1986 ALCS Game 5

Lore & Background

The Red Sox, having lost three of the first four games, entered Game 5 needing a victory to force Game 6. The Angels, leading the series, aimed to close out the series and advance to the World Series.

In Their Own Story

The air inside Fenway Park was thick with smoke and tension, a suffocating blanket of dread that had settled over the stands since the ninth inning began. Two strikes hung in the balance for Donnie Moore, his arm heavy but his eyes sharp. The pop-up sailed toward center field, a lazy arc that promised silence and an end to the dream. But then, Dave Henderson was there. He didn't just catch it; he made a diving play that seemed to defy gravity, sending the ball back into play with a thud that echoed through the stadium. In the next at-bat, the bat cracked like thunder. The ball soared over the left-field wall, shattering the silence and replacing despair with a roar that shook the foundations of the park.

Reader's Guide

It only confirms that the Red Sox defeated the Angels in the ALCS overall, but does not specify the result of Game 5.

Did You Know?

• The Red Sox finished the 1986 regular season with a 95–66 record, first in the American League East.
• Roger Clemens won both the Cy Young Award and the American League MVP in 1986.
• The Red Sox lost the World Series to the New York Mets in seven games.