Reply #3: Go Halos! Here's a chance to eradicate the horrible memory of 1986... [View All]

[VOX]

forever. The Angels were one strike -- **one strike** -- away from going to the WS. The champagne was on ice, the lockers were draped with plastic sheeting. Then, Dave Henderson homered for the Sox, and the game, and fortune along with it, changed. It would take another 16 seasons before the Angels would get into a World Series. (I realize that 16 seasons to a Red Sox fan is a drop in the bucket.)

It was weird how Boston met their own horrible fate in the '86 Series against the NY Mets. On that one, Red Sox fans have my heartfelt sympathy. And no, I'm not kidding. I know how terrible the wrath of the baseball gods can be.

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/baseballs_best/mlb_bb_gamepage.jsp?story_page=bb_86alcs_gm5_boscal
The Red Sox opened the scoring on Rich Gedman’s two-run homer in the second before a solo homer in the third by Bob Boone cut the lead in half. The Angels pulled ahead in the sixth when Bobby Grich hit a drive to centerfield and the ball deflected off Dave Henderson’s glove for a two-run homer.

The Angels added two more runs in the seventh on Rob Wilfong’s double, to take a 5-2 lead into the ninth. Witt had won 18 games during the regular season with a 2.84 ERA, then dominated the Red Sox in Game 1, and rolled into the ninth having allowed only six hits through eight innings.

But Bill Buckner led off the ninth with a single, and one out later, Bob Baylor homered to bring the Red Sox within a run. After Dwight Evans popped up for the second out of the inning, Gary Lucas relieved Witt and hit Gedman with his first pitch.

Angels closer Donnie Moore was summoned to earn the final out and and pushed the Red Sox to the brink of elimination, running Henderson to a 2-2 count. Henderson fouled off one 2-2 pitch, then hit the next one over the left-field fence to give the Red Sox a 6-5 lead.

The Angels tied the game in the bottom of the ninth on Brian Downing’s sacrifice fly but Steve Crawford escaped a one-out, bases-loaded jam to send the game to extra innings. Henderson’s sacrifice fly in the eleventh off Moore gave the Red Sox the lead and they went on to win the series in seven games over the crestfallen Angels.