The Athletics finished the regular season with the best record in baseball, at 103–59 (.636), easily winning their third consecutive American League West division title by nine games over the Chicago White Sox.

By contrast, the Red Sox ended the season with a record of 88–74 (.543), finishing two games ahead of the Toronto Blue Jays, and claiming their third American League East division title in five years.

The game was a scoreless pitchers' duel until the bottom of the fourth, when Red Sox third baseman Wade Boggs launched a home run off Stewart.

In the ninth, the wheels came off for the Red Sox bullpen, as Oakland blew the game wide open by erupting for seven runs, a historic distinction done only twice before in the postseason and the first in twenty years.

The Red Sox struck against Welch in the third, as Luis Rivera doubled, took third on a Jody Reed grounder, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Carlos Quintana.

In the second, the Red Sox drew first blood when Mike Greenwell walked, moved up to third on a single by Dwight Evans, and came home on a sacrifice fly by Tom Brunansky.

An error by Rivera on a ground ball allowed Baines to reach base, take second on a fly out by McGwire, then move to third when Dave Henderson was forced out by Steinbach.

In the bottom of the second, the "Rocket" gave up consecutive singles to Lansford and Steinbach, and both advanced one base due to a throwing error by Greenwell.

Randolph was the next batter, and when home plate umpire Terry Cooney adjudged Clemens' fifth pitch to him to be ball four, the Red Sox ace lost his composure, letting loose a stream of profanities.

[7] The ejection proved to be the turning point of the game, as Gallego proceeded to belt a double to center field off Clemens' replacement, Tom Bolton, scoring both McGwire and Randolph.