The 1989 Boston Red Sox season was the 89th season in the franchise's

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

history. The

Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

finished third in the

American League East The American League East is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. MLB consists of an East, Central, and West division for each of its two 15-team leagues, the American League (AL) and National League (NL). This division was created before ...

with a record of 83 wins and 79 losses, six

games behind In most North American sports, the phrase games behind or games back (often abbreviated GB) is a common way to reflect the gap between a leading team and another team in a sports league, conference, or division. Example In the below standings fr ...

the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

Offseason

*November 20, 1988:

Dennis Lamp Dennis Patrick Lamp (born September 23, 1952) is a former professional baseball pitcher in Major League Baseball. From 1977 through 1992, the breaking ball specialist played for the Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland Athle ...

was signed as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

by the Red Sox. *December 8, 1988:

Spike Owen Spike Dee Owen (born April 19, 1961) is an American former shortstop in Major League Baseball who played for the Seattle Mariners (1983–86), Boston Red Sox (1986–88), Montreal Expos (1989–92), New York Yankees (1993) and California Angels ...

was traded with

Dan Gakeler Daniel Michael Gakeler (born May 1, 1964) is a former major league baseball pitcher. Although he spent eleven seasons in the minor league organizations of three teams, he would spend just one season on a big league roster for the Detroit Tigers i ...

to the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...

for

John Dopson John Robert Dopson, Jr. (born July 14, 1963) is a former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1985 and 1988 to 1994. He was the last pitcher to balk four times in one game, a feat he achieved on June 13, 1989. Prima ...

and Luis Rivera. *February 6, 1989:

Danny Heep Daniel William Heep (born July 3, 1957), is a retired Major League Baseball outfielder. Heep, who batted and threw left-handed, played for five different ballclubs during his 13-year career: the Houston Astros (1979–1982), New York Mets (1983� ...

signed as a free agent with the Red Sox.

Regular season

Highlights

Wade Boggs Wade Anthony Boggs (born June 15, 1958) is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He spent 18 seasons in Major League Baseball, primarily with the Boston Red Sox. He also played for the New York Yankees (1993-1997), and the Tampa ...

had 205 hits and 107

walk Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an 'inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults ov ...

s, becoming the first player in MLB history to have at least 200 hits and 100 walks in four consecutive seasons. He also became the first player in the modern era (after 1900) to have at least 200 hits in seven consecutive seasons.

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Notable transactions

*August 5, 1989:

Ed Romero Edgardo Ralph Romero Rivera (born December 9, 1957) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball infielder and coach in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves, and Detroit Tigers. Listed ...

was released by the Red Sox. *August 7, 1989:

Greg A. Harris Greg Allen Harris (born November 2, 1955) is an American former professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 15 years (–), Harris pitched in 703 career games, starting 98. He pitched for the San Diego Padres in t ...

was selected off waivers by the Red Sox from the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

Opening Day lineup

Source: The Red Sox lost their

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...

game, 5–4 in 11 innings, to the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. The

ceremonial first pitch The ceremonial first pitch is a longstanding ritual of baseball in which a guest of honor throws a ball to mark the end of pregame festivities and the start of the game. Originally, the guest threw a ball from their seat in the grandstand to ...

was thrown by President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...

Alumni game

The team held an

old-timers game Old-Timers' Day (or Old-Timers' Game) refers to a tradition in Major League Baseball where a team devotes the early afternoon preceding a weekend game to honor retired players who played for the organization during their careers. The retired play ...

on May 6, before a scheduled home game against the Texas Rangers. Festivities included an appearance by

Carl Yastrzemski Carl Michael Yastrzemski ( ; nicknamed "Yaz"; born August 22, 1939) is an American former Major League Baseball player. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989. Yastrzemski played his entire 23-year Major League career with the Bost ...

, shortly after his election to the

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

. Red Sox alumni lost to a team of former MLB players from other clubs, by a 9–0 score in three innings of play.

Roster

Statistical leaders

Source:

Batting

Source:

Pitching

Source:

Awards and honors

;Awards *

Silver Slugger Award The Silver Slugger Award has been awarded annually since 1980 to the best offensive player at each position in both the American League and the National League, as determined by the coaches and managers of Major League Baseball. These voters cons ...

(3B) *

Nick Esasky Nicholas Andrew Esasky (born February 24, 1960) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and third baseman. During his career, which spanned over seven and a half years and was spent mostly with the Cincinnati Reds (1983–1988), the former ...

AL Player of the Month In Major League Baseball (MLB), the Player of the Month Award is given monthly during the regular season to two outstanding players, one each in the National League (NL) and American League (AL). The NL first awarded the honor during the season, ...

(August) ;Accomplishments *

, American League Leader, Runs (113) *

, American League Leader, Doubles (51)

All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that purports to showcase the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or div ...

, third base, starter *

Mike Greenwell Michael Lewis Greenwell (born July 18, 1963) is a former left fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played his entire MLB career with the Boston Red Sox (1985–1996). He played a few games for the Hanshin Tigers in Japan (1997), before retir ...

, outfield, reserve

Farm system

The

Gulf Coast League Red Sox The Florida Complex League Red Sox are a professional baseball team competing in the rookie-level Florida Complex League (FCL) of Minor League Baseball. The team is owned and operated by the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). Prior ...

replaced the Arizona League Red Sox/Mariners (a cooperative team) as the domestic Rookie League affiliate. The Red Sox shared a

DSL Digital subscriber line (DSL; originally digital subscriber loop) is a family of technologies that are used to transmit digital data over telephone lines. In telecommunications marketing, the term DSL is widely understood to mean asymmetric dig ...

team with the

and

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

.
Source:

References

External links

1989 Boston Red Sox team page at Baseball Reference1989 Boston Red Sox season at baseball-almanac.com
Boston Red Sox seasons

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

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