Tag Archives: Greatest

The Greatest Red Sox Legends by Uniform Number: 61-68

As the numbers extend higher, the pickings continue to thin. Fewer and fewer players have worn the numbers as they climb into the sixties and beyond. The numbers have also generally been worn for shorter amounts of time, assigned to rookies just making the Majors. If the rookie succeeds, they usually change their number the following season. If they don’t make it, well, they aren’t wearing the number long. Therefore, I am going to do more than just five players at a time and close out this series of articles with just two more articles. Unfortunately, no Red Sox player has ever worn the number 69, so here are the greatest to wear the numbers 61-68.

Number 61 – Bronson Arroyo

Bronson Arroyo is one of the few players who stuck with his high number, wearing 61 for his entire career. The Red Sox grabbed Arroyo off waivers before the 2003 season, and what a find it was.

Arroyo pitched in Pawtucket for almost the entire first season and threw a perfect game down there, just the fourth in International League history. He pitched 17.1 innings for the Red Sox out of the bullpen, allowing just four earned runs. This earned him a spot on the postseason roster, where he performed well.

Arroyo earned himself a rotation spot in 2004, making 29 starts. He finished the year 10-9 with a solid 4.03 ERA and 1.22 WHIP. He made a good start in the ALDS, allowing two runs on three hits over six innings. In the ALCS, he was involved in the famous Alex Rodriguez “slap” play at first base.

In 2005, Arroyo made 32 starts and pitched over 200 innings, starting a streak of nine straight seasons with 199 innings or more thrown. He went 14-10 with a 4.51 ERA in the regular season.

The Red Sox mistakenly traded Arroyo in the offseason for Wily Mo Pena, but he left his mark on Boston.

Honorable Mentions: Brian Johnson, Felix Doubront, Clay Buchholz (2007-09)

Alex Rodriguez illegally slaps the ball out of Bronson Arroyo’s glove as he went to tag him out running to first base in game 6 of the ALCS.

Number 62 – Jon Lester

This is the second number Lester has been chosen for, as he was the winner for his typical number 31. Jon Lester wore the number 62 during his rookie season of 2006. Once he was an established Major Leaguer following the season, he changed to the lower number.

A highly touted prospect, Lester was rated as the 22nd best prospect in all of baseball entering 2006. The former second round pick was coming off an excellent season in AA Portland. He began the year in Pawtucket and posted a 2.70 ERA over 11 starts before being called up to Boston.

Lester would go 7-2 for the big club that season, although with a mediocre ERA. However, he pitched very well for the first half of his time with the Red Sox before possibly hitting a wall. Young pitchers don’t generally throw many innings, so the amount of innings and the impact of the innings being pitched may have caught up to him. Through his first eight starts he was 6-2 with a 2.38 ERA. In that eighth start he allowed just one hit over eight shutout innings against the Kansas City Royals.

Although he faded later in the year, Lester was still 7-2 and helped add another reliable starter for over a month.

Honorable Mention: Rich Hill (2015)

Number 63 – Junichi Tazawa

Tazawa was given an honorable mention at the number 36 for his work from 2013-2016. However, before that he was wearing the number 63 from 2009-2012. He is here for his work in 2012 alone.

Junichi Tazawa at one time was a pretty decent prospect for the Red Sox as a starting pitcher. He made his debut in 2009 and got the loss against the Yankees in his first game. He did not fare much better after that either, making four starts and two relief appearances total.

In 2010, he blew out his arm in April and missed the whole season. When he came back in 2011 it was as a reliever. He only made three appearances for the Red Sox that season. With the slim pickings at the number, Tazawa earns the top spot on the strength of 2012 alone.

Tazawa pitched 37 games in 2012, allowing just seven runs over 44 innings. He struck out 45 batters while posting a 1.43 ERA and 0.95 WHIP. He was arguably the best reliever on that mess of a team.

Honorable Mentions: Justin Masterson, Robby Scott

Number 64 – Will Middlebrooks

Will Middlebrooks arrived in 2012 as the Red Sox best hitting prospect. He was ranked number 51 by Baseball America at the start of the year and only improved his standing as the year wore on. After raking at Pawtucket for a month, Middlebrooks was called up and made his Major League debut on May 2nd.

Middlebrooks hit all season for the Red Sox, bashing 15 home runs over 267 at-bats. He batted .288 and posted a slugging percentage of .509 at the big league level that rookie season. This would be the only season he wore the number 64, and it was easily the best season of his career. However, he did win a World Series ring with the club the following season.

Number 65 – Steven Wright

Wright might be the unlikeliest winner of two different numbers, having gotten the nod at number 35. There was little competition at that number, and there is zero competition at this one. The only other player I noticed who contributed anything pitched 3.1 shutout innings in 1998.

Steven Wright wore the number 65 for the 2014 season. That year he threw 21 innings, mostly in relief, and had his first Major League success. Even with the knuckleball, Wright struck out 22 batters against just four walks. He posted a 2.57 ERA and 1.19 WHIP that season for the Red Sox. He has worn the number 35 ever since.

Honorable Mention: Carlos Valdez

Sep 7, 2014 Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Steven Wright (65) pitches against the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Number 66 – Bobby Poyner

As you can see, there isn’t a lot to choose from at some of these numbers. Not to take away from Poyner, he did a good job for the Red Sox this past season, but he has only thrown 22.1 innings. Only five players have ever donned the uniform 66 for the Red Sox.

A left-handed reliever, Poyner had a fantastic spring and surprisingly pitched his way onto the ballclub. He pitched effectively over 20 appearances, going 1-0 with a 3.22 ERA. His WHIP was an excellent 1.12 and he struck out 24 batters against only three walks. The low walks are an excellent total for a lefty reliever, as they generally walk a fair amount of guys.

Honorable Mention: Daniel Nava (2012 only), Drake Britton

Number 67 – Brandon Workman

Workman is one of four Red Sox to ever wear the number, and the only one to play in more than 11 games. He has had his positives for the club though, this past postseason aside.

Workman first appeared with the big club in 2013. He struck out 47 batters over 41.2 innings that season, making three starts and 17 relief appearances. He had a 6-3 record despite a 4.97 ERA. Workman did make three straight good starts to close out July. A few rough outings skewed his overall solid body of work. Workman then pitched 8.2 innings without an earned run over seven postseason appearances. His work out of the bullpen certainly helped the Red Sox as they won their third World Series in nine years.

The next season, Workman had a 3.27 ERA at the end of June before the wheels came off. He finished 1-10 with a 5.17 ERA. Workman wound up hurting his arm and it was a long road back to the Majors.

He found his way back in 2017 and had a 3.18 ERA over 33 relief appearances. This past season he wore the number 67 for a bit and the number 44, going 6-1 with a 3.27 ERA in the regular season. This gives him a 3.22 ERA over 81 innings since making it back to the big leagues.

Number 68 – Matt Barnes

Barnes wore the number 68 for his first four seasons before switching numbers for the 2018 season. Of course, 2018 is his best season to date, but he did enough prior to this season. He is the only player worth mentioning at the number.

Barnes debuted late in 2014, then struggled as a rookie in 2015. He had an up and down 2016, but showed some promise as he struck out over a batter per inning. He finished 4-3 with a 4.05 ERA.

In 2017 he took another step forward, leading into this past season. Barnes was 7-3 with a 3.88 ERA in 2017, posting a career best 1.22 WHIP. He struck out 10.7 batters per nine innings, surpassed only by this past seasons 14 strike outs per nine.

Jul 6, 2016 Matt Barnes (68) throws a pitch against the Rangers at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

The Greatest Red Sox Legends by Uniform Number: 21-25

Leave a reply

There are no Hall of Famers in the numbers 21 through 25 for the Red Sox. However, that statement can be a bit misleading. Four of the five I have selected could be Hall of Famers if not for varying reasons. Two of them are borderline cases that have received varying support, while another clearly has the numbers to be there.

Number 21 – Roger Clemens

“The Rocket” would clearly be a Hall of Famer based purely upon his numbers and awards. During his time with the Red Sox, Clemens became “The Rocket” and was a Hall of Fame pitcher for roughly a decade. During that time, he won an MVP Award and had a third-place finish. Clemens also won three Cy Young Awards while also finishing in second and third during other seasons.

Clemens broke out in 1986 with his first Cy Young Award and his MVP Award. He had his first 20 strikeout game in April that season en route to striking out 238 batters for the season. He led the league in wins, ERA, and WHIP as he finished 24-4 for the pennant-winning club.

Clemens led the league in wins again in 1987 as he won the Cy Young Award. After two more very good seasons, Clemens was as dominant as ever between 1990 and 1992. He finished second in the Cy Young vote in 1990 due to Bob Welch’s 27 wins, but Clemens was the better pitcher. He led the league with a 1.93 ERA that season and finished 21-6. Clemens led the league in ERA again in both 1991 and 1992, giving him three straight ERA crowns to begin the nineties.

Clemens tailed off from there, but pitched very well for a bad team in 1994 and looked like vintage Rocket down the stretch in 1996 when he punched out 20 batters in a game for the second time. He went 192-111 with a 3.06 ERA and struck out 2590 batters during his time in Boston. From 1986-92 he averaged a season of 19-9 with a 2.66 ERA and 239 strikeouts. There is a strong argument for retiring his number.

Honorable Mentions: Tex Hughson, Ray Culp

Number 22 – Rick Porcello

At number 22, we get an active Red Sox. Porcello has had an up and down Red Sox career, but he did win a Cy Young Award and contribute to the 2018 World Series champions, so at a thin number he gets the edge.

Porcello came to the Red Sox in 2015 on a questionable contract given his mediocrity to date. The decision looked like a disaster that first season as he was 9-15 with an ERA approaching 5.00. Porcello bounced back to enjoy a career year in his second season in Boston. In 2016, he led the league in wins, finishing 22-4 with a 3.15 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP. His 189 strikeouts were far and away – a career high at the time.

Porcello regressed again in 2017, leading the American League with 17 losses despite playing for a division-winning ballclub. His strikeout numbers did stay up, however, but his home run rate skyrocketed. This past season Porcello found some middle ground, posting a 4.28 ERA while finishing with a 17-7 record. He set a career high in strikeouts with 190 over 191.1 innings. In the postseason, he made three starts and two key relief appearances, pitching to a 3.52 ERA. It’s been an interesting career in Boston for Porcello.

Honorable Mentions: Sammy White, Bill Campbell

Number 23 – Luis Tiant

Tiant is one of the most popular pitchers in franchise history. Tiant had some good seasons in Cleveland in the sixties but hadn’t been good since breaking a bone in his shoulder. He led the league with 20 losses in 1969, a season after winning 21 and posting a 1.60 ERA. He missed a lot of time in 1970 and the Red Sox were able to sign him during the 1971 season off the scrap heap.

Tiant was not immediately good for the Red Sox, struggling in that first season. However, by year two he was pitching like it was 1968 again. Pitching out of the pen for much of the year, Tiant made 19 starts that season in 42 appearances, going 15-6 with a league-leading 1.91 ERA. The next season he won 20 games for the first time in five seasons, eclipsed 200 strikeouts and led the league in WHIP.

Tiant finished fourth for the Cy Young in 1974, going 22-13 with a 2.92 ERA in over 300 innings pitched. After an 18 win 1975, Tiant went 3-0 in the postseason. He pitched a complete game versus the Athletics in the ALCS and won two games against the Reds in the World Series. Tiant then won 21 games in 1976, giving him three 20-win seasons over a four-year stretch. He finished fifth in the Cy Young vote and made the All-Star team.

From 1972 through 1978, his final season in Boston, Tiant was 121-74 with a 3.30 ERA, not too shabby for someone signed off the scrap heap. He has had varying levels of support for the Hall of Fame as he remains on the outside looking in.

Honorable Mentions: Tom Brunansky, Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd, Brian Daubach

Number 24 – Dwight Evans

I would have loved to see Dwight Evans get his number 24 retired, but the chance for that probably ended with Manny Ramirez wearing the number. Dewey spent parts of 19 seasons with the Red Sox and played at a borderline Hall of Fame level. Had he hit earlier in his career as he did during the eighties, he likely would be in by now.

Evans was always a great fielder, winning eight Gold Gloves in right field. His first came in 1976 and he won three of them during the seventies. His hitting was solid, yet unspectacular until the strike-shortened season of 1981. Evans led the league in home runs and OPS that season, making the All-Star Game, finishing third in the MVP vote and winning the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards. Red hot before the strike took place, an argument can be made that the strike cost him the MVP Award. Had he won an MVP, maybe Dewey would be in the Hall.

Dewey hit a career-high 32 home runs in 1982, a number he matched in 1984 and eclipsed with 34 in 1987. He led the league in walks three times during the eighties and OPS twice. For the decade, Evans hit 256 home runs and drove in 900 runs while posting a .280/.385/.497/.882 batting line. That’s some Hall of Fame work when you throw into consideration his eight Gold Glove Awards.

Honorable Mentions: Manny Ramirez, David Price, Mike Stanley

Number 25 – Tony Conigliaro

When I say Tony Conigliaro could be a Hall of Famer, it’s not in the same way as the previous guys. Obviously, Conigliaro is not a Hall of Famer off what he achieved. However, if Jack Hamilton’s fastball hadn’t crushed his eye socket in 1967, Conigliaro may have become a Hall of Famer. Conigliaro was just 22 years old at the time and already had 104 home runs in his career, with some of the season still to play. He had a home run crown under his belt and seemed like he could be well on his way to joining the 500 home run club.

Even with the tragic events that took place in his life, Tony C is still the greatest Red Sox to ever don the number 25. On top of the previous statistics I stated, he did briefly return and even hit a career-high 36 home runs in 1970. Unfortunately, his eyesight rapidly deteriorated from there, quickly ending his playing career. In all, the local kid hit 162 home runs and drove in 501 runs for the Red Sox. Would the Red Sox have won the World Series in 1967 had Conigliaro not been injured?

Honorable Mentions: Mike Lowell, Troy O’Leary

Featured picture credit to “Boston Baseball History/Rich Pilling” and taken from Cooperstown Cred

Brady Passes Peyton For Another All-Time Record

Leave a reply

Tom Brady Breaks Another Record

Tom Brady continues to solidify himself as the GOAT. The 41 year old quarterback is breaking records on a regular basis, last Sunday he added his name to another one.

Brady took over as the All Time leader in passing yards in (regular season and postseason games.) The MVP passed Peyton Manning for the top spot in Sunday’s win over the Jets.

The record breaking pass went to Sony Michel, a running back who is still working on his pass catching. Brady got that out of the way in the second quarter, finishing the game with 283 yards. The Patriots quarterback now sits alone with 79,416 total yards, but Tom just cares about the win. After the game Brady was asked about the newest record.

“Just wins” Brady said, “ I mean that’s what we are here for, to win games. I’m trying to be a part of as many of these as I can.” No surprise Brady deflected questions about his own record, He ended his answer saying, “I’m just here to win.”

Brady Passes Manning as the All Time Passing leader

(Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

Every Week Another Record is in Trouble

Brady also tied Peyton Manning on Sunday as he reached 3,000 passing yards for the 16th time. He is now second in NFL history, behind Brett Favre who reached 3,000 yards 18 times. Tom will easily break that record too, as long as he can stay on the field for three more years.

Tom can pass Peyton Manning again this Sunday, as another regular/postseason stat is up for grabs. One touchdown pass from Brady on Sunday will make him the All Time leader in combined TD passes.

Via Nj.com

Tom Brady already has the Super Bowls, the postseason records, and now is finishing off the rest of the regular season records. Of course he won’t play forever, but in the meantime no record is safe. Brady isn’t in it for these records though, right now his focus is all about his favorite ring. “The next one” number six!

The Greatest Red Sox Legends by Uniform Number: 16-20

Leave a reply

This grouping of numbers, 16-20, is the first group of five without a retired number and a hall of famer. However, all five are in the Red Sox Hall of Fame, so it’s not like this group lacks clout.

Number 16 – Jim Lonborg

Lonborg is probably thought of as being better for the Red Sox than he was. However, that’s likely because of his gruesome injury following his incredible 1967 season. Lonborg was the Cy Young Award winner in 1967, winning a league best 22 games for the surprise pennant winners. Lonborg also struck out a league best 246 batters that season. However, he injured his knee in a ski accident that winter and wasn’t the same for the Red Sox afterwards. Over his final four seasons in Boston Lonborg only made 70 starts, going 27-29 with a 4.22 ERA.

Despite being mostly a flash in the pan for the Sox, Lonborg gets the nod at number 16 from me largely on the strength of his helping the Red Sox to the 1967 pennant while winning a Cy Young Award. His competition at the number isn’t too strong, although I anticipate Andrew Benintendi surpassing him in the next season or two.

Honorable Mentions: Andrew Benintendi, Tom Burgmeier, Frank Viola, Rick Miller

Number 17 – Mel Parnell

There is a strong 1-2 for number 17, but one of the best left-handed starters in franchise history to date gets the nod. Parnell pitched for the Red Sox for parts of ten seasons, his career coming to an early close due to injuries. However, for a six year stretch he was one of the best pitchers in baseball.

Parnell broke out with a 15-8 record and 3.14 ERA in 1948. The next season he would have won the Cy Young Award had the award existed at the time. Parnell was 25-7 with a 2.77 ERA over 295.1 innings in 1949. He led the league in innings, wins and ERA that season and finished fourth in the MVP vote. Parnell won 18 games each of the next two seasons. 1953 was his final healthy season, going 21-8 with a 3.06 ERA for a mediocre team.

Over that six year stretch, 1948-53, Parnell was 109-56, an average of 18-9 per season, with a 3.22 ERA. Parnell had some magic left in 1956, throwing a no-hitter against the White Sox. He pitched to a solid 3.77 ERA that season before retiring.

Parnell’s close competition for the number 17 comes from “the Monster”, Dick Radatz. Radatz dominated in relief for the Red Sox for the first three seasons of his career, going 40-21 with a 2.17 ERA and 76 saves. He threw so many innings of relief that he declined quickly though. Parnell, despite a short career, was good for longer than Radatz so he gets the nod in my book.

Honorable Mentions: Dick Radatz, Bret Saberhagen, Nathan Eovaldi, Manny Delcarmen

Number 18 – Frank Sullivan

Sullivan pitched parts of eight seasons with the Red Sox, having a nice six year stretch from 1954-59. During those six peak years, Sullivan was 83-63 with a 3.24 ERA. He posted an ERA below 3.00 in both 1955 and 1957. In 1955, he led the American League with 18 wins and 260 innings pitched. In 1957 he led the league in WHIP.

A mostly forgotten pitcher in team history, Sullivan was a good pitcher on some not so good teams. He made two All-Star Games and deserved to make it in 1957 as well.

Honorable Mentions: Johnny Damon, Reggie Jefferson, Carlos Quintana

Number 19 – Fred Lynn

Despite several postseason heroes wearing the number 19, Fred Lynn is the no-brainer choice. After raking in September of 1974, Fred Lynn became the first player ever to win MVP in his rookie season. That season he made the All-Star Game, won Rookie of the Year, MVP and a Gold Glove Award. Lynn led the league in doubles and OPS while batting .331.

Despite the MVP and leading the league in OPS, Lynn’s best season may have come in 1979. That season, Lynn batted .333/.423/.637/1.039, leading the league in each of those categories. He smashed 39 home runs and 42 doubles while driving in 122 runners. Somehow, Lynn only finished fourth in the MVP vote when he probably should have won it.

During his time in Boston Lynn seemed to be on a Hall of Fame path. He hit .308 with 124 home runs and a .902 OPS over parts of seven seasons. Not only that, Lynn was an excellent center fielder, winning four Gold Gloves while playing for the Red Sox. He also made the All-Star Game in each of his six full seasons in Boston.

Honorable Mentions: Josh Beckett, Koji Uehara, Jackie Bradley Jr, Mickey McDermott

Number 20 – Kevin Youkilis

“Youk” is on the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame ballot this season. Although he won’t achieve the five percent of the vote needed to remain on the ballot, it is pretty cool just to be on it. Youkilis came up through the minors with the Red Sox and spent parts of nine seasons in Boston. He set a record for consecutive errorless games at first base and won the Gold Glove Award in 2007.

In 2008, Youkilis was a legitimate MVP candidate along with teammate Dustin Pedroia. Youkilis batted .312/.390/.569/.958 with 29 home runs, 43 doubles and 115 RBI. He finished third in the MVP vote that season. He followed it up with 27 home runs and a .961 OPS in 2009, finishing sixth in the MVP race. From 2007-10 he batted .303/.400/.530/.931 while playing excellent defense. He is a runaway at the number 20.

Honorable Mentions: Tony Armas, Lee Stange

Kevin Youkilis #20 of the Red Sox bats against the Yankees on September 26, 2009 at Yankee Stadium (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Featured picture from the Sporting News

The 2018 Red Sox Are One of the Greatest Ever

Leave a reply

The Red Sox completed their ultimate goal last night, dispatching the Dodgers in five games. It was a fitting end to a season that saw them set a franchise record for wins. So where do these Red Sox rank among some of the greatest teams in Major League history?

Total Wins

The Red Sox won 108 games in the regular season, setting a franchise record. The 1912 Red Sox, who also won the World Series, won 105 games in a 154 game season. The Red Sox 108 wins places them in a tie for ninth most all-time. Due to the shorter seasons pre-1961, they rank a bit further down in terms of winning percentage. The case can be made though that this team had a tougher road.

There was no free agency in those days, so teams did not need to fear losing their players. Also, there was no postseason. If a team had the best record in their league, they made the World Series. There was no going through teams like the Yankees and the Astros again in the

Graphic from the Baseball Nexus

postseason after beating them out in the regular season.

Since free agency began, only the 2001 Mariners and the 1998 Yankees won more games than the Red Sox did this year. The same holds true for total amount of wins, when combining regular season and postseason wins. The 1998 Yankees won 125 and the Seattle Mariners won 120, and the Mariners did not even make the World Series that season, let alone win it. No other team in baseball history, pre-free agency or post-free agency, won more than 119 games; So this Red Sox team is in some rarefied air.

Postseason Road

It is safe to say that no team in history has faced the tall task the Red Sox just went through in the postseason. After winning 108 regular season games, the Red Sox reward was facing a 100 win Yankees team. The 100 wins from the Yankees was more than any National League team won. The Red Sox steamrolled through their rivals in four games however.

Next up was the 103 win and defending champion Houston Astros. Despite the Red Sox having the top record, many thought the Astros would be too strong for them. They were, after all, the defending champions and had improved their pitching staff this season. The Astros 103 wins were two more than they accomplished last season and placed behind only this seasons Red Sox and last season’s Dodgers for the most wins of the decade.

After dropping the first game, the Red Sox had no more issues with the Astros, taking four straight to dispatch of the defending world champions. The final three of those wins came in Houston and included beating future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander in the deciding game.

In the World Series, they faced the Dodgers, who were playing for the championship for the second consecutive season. The Red Sox didn’t have much trouble with them either, winning in just five games. It took the Dodgers 18 innings to win one game from the Red Sox. In that 18 inning affair, the Red Sox top four spots in the batting order combined to go 0-28, and it still took 18 innings and an egregious miscue in the field from second baseman Ian Kinsler for the Dodgers to win a game.

Ian Kinsler looks in disbelief after his error led to the Dodgers tying the game.

Star Power

As all great teams do, the Red Sox weren’t short of star power. Mookie Betts looks like he will probably win the MVP Award, after going 30-30 while leading the league in hitting. His closest contender for the award might be teammate J.D. Martinez, who hit .330 with 43 home runs and 130 runs batted in. On the mound, Chris Sale was the favorite for Cy Young until a couple disabled list stints in the second half.

And yet, despite the star power, the Red Sox did not win because of that. This truly was a team effort, showing just how great of a team it is. Mookie Betts batted just .217 with a .699 OPS in the World Series and hit only one home run the entire postseason. J.D. Martinez was a more human .278 hitter with an .881 OPS in the World Series. Chris Sale did not win a game in the series.

Instead, everyone pitched in, with journeyman Steve Pearce taking home the World Series MVP honors. The much-maligned David Price got his redemption. After struggling in his first couple postseason outings, running his playoff record to 0-9, Price bested Justin Verlanded in the deciding game of the ALCS, then won games two and five in the World Series. Nathan Eovaldi was practically not human, pitching six innings of relief in game three while routinely pushing triple digits with his fastball. He then volunteered to pitch again later that same day.

Boston Red Sox’s Steve Pearce celebrates after his home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the eighth inning in Game 4 of the World Series. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Conclusion

So where do these Red Sox rank amongst the greatest teams ever assembled? It is hard to pinpoint an exact place, especially factoring in the different styles of play and the way the game has changed over the years. However, it is clear this team is near the top. The 1927 and 1998 Yankees usually get talked about, as do the 1929 Athletics. The Big Red Machine of the 1970’s is up there as well, but this team can win with them all, and winning is truly all that matters.

Featured image from Newshub.com

The Brady-Belichick drama sounds like a broken record

Leave a reply

Brady and Belichick don’t play golf together, but they share the same goals about winning

Cue the ‘fake news’ from people after they read reports of Brady wanting to leave the Patriots in March. It’s all based on a new book about “Belichick: The Making of The Greatest Football Coach of All Time.” This was written by Ian O’Connor after the 2017 season. All the drama surrounding these two is really old news at this point. Also, Brady said he wants to play until 45; however, he never said he’d finish his career in New England. If it was up to owner Robert Kraft, Brady would retire as a Patriot. I still believe Belichick walks at the end of the season, and Josh McDaniels will take over. If that happens, Brady will be a Patriots until the age of 45.

Belichick will probably retire at the end of the season

As for this new book on Belichick, a few quotes really stuck out from people with knowledge of the Brady and Belichick relationship. They told Ian O’Connor that Brady would divorce Belichick. “If you’re married 18 years to a grouchy person who gets under your skin and never compliments you, after a while, you want to divorce him. Tom knows Bill is the best coach in the league, but he’s had enough of him. If Tom could, I think he would divorce him.” Belichick himself did not do an interview for the book.

Brady was uncertain if he wanted to be a Patriot as of late March. However, he couldn’t ask for a trade because the fans of New England would be irate and also Kraft. They just had traded Jimmy Garoppolo and if Brady then asked to be traded, he would never live it down. All the talk about Brady and Belichick is really starting to sound like a broken record. By now we get it, they hate each other but share the same goals. Now Belichick stripped the receiving core this year to make it harder for Brady. Now the Patriots got Josh Gordon, who is a headache off the field, but hopefully, he’s productive on the field.

Use code “BSE” for $20 off your first purchase when using Seat Geek!

The Greatest Red Sox

Leave a reply

https://bostonsportsextra.com/boston-red-sox/2017/10/best-starting-pitchers-red-sox-history-right-handed

https://bostonsportsextra.com/boston-red-sox/2017/11/best-starting-pitchers-red-sox-history-left-handed

https://bostonsportsextra.com/boston-red-sox/2017/11/best-relief-pitchers-red-sox-history

https://bostonsportsextra.com/boston-red-sox/2017/11/best-catchers-red-sox-history

https://bostonsportsextra.com/boston-red-sox/2017/11/red-sox-greatest-first-basemen-ever

https://bostonsportsextra.com/boston-red-sox/2017/11/red-sox-greatest-second-basemen

https://bostonsportsextra.com/boston-red-sox/2017/11/red-sox-greatest-third-basemen-time

https://bostonsportsextra.com/boston-red-sox/2017/11/greatest-shortstops-red-sox-history

https://bostonsportsextra.com/boston-red-sox/2017/12/greatest-left-fielders-red-sox-history

https://bostonsportsextra.com/boston-red-sox/2017/12/greatest-center-fielders-red-sox-history

https://bostonsportsextra.com/boston-red-sox/2017/12/greatest-right-fielders-red-sox-history

https://bostonsportsextra.com/boston-red-sox/2017/12/greatest-designated-hitters-red-sox-history

The Greatest Left Fielders in Red Sox History

Leave a reply

With the pitchers and infielders all covered, it’s time to head to the outfield. Who are the greatest players to ever roam left field in front of the Green Monster?

Ted Williams

The greatest hitter who ever lived. I could go on and on writing about his statistics, they are mind-boggling. The last player to ever hit .400, Williams batted .356 over his first four seasons. He then went to war and missed the next three seasons. Where many guys return from war and have a hard time readjusting, Williams came back and won the MVP Award in his first year back.

Williams was called back to service for the Korean War. He left early in 1952 and returned in August 1953. After over a year fighting overseas, Williams did one of the most superhuman feats in sports history. Over 91 at-bats, having not played baseball in over a year and fighting a war during that time, Williams batted .410 and hit 13 home runs! That’s one home run every seven at-bats. He then never batted lower than .345 over the next four years, topping out with a .388 batting average during his age 38 season in 1957. In 1960, at the age of 41, Williams posted his best HR/AB ratio of his career, hitting 29 home runs in only 310 at-bats. If the DH existed back then, he could have kept going for several years.

Williams had an OPS over 1.000 every year of his career except 1959, when he played injured at age 40. He rebounded to a 1.096 OPS the following season and retired. If he had not missed time to the war, Williams would have hit close to 700 home runs, at which point he may have kept going to try to surpass Babe Ruth. He would likely have 3500 hits coupled with somewhere north of 2500 walks. His career 162 game average was .344 with 37 home runs, 130 RBI, 188 hits, 143 walks and a .482/.634/1.116 slash line.

Williams won two MVP Awards and was robbed of three others thanks to biased media members. He finished 2nd in four MVP votes and had three other top five finishes. Williams won two Triple Crowns, leading the league in average six times, home runs four times and RBI four times. Williams also led the league in on base percentage 12 times, slugging nine times and OPS 10 times.

Carl Yastrzemski

Yaz would rank first for almost any team, but in Boston he has to contend with the greatest ever for that honor. He did an admirable job following in Williams’ footsteps though, having a Hall of Fame career and holding several franchise records. Yastrzemski batted .285 with 452 home runs and 1844 runs batted in. He banged out 3419 base hits, 646 of which were doubles. Yaz of course played some first base and designated hitter, but he made his hay as a left fielder. He had over 2000 hits and 1000 RBI while playing left field.

Yaz’ 1967 season was historic, and he was the last player to win the Triple Crown Award for years before Miguel Cabrera accomplished the feat in 2012. Yaz led the Red Sox from a 9th place finish in 1966 to the 1967 AL pennant by batting .326 with 44 home runs and a 1.040 OPS. He would hit 40+ home runs three times in four seasons. Interestingly, immediately after that stretch he failed to hit even 20 homers in any of the next five seasons.

Yaz won three batting titles and led the league in on-base percentage five times. He made 18 All-Star Games and won the 1967 MVP Award. In addition to his hitting talents, Yaz was just as good with the glove. He won seven Gold Glove Awards as a left fielder, including one after he had been moved to first base for a few years. He returned to left field in 1977 and didn’t make a single error while picking up 16 assists.

Carl Yastrzemski hitting home run as Tim McCarver and umpire Al Barlick watch at Fenway Park. 10/5/1967 CREDIT: (Photo by Neil Leifer/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images)

Jim Rice

Jim Rice is yet another Hall of Famer who spent his entire career with the Red Sox. He only had a stretch of 12 good years, but during that stretch he may have been the best hitter in baseball. Rice had a swift decline in the late 80’s or he would have coasted into the Hall of Fame earlier. After batting .304 with 350 home runs during that 12 year stretch, Rice batted only .263 with 31 home runs over his final three seasons.

Rice batted .298 for his career, hitting 382 home runs out of 2452 base hits, all with the Red Sox. His home runs rank him 4th on the franchise’s all-time list, while his base hits rank third behind Williams and Yaz. Rice hit 39 or more home runs all three seasons from 1977-79, averaging a season of .320 with 41 home runs and a .972 OPS. His 406 total bases in 1978 were the most by a player since Stan Musial in 1948, and the most by an American League player since Joe Dimaggio in 1937. He led the league in hits, home runs, RBI and OPS that season on way to winning the MVP.

In addition to his MVP Award, Jim Rice finished in the top five for the MVP vote five other times. He made eight All-Star Games and won two Silver Sluggers during the eighties. Silver Sluggers were not an award before 1980 or he surely would have won a few more. Rice led the league in home runs three times.

Jim Rice of the Red Sox hitting a home run,

Manny Ramirez

Manny has some of the greatest offensive numbers in history among right-handed batters. About half of that production came in Boston. As a Red Sox, Manny batted .312 with 274 home runs. 868 RBI and 1232 hits. His rate numbers are better than Yaz and Rice, at .411/.588/.999, but his counting stats fall far short as those two spent their entire careers in Boston. Manny also played during a hitter’s era when offensive numbers were much higher.

Of course, Manny had his drawbacks. Although never testing positive as a Red Sox, Manny did fail two drug tests before his career ended. It is hard to know when he first started using performance enhancers. He also asked to be traded on multiple occasions. Manny was known to take stretches off with phantom injuries. Needless to say, Manny wasn’t always good for team camaraderie. In addition to him spending less time here, these are reasons Manny comes in fourth on this list.

Manny’s real strong stretch lasted for six seasons, from when he was signed in 2001 until 2006. His play had dropped off in 2007 and before he was traded in 2008. During that six-year stretch Manny batted .316 with an average of 39 home runs and 119 RBI per season. There is no doubt, he was an offensive force. Manny also won the 2004 World Series MVP. He made eight All-Star Games, won six Silver Sluggers and finished in the top six for MVP three times.

Manny Ramirez of the Boston Red Sox celebrates after connecting for a three-run home run to defeat the Los Angeles Angels, 6-3, in Game 2 of the ALDS at Fenway Park October 5, 2007 (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

Mike Greenwell

“The Gator” wraps up the top five. Unfairly to him, Greenwell pales in comparison to the four above him on this list. The Red Sox have had quite the rich history in left field. Greenwell was no slouch, batting .303 for his career. When a career .300 hitter looks weak after the top four, that says something. Greenwell hit 130 home runs out of his 1400 career hits, all with the Red Sox. He missed a lot of time to injuries in the 90’s, holding back his stats, but Greenwell could hit. He had an excellent slash line of .368/.463/.831 for his career.

Greenwell started off his career hot, homering four times in 31 at-bats in September of 1985. He was one of the best young outfielders in the game during the late 80’s. He hit .328 with 19 home runs and a .956 OPS in 1987. Greenwell would follow that up with a .946 OPS in 1988, batting .325 with 22 home runs and 119 RBI. That season, Greenwell finished second in the MVP vote to Jose Canseco, which turned out to not be a very level playing field. In 1989 he batted .308 and drove in 95 more runs. Quite a stretch to begin his career, injuries are really what held him back later. His 162 game average for his career is a stellar .303 with 17 homers and 93 RBI.

Mike Greenwell of the Boston Red Sox watches the flight of his ball during an MLB game circa 1995 at Fenway Park.(Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

Honorable Mentions:

Duffy Lewis & Troy O’Leary

Duffy Lewis is buried not far from where I live. I visited his grave last fall.

Greatest Right-Handed Pitchers

Greatest Left-Handed Pitchers

Greatest Relief Pitchers

Greatest Catchers

Greatest First Basemen

Greatest Second Basemen

Greatest Third Basemen

Greatest Shortstops

The Greatest Teenage Superstars

Leave a reply

I have decided to create an all-time teenager team. This isn’t picking the best players who debuted as teenagers. This picks the players who performed the best while they were teenagers. It is an impressive feat to make the major leagues while most people are still in school, so let’s celebrate those who have.

Pitching Staff

Dwight Gooden #16 of the New York Mets poses for a season portrait. Dwight Gooden played for the New York Mets from 1984-1994. (Photo by Rich Pilling/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Dwight Gooden

The Doc headlines the staff, as he went 17-9 with a 2.60 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 276 strike outs during his age-19 season. Gooden won the Rookie of the Year Award, made the all-star team and placed second in the CY Young Vote. Gooden also led the league in both WHIP and strike outs. Doc had a chance at being an all-time great, but instead ruined his career with Darryl Strawberry by snorting cocaine constantly. Gooden had notched 154 Ws by the age of 28, yet would win just 40 the rest of his career.

Bob Feller

Feller broke into the majors at the age of 17, pitching almost three full seasons as a teenager. Placing him second on this staff is for the body of work, considering he pitched three different seasons. None of his seasons were the second best by a teen. In 1936, at 17 years old Feller went 5-3 with a 3.34 ERA and struck out 76 batters in only 62 innings. This feat is made even more impressive considering it was 1936, batters didn’t strike out much back then. The next season Feller won nine games against seven losses. He had a 3.39 ERA and again struck out more than a batter per inning. In 1938, at the age of 19, Feller won 17 games and struck out a league high 240 batters. He also walked a league high 208 batters!

Gary Nolan

Gary Nolan broke into the big leagues at the age of 18 in 1967, quickly turning 19 in May. He had a phenomenal rookie season, finishing 14-8 with a 2.58 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 206 strike outs. Unfortunately, pitching at such a young age may have caught up to Nolan, as he suffered arm problems and had a short career. By age 24, Nolan was 76-47 with a 2.83 ERA and was coming off a 1.99 ERA in 1972. Over the next two seasons he pitched only 10.1 innings. After two successful comeback seasons in 1975 and 1976, Nolan re-injured his arm and retired at just 29 years old.

Wally Bunker

Another young guy who had a short career due to arm problems. At the age of 19 in 1964, Bunker was the Orioles ace, going 19-5 with a 2.69 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and a league leading .792 winning percentage. However, he hurt his arm late that season and was never quite the same. He enjoyed some success the following season, but his career was over by the time he was only 26 years old.

Joe Wood

Tough call for the fifth spot, but I’ll give it to Smoky Joe. Wood was known for throwing as hard as anyone in the game, but his violent delivery did not allow him to sustain his velocity as late into games as Walter Johnson could. In 1909, Smoky Joe went 11-7 with a 2.18 ERA and 1.02 WHIP for the Sox. He would remain one of the very best pitchers in all of baseball up through 1915, despite pitching injured for those last couple seasons. Based on accounts of the pain, he probably suffered from a torn rotator cuff. However, in 1915, his final season as a pitcher before switching to hitting because of the pain, Wood led the league with a 1.49 ERA. At that point, at age 25, Wood was 117-56 with a 1.99 ERA and 1.08 WHIP for his career. He should be in the Hall.

Bullpen

Rube Bressler

Bressler had an interesting career. In 1914, making 10 starts and 19 relief appearances, Bressler won 10 games versus four losses while pitching to a 1.77 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. That’s why he’s on this team. However, over the rest of his career he would go 16-28 with a 4.01 ERA. So what did he do? He switched to hitting and batted .311 between 1921 and 1932.

Larry Dierker

Dierker pitched two seasons as a teenager, mostly starting, but he made 10 relief appearances while a teenager. In 1965 at 18 years old Dierker posted a 3.50 ERA. The following season he brought his ERA down to 3.18 while finishing with a 10-8 record. In both seasons he had a 1.17 WHIP. Dierker had himself a solid career, making two all-star teams and winning 20 games once.

Walter Johnson

I’m cheating a bit with this one, as Johnson made 12 starts versus only two relief appearances in 1907. Despite being 5-9 on a really bad Senators team, Johnson had a 1.88 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. As I said, really bad Senators team. The Senators were bad almost his entire career and yet he won 417 games. Imagine if he had pitched on a decent team.

Jim Palmer

This one is actually not cheating, as Palmer was a reliever initially. In 1965 Palmer went 5-4 with a 3.72 ERA while mostly pitching out of the bullpen. Of course, he had one of the best careers on this list.

Don Gullett

In 1970, Gullett went 5-2 with a 2.43 ERA and six saves pitching out of the Reds bullpen. Over the next eight seasons, Gullett would primarily start, and do it very well, receiving Cy Young votes in two separate seasons. He was forced to retire in 1978 at the age of 27 due to shoulder problems. He was 109-50 with a 3.11 ERA for his career.

Billy McCool

Who wouldn’t want a guy with the name McCool closing out games for them? McCool turned 20 in mid July in 1964, but spent enough time as a teenager before that to qualify. He was 6-5 that season with a 2.42 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and seven saves. He went on to save 39 games over the next two seasons, but flamed out quickly and was out of the league by the age of 26.

Billy McCool of the Reds.

Starting 9

Catcher

Del Crandall batted .263 with four home runs and 34 RBI during 1949. As one can imagine, there haven’t been many highly successful teenage catchers. Crandall would spend most of the next decade and a half as the Braves primary catcher and hit 179 career home runs.

First Base

Phil Cavarretta turned 19 in July of 1935, his first full season in the Bigs with the Chicago Cubs. He batted a very respectable .275 with eight home runs, 12 triples and 82 runs batted in. His 82 RBI were good for third most on the team. Cavarretta spent almost two decades with the Cubs, through the 1953 season.

Second Base

Sibby Sisti is the only guy I even wrote down. Unfortunately, the other infield positions have several more worthy candidates than Sisti fighting with each other. Sibby batted .251 with six home runs and a .664 OPS in 1940, when he turned 20 years old in July.

Shortstop

Edgar Renteria gets the nod, which surprises me. I forgot he was a teenager when he broke in with the Marlins. In 1996, at age 19 (he turned 20 in August), Renteria batted .309 with a .757 OPS for the Marlins, also stealing 16 bases. So he gets the pick over some worthy competition.

Third Base

This one was close, but I am going with Freddie Lindstrom. He and Buddy Lewis had very similar batting numbers, but Lewis committed many more errors so the nod goes to Freddie. Lindstrom batted .287 with 12 triples and a .761 OPS in 1925, the highest OPS of any teenager who didn’t play the outfield. Lindstrom eventually made the Hall of Fame courtesy of the Veterans Committee.

Outfield

Mel Ott broke in at the age of 17 and batted .309 over 223 at bats during two partial seasons to begin his career. In 1928, at the age of 19, Ott was up for good and posted arguably the best offensive season a teenager ever has. That season Ott batted .322 with 18 homers, 77 runs batted in and a .921 OPS, the highest ever by a teenager. Standing at just 5’9” 170 pounds, Ott went on to win six home run crowns and bash over 500 career home runs.

Tony Conigliaro is one of the biggest ‘what ifs’ ever. Conigliaro homered in his first Fenway at bat (and later would homer in his first game back from his beaning). In 1964, at the age of 19, Tony C hit 24 home runs, the most ever by a teenager. He accomplished that in only 111 games. He also batted .290 and posted a stellar .883 OPS. The next season he would lead the league in home runs with 32 at just 20 years old. Conigliaro had 104 home runs in only 494 games at the time of his head injury at just 23 years old.

Bryce Harper didn’t disappoint in his first season. In 2012 he posted an .817 OPS while making the All-Star team and winning the Rookie of the Year Award. He batted .270 with 22 home runs and stole 18 bases at the age of 19.

Mel Ott, New York Giants Hall of Fame outfielder, practices his unusual swing in preparation for the upcoming World Series in 1936. This is the third image in a series of four. (Photo Mark Rucker/Transcendental Graphics/Getty Images)

The Resurgence of the Boston Red Sox

Leave a reply

Since the trade deadline (July 31, 2017), the Boston Red Sox seem unstoppable. Since then, they stand 12-2 and have outscored their opponents 85-52 (+33 run differential). They have the highest runs scored per game in the league at 6.15.

Three of those 12 wins have resulted from a walk off. Christian Vazquez hit a three run homer on August 1^st against the Cleveland Indians, possibly the greatest game this season. Mitch Moreland hit a solo shot against the Chicago White Sox on August 4^th, and Mookie Betts blasted a two RBI double against the Green Monster on August 16^th against interleague rival, the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Sox have definitely undergone a facelift. With the addition of Eduardo Nunez from the San Francisco Giants and the calling up of Rafael Devers, the lineup has been impressive.

Big Bats

In just 17 games with the Red Sox, Nunez is batting .372 with four big home runs, 13 RBI’s, six doubles and only striking out 12 times in 78 at bats. Since joining the Red Sox on July 28^th, they have a 14-4 record. In the previous 18 games, the Red Sox were 7-11.

Rafael Devers, A.K.A. The Prophecy, has been my favorite player this year and he’s only played in 18 games. At the age of 20, he’s posting ridiculous numbers, currently batting .348 with six home runs, 13 RBI’s, four doubles, and an OPS of 1.082. Also, he’s currently on a six game hitting streak, going 9 for 24 (.409) with three home runs and six RBI’s.

Andrew Benintendi has been on fire this month. In 12 games, he’s batting .413 with five home runs, 13 RBI’s, three doubles, and has scored 13 times. He also has the best flow in the game. *Cough. Rookie of the year! Cough *

Starting Five

The starting rotation has also been a huge factor in the recent success. Since July 31^st, Red Sox starting pitchers have pitched a combined 69.0 innings and have struck out 78 batters (Chris Sale, Drew Pomeranz, Rick Porcello, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Doug Fister).

Chris Sale is 3-0 during that span posting a 3.60 ERA (high because he let up seven earned runs against the Indians), struck out 30 and has only allowed 14 hits in 20 innings. Opponents’ batting average — just .187 in three games.

Drew Pomeranz has really proved to Red Sox Nation what he can do. Since July 31^st, he’s 2-0 with a 2.77 ERA and has struck out 13 in 13.0 innings. Opponents’ batting average is a little high at .264 but he’s only allowed four earned runs.

The Pen

Other than the big bats and the resurgence of our starting pitchers, the bullpen has been WOWZA. Lights out. Amazing. Couldn’t ask for anything more. This season the Red Sox bullpen is 22-13 with a 3.01 ERA (3^rd best in the MLB). Craig Kimbrel and Matt Barnes have really caught my attention.

In his past seven games, Kimbrel has gone 3-0 with 14 strikeouts in 7.1 innings, and allowed two earned runs against the Indians on August 1^st (nothing since then). It’s pretty much a guaranteed win/save every time he pitches. He’s 5-0 on the season with a 1.41 ERA and 94 strikeouts in 51.0 innings.

In the month of August, Matt Barnes has pitched 8.1 innings, striking out eight and only allowing one run on just two hits. Opponents’ batting average this month is just 0.080. During that span, he has faced 30 batters and 22% of outs have been line drives, 11% pop ups, and 27% have been strikeouts. He’s allowed two inherited scores this season (both on April 3^rd) and hasn’t allowed any in August and has only allowed three inherited runners on base. Barnes has also lowered his ERA from 3.60 to 3.24 in eight games.

Hopefully this resurgence continues all throughout August and into the Fall Classic. With the heavy bats now in our lineup and the solidity of our starting pitchers and bullpen, I believe this team can go very far, if not all the way.