1990 BOSTON RED SOX ...
THE SOX WIN THE AL EAST IN SPECTACULAR FASHION,
BUT THAT'S ABOUT IT ...

In 1982, on the way home from Logan Airport, Tony Conigliaro suffered a massive heart attack. He would spend the rest of his life in a nursing home. On February 24th he passed away at the age of 45. Had it not been for one pitch on a steamy August night in 1967, he might have been entering the Hall of Fame this coming year.

Expectations were low for the 1990 Red Sox. The team signed free agent catcher Tony Pena on November 27th to a three-year $6.4M contract, after dumping Rick Cerone and cutting the salary of Rich Gedman by 20 percent.

The Sox signed closer Jeff Reardon on December 6th for $6.8M over three years, making Lee Smith expendable. To replace Nick Esasky's powerful bat, first baseman Billy Jo Robidoux was signed as a free agent on December 13th.

Surprisingly enough Bill Buckner was signed as a free agent on February 15th. He was given a tryout in spring training and made the club after batting .400 (10-for-25).

Given Carlos Quintana’s limited appearances, he was still technically a rookie as spring training began. The Red Sox gave him an opportunity to make the team and he responded, beating out Buckner as the starting firstbaseman.

The season started with a lockout by the owners. The issue was about a restriction on the salaries of the players. It was the seventh work stoppage in baseball since 1972. Beginning in February, it lasted 32 days and as a result, virtually wiped out all of spring training. Red Sox players met and worked out at the high school in Winter Haven during the work stoppage.

On March 18th, the two sides finally reached an agreement. The owners agreed that players, with between 2-3 years of experience, would become arbitration-eligible. There would also be an increase in the minimum salary from $68K to $100K.

Because of the disagreement, Opening Day was moved back a week to April 9th. In addition, the season had to be extended by three days in order to accommodate the normal 162-game schedule. Not consulted on the change were the major league umpires, who boycotted some spring training games.

When the Red Sox minor league camp began, making their first appearance in a Red Sox uniform were Seton Hall's Mo Vaughn and the University of Hartford's Jeff Bagwell. When spring training games started, Roger Clemens started wearing Jim Rice's number 14 as a tribute to him.

When an alligator emerged from Lake Lulu behind the Red Sox clubhouse in Winter Haven, several players started throwing rocks at it. It was Randy Kutcher who nailed it on his first try. The alligator turned around and went back to the lake.

Offseason conditioning was a much higher priority for Kevin Romine in the offseason and he reported to spring training weighing 22 pounds less than the previous spring training. During spring training Dwight Evans was suffering from a bad back and Romine went north as the starting right fielder with Evans as the DH.

Pitcher Mike Rochford made the team out of spring training. He was reportedly a “favorite of catcher Tony Pena, who had told Joe Morgan to keep him around.

The Sox finally started the season at Fenway by winning 5-2 over the Detroit Tigers on April 9th. Roger Clemens carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning and allowed three hits and struck out five. Kevin Romine had two doubles and Wade Boggs banged out three hits, reaching base four times.

The next day on April 10th, Tony Pena was 3 for 4 with two RBIs and the Sox won again. Lee Smith had saved the first two games of the season, with a 4 to 2 Sox win. On April 11th, the next day, Dwight Evans homered in the fifth inning and singled home the winning run in the 10th, for a 3 to 2 walk-off victory.

On April 12th, in the third inning in Detroit, Wes Gardner walked off the mound to the disabled list when his right elbow again failed him. According to Dr. Arthur Pappas, Gardner’s injury was common to pitchers who threw sliders. The Sox lost 11 to 7 but Dwight Evans, Mike Greenwell and Ellis Burks each had three hits.

The Sox next won one of three from the visiting Brewers. On April 14th, Jody Reed got benched after committing five errors in five games. Roger Clemens won again, 4 to 3, striking out ten.

They then split with the White Sox in Chicago, winning on April 18th, 7 to 5, behind Clemens, who was not at his best. The Sox scored six runs in the second inning and Tony Pena had two of the four hits they had in that frame.

JODY REED

Then after going 22 innings without scoring, and losing the first two games in Milwaukee, the Red Sox (6-6) carved out four runs on April 22nd with excruciating difficulty. The team's problems hitting in the clutch extended to the 11th inning when Jody Reed ended that when he blooped an unlikely, two-run single, resulting in a 4-2 victory. The team had 11 hits. But had stranded 12 runners and had three hits in 13 at-bats with runners in scoring position. For the season, the Sox were hitting .202 in such situations.

On April 24th, Roger Clemens (4-0) became stronger as a 4-2 victory over the California Angels went on. He gave up four hits and struck out eight before being lifted with one out in the ninth. He had retired 16 consecutive batters. Clemens last won four consecutive games from June 29th thru July 30th of 1988.

Two days later, on April 26th, Jody Reed hit a game-winning ninth-inning homer for a 5-4 Red Sox win at Fenway Park. It was the ninth inning and the score was tied at 4-4. Bryan Harvey had just snaked a called third strike past Wade Boggs for the first out. The next pitch he threw didn't fool Reed. He smashed Harvey's belt-high fastball over the wall and into the net. His fifth major league homer.

The powerful Oakland A's were 8-0 on the road until April 27th. They had lost neither a series nor consecutive games. The Sox beat them with a two-out, two-run single by Ellis Burks in the bottom of the ninth inning, 7-6 for the second straight walk-off win.

The next day, on April 28th, the Sox had 10 earned runs and 11 hits in six innings against lefthander Curt Young, the most runs scored against any major league starter that season. Dwight Evans slugged a three-run homer in the first, Wade Boggs hit a two-run homer in the second and a three-run double in the sixth, and by the end of the day, shortstop Jody Reed (.357 BA) was 4 for 5 with a double and three RBIs.

In the final game of the series, on April 29th, the Sox lost, 1-0, in a dramatic matchup between Dave Stewart and Roger Clemens that, like most one-run decisions, was filled with critical moments, some influenced by mere chance. Stewart’s biggest break came in the sixth just after Mike Greenwell hit a two-out single to center. Rickey Henderson played the ball on the short hop off the wet grass, almost allowing it to get by him. As a result, Greenwell was held to a single, a critical play in hindsight. Dwight Evans next smoked a line drive that sliced away from Henderson. But the ball took one bounce and hopped into the Sox bullpen in right-center field. The A's scored the only run in the first inning, and it essentially was created by Henderson. He drew a walk, moved to second on a hit-and-run ground ball, and scored when third baseman Boggs vacated his spot because Rickey was stealing third.

The 11-0 victory over Seattle, on April 30th, included seven shutout innings from Mike Boddicker, bases-loaded two-run singles by Wade Boggs and Jody Reed, a three-run homer from torrid Tony Pena (.403), and nearly flawless defense by the Sox in 38-degree temperatures and rain that became heavy enough to halt the game in the bottom of the seventh. The Sox (11-8) finished April in 2nd place, 1 1/2 games out of first.

Eric Hetzel allowed just one hit, didn't walk anyone, and struck out six in the seven innings he pitched on May 1st. The Sox won 8-2 and Hetzel had a 1.90 ERA in three successive starts. Ellis Burks backed him up with three hits in the game and knocked in two runs.

In an expected move, Lee Smith was sent to St. Louis for outfielder Tom Brunansky on May 4th, just before the Sox left for the West Coast.

In Oakland on May 5th, the Sox beat the A's, 5 to 1, thanks to Dwight Evans' three-run homer. The Sox lost 2-of-3 to the A's but moved up the coast to Seattle, where they took 2-of-3.

On May 7th, they beat the Mariners, 5 to 4. Brunansky was the hero in his first game as a member of the Red Sox. His first hit was a bases-loaded two-run double that sparked a four-run third inning.

After losing the next game on Harold Reynolds' walk-off 2 to 1 Sox loss, on May 9th, Roger Clemens won his 100th game, pitching almost an entirely different way. Using finesse, location and flashes of that impossible fastball of four years ago, he beat the Mariners, 4-1, on a four-hitter. It was his first complete-game victory of the season.

In April, Billy Jo Robidoux suffered a bruised right shoulder diving for a ground ball. After four more appearances, it hadn’t gotten better. The result was surgery for a small cartilage tear in his right shoulder.

Down in Anaheim, the Sox won their next two games. On May 11th, the Sox won 3 to 2 when Mike Greenwell scored Wade Boggs in the ninth inning with the difference. The next night, May 12th, Greg Harris held the Angels to four hits while his teammates scored seven runs, winning 7 to 1.

They won again in Kansas City by another 7-1 score on May 16th. Mike Boddicker picked up his fifth win, striking out ten.

After the 6-5 West Coast road trip the Sox returned to Fenway to face the Twins. On May 19th, Tom Brunansky was at the center of a storm that crashed over Minnesota, hitting two homers and driving in seven runs in a 13-1 victory. The Sox had 20 hits, of which Brunansky had five, and Roger Clemens pitched a five-hitter through seven innings, despite having the flu.

In 46-degree temperatures at Fenway Park, on May 21st, the Sox scored three runs in the seventh for a 4-2 victory over the struggling Texas Rangers. Kept within striking distance by Mike Boddicker (6-3), who won for the fifth time in five starts, the Sox rallied against three pitchers, finally scoring the go-ahead runs on Wade Boggs' two-run single.

It took Roger Clemens 112 pitches and 139 minutes to beat the Kansas City Royals on May 24th, 4-1. He allowed five hits, struck out seven, and walked one. It was a performance that served as another indication that, if he was no longer the frightening pitcher who once struck out 20 batters, he nevertheless retained a formidable combination of velocity and accuracy. Clemens had struck out 10 batters just once in 10 starts this season. 

Tony Pena's two-run double in the eighth inning, gave the Sox a 4 to 3 decision over the Rangers in Arlington.

Then, in his next start on May 29th, Roger Clemens had a seven-hit effort over eight innings, in which he threw 128 pitches and struck out eight, beating the Rangers, 2 to 1. Jeff Reardon saved his second straight game, his fifth save of the season, with a perfect ninth that featured a new-found changeup. Clemens, with family and friends on hand, improved to 8-2 with a 2.78 ERA. The win was his 52nd on the road, one more than he'd won at Fenway Park.

The Sox were only 11-14 in May, but only a single game behind the Jays and 1/2 game behind the Brewers.

As June started, the Cleveland Indians were one strike away from winning on June 1st. Doug Jones, who had converted a major league-leading 17 of 18 save opportunities, took a 3-2 lead into the ninth. But Tony Pena's triple to right-center scored Randy Kutcher, running for Dwight Evans, who had singled with two outs on a 1-2 count, tying the game. Then Mike Greenwell, dropped from third to seventh in the order, singled under the glove of first baseman Brook Jacoby, scoring Pena as the Sox stole a 4-3 victory.

Roger Clemens was ahead of everyone in winning his seventh straight. He struck out 11 and limited the Indians to two runs and seven hits and walked just one, leading the Red Sox to an emotional 8-2 victory on June 3rd. He improved to 12-2 against Cleveland and his double-figure strikeout effort marked a club record, the 40th time he had fanned 10 or more in a game. The win was the start of a seven-game winning streak by the Sox.

The Sox (26-23), who have been perched on the edge of first for about three weeks, took over the AL East lead by one-half game over Milwaukee and Toronto on June 4th. In this 5-3 victory over the Yankees, the Sox cut down two runs at the plate and scored the winning run on Tom Brunansky's fourth RBI of the game, an eighth-inning double that drove in Ellis Burks.

Bill Buckner’s major league career finally came to a close on June 5th. The end was without ceremony. Buckner had an early dinner and went to the ballpark in the afternoon. Morgan called him into his office. Buckner got the handshake and the pink slip. He said he might call some teams, and said he wasn't happy with the way he was utilized by the Sox. He retired with a .289 career batting average, 2,715 hits, and 498 doubles.

Pitcher Jeff Gray was sharp for Pawtucket with a 3.41 ERA, 35 strikeouts in 31 2/3 innings, and a career-high 5.00 K/BB ratio. With only one day off scheduled until the All-Star break, the Red Sox needed pitching help. They brought Gray up after releasing Buckner.

The Sox then beat the Yankees, 9 to 8, finishing off the eventful day. The Sox blew a four-run lead in the eighth inning, only to win on Jody Reed's suicide squeeze with one out in the bottom of the inning. It scored Wade Boggs, who got to third on a check-swing triple to right.

Before, the third game of the series on June 6th, Yankees manager Bucky Dent was fired. Dozens of cameras caught new manager Stump Merrill's first step onto the field, and Merrill exuded the sense that the team was ready to make a new beginning. The problem was, that they ran into Mike Boddicker. Boddicker, who was last defeated on April 25th, got his sixth consecutive victory as the Sox widened their American League East lead to 1 1/ 2 games over Toronto and Milwaukee. He allowed two hits, both in the second inning, then retired 18 of 19 batters.

In the final game on June 7th, a one-hitter was pitched by Greg Harris and Jeff Reardon, with the only blemish a fifth-inning single by Jesse Barfield after Harris retired the first 14 batters. The Red Sox swept the Yankees had a season-high five-game winning streak and their eighth win in the last ten games.

On June 8th Rich Gedman was traded to the Houston Astros. After Gedman was traded, catcher John Marzano rejoined the club as Tony Pena’s backup. Before his call-up, Marzano had batted .320 at Pawtucket and threw out 42.1% of attempted base stealers.

Against the Indians at Fenway, Roger Clemens (10-2, 2.72 ERA) struck out eight over seven innings, winning 4 to 3, his sixth win in his last seven starts. Ellis Burks homered with a man on to lock down the win.

The Red Sox' notched their seventh straight victory on June 9th, going 10 games above .500 at Fenway Park. The daily heroes included Ellis Burks, who had six RBIs and another homer in an 11-6 victory over the struggling Indians. The Sox lost the last two games of the series but still had a 1/2 game lead in the AL East.

On June 13th, John Marzano had his first four-hit game in the majors in a 4 to 1 victory over the Yankees. But the Sox lost two of their three at Yankee Stadium, falling out of first place.

In Baltimore, they took three of the four games but couldn't climb back on top of the AL East. Wes Gardner pitched the Sox to a 4-3 win on June 15th. He held the Orioles to two runs over 5 2/3 innings before handing things over to Dennis Lamp to wrap the game up.

Mike Boddicker best the O's the next night on June 16th. He threw eight strong innings for his seventh straight win, 6 to 3. Wade Boggs supported him by going 3-for-5 with a double and a homer. A three-run homer by Carlos Quintana led the Sox to a 6 to 5 victory in the third game on June 17th.

Two days later in Toronto, the Sox beat the Jays 4 to 2 at Skydome. Ellis Burks got the winning hit on a triple that got by Mookie Wilson in the ninth inning.

The Sox won five of their eight-game road trip and returned to Boston two games out of first, but they started another winning streak that lasted for seven games.

The Orioles came to Fenway on June 22nd and were beaten, 4 to 3. Mike Boddicker fell behind when he gave up three runs in the fourth inning. Tom Brunansky went 2-for-4 and drove in two runs but Tony Pena delivered the go-ahead hit.

On June 23rd, Dwight Evans belted two homers, one to tie the game in the eighth inning and the other was a two-run shot in the 10th, as the Red Sox beat the Orioles, 4-3, to move back to a half-game out of first place.

In the final game of the series, Greg Harris shut out Baltimore, 2 to 0 on June 24th. Evans homered again to break a scoreless tie in the seventh inning and brought in Jody Reed with an insurance run on a sac fly in the eighth.

The first-place Blue Jays then came to town for a showdown series that started on June 25th. The Jays had won 15 consecutive games at Fenway. In the first game, Dave Stieb never retired a batter as Mike Greenwell had a four-hit night, knocking in three runs and Jody Reed hit the go-ahead home run. It allowed the Red Sox to move into first place for the first time since June 11th after defeating Toronto, 10-8.

In the second game, on June 26th, Wes Gardner dominated the Blue Jays over six innings en route to a 3-0 Red Sox win. Gardner was supported by Tom Brunansky's RBI double and a two-run homer from Carlos Quintana. A strong effort by Rob Murphy and Jeff Reardon, who picked up his 12th save and second in as many nights put the game away.

By the seventh inning of the third game, Red Sox fans were leaving Fenway Park, safe in the notion that their team had the 9-5 victory over the Blue Jays well in hand on June 27th. Mike Boddicker improved to 10-3, going seven innings, allowing all five runs but only three earned. He struck out six as he won for the ninth straight time and remained unbeaten in his last 12 decisions.

The Sox finished their seven-game winning streak and boosted their record in June to 20-7 by sweeping the Jays on June 28th and moving 3 1/2 games ahead of them, atop the AL East. Roger Clemens (12-3) allowed eight hits in eight innings, struck out nine, and tied Oakland's Bob Welch for the major league lead in victories.

In a July 1st home game against the Rangers, starter Wes Gardner was chased after just two-thirds of an inning, having allowed four runs on five hits. Tom Bolton came on in relief and retired the first 18 batters he faced, going 7 1/3 innings in relief while holding the Rangers to three singles. The Red Sox tallied 15 runs, giving him the 15-4 win.

Kevin Romine’s leadoff, ninth-inning home run off lefthander Kenny Rogers, gave the Red Sox a 3-2 win on July 2nd, ending their 11-game homestand with a 9-2 record and boosting their American League East Division lead to 4 1/2 games.

Dwight Evans was the hero again after belting a three-run homer in the ninth off Rick Aguilera as the Red Sox beat the Twins, 4-3, at the Metrodome on July 4th. It was his 10th homer and also marked the third time in the last 12 days that he has given the Sox wins with late-inning homers. But the Sox went on and lost the next four straight going into the All-Star Break and saw their AL East lead dwindle to one-half game over Toronto.

Along with Ellis Burks and Roger Clemens, Wade Boggs (.307 BA) was elected to start in the All-Star Game for the fifth consecutive season, his sixth appearance overall. He received 1,291,273 votes from people who continue to recognize him as one of the finest hitters in baseball. Boggs was the only Red Sox player who saw action in the game. Ellis Burks was suited up, but not on the official playing roster because of a pulled hamstring, and Clemens, who had complained of a weak arm, was kept out by A.L. manager, Tony La Russa.

Just as the second half started, Dwight Evans was placed on the disabled list because of recurring back problems and a pulled left hamstring. The move came at a time when the Sox were suddenly riddled by injuries. Mike Greenwell was wearing an air cast over his left ankle.

Despite having a shutout, Roger Clemens came out a game after seven innings because of his arm on July 14th. After losing 3 of 4 games to the Royals, the Sox slid back into second place.

Tim Naehring had played well in Pawtucket and was hitting .269, with 15 homers and 47 RBIs. His solid play was rewarded when he was chosen for the International League All-Star game. He then went to Rochester for a series with the Red Wings, unaware that everything was about to change. After the first game of a doubleheader, he was called up. Naehring’s arrival was seen as good news: fans had high hopes for him, and so did the Red Sox organization.

Naehring made his major-league debut on July 15th, against the Kansas City Royals, playing one inning of defense, at second base. His first full game was the next night, and he was understandably nervous. It was not an auspicious debut. Batting in the ninth spot, he went 0-for-4, with three strikeouts, and also made an error at shortstop. But, to his surprise, the fans were very supportive, cheering him on when he came up to bat.

Minnesota came to Fenway on July 17th, and Sox hitters grounded into not one, but two triple plays, both 5-4-3, initiated by the Twins' Gary Gaetti. Jody Reed was put out in both triple plays. He is the only player ever to be so involved. But despite that, Naehring watched his star make a meteoric ascent by driving in the game-winning RBI as the Red Sox won the game, 1-0.

The next night on July 18th, the Red Sox knocked into an American League record six double plays and the Twins knocked into four more, to set a combined major league record for one game. The Sox won the contest by a score of 5 to 4 and went up 1 1/2 games into the AL East lead.

Roger Clemens' first start after it was learned he had a muscle strain in the back of his right shoulder was a seven-inning, two-run stint against the Royals in the first game of a doubleheader on July 20th. He was the losing pitcher in Kansas City, 5 to 0. During the game, he broke Cy Young's team career strikeout record with 1,320. The second game of the afternoon was a neatly pitched 3 to 1 victory from Dana Kiecker.

The Sox lost three of four games in Kansas City and their first two games in Milwaukee to drop into second place, but only a game out of first.

In his next outing on July 25th, Roger Clemens' record improved to 13-5 with a league-low 2.33 ERA in a 2 to 0 shutout, and he showed no signs of the dead arm he had spoken of at the All-Star break. There were no signs of the muscle strain in the back of the shoulder diagnosed two weeks ago. He threw predominantly fastballs and ended the four-game losing streak for the Sox against Milwaukee. He was now 8-2 after Red Sox losses and 64-17 in his career after a Sox loss. He was the stopper again as he struck out nine and walked just one in recording his first shutout of the year. He retired 11 of the last 12 batters. His only walk was in the sixth to Robin Yount.

On July 27th, Tom Bolton threw 7 2/3 shutout innings and was helped by Dana Kiecker and Rob Murphy beating the Tigers, 1-0.

The Sox ended their road trip on July 29th beating Detroit 13-3. They hit 12 doubles, setting an American League record for one game. Carlos Quintana's double to the left-center-field gap in the ninth inning set the record. The Tigers had established the mark against the New York Yankees on July 14, 1934, in Detroit.

The road trip concluded with the Red Sox winning just four of the twelve games, but still were just a game behind the Blue Jays, in second place.

Back in Fenway, on July 30th Roger Clemens threw 125 lively pitches and surrendered just two hits in the final five innings of a 3-0 victory against the White Sox. He extended his scoreless streak to 23 innings with his second successive shutout. It was the first back-to-back shutouts by a Red Sox pitcher since he blanked Seattle twice in May 1988. He struck out eight, went to three balls only twice (and walked none).

Next, on July 31st, the Sox picked up free-agent pitcher, Joe Hesketh. Randy Kutcher was hitting .246 when the team needed to make room for Dwight Evans to return, so they sent Kutcher to Pawtucket. The Sox (55-48) beat the White Sox 7 to 2, on the backs of Wade Boggs and Tom Brunansky, who each had three hits.

Next it was determined that closer, Jeff Reardon had a ruptured disc that would require surgery. Utilityman Mike Marshall was traded from the Mets to the Red Sox for minor leaguers Ed Perozo, Greg Hansell and Paul Williams. The Sox recalled Daryl Irvine from Pawtucket to replace Reardon.

The Red Sox swept the White Sox on August 1st, winning 9 to 5. Boggs had three more hits and Brunansky had two, one of which was a home run.

The Detroit Tigers fell to the Sox, 14 to 5 on August 3rd. A seven-run, six-hit first inning, and three home runs did the trick. Ellis Burks had two hits including a three-run blast in that first inning.

Roger Clemens lowered his ERA to 2.14, the lowest in baseball on August 4th. His streak of consecutive scoreless innings, the longest in the majors that season, ended at 26 2/3. He had allowed three earned runs or fewer in 22 of his 24 starts, often pitching with little margin for error. Since June 3rd, Sox batters had failed to score more than four runs for him, and in his last seven starts, the team has supported him with an average of less than three runs a game. Wade Boggs went 3 for 4 with an RBI and a double, in the 3-1 win over the Tigers, raising his average to .472 over the past eight games.

The first-place Sox in first by 1 1/2 games, next left for an all-important West Coast trip the second week in August.

Tom Brunansky's three-run homer keyed the Sox win in the first game of the road trip in Anaheim on August 7th. Tom Bolton was locked in a tight pitcher's duel until the sixth inning when Brunansky came through with his shot to give the Sox a 6 to 3 win.

On August 8th, Tim Naehring was 4-for-5 in an 8-6 loss to the Angels. The next night, August 9th, Roger Clemens picked up his 16th win as his teammates pounded the Angels, 14 to 3. Wade Boggs continued to hit with a 12-game hitting streak, while Carlos Quintana and Tom Brunansky banged out three hits apiece. After winning 2 of 3 in California, the Sox went up to Seattle in first place by two games.

In the first meeting the Sox lost, but the next game on August 11th, saw both the Mariners and Sox scored runs in the ninth inning to take the game into extras, tied a two apiece. Then in the 14th inning, Dwight Evans won the game with a two-run homer for a 4-2 victory.

The Sox scored five runs in the ninth inning on August 12th. Marty Barrett was the hero by delivering the game-winning two-run double in the ninth, for the 7-2 win in Seattle, making Tom Bolton's record, 7-1.

That set them up for a showdown with the first-place Oakland A's.

In the first game on August 13th, the Sox were hoping for an early blowout of the A's. They had loaded the bases in two straight innings and in two straight innings, they didn't score. A’s pitcher, Scott Sanderson, who threw 55 pitches in that span, then settled into quite a groove as he three-hit the Sox in a 4-0 victory at the Coliseum.

The next night on August 14th, Roger Clemens had a five-hit, 11-strikeout, 2-0 shutout over the A's and was virtually untouchable from the third inning on, in one of his most dominating performances in the past two years. He retired 15 straight batters, 10 of them on strikeouts, before a single up the middle with two outs in the eighth. It was his 200th start, he tied his season high for strikeouts and improved to 10-2 after Red Sox losses this season. He lowered his ERA to 2.06, the lowest in the major leagues. In his last five starts, he has pitched 42 1/3 innings and allowed only three earned runs.

After the third game on August 15th, every player seemed to feel some form of devastation after Mark McGwire belted Rob Murphy's first pitch up to the right corner of the Budweiser sign in the upper deck in left field. It was a grand slam, literally and figuratively, that resulted in a 6-2, 10-inning loss to the A's. The West Coast trip ended with a respectable 5-4 record. The Sox came home, the same two games in front of the Jays, as when they left.

Back home facing the Angels the Sox lost a close pitching duel between Mike Boddicker and Charley Finley, 1-0, on August 17th. A booted by by Luis Rivera in the ninth inning gave California the winning run. They lost by one run the next night but won the series finale on August 19th, 4 to 1. Roger Clemens chalked up his 18th win. He had allowed only four earned runs in his last 49 1/3 innings for a 0.73 ERA. He had allowed three runs or less in his last 21 starts.

The following night on August 20th, Greg Harris beat the Orioles, 2 to 1, but walked seven batters and gave up just three hits. Then on August 22nd, they pummeled the O's, 13 to 2. Mike Boddicker pitched into the eighth inning and finally got some run support. Ellis Burks had three hits and got the Sox offense going with a two-run homer. Mike Greenwell followed with another two-run shot.

Next, on August 23rd the Sox, in first place by two games, went up to Toronto to confront the second-place Blue Jays. The first game came down to one chaotic play in the ninth inning, when a slow ground ball shot from Kelly Gruber's shattered bat and Wade Boggs made a difficult, hurried throw to the plate. He fielded the ball moving toward the line and had to throw almost directly over the runner heading home, Mookie Wilson. Boggs got off the throw, but not quite in time, and the Blue Jays pulled out a 4-3 win.

The next night on August 24th, designated hitter Mike Marshall's ninth-inning RBI single through the shortstop hole on an 0-2 pitch from reliever Duane Ward broke up a scoreless game. The Sox went on to defeat the Blue Jays, 2-0. Dana Kiecker pitched eight shutout innings, before giving way to the closer Jeff Gray, who struck out two Jays in the ninth inning, to nail down the victory. It would be the start of a ten-game winning streak for the Sox.

The third game on August 25th, was a riveting, 1-0 victory for the Sox behind Dwight Evans, playing with back pain, who homered off lefty David Wells to start the seventh inning, and Roger Clemens. The Rocket was never more clutch than in the ninth inning when an error by Wade Boggs developed into a bases-loaded, one-out rally. With the SkyDome rocking, Clemens retired catcher Greg Myers on a shallow fly to right and struck out switch hitter Manny Lee for the final out of the game.

In one of the best mound performances in recent team history, the first-place Red Sox won three games in a row from the Blue Jays, holding them scoreless for 27 straight innings including a 1-0 victory in the final game of the series on August 26th. Greg Harris (11-5) pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings, in which he allowed two hits and only four other balls to leave the infield. He struck out a season-high eight and walked two. He was aided, ever so slightly, by Jody Reed's liner over shortstop with two outs in the eighth inning, scoring Tom Brunansky after a close play at the plate.

Red Sox starters compiled a 0.88 ERA during the series, barely bettering the exploits of the Toronto pitchers, who combined for a 1.16 ERA and still lost three times. The Red Sox left Toronto enjoying a four-game lead atop the AL East.

Next was a trip to Cleveland, where Ellis Burks went 4 for 5 and became only the second Red Sox player to hit two home runs in the same inning when he went deep twice during the team's 12-4 rout of the Indians on August 27th. In 1928, second baseman Bill Regan became the first Sox player to accomplish the feat when he homered twice, including an inside-the-park round-tripper, against the White Sox at Comiskey Park. Mike Boddicker pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings, running his streak of consecutive scoreless innings to 33 2/3. It was the team's longest scoreless innings streak since 1919.

The following night on August 28th, the Sox beat the Indians, 6 to 5 on Mike Greenwell's (3-for-5) two-run triple in the ninth inning. Dana Kiecker was on the mound for the next game on August 29th. He shut down the Tribe, 7 to 1, allowing three hits over seven innings. The Sox mounted a 14-hit attack, with Wade Boggs getting three and Ellis Burks cranking out his 16th homer.

On August 30th, Roger Clemens (20-5) wrapped up the series in Cleveland by reaching the 20-win mark for the third time in his career. The Sox swept the Indians, benefiting from a seven-run ninth-inning rally as they waltzed to a 9-2 victory, giving them a 6 1/2 game lead in the AL East.

Relief pitcher, Larry Andersen was then acquired for the stretch run for a player who seemed insignificant at the time, Jeff Bagwell. Bagwell, who had played all season in Double-A New Britain, was hitting .333 with four home runs and 61 RBIs. GM Lou Gorman felt that the Sox had depth at third base with Wade Boggs, Tim Naehring and Scott Cooper, therefore making him expendable. It would turn out to be the worst trade the Sox would make since trading Sparky Lyle to the Yankees for Danny Cater.

On September 1st, Mike Greenwell hit an inside-the-park grand slam. With the bases loaded and no outs in the fifth inning, he smashed a groundball just inside the first-base bag. Right fielder Jesse Barfield, trying to cut it off, lunged for the baseball, but missed it and it rolled away. Barfield fell and knocked his knee against the wall. Greenwell just kept motoring around the bases. He was one of only 11 Red Sox players to hit an inside-the-park grand slam. The Sox went on to win in a 15-1 romp over the Yankees.

The next night on September 2nd, the Sox won 7-1 for their 10th straight a row and a series sweep of the Yankees. Tom Bolton and Larry Anderson combined for the win, while the offense got seven RBIs from Mike Greenwell and Ellis Burks.

Next up was the AL West leaders, the Oakland A's at Fenway Park. On September 3rd, the winning streak ended in a laborious, forgettable 9-5 loss to the A's on “Bob Stanley Night”. An overflow crowd, 34,692, showed up, and reporters dutifully pumped both teams for playoff hype.

Suffering from a chronic bad back, Dwight Evans then headed for the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester, where he was placed in traction. Evans took a turn for the worse after batting practice Monday.

The next night a hush fell all over New England. Suddenly, the gush of optimism had settled into a reality. The Red Sox have lost two straight to the A's, with a 6-2 setback on September 4th. Dave Stewart, one of the best money pitchers in the game, once again beat Roger Clemens. The Rocket lasted 5 1/3 innings, allowing five hits and four runs, though two were unearned. He made two throwing errors, tossed a costly wild pitch and walked a season-high-tying six, which matches the total of his previous eight starts. His record dropped to 20-6 and his ERA rose to 1.98.

Mark McGwire forced Mike Greenwell to the warning track in the ninth inning and Jose Canseco tagged from third to score the sixth and final run in the Athletics' win. It was enough to give McGwire his 90th run batted in of the year, the fourth consecutive year he's reached that plateau.

On September 6th, the A's completed their sweep of the Sox, beating them 10 to 0. The Sox had lost three straight to a team they could face if they made the playoffs. Their lead over Toronto stood at 5 1/2 games.

The late Tony Conigliaro's family gathered at Fenway Park on September 7th, and ceremonies were held to announce the formation of the "Tony Conigliaro Memorial Award". It would be presented annually at the Boston Baseball Writers Association Dinner, to the major league player who has overcome adversity with the spirit and courage demonstrated by Conigliaro, who died in February. Then it was revealed that Roger Clemens had tendinitis in his shoulder and would be shelved.

Carlos Quintana's RBI single in the 11th inning gave the Sox a walk-off win over the Mariners on September 7th. The next day, the Sox pounded Seattle, 10 to 2 with Mike Greenwell and Mike Marshall each banging out three hits apiece. Tom Bolton improved to 9-2 with a 2.75 ERA, giving up seven hits.

On September 10th they next split a doubleheader with the visiting Milwaukee Brewers, winning 5 to 4 behind Greg Harris (13-6) and then losing the second game. Wade Boggs was 5 for 8 with two doubles, raising his average to .311

The Sox took a 6-1 victory over the Brewers on September 12th, ending their homestand with a winning but not exactly overwhelming 7-6 record and a four game lead over Toronto. Mike Boddicker returned to form, pitching a tidy seven-hitter, with three strikeouts and no walks. The Sox pounded 13 hits, including three apiece by Carlos Quintana and Ellis Burks and two each by Boggs and Tony Pena.

The next went on the road and started the trip in Chicago. After losing four straight to the White Sox, Mike Boddicker (16-8) got support from a 12-hit attack, plus three wild pitches and four errors by the Orioles as the Sox won 7-3 in Baltimore on September 17th. As a replacement for Mike Marshall in the seventh inning, Billy Jo Robidoux made his last appearance in the majors. His final at-bat was a strikeout. But the Sox lost the next two games in Baltimore and finally went to New York.

Dana Kiecker combined with Larry Andersen to shut out the Yankees with a three-hitter on September 21st, 3 to 0. But they lost the final two games because they didn't hit.

So from September 12th to September 24th, they lost 10 of the 12 games and the Blue Jays nudged ahead in the AL East. On the road trip, they batted .184 with runners in scoring position and .241 overall. And the Sox starting pitchers went 2-7 with a 6.24 ERA.

Back home, the Sox split a two games set with the Indians and then went to Detroit for a make-up game, which they won, 3 to 2 on September 27th. They now came back for a showdown with Toronto, tied for first place. But the Jays were even more flawed than the Red Sox. The two clubs had fought a war of attrition, as each tried to give away the division title.

In the first game of the series, on September 28th, the Red Sox beat the Blue Jays, 7-6, to pull into first place. Jeff Stone knocked out his only hit of the season following a September call-up. He lined a ninth-inning, bases-loaded single to right-centerfield to deliver the walk-off win. The Sox had entered the bottom of the ninth trailing almost hopelessly, 6-5, but loaded the bases against Toronto closer Tom Henke. Mike Greenwell pounced on a Henke fastball and lined a single to right. The game was tied before Stone, who was 3 for 15 with the Sox last year, became the hero. (Stone was shocked when the club released him two months later)

A 7-5 victory over Toronto in the second game, on September 29th, pushed the Red Sox to a two-game lead with four to play. Roger Clemens had not pitched in 25 days, but he came back and allowed four hits in six shutout innings, pushing his fastball to 91 miles per hour in the fourth inning. The performance was so dramatic, that it overshadowed the effort of Tom Brunansky, who homered three times off three different pitchers and drove in five runs.

In the third game, the Sox lost their stranglehold on the Blue Jays and the AL East by losing 10-5. The Jays simply hammered Sox pitching. As crucial as the game was to both teams, it fairly summed up the depressed state of the division, which for the third straight year would be won by a team with fewer than 90 wins.  

The Red Sox next won a game against the White Sox, 4 to 3, on October 1st. They had won five of their last six games and it, at least, clinched them a tie because the Jays lost to the Orioles. Dwight Evans knocked in the winning run in the eighth inning to break a 3-3 tie. Dana Kiecker pitched seven excellent innings, allowing just one run before Larry Andersen lost the lead.

The Red Sox lost to the White Sox, 3-2, in 11 innings the next night on October 2nd. An Ozzie Guillen two-out single to right field, off a 2-2 Dennis Lamp slider beat them.  In the meantime, Toronto beat the Orioles in Baltimore and thus the division race came down to the final game of the season, with the Sox having a one game lead.

The final game of the season took place on October 3rd at Fenway. The Red Sox scored three second inning runs on a lead-off double by Mike Greenwell, a Dwight Evans' single and Tom Brunansky's triple. Then Mike Boddicker shut down the White Sox into the seventh inning, when he allowed a single run before turning the game over to Jeff Reardon.

So, ahead 3 to 1, with two outs in the ninth and no one on base, Reardon got two strikes on the White Sox' Sammy Sosa, before he lined a single to center. Reardon then hit the next batter, Scott Fletcher with a pitch and  Ozzie Guillen was at bat with the tying run on second.

Guillen then pulled a line drive down the right-field line as Tom Brunansky ran toward the "Pesky Pole". As the ball dropped down, Brunansky half dove and half slid for the base of the wall, while Sosa and Fletcher rounded the bases. Out of most people's sight, the season hung in the balance. Not a dozen people in the park were able to see Brunansky, fortunately, one of them was umpire, Tim McClelland. Brunansky caught the ball, got up, and sprinted toward him. McClelland signaled a good catch and the out, as the Red Sox won a most unlikely division championship in spectacular fashion.

So, to advance any further, the Red Sox would now have to beat the Western Division Champion, Oakland Athletics. In Game #1 on October 6th, for six innings, it was a Roger Clemens and Dave Stewart duel. Clemens left with a 1-0 lead at the start of the seventh. But the Sox bullpen couldn't do the job and gave up nine runs as Oakland romped to a 9-1 victory.

In Game #2 the Sox dueled the A's to a 1-1 tie for six innings, but the bullpen failed again. Greg Harris gave up two singles to start the seventh and was replaced by Larry Andersen. A ground ball eventually scored the go-ahead run and the final score was 4-1.

And the Red Sox ended their season when they lost to the A's again in Game #3. The Sox were swept and had their star pitcher, Roger Clemens, ejected from the biggest game of their season in the second inning, when the Oakland A's scored all their runs. With Oakland leading 1-0 and two outs, Clemens began cursing from the mound at home-plate umpire Terry Cooney over balls and strikes and was ejected from the game. When Clemens realized that he had been tossed, he charged Cooney and pushed right-field umpire Jim Evans aside, an offense for which he was fined $10,000 and suspended for the first five games of the 1991 season.

The Sox lost 4-1, getting eliminated from the ALCS in four straight. Dave Stewart allowed only four hits and didn't yield a run until the ninth when Ellis Burks led off with a double and Jody Reed sliced a run-scoring single to right. The ALCS Most Valuable Player then gave way to Rick Honeycutt, who promptly induced a double-play ball from Wade Boggs and retired Mike Greenwell on a grounder to second, concluding Oakland's second playoff sweep of the Sox in the last three years.

Until Reed delivered in the ninth, Sox batters had been 0 for 17 with runners in scoring position. The A's didn't hit a homer in the series, nor unleash their weapons named Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire and Rickey Henderson, but they outscored the Sox, 20-4. Meanwhile, the Sox bullpen had given up 16 hits and seven walks, with a 15.63 earned run average in the ALCS. 

Season over ....

The 1990 Red Sox did a credible job getting here, but in these final days, they were pointing fingers and making excuses. The Red Sox intimidated nobody and apart from Roger Clemens, hardly a man on the team played to his expected level. Clemens was fabulous and accumulated a 21-6 record with an ERA of 1.93 to lead the American League. He finished second in the AL "Cy Young" voting to Bob Welch of the A's. In the meantime, he became the Red Sox all-time strikeout leader, surpassing Cy Young with 1,341 Ks.

Dwight Evans showed his age and after the season, in which he suffered serious back problems, limiting his playing time, the Red Sox granted him his release.

Mike Greenwell (.297 BA) was exposed for what he was, a good hitter with 181 hits, but a defensive liability.

Wade Boggs slumped to .302, his lowest batting average since reaching the big leagues, and failed to get 200 hits, finishing with 187 and a .386 OBP, getting walked 87 times.

But Ellis Burks completed a strong season that led to some overdue recognition as one of the top players in the game. He batted .296 and contributed 21 home runs and 89 runs batted in and led the offense, continuing to play as a very good, and rightfielder. His clutch hitting was particularly important as 23 of his first 43 runs batted in were delivered with two out. Burks received a "Silver Slugger Award" as a recognition of his excellence over the season. He also earned his first "Gold Glove Award", joining fellow outfielders Ken Griffey Jr. and Gary Pettis.

Though he missed the team’s first 23 games while with St. Louis, Tom Brunansky's 71 RBIs were third on the team. He had 11 of his RBIs in the final seven games and his 15 homers were second best on the team. He became a free agent after the season but re-signed with the Red Sox.

Tony Pena's leadership abilities again emerged in the Red Sox clubhouse, all while adapting to the American League. Similar to his stays in Pittsburgh and St. Louis, Peña displayed excellent defense and pitching staff management.

Carlos Quintana played 149 contests but provided very little power, made 572 plate appearances, registered 28 doubles among his 147 hits, and batted .287; all of those statistics were fifth-best among Red Sox regulars. He enjoyed a pair of four-hit games. Although he led the AL in errors committed as a first baseman (17), he also paced the circuit in assists (137) and was fifth in both double plays turned (116) and putouts (1,188).

The season was another strong one for Jody Reed. He batted .289 with 51 RBIs and 70 runs scored and a .371 OBP. He tied George Brett for the major-league lead in doubles with 45 and could easily have won outright with a slightly better finish. Brett had 12 doubles in his last 38 games while Reed had just four. Playing in 119 games at second base and 50 at short, Reed finished second to Harold Reynolds in the "Gold Glove" balloting for AL second basemen. He made six errors in 595 chances, a .990 fielding percentage.

Marty Barrett played in only 62 games, batting .226, and was released after the season.

In what became a recurring problem, Tim Naehring began experiencing severe back pain in late July. He missed three games in early August and then returned to the lineup, but his back never improved. By now, the pain was affecting his fielding and causing him to make more errors. He went back on the DL, but when he tried to return, the pain kept getting worse. He missed the remainder of the season, and after numerous tests, doctors determined he had been born with his right leg slightly shorter than his left. Wearing a lift in his right shoe helped alleviate the pain. In 93 games, he batted .271

Mike Boddicker won 17 games and the other starters all had career years. It was the Red Sox pitching that kept them in the race, even surviving the loss of Reardon to back surgery during the year.

Greg Harris compiled an even 4.00 ERA, and his 13-9 record placed him third on the team in wins. His ERA had been 3.17 at the end of August but rose significantly over his final six starts. The 184 1/3 innings he pitched were more than 40 above his prior high and almost double his workload from the previous year.

Dana Kiecker finished the season with a record of 8-9 and an ERA he had brought under 4.00 in his last outing. He did seem to pitch better on the road but for no apparent reason. He had an ERA of 6.50 at Fenway Park and 2.14 in away games. That reflected the opponents’ batting average against him: .313 at home and .206 on the road.

Tom Bolton went on to pitch a career-high 119 2/3 major-league innings for the season, winning 10 games against five losses, with a 3.38 ERA.

The 1990 season was a rough one for Jeff Reardon, who had surgery to repair a ruptured disc in his back on August 4th, landing him on the disabled list for the first time in his career. He was out of action through September 14th and finished with 21 saves and a 3.16 ERA.

When Reardon required back surgery, Joe Morgan first turned to Rob Murphy to take over the closer duties, but Murphy floundered. In August against the California Angels, Morgan instead gave the ball to Jeff Gray in a save situation. Ever self-confident, Gray picked up that save and five more in August. Gray’s six saves in one month by a rookie stood as a Red Sox record until 2006.

Reliever Dennis Lamp pitched in 47 games and 105 2/3 innings. His record was 3-5, and his earned run average climbed to 4.68 – though for the first half of the season (through the end of June) his ERA was 2.68. Three rough outings in July pushed his ERA above 4.00. Then, Lamp and the rest of the bullpen struggled to find consistency as injuries and the bullpen’s ineffectiveness contributed to the Red Sox near collapse.

But the season was the best of times and the worst of times for Wes Gardner. A great game here, a blowout there, no run support, a start, a short relief, a perfect game spoiled in the fifth inning, stints on the disabled list. He was 3-7 with a 4.89 ERA, in 77 1/3 innings pitched.

In April, pitcher John Leister was brought in during the eighth inning of a game against the Brewers. The Red Sox were trailing, 15-0. There was one out and two runners were aboard. Leister gave up a triple, scoring the two inherited runners; then an RBI single. Leister recovered to get the final two outs of the eighth and set down the side in order in the ninth. Those were his last innings in the majors. He was returned to Pawtucket where he endured a disappointing 2-10 (5.78) season. His major league record was 0-2 with a career ERA of 8.50