1988 Rewind? Red Sox Hoping for a Modern-Day Morgan Magic
With top prospects Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony injecting new life into Fenway, the 2025 Red Sox are showing signs of a turnaround. The energy feels familiar — a potential repeat of 1988’s “Morgan Magic,” when a team stuck in neutral caught fire.
Sometimes a team just needs a spark.
With the recent call-ups of top prospects Marcelo Mayer and now Roman Anthony, a Red Sox team that had been hovering around .500 has suddenly won four of its last five games. More importantly, a restless fan base has gotten re-energized.
The effects of Anthony’s promotion have been immediate and tangible. NESN 360, the network’s streaming platform, hit a record-high unique audience, with more than 80% of subscribers tuning in for Anthony’s debut — 18% higher than their previous peak on Opening Day.
Overall streaming traffic has surged as well, with NESN reporting a season-long trend of 150% higher average per-game audience compared to 2024.
At Fenway, ticket demand spiked sharply — 500 seats sold in just two hours following Anthony’s call-up. Ticket sales doubled for Tuesday’s game, and tripled for Wednesday.
Local merchandise sellers, who hadn’t even stocked Anthony gear prior to his debut, scrambled to meet demand.
The inspired play and buzz surrounding the team feel familiar to Red Sox fans of a certain age. It’s reminiscent of one of the most magical stretches in team history — a time known simply as "Morgan Magic."
In 1988, like today, the Red Sox were a talented but underachieving team stuck in a midsummer malaise. Still haunted by the collapse of the 1986 World Series, manager John McNamara struggled to inspire his team back to its previous heights. His controversial decision not to replace Bill Buckner defensively in Game 6 seemed to hover over him like a dark cloud.
After finishing 78–84 in 1987, the Sox opened 1988 just above .500.
On July 14, with the team at 43–42, McNamara was fired.
General manager Lou Gorman turned to 57-year-old Joe Morgan, a longtime organizational soldier who had managed in the Red Sox system since 1974, most recently at Triple-A Pawtucket. Morgan had never been seriously considered for a big-league managerial job and likely thought his window had passed. But with few options and no time to lose, Gorman made the call.
And Morgan made the most of it.
Boston won 12 straight games after his hiring — and 19 of their first 20. Fenway Park came alive. The team began playing loose, aggressive, confident baseball. Timely hits, crisp baserunning, and clutch pitching returned seemingly overnight.
Morgan had the Midas touch. Every move worked. He didn’t hesitate to reduce the roles of veterans like Jim Rice, Rich Gedman, and Spike Owen, instead leaning on a core of emerging young players — Mike Greenwell, Ellis Burks, Jody Reed, Brady Anderson, and Todd Benzinger among them.
Their surge gave Gorman the confidence to go all-in at the trade deadline.
On July 29, he acquired veteran starter Mike Boddicker from the Orioles in exchange for Brady Anderson and a young pitching prospect named Curt Schilling.
Boddicker went 7–3 with a 2.95 ERA down the stretch, joining Roger Clemens and Bruce Hurst atop the rotation.
The Sox ripped off a 24-game home winning streak — the longest in franchise history, a record that still stands today — and finished 89–73, winning the AL East.
They were eventually swept in the ALCS by the powerhouse Oakland A’s, led by the "Bash Brothers," Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire, but the ride itself was unforgettable.
The 2025 Red Sox are now hoping for their own magic.
Wednesday night’s win over Tampa Bay was their fourth in five games. Marcelo Mayer hit two home runs. Roman Anthony had already made an impact Tuesday with a two-run double. Kristian Campbell, another top prospect, has been the team’s second baseman all season. Ceddanne Rafaela and Jarren Duran, both once prospects themselves, have become essential at the big-league level.
It would feel eerily familiar if Boston — like in 1988 — were to trade a promising young outfielder such as Duran or Rafaela to acquire a stabilizing veteran starter for a playoff push.
Meanwhile, veterans like Abraham Toro and Trevor Story look reborn, feeding off the youthful energy surrounding them.
Sometimes a team just needs a spark. In 1988, it was Joe Morgan and a fearless shift in approach. In 2025, it may be the kids — Mayer, Anthony, Campbell — who reignite the flame.
📣 Share This Article
If you enjoyed this piece, spread the word: