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The Greatest Red Sox Legends by Uniform Number: 36-40

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The greatest Red Sox to wear the numbers 36-40 is next up in the series.  Although as a group this one drops off a bit, there are still some good names here.  One is a postseason hero, while another is the oldest player to win a professional game.

Number 36 – Tom Gordon

Tom Gordon wasn’t with the Red Sox a long time, nor was he always effective, but he did enough to be the choice at number 36.   Gordon signed with the Red Sox as a starting pitcher for 1996.  Despite a 12-9 record, Gordon was not effective, allowing more earned runs than any other pitcher in baseball.  Gordon was pitching better the following season despite a 6-9 record, but was moved to the closer’s role following the epic trade of Heathcliff Slocumb.  Gordon saved 11 games to close out the season.

1998 was Gordon’s signature season for the team.  He made his first All-Star Game that year and led the league in saves.  His 46 saves still stand as a Red Sox franchise record for one season.  He was 7-4 with a 2.71 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in the fantastic year.  He only blew one game, which came in Mid-April.  The next season he extended his streak to 54 consecutive saves without blowing one, a Major League record.  At the end of May he had a 2.08 ERA with 11 saves and zero blown saves.  He blew back-to-back games in June and didn’t pitch again until the very end of the season.  Gordon would have to undergo Tommy John surgery for a torn UCL.

Honorable Mentions: Junichi Tazawa, Aaron Sele, Mike Myers

Number 37 – Bill Lee

The “Spaceman” gets the nod over Hideki Okajima for number 37.  Both of them boast strong arguments.  Lee pitched much longer and was an effective starting pitcher, so he’s my choice.  He still plays baseball where he can find the opportunity, and in 2010 was the winning pitcher for the Brockton Rox, becoming the oldest person to ever win a professional baseball game.

Lee broke in with the Red Sox in 1969 and spent most of the seventies with the club.  He started pitching mostly out of the bullpen, going 16-6 with a 2.95 ERA and 7 saves between 1971 and 1972.  In 1973 he moved to the starting rotation and made the all-star team.  He finished the year at 17-11 with a 2.75 ERA.  This was the first of three consecutive seasons winning 17 games for “Spaceman.”

After a couple down seasons, Lee was having a bounce back year in 1978, when Don Zimmer inexplicably banished him to the bullpen as the team collapsed down the stretch.  Lee pitched out of the bullpen three times in September, and never after September 10th.  The move made zero sense, and may have helped aid the teams collapse.  Lee finished the season with a 3.46 ERA over 24 starts and four relief appearances.  He finished his Red Sox career with 94 wins.

Honorable Mentions: Hideki Okajima, Jimmy Piersall, Heath Hembree

Number 38 – Curt Schilling

Curt Schilling was a huge acquisition for Theo Epstein and the Red Sox, and his presence paid immediate dividends.  Schilling solidified himself as one of the all-time great postseason performers.  He also seemed to wrap up his spot in Cooperstown while in Boston, but the writer’s association has yet to vote him in.

Schilling’s first season in Boston cemented him as a Red Sox hero, helping break the 86 year World Series drought.  He led the American League with 21 wins, going 21-6 with a 3.26 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 203 strike outs.  He finished second in the Cy Young vote for the third time in four seasons. In the playoffs, he dominated as usual.  After injuring his ankle in game one of the ALCS, Schilling famously had a surgery that temporarily allowed him to pitch, while putting off the main surgery until the offseason.  On a hobble ankle, bleeding through his sock, Schilling returned for game six and allowed only one run over seven innings to pick up the win.  The effort was heroic.  In the World Series, Schilling allowed just an unearned run over six innings in Game 2 to pick up another win.

Schilling had difficulty recovering from his offseason surgery and struggled in 2005, even pitching out of the pen.  In 2006 he was back to pitching 200 innings and winning 15 games.  After a solid, yet unspectacular 2007, Schilling stepped up his game for the playoffs.  He was 3-0 with a 3.00 ERA including another World Series victory in the postseason.  Schilling finished his Red Sox career at 53-29 in the regular season, and 6-1 in the postseason.

Honorable Mentions: Jim Willoughby, Jeff Gray

Number 39 – Mike Greenwell

Mike Greenwell was a fantastic player early in his career, and finished with a career .303 batting average. He homered four times in 31 at-bats during his first cup of coffee in 1985.  As a rookie in 1987, Greenwell batted .328 with 19 home runs and a stellar .956 OPS.  By the next year he was an MVP candidate.

1988 was “Gator’s” signature season.  He finished second in the MVP vote to roided up Jose Canseco.  Greenwell was red-hot during the summer months, finishing the season with a .325/.416./.531/.946 batting line, 22 home runs, 39 doubles and eight triples.  He walked 87 times that year versus only 38 strike outs.  Greenwell made his first All-Star Game and won the Silver Slugger.

Greenwell was an all-star again in 1989, batting .308 and driving home 95 runs.  Greenwell remained a good hitter until the end, but never hit for the power he did in his first two seasons.  He rebounded from an injury-plagued 1992 to bat .315 with 38 doubles in 93 games.  He battled a bad back and injuries the rest of his career, which came to an end after the 1996 season despite a .295 average.  He had one huge final game that season, hitting two home runs and driving in all nine Red Sox runs in a 9-8 victory over Seattle in September.

Honorable Mention: Jarrod Saltalamacchia

Number 40 – Rick Wise

Rick Wise had a nice career, but that was mostly with Philadelphia.  He pitched a no-hitter with the Phillies and homered twice in the same game!  It wasn’t the last time he would hit two home runs in a game either.

Wise came to the Red Sox in 1974, and had a shortened season due to arm problems.  He recovered to win 19 games in 1975.  He also nearly had another no-hitter, losing one with two outs in the ninth inning against the Brewers.  Wise was solid in 1976, going 14-11 with a 3.53 ERA.

1977 was his final season in Boston, going 11-5 despite a 4.77 ERA.  He was then included in a trade to Cleveland to get Dennis Eckersley to Boston.  Therefore, his impact for the Red Sox went beyond what he accomplished on the field with them.  He finished his Red Sox career 47-32 over four seasons.

Honorable Mentions: Ken “Hawk” Harrelson, Billy Conigliaro, Erik Hanson

 

Featured picture from Lookout Landing

Top Five September Call-Ups in Red Sox History

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September first; the day rosters expand. Today the Red Sox called several players up from the minor leagues to join the club for the final month. It is yet to be seen if any of them will make a big impact, or even be used much at all. Sometimes the call-ups get a lot of playing time, and some even have a big impact on the team down the stretch. In choosing the top five September call-ups in Red Sox history, I combine how well the player did in that final month with the impact they had on the club. I do not factor in future production, only what they did in the September they were called up.

Jacoby Ellsbury

Ellsbury was first called up at the tail end of June, 2007. He only made five starts before being sent back down. After spending just one day in August with the big club, Ellsbury was called back up when rosters expanded on September 1st. From that point forward, Ellsbury was a regular starter for the club despite them being in first place. During the final month, Ellsbury batted .361 with three home runs and drove in 17 runs. He was also a perfect eight for eight stealing bases.

With his stellar performance down the stretch, Ellsbury made the postseason roster despite not even having enough at-bats to remove his rookie status for 2008. Ellsbury appeared in 11 games that postseason, including all four in the World Series where he went 7-16 at the plate. Ellsbury drew two walks, doubled four times and stole a base during the World Series against the Rockies.

Jacoby Ellsbury at the 2007 World Series Parade. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Fred Lynn

The second half of the “Gold Dust Twins” was a September call-up in 1974, coming up a couple weeks after Jim Rice. Lynn got up to the plate 51 times that September and showed the fan base what was to come. Lynn had six multi-hit games, including a four hit performance against the Tigers that September. He batted .419/.490/.698/1.188 down the stretch, homering twice and driving in 10 runs.

Rudy Pemberton

Pemberton is not as well known as the others listed. By the 1996 season he was already 26 years old when he got the call. Pemberton raked after being called up in September of that season. Pemberton had logged 30 at-bats with the Tigers in the spring of 1995 before being sent down. The Red Sox acquired him early in 1996 and he batted .326 with 27 home runs and 92 runs batted in for Pawtucket. Pemberton continued to thrive, picking up 21 base hits in 41 at-bats for a .512 batting average! Pemberton homered, drove in 10 runs and posted a 1.336 OPS.

Despite his performance, Pemberton got off to a slow start in 1997 and wound up in Japan. He spent most of the rest of his career playing foreign baseball.

Dwayne Hosey

Dwayne Hosey is a similar one to Rudy Pemberton. Hosey was already 28 years old when the Red Sox gave him his first shot in the big leagues in September of 1995. Hosey had generally put up solid numbers in the minors but had never been given a chance. In 1994 Hosey batted .333 with 27 home runs and 27 stolen bases for the Omaha Royals in AAA, but was never called up.

The Red Sox acquired Hosey on August 31, 1995 after a season down in AAA for the Royals and put him on their big league club. Hosey played a bunch for the division winners, accumulating 68 at-bats that September. He batted .338 with 3 home runs and was a perfect six for six on the basepaths. Unfortunately, he was 0-12 with two walks in their postseason series with the Indians, but he had performed well enough to start in the postseason for the club.

Clay Buchholz

How can you leave off a guy who threw a no-hitter? Buchholz had made a start on August 17th, but was sent back to the minors until rosters expanded. On September 1st, 2007, Buchholz no-hit the Baltimore Orioles, striking out nine and walking three. That alone earns him consideration. He made two more appearances that September, one in relief and one more start. He finished that September with a 2-1 record, a 0.54 ERA and .113 opponent batting average.

Jason Varitek lifts Clay Buchholz after his no-hitter on September 1, 2007.

Honorable Mentions:

Mike Greenwell, Xander Bogaerts, Austin Maddox, Carlton Fisk, Scott Cooper, Ted Cox, Nomar Garciaparra

Red Sox Players to Hit for Cycle

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Mookie Betts hit for the cycle on Thursday night, becoming the 21st player in Red Sox history to complete the feat. Needing a home run in the ninth, Betts fouled off a very hittable pitch and seemed to realize he had missed one. He made up for it, cracking a no doubter over the left field wall to collect his cycle. So who were the 20 players before him to get the cycle?

The Early Days

Buck Freeman was the first player to hit for the cycle in franchise history. Known as the Boston Americans when Freeman completed the cycle, Freeman accomplished the feat on June 21, 1903. He did so in a 12-7 Boston victory over the Cleveland Blues, or Cleveland Naps, depending upon where you look. The Cleveland franchise had acquired superstar Nap Lajoie the previous season and were beginning to be called the “Naps” after him.

Patsy Dougherty accomplished the feat not much more than a month after Freeman. Dougherty’s cycle came on July 29, 1903 against the New York Highlanders. Dougherty was in his second Major League season, one in which he led the American League with 195 base hits.

Tris Speaker hit for the cycle on June 9, 1912, becoming the first player to do so after the franchise became known as the Red Sox. One of the greatest center fielders of all-time, Speaker drove in three runs in a 9-2 victory over the St. Louis Browns that day. His batting average at the conclusion of the game was .405, and he went on to win the MVP Award that season.

Roy Carlyle hit for the cycle on July 21, 1925 in a 6-3 win over the White Sox. Carlyle hit his double and triple off future Hall of Famer Red Faber, and his home run off another Hall of Famer in Chief Bender. Carlyle only played two seasons despite batting .312 due to his horrible defense.

Moose Solters hit for the cycle in an 8-6 loss to the Tigers on August 19, 1934. Solters had a good rookie season that year but was sent to St. Louis the following season. Moose’s cycle came against General Crowder; got to love the old baseball names.

The 1940’s

Joe Cronin was the Red Sox player/manager when he hit for the cycle on August 2, 1940. Cronin was one of two Red Sox to drive in four runs and one of three to homer in a 12-9 victory over the Tigers. Cronin’s number four is retired by the Boston Red Sox.

Leon Culberson was a rookie for the Red Sox when he hit for the cycle on July 3, 1943. Batting leadoff, Culberson had the four hits plus a walk. His home run was an inside-the-park home run in the eighth inning of a 12-4 win over the Cleveland Indians.

Bobby Doerr’s cycle came in the second game of a doubleheader with the Browns on May 17, 1944. The Red Sox had won game one 5-1 but would actually lose the second game despite Doerr’s cycle by a score of 12-8. Doerr drove in two runs and scored three. He is a Red Sox Hall of Famer, a Major League Baseball Hall of Famer, has his number retired by the team and is the greatest second baseman  in franchise history.

Bob Johnson hit for the cycle on July 6, 1944, less than two months after Bobby Doerr’s cycle. In fact, Doerr also had four hits in this game, hitting a double and a triple, but settling for two singles. Bob Johnson completed the cycle and scored four runs in the Red Sox 13-3 win over the Tigers.

Ted Williams hit for the only cycle of his career on July 21, 1946. Williams picked up three hits in a 5-0 win over the Browns during the day. In the nightcap, Williams hit his way around the bases, hitting for the cycle in a 7-4 win. Williams contributed seven hits during the doubleheader sweep.

Bobby Doerr is still the only player in franchise history to hit for the cycle twice. He accomplished it a second time nearly three year after the first, on May 13, 1947. The Red Sox pulverized the White Sox that day 19-6. Doerr hit for the cycle and Ted Williams homered twice in the destruction.

The Cycles Slow Down

Lu Clinton achieved the feat in a 15 inning game on July 13, 1962. Don’t worry; Clinton had already accomplished the feat before extra innings. He tacked on another single in the 15th inning, his fifth hit of the game which scored Carl Yastrzemski for the winning run. Clinton drove in four runs and scored four runs in the 11-10 Red Sox win.

Carl Yastrzemski hit for the cycle on May 14, 1965 in a 12-8 loss in 10 innings to the Tigers. Yaz homered in each of the first two innings, starting the night off with a bang. He finished the game 5-5 with five runs batted in, but didn’t have much help.

Bob Watson became the first player to hit for the cycle in both the National League and American League on September 15, 1979. Watson completed the feat in the ninth inning with a two-run homer as the Red Sox beat the Orioles 10-2 at Memorial Stadium. Watson batted .337 with 13 home runs in a partial season with the Red Sox that season before joining the Yankees as a free agent in the offseason. As Vice President of Major League Baseball, he would draw some attention of having a negative bias towards the Red Sox.

The 1980’s

Fred Lynn hit for the cycle against the Twins on May 13, 1980, becoming the second Red Sox player to hit for the cycle on May 13th. Lynn tripled home Rick Burleson in the bottom of the eighth to complete the cycle. It was one of four runs driven in by Lynn during the Red Sox 10-5 victory.

Dwight Evans sealed his cycle with a dramatic flourish on June 28, 1984. Tied at six with the Mariners, Dwight Evans came up with two men on base and two outs in the bottom of the 11th. He hit a walk-off three-run homer off Ed Nunez to win the game 9-6. One of the more underrated players in the game, Dewey is currently the greatest right fielder in franchise history.

Rich Gedman performed the feat on September 18, 1985. It’s not every day a catcher completes the cycle, let alone gets a triple. Gedman did just that however in a 13-1 defeat of the Blue Jays. Gedman’s triple came with the bases loaded in the fourth inning to put the Sox ahead 8-0. He drove in seven runs total in the game. Wade Boggs also had four hits as the Sox socked 18 of them on the day.

Mike Greenwell cycled on September 14, 1988. The Red Sox needed it, squeaking past the Orioles 4-3. The MVP candidate went 4-4 and scored three of the Red Sox runs. He homered in the second, then scored after his ground-rule double in the fourth. Leading off the sixth, Greenwell tripled on a misplayed fly ball and scored to put the Red Sox ahead.

The Last Twenty-Five Years

Scott Cooper hit for his at Kaufmann Stadium as part of a 22-11 rout of the Royals. In just the eighth game of the 1994 season, on April 12, Cooper went 5-6 with 5 RBI, doubling twice in the cycle. Read about the game and watch the video of his cycle here.

John Valentin homered in the first, tripled in the third, singled in the fourth and doubled in the sixth, all off Joe Magrane. The Red Sox beat the White Sox 7-4 on June 6, 1996. Valentin was 4-4 as he didn’t receive any other at-bats. Take a look.

Brock Holt became the first Red Sox to hit for the cycle in nearly two decades on June 16, 2015. Holt batted leadoff that day, getting three of his hits off Atlanta starter Julio Teheran. He tripled in the eighth off Sugar Ray Marimon to complete the achievement. The Red Sox beat the Braves 9-4.

Mookie Betts accomplished the feat just the other night, and it was seemingly just a matter of time. The Red Sox lost the game, but it is always fun to see someone on the hometown team attain this. Mookie’s homer in the ninth gave us joy during a loss.

 

Red Sox Old-Timers Game

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Finally! The Red Sox are hosting their first old-timers game in 25 years on Sunday, May 27th. The game will be played in the morning before the Red Sox match-up with the Atlanta Braves that afternoon. I have never understood why the Red Sox don’t have these games once a year, or at least more frequently than they do. What Red Sox fan wouldn’t love to see some of the guys they used to cheer for don the uniform again? Let’s hope NESN broadcasts this game.

The Managers

Two Red Sox legends will manage the clubs for the old-timers game; Luis Tiant and Dwight Evans. Both of these guys would likely make a 25 man roster of the greatest Red Sox ever.

“El Tiante” I believe is a top five right-handed pitcher in Red Sox history, winning 20 games three times while also pitching great in the 1975 World Series. He is still a fan favorite to this day, as is “Dewey.” Evans is the greatest right fielder in Red Sox history. He played parts of 19 seasons with the club, winning eight Gold Gloves and placing in the top five for the MVP vote twice. His 379 home runs place fifth in team history. Evans is also fourth all-time in base hits and third in walks. He has a strong argument for his number to be retired by the club.

Dewey and Tiant walk onto the field.

The Old-Timers Pitching Staff

Pedro Martinez is the headliner of the staff. The greatest pitcher in team history and the greatest pitcher I have seen. Pedro’s peak was arguably the most dominant stretch of pitching the game has ever seen. Going to games at Fenway where Pedro pitched was like nothing else experienced. If there is one guy I miss watching pitch more than anyone else, it is Pedro, and no one else even comes close.

Derek Lowe holds an incredibly important spot in Red Sox history. Lowe won the clinching game of all three postseason series in 2004 when the Red Sox won the World Series. He allowed just four runs over 19.1 innings that postseason and won game seven against the Yankees pitching on just two days rest. Derek Lowe also threw a no-hitter in 2002, the first thrown by a Red Sox pitcher at Fenway Park in 37 years.

Oil Can Boyd sure is a character. Known more for his personality than his pitching, Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd had a couple of fine seasons in Boston. He won 31 games between 1985 and 1986 with a 3.74 ERA.

Bill Lee is of course another character. Nicknamed “Spaceman”, Lee is also known more for his personality. Lee was a good pitcher though, winning 119 games and making an All-Star team. From 1973-75, Lee won 17 games each season for the Red Sox. In 2010 he became the oldest to ever play in and win a professional baseball game, picking up the win in a game for the Brockton Rox.

Rich Garces is everyone’s lovable, overweight pitcher. Affectionately referred to as “El Guapo” during his time in Boston, Garces pitched parts of seven seasons with the Red Sox. He was stellar between 1998 and 2001, going 20-4 with a 3.15 ERA out of the bullpen over those four seasons.

Jim Corsi pitched on some of the same teams as El Guapo. In 1997 and 1998 Corsi was 8-5 with a 2.98 ERA for the Sox. He declined in 1999, but the Red Sox got two excellent seasons from him. He later spent some time on NESN doing studio work.

Alan Embree was on the curse breaking team of 2004, and spent part of four seasons with the Red Sox. Despite mediocre results, Embree was excellent in postseason play for the Sox. In 2003 he didn’t allow a run in eight appearances. He was good again in 2004, and didn’t allow a run in three World Series games. In total, Embree was 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA during the postseason while with the Red Sox.

Lenny Dinardo currently works for NESN as a studio analyst. During his career he spent three seasons with the Boston Red Sox. Dinardo held his own in limited action his first two seasons before being rocked in 2006. In all, he was 1-3 with a 5.53 ERA for the team.

Mike Myers was a lefty specialist for the Red Sox in 2004 and 2005. He was plenty effective in that role for them, going 3-1 in 2005 with a 3.13 ERA.

Chris Howard was a lefty reliever for the Sox in 1994. He didn’t get much of a chance in the big leagues despite pitching relatively well. That season for the Sox, Howard was 1-0 with a 3.63 ERA over 37 appearances. He only pitched seven other games in the Majors, three in 1993 and four in 1995. He never allowed a run in either season.

Keith MacWhorter is a local guy, born in Worcester in 1955. He then attended Bryant College in Rhode Island. MacWhorter made the Majors for one season, 1980. Unfortunately he never won a game, going 0-3 with a 5.53 ERA. Hey, he got to play for his hometown team, not many can say that.

The Infielders

Wade Boggs headlines the lineup of hitters appearing in the game. His .338 batting average as a member of the Red Sox is second only to Ted Williams in franchise history. He is unquestionably the greatest third baseman in team history, and was so good he had his number 26 retired. In the 1980’s, Boggs set a Major League record by collecting 200 hits in seven straight seasons.

Scott Cooper is the man who replaced Wade Boggs at the hot corner. Cooper made back-to-back All-Star Games with the Red Sox in 1993 and 1994. Cooper also hit for the cycle in 1994, becoming the first Red Sox player to accomplish this feat since Mike Greenwell. Speaking of which…

 

Mike Lowell was a fan favorite for the club and helped the Red Sox win the 2007 World Series. In fact, Lowell was the MVP of that World Series after placing 5th in the regular season MVP vote. He batted .290 with 80 home runs during his time in Boston. He now has a role with the team in a coaching capacity and worked with Rafael Devers on his defense this spring.

Orlando Cabrera was a spark plug to the team in 2004. After the trade to acquire him, the Red Sox went on a run with Cabrera providing some heroics. He batted .294 down the stretch for the team while stabilizing the defense at shortstop. Cabrera then batted .379 during the ALCS versus the Yankees. It is still a mystery to me as to why the Red Sox did not retain him following the season.

Sam Horn exploded onto the scene in 1987, homering in five of his first eight Major League games. He hit 14 home runs in only 158 at-bats that season, posting a .589 slugging percentage. He sputtered out in Boston after that, but he returned to the area to play for the Nashua Pride in 2000 and 2001. Horn then spent time as a studio analyst for NESN. He would always yell “kapow!” whenever someone hit a home run.

Lou Merloni of course remains a large figure in the Boston sports world. Working on TV and radio, Lou is widely heard in the area covering all sports. A local guy, “Framingham Lou” homered in his first Fenway at-bat in 1998. He batted .269 in parts of six seasons with the Red Sox while playing all over the infield. Before Kevin Youkilis, the crowd would yell “Looouuuu” whenever Merloni made a nice play.

Julio Lugo is an interesting choice for this game, as he was one of the bigger busts in recent memory. After signing a big contract to play shortstop, Lugo batted .251 as a member of the Red Sox and made a lot of errors at a vital defensive position.

Steve Lomasney is the only catcher on this squad. Will he remain behind the plate no matter who is up or does he get a turn at-bat? Lomasney, a Massachusetts native, was drafted by the Red Sox out of Peabody High School in the fifth round of the 1995 draft. He got two at-bats in his Major League career, coming in 1999; he struck out in both of them.

The Outfielders

Mike Greenwell will also play in this game. “The Gator” patrolled left field in front of the Monster after Jim Rice, following in a very successful line of left fielders in franchise history. He didn’t back down from it either, becoming one of the five greatest left fielders in team history in my opinion. Greenwell was a career .303 hitter and was one of the brightest young stars in the game in the late 80’s. Injuries slowed him down in the 90’s, but it isn’t easy to bat .300. He finished second in the MVP vote for 1988 to a roided up Jose Canseco.

Troy O’leary was another excellent left fielder for the Red Sox. Signed off the scrap heap in 1995, O’leary batted .300 that season for the Red Sox. He would bat .300 again in 1997, then posted back-to-back 20 home run season in 1998 and 1999. His total of 28 homers in 1999 was a career high, and he hit two more in the ALDS against the Indians, driving in seven runs in the deciding game of the series.

Jonny Gomes was a fun guy, and his personality helped revamp a clubhouse in 2013 that needed a big makeover from the previous couple seasons. He hit 19 home runs in 521 at-bats with the Red Sox and hit a big three-run homer in game four of the World Series. He currently announces from time to time for the club.

Darren Lewis was a great fielding center fielder in his day. Lewis once held the record for most consecutive errorless games. Lewis played four seasons with the Red Sox, from 1998-2001. He hit a career high eight home runs and stole 29 bases that first season with the team. His final season with the team he hit a career high .280.

Steve Lyons is currently seen on NESN in the studio for pregame and postgame work. He spent three different stints with the Red Sox during his playing days, playing all over the field. In fact, Lyons played everywhere at least once as a member of the Red Sox.

Rick Miller will play in this game at the age of 70. Miller broke in with the Red Sox back in 1971. He spent his first seven seasons in Boston, then returned to the club in 1981 and spent the final five seasons of his career here. He played in 1101 games as a Red Sox, batting .265.

On This Day in Red Sox History: Baseball Is Back!

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On April 26, 1995, baseball returned to Boston. The strike was finally over and there was to be baseball again at Fenway Park. The prior season had been cut short due to the strike in August. In addition, the new season was getting a late start, causing a very long winter for baseball fans. On this day however, baseball was back and the Red Sox were playing host to the Twins to begin a new season.

A New Team

The Red Sox brought a new look team with them following the strike. The Butch Hobson era was mercifully over, as the team finished under .500 all three seasons with him at the helm. In came former Rangers manager Kevin Kennedy to take his place. In the starting lineup on Opening Day, the Sox featured four brand new players. Luis Alicea was the leadoff hitter in his first game with the club. Mark Whiten was in the lineup as was new catcher Mike Macfarlane. The most notable addition to the lineup however was the designated hitter, Jose Canseco. Canseco was coming off a 31 home run season despite the shortened year. He had been acquired from Texas for center fielder Otis Nixon and prospect Luis Ortiz and was expected to add some thump to the lineup alongside Mo Vaughn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Season Gets Underway

With Roger Clemens beginning the season on the disabled list, the Red Sox sent Aaron Sele to the mound for the opener. Sele was looked to as the de facto ace after having gone 15-9 with a 3.35 ERA over his first two seasons. He was opposed on the mound by Scott Erickson, despite the fact Erickson had lost 30 games over the past two seasons with an ERA above 5.00.

A Jose Canseco single in his first Red Sox at-bat highlighted a scoreless first inning. Sele cruised through the second with three ground ball outs. In the bottom half, another newcomer (Mark Whiten) started the inning with a base hit. A passed ball advanced him to second and Mike Greenwell promptly drove him across the plate with a single to score the Red Sox first run of the new season.

The Red Sox threatened in the third when John Valentin tripled. However, Jose Canseco popped out to end the inning with a chance to give his new fans something to cheer about. The Sox got two more on base in the fourth yet failed to score. Meanwhile, Aaron Sele was dealing, allowing just the walk to the opening batter of the game through four innings.

Aaron Sele autographing baseballs for kids. (Boston.com)

Red Sox Take Charge

Sele allowed his first hit leading off the fifth, but retired the next three batters to conclude his day with two baserunners allowed over five shutout innings. In the bottom half of the inning, Luis Alicea got aboard with his first Red Sox base hit. After a Jose Canseco walk, Mo Vaughn hit a line drive to right-center that got down for a hit and scored Alicea. The Red Sox led 2-0 after five.

After prospect Frankie Rodriguez set the Twins down in order on eight pitches, the Red Sox bats went to work. Carl Willis (the future pitching coach of the Red Sox) replaced Mark Guthrie with one out and walked Mike Macfarlane. Tim Naehring bunted him over to second to get a man in scoring position with two outs; then the rally began. The nine-hole hitter, Lee Tinsley, came through with a run scoring single to center. After he stole second, Willis issued back-to-back walks to Luis Alicea and John Valentin. The bases were loaded with the big bats coming up. Jose Canseco lined one into center field to score two and the Sox were ahead 5-0.

With Mo Vaughn due up the Twins went to the left-handed Vince Horsman. That decision did not fare any better than the one to go to Willis. Big Mo doubled off the lefty to score both Valentin and Canseco. A walk to Mark Whiten was followed by another RBI hit for Mike Greenwell and Horsman’s day was over without recording an out. Mo Sanford hit Mike Macfarlane with a pitch to load the bases back up. Tim Naehring then hit a ball that was stopped by Scott Leius, but he had no play to make. The infield hit scored another run and the Sox had a 7 run sixth inning.

Red Sox Win First Game Big Following Strike

The rest of the game was rather uneventful with the Sox having a big lead. The Twins only got one more hit against three different pitchers. Mike Greenwell ended up collecting his fourth hit of the game, finished Opening Day 4-5 with 2 runs batted in. The pairing of Jose Canseco and Mo Vaughn in the middle of the order got off to a good start, with Mo Vaughn driving in three and Canseco bringing home two. They would end up flip-flopping spots in the lineup after just a few games, with Vaughn batting third and Canseco batting cleanup for most of the next two seasons. Baseball was back, and the Red Sox had a 9-0 win to start the season.

1995 Red Sox team photo (Bostonredsox.com)

 

Feature picture from WCVB TV

The Greatest Left Fielders in Red Sox History

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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