Dewey: Behind the Gold Glove

by Dwight Evans, Erik Sherman

For twenty Major League seasons, the name Dwight Evans was synonymous with sterling defense and a potent bat. A Red Sox legend, he played in 2,505 games in Boston – second only to Carl Yastrzemski – and hit 379 home runs for the club, trailing only Yastrzemski and Ted Williams. Nobody hit more home runs in the American League and no player had more extra base hits in all of baseball than the man affectionately known as Dewey did during the decade of the 1980s, but it was his rifle-like right arm – and eight Gold Glove Awards – that established him as the best right fielder of his era. In  Behind the Gold Glove , Evans and baseball historian Erik Sherman take Red Sox fans back to a glorious time in baseball, filled with unforgettable World Series appearances in 1975 and 1986, legendary teammates including fellow outfield mainstays Jim Rice and Fred Lynn, and some of the most memorable games in MLB history.

Yet for all his greatness on the baseball field, the immense challenges that Evans and his family dealt with off it were even more impressive, a journey that Evans poignantly explores in detail like never before. A man who would become known for his class, dignity, and strength, Evans would use those attributes along with his wife Susan to help nurture and comfort two sons, Timothy and Justin, as they battled neurofibromatosis (NF) – commonly known as elephant man’s disease – a condition that causes tumors to form in the brain, spinal cord, and nerves.  Part charming memoir of an underrated star from bygone era of baseball and part exploration of a man whose inner strength sustained him through the trials and tribulations surrounding the diagnosis, treatment, and deaths of two sons who were tragically afflicted with NF,  Behind the Gold Glove  is the long-awaited full story of Dewey from the man himself.

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Biography, Nonfiction

256 pages, Hardcover

Published July 16, 2024

Reviews

[Brina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mid December. There are still three long months to go before there are any baseball games that count. Most years I don’t suffer from baseball withdrawal this early in the off-season. I watch plenty of football, soccer, and hockey to tide me over, and, of course, read my share of baseball books. This year, however, I have not been as thrilled with the football product on the field, and my hockey team leaves me much to be desired. Luckily, my beloved baseball team has been in the news this week and surprisingly for good reasons. I have much to look forward to but it does not take away the fact that the first game of the new season where hope springs eternal will not take place until March 17 in Japan. Enter off season reading. Each year I look at Casey Award winners and nominations and try to fill in those that I might have neglected in previous off seasons. The Casey Awards are baseball’s Pulitzers because, as good as Joe Posnanski is, I have never seen a sports book win the top prize. I knew Jonathan Eig was gifted, but he started out writing about baseball and pop culture and did not receive consideration until he crossed over to hard core history and biography writing. I am sure that Posnanski is just as capable of a Pulitzer winning biography, and to date he has won three Caseys for his baseball writing brilliance. This year he wrote about football and Eig is basking in the glow of the Pulitzer he deservingly won for King: A Life; thus, there is an open Casey field of the ten nominees. I have thus far read two and am hoping to read or skim the other nominees before opening day. First up, a trip to Boston’s historic Fenway Park, which, besides my beloved Wrigley, is baseball’s crown jewel and would allow me to bask in the glow of baseball season’s past.

Dwight Evans was a mainstay of the Boston Red Sox teams of the 1970s and 1980s. A little before my time and then a leader in the club house during the decade of my childhood when I knew all national league players but was fuzzy on their American League counterparts in the halcyon days before the advent of Interleague play (not a fan, a discussion for another time and place). Evans wanted to write a memoir not as much for his time as a ball player but for his role as a father to children with rare, untreatable, genetic diseases. The two pennant winning teams that Evans played for have been dissected so many times that I could discuss them at this point, just from reading about them. What has not been mentioned is Evans’ role as a father to Timothy and Justin as well as his daughter Kirstin and how it affected his time on the field. Some of his closest teammates had no idea, but, in the twilight of his life while he still has his faculties, Evans wanted to tell the story of his sons’ lives, in hopes that it would help other families going through the same diagnosis. Evans asked Erik Sherman to co-write this memoir with him because he was impressed with Sherman’s work on Two Sides of Glory, about the Red Sox’ 1986 pennant winning team that narrowly missed a World Series title. Sherman thought that Evans was his most poignant interview at the time and readily agreed. The result was an award winning team who produced a memoir worthy of an award nomination.

In the 1980s no American League player amassed more extra base hits than Dwight Evans. He himself had no idea because the Red Sox writers and front office never revealed positive stats to anyone. He found out at the end of his career in Baltimore. Evans first joined the Red Sox in 1972 and manned right field for nineteen years, winning eight gold gloves. This is impressive because growing up he had to mow his grandfather’s lawn to earn money for his first little league fee. Until age ten, Evans moved from Hawaii to California many times because of his father’s job and was not settled on a sport or activity. His brothers preferred surfing; he was the team sport athlete in the family, and until he joined the Red Sox organization, he pitched and played infield, which caught the eyes of many scouts. The Red Sox had a third baseman ahead of him in the organization, so in the lower minors, Evans switched to right field. The position suited him. He began his career with his wife Susan by his side. They met at fifteen and married at seventeen and have been together for fifty three years. Susan at first was apprehensive because other wives told her that ball players cheat on road trips. Dwight, now known as Dewey by his teammates, told her that it would not happen to him. I enjoyed this brief foray into Susan’s perspective because they are as much of a team as the Red Sox are. I have noticed that the class act ball players are the ones who remained married for decades, but, perhaps, this is mere coincidence. Regardless, Evans’ bat could not be ignored and by 1972 he was manning right field at Fenway Park alongside Fred Lynn in centerfield and Jim Rice in left and an aging Carl Yastrzemski platooning in left, first base, and designated hitter. Evans’ career in Boston and as a father was just taking off, Susan and these legendary teammates at his side.

Readers know about the Red Sox 1975 and 1986 pennant winning teams. They play a large role here and are bittersweet for Red Sox fans. Not so much now with four titles won in the 21st century but painful to discuss nonetheless. What Evans’ teammates aside from Yaz did not even know is that his sons grappled with the disease neurofibromatosis (NF) for their entire lives. Many times Evans would spend a night with one of the boys in the hospital and make it to the ballpark just in time to take batting practice. The ballpark was his refuge. One time Timothy hardly lucid asked him to hit two home runs for him in a game, and somehow Evans delivered. It was at that time that he had just become a more religious person and gives the proper credit. He also notes how hard it was for Susan as a mom to three kids wirh no help. Both their families lived across the country and could not come and help at a moment’s notice. It is not like today with skyrocketing salaries; in the 1970s many ball players worked in the off season, and this includes after the dawn of free agency. A high salary at the time was one million dollars. Thankfully, the Red Sox covered the boys’ surgery and medical costs, but to grapple with this while playing was hard on Evans and Susan. He calls her the real all star for having to hold down the house while he got to go to a ballpark for six hours a day. My husband and I have talked many times if we could deal with a child with special needs, and he has noted that he is not sure if he could. In that regard, the Evans’ are superstars and they persevered.

Today Dwight Evans is still a member of the Red Sox organization. He has worked as a roving minor league scout and as a coach at the major league level. He has enjoyed giving back to the game and has tutored countless numbers of Red Sox prospects who eventually made it to the big leagues. He says that today’s Red Sox are a class act organization who take care of everyone, not like the management when he played. Evans and Susan are still married. They still take the time to appear at NF awareness functions. As hard as this has been on them as parents, they say that their role is to promote this disease and raise research funds so that one day doctors can find a cure. Both Evans’ note that religion and some therapy saved their marriage, Dwight especially noting the poem Footsteps in the Sand, which I had never read but found moving. I do not know if Evans’ and Sherman’s work will garner a Casey Award. There is some stiff competition this year. Both men as well as Susan are class acts and hall of fame in my book. I still have some more nominations to tide me over until opening day, but, whichever book I select to read next, I know that it will be a tough act to follow the story of Dewey.

4 stars

[Dave Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dwight Evans was one of my favorite players growing up. (I tended to gravitate toward outfielders who played good defense; Garry Maddox was my favorite player of all.) So while I knew a lot of the Red Sox history that he recounted in this book, I had no idea about the personal struggles he endured in his life. He lost two sons to a rare disease, he was beaned twice in his career (costing himself multiple healthy seasons with the after-effects) and he also survived a car accident that killed several people while on a road trip in Texas. Evans tells his story with honesty and dignity, and I ended up admiring him even more than I already had.

[Philip Girvan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid account of Dwight Evans’s incredible baseball career, his relationship with God, and his personal challenges including his estrangement from his only daughter and both his sons predeceasing him.

His musings on the great Red Sox teams of the 70s that never quite got that break, the amazing 86 team, and the Morgan Miracle of ‘88 were highlights for me. Also enjoyed his assessment of current Red Sox ownership and management and the contrast between the earlier bunch. Must read for Red Sox Nation.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dwight Evans was my dad's favorite player when I was growing up, so of course he was my favorite player as well! Loved watching him play and he and those Red Sox teams were what helped me fall in love with the game. I loved this book and reliving the baseball glory days of that era, and I appreciated (and empathized with) his family story and the the health struggles his children faced. If you are a baseball or Red Sox fan, I highly recommend this book.

[Chris Butts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would give this 10 stars if i could.

[Mr. Book · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can also see this review, along with others I have written, at my new blog, Mr. Book's Book Reviews.

Thank you Triumph Books for providing this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Mr. Book just finished Dewey: Behind the Gold Glove, by Dwight Evans, with Erik Sherman.

Dwight Evans was one of the best outfielders of his day and one of the best in Red Sox history. He was known for having one of the great throwing arms of his era and for a classic play in the 1975 World Series. He has emerged as a legitimate candidate to eventually go into the Hall of Fame by the era committees and a case can be made that he was even more deserving than teammate Jim Rice, who already has a plaque in Cooperstown.

But, it also became clear very early on that this wasn’t just a book on Evans’s playing career. His memoir was also that of a father who lost two young sons to Neurofibromatosis, a form of brain cancer. Evans mostly carried that burden on himself during his career. His only teammate who knew was Carl Yastrzemski, who he only told because Yaz had also experience with a sick child. Even Rice, who Evans was teammates with for 16 years did not know until he read about it in a newspaper article.

One of the great things about baseball and history books is all of the interesting little tidbits that are contained in them. A great example from this book was when Evans talked about one of his instructors in the minor leagues. I never knew, and never would have imagined, that the Red Sox, with their terrible history on racial matters, would have been the ones who hired Jesse Owens as a running coach.

But, it was Evans’s experiences with another all-time great athlete, Ted Williams, that really stood out. Willians, at least in their first encounters written about, acted exactly how you would have expected (at least by those of us old enough to remember before Williams’ image was whitewashed by an old grandfatherly image).

A highlight of the book was the 1975 World Series. But Evan’s was completely wrong when he said, “It was also the last ‘pure’ World Series.” That should say it was the last World Series before the 1976 World Series, which was the last one under the oppressive labor system in which players had no control over their employment.

I enjoyed the part about the 1976 Yankees-Red Sox brawl where Graig Nettles injured Bill Lee and how Lee, tongue-in-cheek has blamed Evans since, if he didn’t make a perfect throw to the plate to get Piniella out then the whole brawl could have been avoided.

The chapters on the eventful 1976-78 seasons, which included that brawl, the powerful 1977 Red Sox lineup losing a race to the Yankees and then the Red Sox losing their 14-game in 1978, culminating in the one-game playoff were among the highlights of the book.

The chapters on the 1986 ALCS and World Series were also strong points of the book. I had not known that, after Bob Stanley threw his wild pitch to tie Game 6 of the World Series, Rich Gedman had signaled to second on a pick-off play and the Red Sox would have been able to nail Ray Knight to get out of the inning. But, Stanley pitched to the plate instead. The pick-off play was still on for the next pitch, but instead Stanley threw the pitch that Mookie Wilson would hit through Bill Buckner’s legs.

One does not need to be a Red Sox to enjoy this book. I certainly am not, as I have been a lifelong Yankees fan. But, I still give this book an A. Goodreads requires grades on a 1-5 star system. In my personal conversion system, an A equates to 5 stars. (A or A+: 5 stars, B+: 4 stars, B: 3 stars, C: 2 stars, D or F: 1 star).

This review has been posted at my blog, Mr. Book’s Book Reviews, and Goodreads

Mr. Book originally finished reading this on June 10, 2024.

[Geoff Coons · Rating 4 out of 5]

They tell you: “Never meet your heroes.” Well, apart from a glance in 1986 through the inverted squares of a grey steel fence in Winter Haven, Florida, Dwight Evans and I never locked eyes.

I was thirteen that spring. A kid from Ontario trying to like the Blue Jays—because that’s what you were supposed to do—but gravitating instead, out of some form of teenage rebellion, toward their division rivals from Boston. Toward that right fielder with the cannon arm, the one who could freeze a baserunner rounding second or throw him out cold, like the ball was riding an express train.

Dwight Evans' career with the Red Sox began in 1972, the year I was born. It ended in 1990, just as I entered my final year of high school. I remember buying his Red Sox away jersey at a shopping mall: cheap polyester, iron-on “EVANS 24” on the back. I didn’t care. It was fandom—and it made me feel connected.

“Dewey” had a glare at the plate and in the field. A seriousness that seemed carved onto his face. He didn’t joke between the lines. Baseball was his job, his craft—and, as his autobiography reveals, his escape.

This isn’t just a book about the “greatest World Series of all time” in 1975, or about Bucky Dent’s cruel 1978 home run, or the 1986 heartbreak against the Mets. It’s much more than that.

Dwight Evans was a husband and a father. Two of his children—his sons—lived with unspeakable and lifelong health conditions. They endured endless surgeries, pain, bullying, and the kind of medical uncertainty that never fully lifts. Both passed away in adulthood, after lives marked by struggle and extraordinary courage.

One can only imagine what it felt like to stand at the plate in Fenway Park, staring down Nolan Ryan, while your children were in the hands of doctors—and God.

Evans pays tribute to his wife, his sons, and his daughter—the middle child—who, he admits, likely didn’t receive the attention she deserved. It takes courage to share that kind of truth.

I admire noble characters who are also flawed. This book doesn’t shy away from those flaws. It reveals a man of loyalty, diligence, and grace—traits not always visible from the stands or through a TV screen. Evans found solace in the game. It offered him brief respite from life’s relentless curves. For every one thrown his way, he stood in and didn’t flinch.

A deeply spiritual man, he writes as someone who knows the limits of human control: “There but for the grace of God go I.”

Thank you, Dewey—for a lifetime of youthful summer escapes. And thank you for this story, which I can now ponder through the eyes of an adult.

[Daniel Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Long time Red Sox mainstay Dwight Evans shares the story of his life and career. The reader is taken through Evans longtime association with Boston. Special attention is paid to the two AL Pennant winners in 1975 an 1986. Evans also shares recollections about former teammates and opponents. We also learn about Evans family life. His longtime marriage and the struggle of raising two children born with a debilitating illness.

Quick, enjoyable read. Evans story is one worth telling and he shared many interesting stories. The most notable was Luis Aparicio, a Hall of Famer and former teammate of Evans, pulling a gun on a Venezuelan Winter League team. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to read about Evans close friendship with Carl Yastrzemski (who wrote the forward to the book). As riveting as reading about Evans' baseball exploits were, his poignant memories of his son's illnesses and their premature deaths were powerfully written. Dwight Evans should be in the baseball hall of fame.

[Tom Gase · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice enjoyable book on the career and life of Dwight Evans, one of the better and more underrated players in Boston Red Sox history. I'm not sure he's a hall of famer, but he should be talked about it a little more. He led the AL in home runs in the 80's and was the decade's MLB leader in extra base hits. He never won an MVP, but finished third in 1981 and fourth in 1984. He also played in two World Series (75, 86) and the book talks about those years the most, as well as 1978. The problem is I've read about a dozen books on those teams, so there wasn't much new I learned in this book. What made this book rise above was the personal stuff on him where you learn what Evans and his wife had to overcome with two sons that had horrible diseases that eventually took each of their lives too early. A couple chapters I had to wipe away the tears. Overall a good autobiography with the help of Erik Sherman, but it's mostly Evans' voice you hear in this one.

[Kyle Beacom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Evans, a Red Sox slugger, takes readers through the ups and downs of his long MLB career. As someone who remembers getting his baseball cards and watching him on TV, it was fun to re-live some of those moments, including the 1986 World Series.

Importantly, Evans also chronicles his life as a dad and husband. He and his wife Susan have been married 50+ years. They raised two boys with neurofibromatosis, a disease that causes tumors to grow in the nervous system. This presented several trials and tribulations for their family.

[Alex Luhtjarv · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dwight Evans was my favorite player growing up and while this is a simply written autobiography it is nostalgic in relating stories from many of the seasons and players that I remember as a child. I was largely unaware of his struggles with his children and his faith so those were nice bonuses to learn about him. Best part of the book was his telling of the ‘86 playoff run, which is the moment I started watching baseball.

[James Maskell · Rating 5 out of 5]

While Evans (with the help of Sherman) discusses the trauma of having two sons with a devastating illness, the difficulty of balancing that with one healthy daughter, the strength of his wife to keep it all together while he was on the road throughout his career, and how their faith gave them the ability to do it all, make no mistake, this is a book about baseball. This is a fantastic read for anyone who saw Evan’s play, and remembers how hard he worked on and off the field.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dwight Evans was one of my favorite players and was known for being tight lipped during his playing days. His book does a great job of opening up about his baseball life, his private life and his opinions all in a respectful and dignified manner. If you're looking for a salacious tell all then this isn't for you. Even the people he didn't like get kind words.

If you're a Red Sox fan time well spent.

[Dave Goldman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wonderful trip down memory lane

[Phil Hardin · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading his book, Dwight Evans gets my vote, both as a Hall of Fame baseball player and a Hall of Fame person as well.

[Matt Adamo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A phenomenal read about a great era in Red Sox baseball... Amazing man and ball player

[John Cullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book if you are a Red Sox fan of a certain age. Good book if you are a baseball fan. Of absolutely no interest if you are neither. Fun trip down memory lane.

[Doug Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book! Highly recommend this book to any fan of baseball.

[Dean · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can't be a real Red Sox fan and not love Dewey. Many of us think he belongs in the Baseball Hall of Fame, an honor he's been denied because his career followed an unusual path, starting slowly but finishing strong. For example, Evans led all American League players in home runs in the calendar decade of the 1980s, placing second in the MLB to Mike Schmidt. And he led the Major Leagues in extra base hits in the 80s. My personal fandom reflects the fact that I was at Game 6 of the 1975 World Series and saw Dwight's famous 11th inning catch of Joe Morgan's drive into right field. Stupendous, but he was an exceptional outfielder.

Regarding this bio: as a baseball book, it's about average. There are no secrets about Evans's career, and he tells his story simply and fairly. No, the tragedy in Evans's life was that his two sons were born with neurofibromatosis, a rare genetic disorder that results in uncontrolled growth of tumors, some of them cancerous. Both sons died in their 40s. His daughter did not inherit the gene, but Evans intimates that she struggled for the simple reason that the boys' health dominated the family's lives. Evans makes it clear that without religion he doubts he could have made it through these problems, which took their toll on his marriage - it survived - as well. He also had a warm and caring relationship with Red Sox icon Carl Yastrzemski, whom he credits as a real shoulder to lean on during trying times.

So the baseball part of the book is fine; the human part of the story reminds us how lucky most of us are.