Red Sox Set To Honor Iconic World Series Team At 2026 Home Opener originally appeared on NESN.
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One strike away.
That’s how close the 1986 Boston Red Sox came to winning the World Series and ending the franchise’s then 68-year championship drought. That’s how close they were to winning that infamous Game 6 at Shea Stadium in late October.
They came as close as a baseball team possibly can to winning it all, only to have it slip away. Those Red Sox somehow lost Game 6 and Game 7 to the New York Mets, suffering one of the most devastating World Series losses in MLB history.
But while they fell agonizingly short of their ultimate goal, they still deserve credit and praise for being one of the best teams in franchise history. After all, only four Red Sox teams won the American League during the 85 seasons from 1919 to 2003, and they were one of them.
The Red Sox will celebrate their 1986 pennant winning team prior to tomorrow’s game. Barrett, Boggs, Oil Can, Bruce Hurst, Dwight Evans, Jim Rice and Rich Gedman among the 25 attendees.
— Ian Browne (@IanMBrowne) April 2, 2026
They were also remarkably resilient, overcoming a 3-1 deficit in the ALCS against the California Angels after being down to their last strike. The fact that they even reached the Fall Classic, let alone nearly won it against a superior Mets team.
On Friday, Boston will celebrate the 40th anniversary of that famed season in the 2026 home opener against the San Diego Padres at Fenway Park. According to MLB.com’s Ian Browne, 25 members of the 1986 Red Sox will be in attendance, including Marty Barrett, Wade Boggs, Oil Can Boyd, Bruce Hurst, Dwight Evans, Jim Rice, Bob Stanley and Rich Gedman.
The Red Sox have won four World Series titles since then, easing the pain of that year’s disappointing outcome and helping put the season in perspective. As the 1967 and 1975 Red Sox also proved, you don’t need to win it all to be celebrated for a fantastic year, and a season isn’t a failure just because you lost the final game.
More MLB: How to Watch Red Sox vs. Padres Today: Channel, Live Stream & Start Time for 2026 Home Opener
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