Sox beat the Angels, 4 to 3. Behind Al Nipper, the Sox overcame a 1-0 deficit in thanks to Dwight Evans' two-run homer, and the game went into overtime. Jim Rice doubled down the first base line and scored Gutierrez from second in the 10th. The next night, Hurst threw a pitch that got away from him and hit Reggie Jackson on July 21st. Jackson took exception and charged the mound. Catcher Gary Allenson headed him off, but both benches cleared. The Angels were not happy as they were getting clobbered on the field, 16 to 4. Rich Gale had taken a blow to the head, however, that required stitches. Hurst improved his record to 10-5 with a complete-game victory but was running on fumes.
Bobby Ojeda fired a three-hitter to sweep the Angels on July 22nd, 3 to 0. For the first time in his career, he did it without issuing a free pass. Then, back at Fenway, the Sox took three straight from the White Sox. On July 24th, they scored two runs in the first inning and the "Oil Can" Boyd shut them down, winning 3 to 2. Dwight Evans and Jim Rice each were 2-for-4. Mike Easler slammed a 12th-inning walk-off homer on July 25th to beat Chicago 3-2. And Roger Clemens pitched a four-hit shutout with eleven strikeouts, the next day, on July 26th, for a 7-0 series sweep. The Sox then went to Detroit and took two of three from the first-place Tigers. Ojeda shut them out, 4-0 in the second game of a July 27th doubleheader. It was his fifth shutout of the season, and his third straight, giving up just three hits. No Sox pitcher since Luis Tiant in 1978 had three shutouts. The next night on July 28th, the Sox won 3 to 2. John Henry Johnson got the start and held the Tigers to two runs in five innings. Mark Clear twice pitched out of bases-loaded situations without a run being scored, including a time in the ninth inning with the game on the line. The Sox finished July by clobbering the White Sox in Chicago, 14 to 4 on July 31st. Tony Armas, who hit his 28th homer had nine in July. Having finished the month with an 18-9 record, the Red Sox (54-49) were still a distant 16 1/2 games out and in fourth place.
On August 5th, Al Nipper pitched eight strong innings against the Rangers at Fenway. Mark Clear came on to strike out the side in the 9th inning to preserve a 4-2 Sox victory. Tony Armas belted his league-leading 30th home run. They took three of five in a home series with the Tigers, splitting an August 6th doubleheader. After losing the opener, 9-7, the Sox surged back with a 15-hit attack in the late game, creaming Detroit 10-2. After the Sox jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead, Roger Clemens shut the door, striking out nine batters. Wade Boggs led the way with four hits, including two home runs in that game. Another doubleheader was played the next day on August 7th. The Sox won the first game, 12 to 7, backing Bruce Hurst with a 13-hit barrage. The big hits were Bill Buckner's second career grandslam and another one off the bat of Tony Armas. They were the first Red Sox duo to accomplish this feat since Rip Repulski and Vic Wertz did it in 1960. The Sox finished the series with the last game being an 8-0 shutout by "Oil Can" Boyd on August 8th, but were still 13 1/2 games behind Detroit. In Arlington, Texas, with his friends and former Longhorn coaches in the stands, Roger Clemens won his fourth straight game with a 5 to 4 victory over the Rangers on August 11th. Marty Barrett hit a homer and two singles in his support. Former Red Sox players, Rick Ferrell and Luis Aparicio were inducted at Cooperstown on August 12th. But down in Texas, the Sox and Rangers battled for 11 innings before the Red Sox came out on top, 3 to 2. In the final inning, Jackie Gutierrez singled, stole second, and went to third on a throw that was wild. He scored on Dwight Evans' fly ball for the eventual game-winner. Two days later, on August 14th, Al Nipper handcuffed the Royals in Kansas City, 8 to 2. With a shutout going into the ninth inning, when the Royals scored two unearned runs, Nipper was on his game. Bill Buckner led the Sox attack with five extra-base hits. He was hot going 17-47 for a .362 average, in his last 11 games. Jackie Gutierrez pulled off the hidden ball trick on Tim Teufel, in the seventh inning of the August 17th game against the Minnesota Twins. Ed Jurak's eighth-inning single beat the Twins, 5 to 4 on August 19th. Roger Clemens had a 15-strikeout performance against the Kansas City Royals on August 21st, winning his fifth straight game, 11-1. About the sixth inning Al Nipper alerted him that the fans were pasting "K"s on the right field wall. Clemens didn't know he was close to breaking Bill Monbouquette's record of 17 Ks in a game. In 49 innings since the All-Star break, he had struck out 52 batters. Jim Rice homered in the first inning and the Sox scored four runs to give him a nice cushion at the start. The Sox came home and swept the Indians in three games. With the score tied 4-4 and the bases loaded on August 24th, Rick Miller lofted a fly ball to leftfielder Mell Hall., who slipped and fell flat on his back. Miller ended up with a double and the Sox won, 7 to 6. Twenty-seven hits were knocked out by the two teams the next day. On August 25th, Rich Gedman had two doubles in leading the Sox to an 11-6 win. Eight runs scored in the fourth inning was the Sox high for the season. On August 26th, Clemens struck out 10 Cleveland Indian batters, winning 4 to 2. He had a 119-27 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 129 2/3 innings pitched. Gary Allenson hit his final home run for the Red Sox on August 28th in the top of the seventh against the Twins in Minnesota. The homer tied the game at 1-1, but the Sox eventually lost, 2-1. Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd threw a two-hit masterpiece in Minnesota, winning 4-0 on August 29th. In the final game, Jim Rice set a major league mark, grounding into his 33rd doubleplay on August 30th. But 16 hits carried the Sox to a 9-3 victory over the Twins. In his final start of the season, on August 31st against the Indians, Roger Clemens registered seven of eleven outs by strikeouts and then exited the game with a strained tendon in his right forearm that put him on the DL for the remainder of the season. Dwight Evans' three-run homer gave the Sox an 8-7 victory, however. The Sox (71-63) posted a 17-14 record for the month. They didn't gain much in the standings, sitting in fifth place, 15 1/2 games behind the Tigers and 1/2 game behind the Yankees.
Bobby Ojeda came off the DL, spun a three-hitter in Cleveland, and won, 4-1, thanks to Mike Easler's three-run homer on September 1st. In Milwaukee on September 3rd, Jim Rice got his 300th career homer and Tony Armas belted his 36th of the season. The Sox won the game 8 to 5. The next night, Al Nipper had a shutout for seven innings and won, 3 to 1, without allowing a walk. After losing the next three games, the Sox beat up the Yankees, at Fenway, on September 9th, 10 to 1. Again, it was Nipper who pitched another gem, limiting the Yanks to just five hits. Wade Boggs banged out four hits and Jim Rice knocked out his 25th home run. Tony Armas had two walks giving him more career free passes (184) than career homers (183). The Sox lost three more before squeezing by the Brewers, 5 to 4, on Marty Barrett's two-run seventh-inning homer, on September 12th. Down in New York, the Sox took 2-of-3 from the Yankees. On September 15th, Al Nipper won his fifth straight game but gave up 12 hits. In the ninth inning with two men on, Bob Stanley finished off the Yanks for his 21st save, winning 4 to 3. Jim Rice homered and tripled the next day, driving in four runs and giving the Red Sox another win, 5 to 3. Next in Toronto the Sox again took two of the three match-ups and scored 10 runs in each of those games. Dwight Evans shot out two homers and Wade Boggs collected four hits for the seventh time this season, on September 18th, for a 10-3 victory. Tony Armas also belted his 39th major league-leading homer, good for 111 RBIs. Dwight Evans again belted two more home runs, good for six RBIs, in the next game on September 19th. The score, this time, was 10 to 4. It gave Bruce Hurst his first win in six weeks.
The Red Sox continued this successful road trip by winning 3-of-4 in Baltimore. "Oil Can" Boyd shut out the O's, 8-0, on September 21st. Bill Buckner's first career five-hit game sparked the 14-hit attack. Boyd had a 7-2 record in his last 10 starts, pitching his third shutout of the season. Tony Armas knocked out his 40th home run in the ninth inning. The next game, on September 22nd, Armas belted his 41st round-tripper, to win the game 4 to 2. It was his eighth game-winning hit this season. Another Armas homer helped beat the Orioles the next day, 6 to 2. Having won 7-of-10 on the road trip, the Sox (83-72) hadn't moved and were still 1/2 game behind the Yankees, in fourth place. The Red Sox finished the season back at Fenway Park, winning three of the seven final games. They blasted the Blue Jays on September 25th, 14 to 6. Mike Easler had three hits and Al Nipper won the sixth of his last seven games. On September 27th, they hosted the Orioles and beat them, 4 to 3. A game-saving catch by Jackie Gutierrez and a game-winning hit from Mike Easler highlighted the victory. The next day, on September 28th, Tony Armas collected his 43rd homer and Rich Gedman produced his ninth game-winning RBI for a 5-4 win. Their final 86-76 record was good for fourth in the AL East, but it would have won them AL West, where the Kansas City Royals snuck out a title with an 84-78 mark. For a rebuilding team in strong division with a historic powerhouse, that’s not a bad legacy for the 1984 Boston Red Sox. Several players had their best years, so it actually was successful from that viewpoint. This would be Jerry Remy's final year. He had undergone his third knee surgery in the offseason and batted .250 in 30 games before his knee finally gave out. Marty Barrett took over from Remy at second base and got into 139 games, batting .303 with 45 RBIs, with an on-base percentage of .358. The inclusion of winter ball, along with the strong relationship he built with new hitting coach Walt Hriniak, laid the foundation for a career year for Rich Gedman. Not only did he belt a career-best 24 home runs that season, he also established himself as the everyday catcher for the Red Sox, hitting .269 Bill Buckner sparked his new club, batting .321 with nine runs batted in as the Red Sox won 12 of the first 15 games he started. He finished with a .278 average, 11 home runs, and 67 runs batted in in 114 games. After the season, he underwent surgery to remove bone fragments from his left elbow. Wade Boggs had another great year and finished third in the AL Batting race. He hit .325 and knocked out 203 hits. Going into September he was batting .306 and ended up raising his average 19 points. A cumbersome brace on Glenn Hoffman's left knee limited his mobility in the field and his power at the plate considerably. He batted .189 in 64 games and played the entire season in excruciating pain. Jackie Gutierrez played in 151 games and acquitted himself very well. Throughout the season, he drove in 29 runs and scored 55., hitting .263, and stealing 12 bases. He had spectacular defensive tools, including speed and a fine arm, but often botched routine plays. Jim Rice was in left field and hit 28 home runs, batted .280, and had 122 RBIs. On the other side of the outfield, Dwight Evans posted numbers of 32 home runs and 104 RBIs. He batted .295 and continued to showcase his rifle arm in the field. No one produced more than centerfielder Tony Armas, who played 157 of the team’s 162 games. His home runs steadily found their way into the stands and finished as the major league leader with 43 home runs and 123 RBIs. He dominated the AL with 77 extra-base hits and 339 total bases. Mike Easler enjoyed a career year as the designated hitter and ended up with 91 RBIs, had a .376 on-base percentage, and hit .313 with 27 home runs. Easler finished tied for fifth in the American League with 188 hits and seventh in slugging percentage with a .516 mark. It added up to an offense that ranked second in the American League, excelling at both getting runners on base and then cleaning them up and balanced with both youth and veterans. The lineup would be further strengthened when Gorman dealt for first baseman Bill Buckner Pitching was the problem. Dennis Eckersley was struggling badly as a starter, on the path that would jeopardize his career until a shift to the bullpen in Oakland made him the game’s top closer. He finished with the Sox going 4-4 with a 5.01 ERA, when the trade took place. Bob Stanley was a workhorse. He pitched as a starter and also was sent back to the bullpen, where he worked in long relief, short relief and as a closer. He led the Sox pitchers in appearances for the third time in four years, pitching in 57 games. There was promise in the pitching rotation for the future and by midseason the starting pitchers did not include anyone older than 26. In an era of expanding salaries, the young Sox starters earned a combined salary of only $500K. Bruce Hurst continued his improvement and finished with a 3.92 ERA. He went 8-4 in his first 14 starts and a 2.33 ERA, hurling two shutouts. He struggled in his last 13 starts (6.50 ERA in 72 innings) to finish a once-promising campaign with another 12-12 record. He led the Sox with 33 starts and 218 innings pitched. He was second to Bobby Ojeda with 136 strikeouts to Ojeda's 137. Inconsistency, inaccuracy, and injuries stood in the way of Bobby Ojeda (12-12, 3.99 ERA) emerging as a top-flight pitcher. He had five shutouts and a 9-7 record through July. Soreness in his left elbow put him on the disabled list in mid-August and he went 3-5 with a 4.34 ERA over the last two months of the season. In that stretch he walked 27 batters in 66 1/3 innings, bringing his walks per nine innings to 3.99, his worst in four years. Pitcher Mike Brown was sent to Pawtucket for some additional work in May. He started 12 games, going 6-3 with a 3.40 ERA, but this success did not translate to the major leagues when he was recalled. Over his last four outings, he had an ERA of over 10.00 and wound up with a record of 1-8 and a 6.85 season ERA.
During a stretch of eight starts, Al Nipper won three of five decisions and carved out an impressive 2.71 ERA in 63 innings while batters hit at just a .218 clip against him. He emerged as the team’s most consistent hurler. Over a seven-start stretch from August to September, he won a career-best six straight decisions and posted a 2.33 ERA in 58 innings. Nipper finished with an 11-6 record and a 3.89 ERA (best among starters) and logged 182 2/3 innings. The Boston chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America named him co-rookie of the year with Roger Clemens. Nipper also finished seventh in voting for the American League "Rookie of the Year" award. Nipper had a reputation as a fun-loving prankster and master of the pie-in-the-face-routine when teammates were being interviewed. He roomed with Clemens, seemingly got along with everyone, and helped forge a team identity by defusing tensions with his humor. He was always willing to give the inside scoop on the team and explain the inner workings of the club. Nipper was an early advocate of studying films to gain a competitive advantage and pored over films of himself and his opponents in the offseason to look for ways to improve. The biggest splash came in mid-May when the Red Sox called up Roger Clemens. He appeared in 21 games, threw 133 innings, and struck out 126 batters. In his final six starts, he was 6-0 with a 2.63 ERA. He finished a solid but unspectacular rookie campaign, at 9-4 with a 4.32 ERA. After being put on the DL in August, he underwent surgery in September, resulting in physical therapy for the rest of the year. In contrast, was "Oil Can" Boyd. He pitched with an attitude and was 12-12 with a 4.37 ERA. After he’d begun the season 0-3 (with a 7.36 ERA) and had an argument with Houk that resulted in his being sent back down. Calling the Red Sox a racist organization, and after spending a month back in Triple-A, Boyd was summoned back to the Red Sox. Ted Williams once likened him to Satchel Paige. Mark Clear had a major turnaround year. His return to form did not begin right away. As much as Houk believed in Clear, he did not pitch him as frequently as the pitcher wished. In April, Clear pitched just once on two days or less of rest. Houk then stepped it up in May and June. He pitched effectively and finished the year 8-3 with eight saves and a 4.03 ERA, as batters hit .187 against him. Unfortunately, during spring training, John Henry Johnson’s arm problems resurfaced. He received a cortisone shot for stiffness in his left shoulder and landed on the disabled list in June with a rib injury. He got into 30 games and worked 63 2/3 innings, posting a 3.53 ERA and a record of 1-2. Three of his appearances were starts, and he finished nine games. Steve Crawford started the season in Pawtucket. He moved to the bullpen to get another shot at the big leagues and was recalled in May. During the rest of the season, he pitched in 35 games (62 innings) and posted a 5-0 record with a 3.34 ERA. Rich Gale pitched well for Pawtucket and earned a promotion in June. His ERA was up to 5.64 by the time he returned to Triple-A in August. He made three starts for the Sox in September, earning two no-decisions and what proved to be his final big league victory in Toronto on September 18th.
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