Fenway Flashback: 1986 — April, Week 1: One Pitch, Then a Reality Check

April 7–13, 1986 · Week 1 of 4 · Record at close: 3–3

The first swing could hardly have promised more. Dwight Evans stepped into the box at Tiger Stadium on April 7 and drove Jack Morris’s first pitch out of the park. Before the season had found its rhythm, Boston had its first home run. The rest of the opening week offered a useful corrective: a spectacular beginning to an afternoon does not necessarily produce a victory, and a pair of frustrating losses does not have to define a road trip.

By Sunday, the Red Sox were 3–3. They had lost two close games in Detroit, rescued the finale, and taken two of three in Chicago. Their six games included four-homer fireworks, a bullpen letdown, a strong Roger Clemens start, and a Bruce Hurst performance that deserved more support. This was a team still introducing itself. There was plenty to like, and plenty that needed tightening.

Evans’s leadoff shot was only the beginning of Boston’s power display. Jim Rice, Rich Gedman, and newly acquired Don Baylor also homered. Baylor collected three hits and drove in two runs. The Sox reached Morris for 12 hits and five runs in seven innings, production that ordinarily gives a visiting club a reasonable chance to steal Opening Day.

Detroit had its own answer: Kirk Gibson. The Tigers’ right fielder went 4-for-5, hit two home runs, and drove in five of his club’s six runs. Boston scored three times in the seventh to take a 5–4 lead, but Detroit responded with two in the bottom half. The result was a 6–5 defeat that separated the memorable first pitch from the less satisfying final score.

Hurst allowed four runs in 4⅔ innings. Sammy Stewart surrendered the other two during his relief appearance. Boston had supplied…