Fenway Flashback: 1986 - Gibson Steals the Show on Opening Day in Detroit
April 7, 1986
April 7, 1986: Gibson Steals the Show on Opening Day in Detroit
Opening Day of the 1986 season had finally arrived. The Red Sox left their Spring Training home in Winter Haven, Florida, for the incredibly balmy Detroit, Michigan. The temperature at Tiger Stadium for the afternoon opener was a pleasant 67 degrees. The Sox were scheduled to open up the season against their American League East foes, the Detroit Tigers, who were coming off a third-place finish in the division the year before, a disappointing year for the ’84 Champs. Boston had finished in 5th place the year before, and manager John McNamara was hoping his sophomore season on the Boston bench would yield a better return.
Pitching Matchup and Lineups
Boston handed the ball to their crafty lefty, Bruce Hurst, for the opener, while Sparky Anderson entrusted his veteran ace, Jack Morris, to get the Tigers off on the right foot.
Boston’s lineup to start the ’86 season:
Dwight Evans (RF)
Wade Boggs (3B)
Bill Buckner (1B)
Jim Rice (LF)
Don Baylor (DH)
Rich Gedman (C)
Tony Armas (CF)
Marty Barrett (2B)
Glenn Hoffman (SS)
Game Recap
Dwight Evans got the season off to a fantastic start by hammering Morris’s first pitch into the left-center field stands to give Boston a quick 1–0 lead. Bruce Hurst held the slim lead through the first two innings, and in the third, the Red Sox struck again.
In the top of the third, Jim Rice deposited a solo shot of his own off Morris into the Tiger Stadium stands to give Boston a 2–0 lead. The Tigers finally managed to get to Hurst in the bottom of the third. Detroit’s nine-hole hitter and third baseman, Darnell Coles, led off with a single to center field and moved to second two batters later when second baseman Lou Whitaker drew a walk. Right fielder and all-around star, Kirk Gibson delivered his second hit of the game to drive in Coles and cut the Red Sox lead to 2–1.
Both pitchers were able to keep their opponents off the scoreboard in the fourth, and Morris also kept the Sox down in the fifth, but Hurst could not match him in the bottom half of the inning. Tiger first baseman Darrell Evans led off with a single to right and scored on designated hitter Dave Collins’ one-out triple to tie the game. After Lou Whitaker struck out for the second out of the inning, Kirk Gibson struck again, blasting a two-run homer into the second deck in right to make it 4–2 Detroit. McNamara had seen enough from Hurst in the opener and summoned righty Sammy Stewart from his bullpen to end the inning.
Both Morris and Stewart were able to throw up matching zeros in the 6th inning, but neither would be so lucky in the seventh. After Morris had recorded the first two outs in the top of the inning, Jim Rice delivered a single and newly acquired designated hitter Don Baylor made his presence in the lineup felt by tying the game with a two-run clout to left field. Catcher Rich Gedman then went back-to-back with Baylor as he hit the fourth homer of the day for the Sox to give them back the lead, 5–4.
Unfortunately for the Red Sox, the lead was short-lived as a certain Tiger delivered for the hometown fans once again. With one out and Lou Whitaker on first base, Kirk Gibson hit his second two-run home run of the day into the stands to put Detroit back in front, 6–5.
Sparky Anderson went to his bullpen for former Red Sox right-handed reliever Bill Campbell, who retired Boston in order in the top of the eighth. In the top of the ninth, Sparky handed the ball over to his lefty ace out of the bullpen, former Cy Young and MVP Willie Hernandez, who quickly dispatched Boggs, Buckner, and Rice in order, to clinch the Opening Day victory for the Motor City Kitties.
Pitching Notes
Bruce Hurst went 4.2 innings, allowing 4 runs on 8 hits, 1 walk, and 3 strikeouts.
Sammy Stewart took the Opening Day loss, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits, 2 walks, and 3 strikeouts of his own.
Steve Crawford pitched 2/3 of an inning, allowing two hits.
Joe Sambito finished off the game, going 1/3 of an inning.
Player Notes and Season Stats
Boston had a dozen hits as a collective, with four players having multiple-hit days.
Jim Rice: 2-for-5, HR (1), 1 RBI, 2 runs scored
Dwight Evans: 2-for-4, HR (1), 3B, 1 RBI, 1 run scored
Don Baylor: 3-for-4, HR (1), 2 RBI, 1 run scored
Rich Gedman: 2-for-4, HR (1), 1 RBI, 1 run scored
The loss was a disappointment, especially with how well the offense produced against Detroit’s ace, but the performance of Don Baylor, along with the reliable Evans and Rice, gave hope that scoring runs might not be a problem this season for the Sox. With a day off before the second game of the series on Wednesday, Red Sox Nation was optimistic that maybe this might be a team that improves upon their .500 record from the year before.
Stay tuned as we continue our day-by-day journey through the memorable 1986 Red Sox season.
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