April 16, 1986: One Mistake, One Run, One Loss
After dropping the home opener at Fenway and stewing over it during the scheduled day off in case of weather, the Sox looked to get back into the win column against the Royals on a Wednesday afternoon in early April. Sitting one game below .500 after the first seven games wasn’t the worst possible start imaginable, but expectations for this team were higher, and Red Sox Nation was not interested in dealing with another slow start.
Pitching Matchup and Lineups
Right-hander Al Nipper was given the task of trying to record the first win at Fenway for the ‘86 team, while Kansas City turned to its reigning Cy Young Award winner, Bret Saberhagen.
The Red Sox lineup for the matinee:
• Dwight Evans (RF)
• Wade Boggs (3B)
• Bill Buckner (1B)
• Jim Rice (LF)
• Don Baylor (DH)
• Tony Armas (CF)
• Rich Gedman (C)
• Marty Barrett (2B)
• Ed Romero (SS)
Game Recap
The two righties got off to hot starts, throwing zeros on the board in the first inning and hoping to set the tone for the game. In the top of the second inning, Nipper made a mistake to the Royals’ power-hitting first baseman, Steve Balboni, and he drove his second homer of the season into the net above the Monster. As it would turn out, that would be the only mistake Nipper would make, but unfortunately for him, it would still be one more mistake than the Royals’ ace would make.
Both pitchers dominated the opposing lineups, retiring them in order in 10 of the 18 half-innings combined. In four of the other eight half-innings, they combined to allow only one baserunner. The day was completely dominated by the pitchers, and in total the offenses combined for only seven hits. Kansas City collected five, while Boston managed only two singles against Saberhagen. Amazingly, the Red Sox never had a baserunner advance even to second base.
The second loss of the series was so swift that it lasted only 125 minutes.
Pitching Notes
• Al Nipper was the hard-luck loser, dropping his record to 1-1 on the young season. He pitched a complete game, going nine innings and allowing one earned run on five hits while walking four and striking out one.
Player Notes and Season Stats
• For the second day in a row, the Royals’ starting pitching stifled the Boston bats. Saberhagen recorded his first win of the season in his attempt to defend his Cy Young Award. He allowed only two hits in nine innings while walking one and striking out six.
• Don Baylor: 1-for-3
• Tony Armas: 1-for-3
The loss dropped Boston two games under .500 and left John McNamara wondering when his vaunted offense would finally start to match the excellent starting pitching he was receiving from his rotation. The Sox hoped that the series finale would bring about a change.
Stay tuned as we continue our day-by-day journey through the memorable 1986 Red Sox season.
Image courtesy of https://calltothepen.com/2022/02/27/kansas-city-royals-legend-bret-saberhagen-hall-of-fame-case/