Dwight Evans

This article is about the former Major League Baseball player. For the Pennsylvania State Representative, see Dwight E. Evans.

Dwight Evans
Evans in Manchester, New Hampshire
Right fielder
Born: November 3, 1951 (1951-11-03) (age 60) Santa Monica, California
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 16, 1972 for the Boston Red Sox
Last MLB appearance
October 6, 1991 for the Baltimore Orioles
Career statistics
Batting average	.272
Home runs	385
Hits	2,446
Runs batted in	1,384
Teams
Boston Red Sox (1972–1990) Baltimore Orioles (1991)
Career highlights and awards
3× All-Star selection (1978, 1981, 1987) 8× Gold Glove Award winner (1976, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985) 2× Silver Slugger Award winner (1981, 1987)

Dwight Michael Evans (born November 3, 1951), nicknamed "Dewey",^[1] is an American former professional baseball right fielder and right-handed batter who played with the Boston Red Sox (1972–90) and Baltimore Orioles (1991) in Major League Baseball.

Evans won eight Gold Glove Awards (1976,1978-79 & 1981-85). In the 1970s and 1980s, Evans played in the outfield with Jim Rice as well as all-stars Fred Lynn and Tony Armas.

Life and career

Evans was born in Santa Monica, California. He attended Chatsworth High School in California and played alongside Rick Rieger. Evans started his career by winning International League MVP honors, but in his early major league career, he was primarily a defensive standout with a modest bat. In the second half of his career, he became a powerful batter.

Evans made his Major League Baseball debut for the Boston Red Sox on September 16, 1972 in a game against the Cleveland Indians. The Red Sox won 10-0 behind the pitching of Luis Tiant who threw a 3-hit complete game. Evans pinch ran for Reggie Smith in the 6th but was stranded at 2B, he played in right field where he recorded 1 PO. Evans went 0-1 at the plate in his debut. Evans played in 18 games in 1972 for the Red Sox, and had 57 plate appearances (.263 BA, 15 H, 2 R, 6 RBI, 1 HR).

Despite the strike-shortened 1981 season, Evans had his best all-around year. He paced the league in total bases (215), OPS (.937), walks (85), times on base (208), and tied Eddie Murray, Tony Armas and Bobby Grich for the home run title with 22. He also ranked second in runs scored (84) and on-base percentage (.415), and third in slugging percentage (.522). He added a .296 batting average with 71 runs batted in. In 1987, at age 35, Evans recorded career highs in batting average (.305), HRs (34) and RBI (123). He spent his final season with the Orioles, batting .270 with six homers and drove in 38 runs in 101 games.

Evans was named an Outfielder on The Sporting News AL All-Star team in 1982, 1984 and 1987 and was also tabbed as an Outfielder on the AL Silver Slugger Team by The Sporting News in 1981 and 1987. Evans would win the Gold Glove award in 1976, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, and 1985.

In his 20-year career, Evans batted .272, with 385 home runs, 1384 RBI, 1470 runs, 2446 hits, 483 doubles, 73 triples, and 78 stolen bases in 2606 games. Only Carl Yastrzemski (3308) played more games for the Red Sox than Evans (2505).

From 1980 through 1989, Evans hit more home runs (256) than any other player in the American League. He also led the A.L. in extra base hits over the same period of time. He is the only player to hit 20 or more home runs during every season of the 80's (1980–1989).

Evans hit a home run four times on Opening Day. On April 7, 1986, he set a major league record by hitting the first pitch of the season for a home run, eclipsing the mark held by the Chicago Cubs' Bump Wills, who hit the second pitch for a home run on April 4, 1982.

Originally Evans was assigned the uniform number 40 but quietly he wanted to wear number 24, the number of his idol Willie Mays. In 1973 Sox gave him number 24, the number he wore for the rest of his career in Boston and one year with Baltimore. Other Red Sox players to wear the same jersey number since Evans retired include Kevin Mitchell, Mike Stanley, Manny Ramírez, and Takashi Saito.

In 2000, Dwight Evans was selected to the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame.

In 2002, Evans served as hitting coach for the Red Sox and wore uniform number 25.

In 2003, Evans was named a Player Development Consultant for the Red Sox.

Achievements

• 3-time All-Star (1978, 1981, 1987)
• 8 Gold Glove Award (1976, 1978–79, 1981–85)
• 4-time Top 10 MVP (1981–82, 1987–88)
• Led league in On-base percentage (1982)
• Led league in OPS (1981 and 1984)
• Led league in Runs and Extra-Base Hits (1984)
• Led league in Total Bases and Home Runs (1981)
• Led league in Walks (1981, 1985 and 1987)
• Led league in Runs Created (1981 and 1984)
• Led league in Times on Base (1981 and 1982)
• 2,606 Games (34th All-Time MLB)
• 8,996 At Bats (61st All-Time MLB)
• 1,470 Runs (65th All-Time MLB)
• 2,446 Hits (95th All-Time MLB)
• 4,230 Total Bases (53rd All-Time MLB)
• 483 Doubles (59th All-Time MLB)
• 385 Home Runs (49th All-Time MLB)
• 1,384 RBI (65th All-Time MLB)
• 1,391 Walks (25th All-Time MLB)
• 1,570 Runs Created (54th All-Time MLB)
• 941 Extra-Base Hits (41st All-Time MLB)
• 3,890 Times on Base (43rd All-Time MLB)
• 77 Sacrifice Flies (87th All-Time MLB)
• Hit for the cycle (1984)
• 4-time hit a home run on opening days in his career, including one on the very first pitch of the season. The one he hit on the very first pitch was also in the first MLB game of the season, thus giving him the record for earliest home run hit in a season, which for obvious reasons can never be broken.
• Has the 10th most career Home Runs hit by an American League right-handed batter (385).
• Appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1988.
• In the 11th inning of Game Six of the 1975 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds, Evans made a spectacular running catch deep in the right field corner near Pesky's Pole, robbing Joe Morgan of a home run, then doubled Ken Griffey, Sr. off first. The Red Sox then won the game in the 12th on Carlton Fisk's famous walkoff home run.

Charitable work

• Evans and his wife Susan have been long-time supporters of the neurofibromatosis non-profit NF Inc., Northeast.^[2] Their sons Timothy and Justin were diagnosed with the disease in the 1980s.^[3]

Film career

• In 2011, Evans had a brief appearance in the Farrelly brothers film Hall Pass as Maggie's father.^[4]

See also

• Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame
• Hitting for the cycle
• List of top 300 Major League Baseball home run hitters
• List of major league players with 2,000 hits
• List of Major League Baseball players with 400 doubles
• List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs
• List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 RBI
• Hitting for the cycle
• List of Major League Baseball home run champions
• List of Major League Baseball runs scored champions

References

1. ^ Dwight Evans RedSoxDiehard.com
2. ^ http://www.nfincne.org/events/detail.asp?id=59
3. ^ http://www.sonsofsamhorn.net/wiki/index.php/Red_Sox_Charities
4. ^ http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2011/02/19/roaming_about_with_hall_pass/

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
• Page at Baseball Library
• MLB.com historical statistics
• Dwight and Susan Evans supporting neurofibromatosis research

Preceded by Reggie Jackson & Ben Oglivie	American League Home Run Champion 1981 (with Tony Armas, Bobby Grich, & Eddie Murray)	Succeeded by Reggie Jackson & Gorman Thomas
Sporting positions
Preceded by Rick Down	Red Sox Hitting Coach 2002	Succeeded by Ron Jackson

Persondata
Name	Evans, Dwight
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	November 3, 1951
Place of birth	Santa Monica, California
Date of death
Place of death