AL Series View: Where the Unique Becomes Commonplace

On the first day of the American League playoffs, Fenway Park filled up early. Much to the amazement of the visiting Angels, the Red Sox had painted hundreds of human faces on the left-field fence, making the stadium look even more crowded than it actually was.

Shelley Long of “Cheers” sang the national anthem, or something that at least sounded like the national anthem, and, after an exhaustive search for another celebrity in the state of Massachusetts, the traditional first ball was thrown out by nobody.

Roger Clemens, Boston’s starting pitcher, took 15 extra minutes of practice before the game, dodging line drives. As Clemens stood on the mound, Red Sox coaches used fungo bats to aim baseballs at the pitcher, forcing him to bob and weave. He took two off the left ankle, and avoided the rest.

Manager Gene Mauch of the Angels announced an all left-handed hitting lineup for the game, continuing his strategy of playing percentages. The big surprise was designated hitter Terry Forster, batting seventh. “It was either him or Jimmie Reese,” Mauch explained.

The Red Sox won the game, 2-0, as Clemens became the 161st pitcher of the season to take a no-hitter into the seventh inning against the Angels. He settled for a one-hit shutout, striking out 20. Devon White spoiled the no-hitter with a pinch bunt in the ninth, after which White jumped up and down on on first base and yelled at Clemens: “Ha, ha, spoiled your no-hitter, ha, ha!”

On the second day of the American League playoffs, Tom Seaver and Don Sutton were the starting pitchers, with ambulances standing by. Before the game, both pitchers told ABC-TV’s Al Michaels fascinating stories about the days when they played with Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb.

It was Sutton, this time, who had a no-hitter going after six innings, but by then he had thrown 63 pitches and was pooped, so he removed himself from the game. It scarcely mattered, since the Angels, using nine right-handed hitters on a hunch by Mauch, had already been staked to a 6-0 lead by George Hendrick’s two home runs over the Green Monster, after which Hendrick told reporters: “ .”

The Angels won it, 10-8, as their bullpen held the Red Sox to 15 hits over the last three innings.

On the third day of the American League playoffs, no game was scheduled, but the big news was Boston pitcher Oil Can Boyd, who had been expected to work Game 3. Boyd, upset about not starting the previous games, announced that he was quitting the team. “They should have started me both them games,” Boyd said.

On the fourth day of the American League playoffs, Anaheim was a comfortable 96 degrees, and freeway traffic was bumper-to-bumper only from the Santa Ana exit to northwestern Arizona.

Former Commissioner Bowie Kuhn tossed out the first ball, wearing a topcoat, mittens, ski boots and a beanie with a copter on top. “The Star-Spangled Banner Workout” was performed before the game by actress Jane Fonda and 22 pregnant women.

Left-hander John Candelaria lasted eight innings for the Angels, and walked off the mound as the Anaheim Stadium scoreboard flashed the message: “Radical Effort, Dude.” It was Wade Boggs who did most of the damage for the Red Sox, singling to left-field four times for the third consecutive game. Boggs was asked if he expected to challenge Joe DiMaggio’s little-known record of hitting successfully in 56 consecutive at-bats.

Bill Buckner, appearing in a postseason game in California for the first time in many years, celebrated by collecting three doubles and getting thrown out all three times while trying to stretch them into triples. Buckner and Boggs led Boston to a 6-2 victory, and Bruce Hurst was the winning pitcher in place of Oil Can Boyd, who announced that he was taking a job as a ride at Disneyland.

On the fifth day of the American League playoffs, Anaheim Stadium marketing directors disclosed that there were still no winners in the club’s “Name the Red Sox Shortstop” contest. Of 62,000 ballots cast the previous night, more than 50,000 Angel fans indicated that they believed the Boston shortstop was still Rico Petrocelli.

In the game, Rick Burleson, the former Red Sox player, was hit by a pitch in the first inning for the Angels, whereupon Don Baylor, the former Angel player, was hit by a pitch in the first inning for the Red Sox. When Gene Mauch was ejected, John McNamara volunteered to manage both teams.

Kirk McCaskill pitched five-hit ball for the Angels, but Clemens, working on three days’ rest, gave up two hits, struck out 26 and pitched the Red Sox to a 3-0 win.

On the sixth day of the American League playoffs, Oil Can Boyd apologized, rejoined the team and was announced as the starting pitcher. Boston had to play, however, without left fielder Jim Rice, who thought that the playoffs were best-of-five and flew back to Boston to rest up for the World Series.

Boyd went the distance, striking out Wally Joyner four times, and told reporters afterward that the stadium should immediately be renamed “Oily World.” However, he forgot to mention that Mike Witt and the Angels outlasted him, 2-1, to send the series back to Boston. Witt later told reporters: “I pitched OK, you little creeps.”

On the seventh day of the American League playoffs, everyone rested. Boggs, 22-for-22 in the series, all singles to left, remained the leading candidate for MVP. Mauch said he was considering an all left-fielder lineup.

On the eighth day of the American League playoffs, security was tightened due to threats by California fans that they would knock down the left-field fence and saw it into surfboards. Fenway Park officials say the cost of rebuilding the entire park could run into tens of dollars.

Rice’s ninth-inning grand slam off Donnie Moore gave the Red Sox an 8-4 win and the series in six games. Reggie Jackson refused to play in the game, saying: “I just wasn’t into it.”

After the game, the Red Sox said they were looking forward to the World Series against the New York Mets, most of whom were still in Houston jails, arranging bail.