Dopson went 3-11 for the 1988 Expos despite a fine 3.04 ERA. Traded to the Red Sox after the season in the Spike Owen deal, he received better support and proved to be a solid, if inconsistent, number-three starter. But he also encountered balk trouble in the American League.
Elbow problems limited Dopson to a total of five appearances in 1990 and 1991, and he then posted back-to-back 7-11 seasons for Boston the following two years before closing out his career with California in 1994.
