The1986American League Championship Series was a best-of-seven semifinal series inMajor League Baseball's1986 postseason between theBoston Red Sox and theCalifornia Angels for the right to advance to the1986 World Series to face the winner of the1986 National League Championship Series. The Red Sox came in with a 95–66 record and the AL East division title, while the Angels went 92–70 during the regular season to win the AL West.

The Eastern division champion held home field advantage for the third consecutive year in the ALCS. Between 1969-84, the home field advantage alternated between the West in odd-numbered years and the East in even-numbered years. In 1987, that alternation resumed and continued through 1993.

Boston won the series, 4–3.

Tuesday, October 7, 1986, atFenway Park inBoston, Massachusetts

Angels left fielderBrian Downing went 2-for-5 with fourRBI andMike Witt pitched a five-hitcomplete game, allowing just one run in the sixth onMarty Barrett's RBI single after a two-out walk and single. After getting two outs, Red Sox starterRoger Clemens walked two in the second beforeRuppert Jones's RBI single,Wally Joyner's RBI double, and Downing's two-run single put the Angels up 4–0.Gary Pettis's RBI single with two on extended their lead to 5–0, the run unearned due to shortstopSpike Owen's throwing error to first onBob Boone's ground-ball. In the eighth,Dick Schofield singled with one out, stole second and scored on Boone's single. After a Pettis single,Joe Sambito relieved Clemens and allowed a two-out walk to load the bases, then Downing's two-run single capped the game's scoring at 8–1 as the Angels took a 1–0 series lead.

Wednesday, October 8, 1986, atFenway Park inBoston, Massachusetts

The next day, the tables were turned. The Red Sox struck first in the bottom of the first whenWade Boggs hit a leadoff triple offKirk McCaskill and scored onMarty Barrett's double. Barrett's bases-loaded RBI single next inning made it 2–0 Red Sox, butBill Buckner hit into an inning-ending double play to limit the damage.Dick Schofield's bases-loaded single in the fourth cut the Red Sox's lead to 2–1, butBruce Hurst retired the next two batters to keep them in front. Next inning,Wally Joyner's home run tied the game, but in the bottom half,Dwight Evans's RBI double with two on put the Red Sox ahead for good, 3–2. Boston padded their lead in the seventh. An error, single and walk loaded the bases with one out before another error on Evans's ground ball allowed one run to score and keep the bases loaded, then a third error onRich Gedman's force out allowed two more runs to score. Next inning, Buckner's sacrifice fly with runners on first and third offGary Lucas made it 7–2 Red Sox beforeJim Rice's home run offDoug Corbett capped the game's scoring at 9–2. Hurst pitched a complete game as the Red Sox tied the series 1–1 heading to California.

Friday, October 10, 1986, atAnaheim Stadium inAnaheim, California

In Game 3, the Red Sox struck first in the second onRich Gedman's RBI single with two on offJohn Candelaria, but after pitching five shutout innings,Oil Can Boyd allowed a game-tying RBI single toReggie Jackson in the sixth.Dick Schofield's two-out home run in the seventh put the Angels up 2–1. AfterBob Boone singled,Gary Pettis's two-run home run extended their lead to 4–1. The Red Sox scored two runs in the eighth onDonnie Moore's balk with runners on second and third and Gedman's RBI single, but the Angels padded their lead in the bottom half onRuppert Jones's sacrifice fly offCalvin Schiraldi. Moore pitched a scoreless ninth as the Angels went up 2–1 in the series with a 5–3 win. During the game, scoring on Reggie Jackson's single,Wally Joyner suffered an opened staph infection, which would sideline him for the rest of the series.

Saturday, October 11, 1986, atAnaheim Stadium inAnaheim, California

Roger Clemens, the Game 1 loser for the Red Sox, started Game 4, and was solid for most of the game. Boston put up a run in the sixth onBill Buckner's RBI double with two on offDon Sutton. In the eighth,Spike Owen hit a leadoff single offVern Ruhle, moved to third on a groundout andwild pitch, then scored onMarty Barrett's single.Chuck Finley relieved Ruhle and apassed ball anderror on Buckner's ground ball allowed Barrett to score to make it 3–0 Red Sox. Another error and walk offDoug Corbett loaded the bases, butRich Gedman hit into a forceout to end the inning. In the bottom of the ninth,Doug DeCinces led off with a home run. After the next batter grounded out,Dick Schofield andBob Boone singled. After coming within two outs of a complete game, Clemens was removed, and Boone was replaced with apinch runner.Gary Pettis, batting next, doubled to score Schofield.Ruppert Jones wasintentionally walked to load the bases, a fatal mistake, as two batters later,Brian Downing was hit by a pitch, bringing in the tying run.

Angelsrelief pitcherDoug Corbett pitched a perfect tenth and eleventh innings, and California broke through in the bottom of the 11th.inningsJerry Narron scored onBobby Grich's one-out single offCalvin Schiraldi, giving California a 4–3 win and a 3–1 series lead.

Sunday, October 12, 1986, atAnaheim Stadium inAnaheim, California

Heading into Game 5, California looked set to earn their first trip to a World Series.Rich Gedman's two-run home run in the second put the Red Sox up 2–0, butBob Boone's home run offBruce Hurst in the third cut the lead to 2–1.Bobby Grich, the previous night's hero, hit a two-run home run to give the Halos a 3–2 lead in the sixth inning; Red Sox center fielderDave Henderson had tried to leap at the wall to catch Grich's long fly ball, but ended up deflecting it over the fence. The Angels added to their lead in the seventh inning offBob Stanley onRob Wilfong's RBI double with two on andBrian Downing's bases-loaded sacrifice fly.

In the ninth,Mike Witt allowed a leadoff single toBill Buckner but struck outJim Rice, putting him two outs away from his second complete game victory of the series. The next batter,Don Baylor, hit a two-strike, two-run home run to pull the Red Sox within one run. After retiring the next batter, Witt was replaced.Gary Lucas was brought in to face catcherRich Gedman who had been 3 for 3 in the game against Witt, including a double and a home run. Lucas, on the other hand, had a history of striking Gedman out. But with his very first pitch, Lucashit Gedman, and was replaced byDonnie Moore. The Angels closer brought his team within one strike of its first AL pennant, but Henderson caught hold of a Mooreforkball and launched a home run into the left field stands, stunning the hometown crowd and greatly redeeming himself for his earlier miscue. Boston had taken a 6–5 lead.

The lead would not last, however, as in the bottom of the ninth,Bob Boone singled off Stanley, andRuppert Jones pinch-ran for him.Gary Pettis sacrificed Jones to second, and Wilfong singled him home offJoe Sambito, tying the game.Dick Schofield then singled, sending Wilfong to third, and Downing was intentionally walked to load the bases with only one out. All of Boston's top-half heroics would have been washed away with a meresacrifice fly at this point. But instead,Doug DeCinces only managed to hit a short fly ball to right field. Grich's subsequent line-out to pitcherSteve Crawford ended the inning.

The teams settled down and the tenth inning was again scoreless, but the Red Sox loaded the bases in the top of the 11th offDonnie Moore on a hit-by-pitch and two singles for Henderson. He hit a sacrifice fly, scoring Baylor with the go-ahead run.Calvin Schiraldi then retired the Halos in order in the bottom of the 11th, completing a shocking comeback and sending the series back to Boston.

Tuesday, October 14, 1986, atFenway Park inBoston, Massachusetts

Still reeling from their Game 5 loss, the Angels struck first in the top of the first offOil Can Boyd on back-to-back two-out RBI doubles byReggie Jackson andDoug DeCinces after a one-out walk, but the Red Sox tied the game in the bottom of the inning offKirk McCaskill without a hit. With runners on second and third and one out via two walks and a groundout, a passed ball andJim Rice's groundout scored both runners. In the third, after back-to-back leadoff singles,Marty Barrett's RBI double put the Red Sox up 3–2, thenBill Buckner's RBI single extended their lead to 4–2. After a forceout at home,Don Baylor's two-run single (aided by first basemanBobby Grich's throwing error) andDwight Evans's RBI single made it 7–2 Red Sox.Dave Henderson's bases-loaded groundout offDoug Corbett in the fifth made it 8–2 Red Sox.Brian Downing hit a home run in the top of the seventh off Boyd, but in the bottom of the inning,Spike Owen's two-run triple off Corbett after a single and walk made it 10–3 Red Sox. The Angels got a run in the eighth offBob Stanley on shortstop Owen's throwing error onRob Wilfong withDick Schofield at second, but could not score again as the Red Sox's 10–4 win forced a deciding Game 7.

Wednesday, October 15, 1986, atFenway Park inBoston, Massachusetts

In Game 7, the Red Sox loaded the bases in the second offJohn Candelaria with no outs on an error, single and walk.Rich Gedman's groundout scored a run and after an intentional walk reloaded the bases,Wade Boggs's two-run single made it 3–0 Red Sox. In the fourthDave Henderson reached third on an error, then scored onSpike Owen's single. After a two-out walk,Jim Rice's three-run home run made it 7–0 Red Sox, all runs unearned.Dwight Evans's home run in the seventh offDon Sutton made it 8–0 Red Sox. The Angels scored their only run of the game onDoug DeCinces's RBI single offCalvin Schiraldi, the run charged to starterRoger Clemens. Schiraldi pitched two innings to close as the Red Sox advanced to the World Series with an 8–1 win after trailing the series three games to one. It was their first pennant in 11 years.

1986 ALCS(4–3):Boston Red Sox overCalifornia Angels

Note: GP=Games Played; AB=At Bats; R=Runs; H=Hits; 2B=Doubles; 3B=Triples; HR=Home Runs; RBI=Runs Batted In; BB=Walks; AVG=Batting Average; OBP=On Base Percentage; SLG=Slugging Percentage

Note: G=Games Played; GS=Games Started; IP=Innings Pitched; H=Hits; BB=Walks; R=Runs; ER=Earned Runs; SO=Strikeouts; W=Wins; L=Losses; SV=Saves; ERA=Earned Run Average

Note: GP=Games Played; AB=At Bats; R=Runs; H=Hits; 2B=Doubles; 3B=Triples; HR=Home Runs; RBI=Runs Batted In; BB=Walks; AVG=Batting Average; OBP=On Base Percentage; SLG=Slugging Percentage

Note: G=Games Played; GS=Games Started; IP=Innings Pitched; H=Hits; BB=Walks; R=Runs; ER=Earned Runs; SO=Strikeouts; W=Wins; L=Losses; SV=Saves; ERA=Earned Run Average

By virtue of winning the ALCS, the Red Sox advanced to the1986 World Series, where they faced theNew York Mets, with memorable results. Like the Angels in the ALCS, the Red Sox found themselves one strike away from winning the World Series, yet could not hold the lead. Taking a 5–3 lead into the bottom of the tenth inning of Game 6, the Red Sox gave up three runs, culminating in an infamous ground ball through the legs of Bill Buckner to hand the Mets a 6–5 victory. The Mets would go on to win Game 7 and the Series.

As for the Angels,Donnie Moore was regarded thescapegoat of the series for giving up Henderson's home run in Game 5, and then his game-winning sacrifice fly two innings later. Moore was blasted by the sports media, as well as the fans. He sank into depression and alcoholism over the next two years, and committed suicide on July 18, 1989, just one year after his MLB career ended.

The 1986 ALCS wasReggie Jackson’s last playoff series. He retired the following season in 1987, playing for the team that originally drafted him, theOakland Athletics. NicknamedMr. October, Jackson always seemed to elevate his game during the biggest stage. He finished his career hitting .278/.358/.527 with 18 home runs in 77 career games in the postseason, which was highlighted by twoWorld Series MVPs in1973 and1977.

1986 was alsoGene Mauch's last chance at winning a pennant. In his 26 years as manager, his name became linked with coming up just short, coming three times within a single victory of reaching a World Series. In 1964, hisPhiladelphia Phillies suffered a dramatic collapse during the final two weeks of the season. The "Phold of '64", as it became known, was one of the most infamous collapses in baseball history. Mauch won two division titles in his managerial career (both with the Angels) and three NLManager of the Year Awards. Many of his fellow managers considered him the most insightful and tactical manager in his day, includingAlvin Dark; although one of the important reasons his teams never reached the highest heights was that "he didn't understand pitching", according to Dark.^[52] Mauch retired in 1987 with 3,942 games managed and 1,902 games won, by far the winningest manager to have never won a league pennant.^[53]

In retrospect, most people consider the 1986 postseason to be one of the best (if not the best) postseasons of all time, as it not only was exciting but also made up for a lackluster regular season, in which the Red Sox, Angels, Mets, andHouston Astros all won their divisions handily.

In 2002, the Angels would finally have their moment(s) of glory. They would win the American League Wild Card, as well as theirDivision Series (dethroning the four-time defending A.L. championN.Y. Yankees in four games), their firstpennant (overMinnesota in five games), and their firstWorld Series title (overSan Francisco in seven games).

In 2004, theAngels andRed Sox met in theAmerican League Division Series with the Red Sox sweeping the series. The Red Sox would eventually go on to defeat theNew York Yankees for their first pennant since 1986 and also win their firstWorld Series title since1918 against theSt. Louis Cardinals.

In 2007, theAngels andRed Sox met again in theALDS. The Red Sox again swept the series, continuing their domination of the Halos in the postseason. From Game 4 of the 1986 ALCS until Game 3 of the2008 ALDS, the Angels lost 11 straight playoff games against the Red Sox, who won all four playoff meetings against them in that span. TheRed Sox would win the 2008 ALDS three games to one despite losing eight of nine regular season games against theAngels. In 2009, theAngels finally broke through and defeated theRed Sox in a sweep of theALDS.

• Baseball-Reference's 1986 ALCS page
• MLB Network Remembers: 1986 ALCS^{[permanent dead link]}
• 1986 ALCS Official Souvenir Program

• American League Championship Series
• 1986 Major League Baseball season
• Boston Red Sox postseason
• Los Angeles Angels postseason
• 1986 in sports in California
• 1986 in sports in Massachusetts
• 1980s in Anaheim, California
• 1986 in Boston
• October 1986 sports events in the United States
• Baseball competitions in Anaheim, California
• Baseball competitions in Boston

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