Dwight Evans (baseball)
A graceful right-field sentinel with a potent bat, he was the quiet, consistent backbone of the Red Sox for nearly two decades.
Born 1951 (age 75)·American baseball player·Birthday: November 3·Baby Boomers
Biography
While flashier teammates grabbed headlines, Dwight Evans built a career of elegant, sustained excellence in Boston. For nineteen seasons, his presence in right field at Fenway Park was a constant, defined by a powerful, accurate arm and preternatural instincts that earned him eight Gold Gloves. At the plate, he transformed himself from a solid hitter into a feared power threat, mastering the tricky afternoon shadows and the Green Monster. Evans was a central figure in the heartbreak and drama of the 1970s and 80s Red Sox, making crucial plays in the 1975 World Series and putting up MVP-caliber numbers in 1981. His legacy is one of understated mastery—a player whose comprehensive skills and workmanlike demeanor made him, quietly, one of the finest all-around players of his generation.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Dwight was born in 1951, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Dwight Was Born
The biggest hits of 1951
#1 Movie
Quo Vadis
Best Picture
An American in Paris
#1 TV Show
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
Dwight's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1951Born
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1956Started school
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1964Became a teenager
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Could drive
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1969Could vote
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Turned 21
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1981Turned 30
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1991Turned 40
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 50
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 60
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 70
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 75 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won eight Gold Glove Awards for his defensive prowess in right field.
- Hit 385 career home runs and accumulated over 2,400 hits, with 1,384 runs batted in.
- Played in 2,505 games for the Boston Red Sox, second only to Carl Yastrzemski in franchise history.
- Was a three-time All-Star and won two Silver Slugger Awards as the best offensive player at his position.
Did You Know?
He famously preserved Game 6 of the 1975 World Series with a spectacular catch and throw to double off a runner at first base.
He led the American League in walks three times and in home runs once (in 1981).
After leaving Boston, he played his final season with the Baltimore Orioles in 1991.
He was known for his distinctive, high-socked uniform style and his intense preparation for at-bats.
“Playing the wall at Fenway is a conversation between you and the ball.”
