1988: The Red Sox were in fourth place and hovering around .500 at the halfway point in the season when they replaced manager John McNamara with Walpole native Joe Morgan. The Sox ripped off 12 wins in a row (and won 19 of 20) during the run that would be known as “Morgan’s Magic.” The Red Sox lost the final three games to the Cleveland Indians, but managed to finish one game ahead of the Detroit Tigers to win the AL East. The Red Sox went on to lose to the Oakland A’s in a four game sweep in the first round. The MVP of the ALCS was Oakland closer Dennis Eckersley, who saved all four games for the Athletics.