1990 Boston Red Sox season


The 1990 Boston Red Sox season was the 90th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished first in the American League East with a record of 88 wins and 74 losses. It was the second AL East division championship in three years for the Red Sox. However, the team was defeated in a four-game sweep by the Oakland Athletics in the ALCS, as had been the case in 1988.

Offseason

On June 6, 1990, the Red Sox got retribution for Bucky Dent's home run when the New York Yankees fired Dent as their manager, making Fenway Park the scene of his greatest moment as a player—and his worst moment as manager. Dan Shaughnessy of The Boston Globe criticized Yankees Owner George Steinbrenner for firing Dent—his 18th managerial change in as many years—in Boston and said he should "have waited until the Yankees got to Baltimore" to fire Dent. He said that "if Dent had been fired in Seattle or Milwaukee, this would have been just another event in an endless line of George's jettisons. But it happened in Boston and the nightly news had its hook." He also said that "the firing was only special because...it's the first time a Yankee manager...was purged on the ancient Indian burial grounds of the Back Bay." However, Bill Pennington called the firing of Dent "merciless."
The Red Sox also set a Major League record which still stands for the most double plays grounded into in a season, with 174.

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Opening Day Line Up

Roster

Notable transactions

The team held an old-timers game on May 19, before a scheduled home game against the Minnesota Twins. Red Sox alumni pitchers Bill Lee, Bill Monbouquette, and Dick Radatz allowed just one hit in the four-inning game, as Boston won by a 2–0 score over a team of MLB alumni from other clubs.

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At Bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting Average; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted In
PosPlayerGABHAvg.HRRBI
CTony Peña143491129.263756
1BCarlos Quintana149512147.287767
2BJody Reed155598173.289551
3BWade Boggs155619187.302663
SSLuis Rivera11834678.225745
LFMike Greenwell159610181.2971473
CFEllis Burks152588174.2962189
RFTom Brunansky129461123.2671571
DHDwight Evans123445111.2491363

Pitching

Starting pitchers

ALCS

Game 1

October 6, 1990, at Fenway Park

Game 2

October 7, 1990, at Fenway Park

Game 3

October 9, 1990, at Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum

Game 4

October 10, 1990, at Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum

Awards and honors

;Awards
;Accomplishments
All-Star Game
The Lynchburg Red Sox and Winter Haven Red Sox changed classification from Class A to Class A-Advanced.