Dwight Evans (baseball)

Dwight Michael "Dewey" Evans (born November 3, 1951) is an American former professional baseball right fielder and right-handed batter who played with the Boston Red Sox (1972–1990) and Baltimore Orioles (1991) in Major League Baseball (MLB). He was a three-time All-Star, won eight Gold Glove Awards, and won two Silver Slugger Awards. Evans played the second-most career games for the Red Sox of any player, surpassed only by Carl Yastrzemski.

Evans was born in Santa Monica, California. He played Pony League and Colt League baseball in Northridge, California, with Doug DeCinces. Dwight attended Granada Hills High School in the tenth grade, but was not happy with the poor treatment he received from the baseball coaches. He then transferred to Chatsworth High School, from which he graduated in 1969.

Evans was drafted in the fifth round of the 1969 MLB draft by the Red Sox, with the 107th overall pick, and then played in Boston's minor league system from 1969 through 1972. He played for the Florida Instructional League Red Sox (1969), short season Class A Jamestown Falcons (1969), Single-A Greenville Red Sox (1970), Single-A Winston-Salem Red Sox (1971), and Triple-A Louisville Colonels (1972).

Evans acquired the nickname "Dewey" while playing for Winston-Salem in 1971. It was coined by manager Don Lock who had already called Don Newhauser "Newie" and another teammate "Louie". In 1972, with Louisville, Evans was named MVP of the International League.

Evans made his major league debut with the Red Sox on September 16, 1972, during a Red Sox 10–0 win over the Cleveland Indians. Evans appeared in a total of 18 games late in that season, batting 15-for-57 (.263) with one home run and six RBIs.

Early in his major league career, Evans was primarily a defensive standout (he would eventually receive eight Gold Glove Awards) with a modest bat. In the second half of his career, he became a powerful hitter, twice winning a Silver Slugger Award.

Originally, Evans was assigned uniform number 40, although quietly he really wanted to wear number 24, the number of his idol Willie Mays. In 1973, the Red Sox gave him number 24, the number he wore for the remainder of his career.

Evans was the Red Sox regular right fielder starting in 1973, a role he would have until 1987. In 1973 he batted .223 with 10 home runs and 32 RBIs, and in 1974 he batted .281 with 10 home runs and 70 RBIs. In 1975, the Red Sox won the AL East and then swept the Oakland Athletics in the 1975 ALCS. Evans batted 1-for-10 against Oakland, being held to a double in the first game. In the 1975 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds, Evans batted 7-for-24 (.292) with a home run and five RBIs. In the historic sixth game, with the score tied 6–6 in the 11th inning, he made a spectacular catch of a drive hit by Reds second baseman Joe Morgan, then threw to first base to complete an inning-ending double play. Then, Carlton Fisk hit his famous walk-off home run in the 12th inning to win the game for the Red Sox, 7–6, forcing a seventh game, which was won the next day by the Reds.