Dewey: Behind the Gold Glove

by Dwight Evans

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 Dewey, 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, Dewey is the long-awaited full story of Dewey from the man himself.

264 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 16, 2024

Reviews

[Sally Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

For 2025, I'm using a random word generator each month and then finding a book to read with the random word in the title. January 2025's word was glove. I struggled to find a book title with that word that would be one I'd like to read. Most were hockey romance novels. That's not my kind of read.

Dewey, OTOH, is exactly my kind of book. I grew up with the Red Sox of the 80s and 90s and spent many a summer day or night at Fenway park. I enjoyed reliving Dewey's baseball moments as that really satisfied the baseball fan in me. I do wish the book had provided a bit more detail about the man himself. There are brief touches of his non-baseball life but not of much substance.

[Tim Donahue · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Legend

I've waited a long time for this book and it is excellent. Great recapping of a baseball era and one of the greatest Red Sox player of all time. Well done!

[Chris Beach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Occasionally I will read a sports book and I chose a good one . Dewey is a class act and gave tremendous insight into the seasons he played for the Red Sox. I also have a child with a disability so I was interested to hear Dewey’s thoughts on the struggles all parents of a child with a disability have. Enjoy the book !