You’ll have to forgive anyone who believed the 1986 Boston Red Sox were a team of destiny.
Dwight Evans might have given Sox fans that impression April 7, 1986 when he led off the team’s Opening Day tilt with the Detroit Tigers with a home run. Hall of Fame pitcher Jack Morris offered the pitch, which Evans drove into the stands in the top of the first inning at the old Tigers Stadium.
Evans also hit a triple on his stellar Opening Day.
However, Boston would go on to lose to Detroit 6-5.
Boston took a week or so to find its footing in 1986, but the season ultimately became one for the ages, as the Red Sox finished first in the American League East with a 95-66 record. They then defeated the California Angels in seven games in the 1986 American League Championship Series before falling to the New York Mets in seven games in the 1986 World Series. Red Sox fans of all ages know what happened in the Fall Classic, and the pain isn’t worth revisiting.
Opening Day of the 2020 Major League Baseball season was supposed to take place Thursday, but Major League Baseball suspended spring training and delayed the start of the 2020 season amid the coronavirus outbreak.
