It seems like only yesterday millions of Red Sox fans cheered as Chris Sale brought Manny Macedo down to one knee with a nasty slider down and in to win the World Series. Now it is officially time to close the book on the 2018 Red Sox as spring training is underway. In two days the Sox will play their first game of spring training against the New York Yankees. Before the first pitch of 2019 is thrown here are some bold predictions for the defending world series champions.
Xander Bogarts Will Be A 30 HR 100 RBI Player
Xander Bogarts is coming off the best season of his career in 2018. Bogarts batted .288 with and ops of .833 with a career high in homeruns 23, and RBI 103. It seems like Bogarts has turned a corner in his career entering the final year of his deal. With the young shortstop in line to make big money at the end of the year everything is set up for Bogarts to have a huge year. With Manny Macedo setting the market with his huge 10 year, 300 million dollar contract with the Padres. Bogarts will have some extra motivation to get those power numbers. This will be the season he finally reaches his true potential.
Rodriguez Will Emerge As The Number Three Starter
Since he arrived in Boston the story with Eduardo Rodriguez has always been about his potential. So far he has not lived up to the hype and has struggled with health and control for most of his career. Reports out of spring training have been centered around Rodriguez bulking up and his new “knockout” pitch. Putting batters away has always been a problem for the lefty as his fastball at around 93mph doesn’t set up his inconsistent breaking balls. Every year a starter emerges that and has a great year that no one expects. Whether it was Rick Porcello winning the cy young, or Drew Pomeranz actually knowing how to pitch. This year its Rodriguez turn to shine.
Red Sox superstar Mookie Betts is coming off an MVP Award for the 2018 season. There have been 11 seasons before Betts’ MVP season in which a Boston Red Sox won the award. Only one of those seasons saw a guy win his second MVP Award.
1912
Tris Speaker won the Most Valuable Player Award in 1912. The award then was not the modern MVP award. From 1911-1914 it was named the Chalmers Award, for the automobile company. However, just like now, baseball writers were the ones who determined the winner. The modern award was started in 1931.
As for Tris Speaker, he batted .383 and led the league in doubles, home runs and on-base percentage in 1912. It was easily his finest season with the Red Sox. However, he did not suffer that big of a drop-off in 1913. Speaker still batted .363 with a .974 OPS. He stole 46 bases and tripled 22 times.
1938
Jimmie Foxx was the recipient of the Red Sox first “modern” MVP Award. Foxx had won two MVP Awards while playing with the Philadelphia Athletics. 1938 was his third season in Boston after being traded.
In 1938, Foxx led the league in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, runs batted in and walks. His 175 RBI that season is still a franchise record. His 50 home runs remained a franchise record for nearly seven decades, and his 398 total bases was a franchise record for 40 years.
In 1939 he was almost as good, just in less playing time. He upped his batting average to .360 and still led the league in on-base and slugging percentage. His 35 home runs led the league despite him only garnering 467 at-bats. Foxx finished second in the MVP vote that season.
1946
By the time Ted Williams won his first MVP Award in his first year back from war, he had already been robbed of two MVP’s. His lack of MVP’s, all things considered, has largely been attributed to him not getting along with the media members who voted for the awards.
In 1941, he batted .406, yet finished second to Joe DiMaggio for the award. DiMaggio batted .408 during his famous 56 game hit streak, just .002 better than Williams did for the entire season.
In 1942, Williams won the Triple Crown and led the league in just about every conceivable batting statistic. Somehow, he lost out to another Yankee on the Award. Joe Gordon won the award despite trailing in every statistic. His OPS was 237 points lower and he hit half as many home runs. Hmmm.
Williams finally got his due after returning from war. He led the league in on-base and slugging percentage and batted .342 with 38 home runs. As an encore, he led the league in even more categories, again winning the Triple Crown. Yet again, Williams somehow managed to finish second in the MVP vote while winning the Triple Crown. Joe DiMaggio was handed the award despite only hitting .315 with 20 home runs and 97 RBI.
Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox receives his 1946 American League MVP Award from Joe Cashman of the BBWAA. (Photo by B Bennett/Getty Images)
1949
After a third-place finish in 1948, Williams won his second MVP Award in 49. He led the league in on-base and slugging percentage, home runs, doubles and runs batted in.
In 1950 he was having another great season before breaking his elbow at the All-Star Game after crashing into the outfield wall. Williams only played 89 games that year yet managed to hit 28 home runs and drive home 97 runs. He would have been his typical MVP deserving self had he not broken his elbow.
1958
A Red Sox not named Ted Williams managed to win the MVP before Williams’ playing days were over. Jackie Jensen won the Award in 1958, his fifth season with the Red Sox. Jensen hit 35 home runs and led the league with 122 RBI.
As a follow-up, Jensen again led the league in RBI in 1959 while hitting 28 home runs. He surpassed 100 runs batted in for the fifth time in six seasons with the team, finishing at 97 in the other season. Jensen also had his second 20-20 season with the Red Sox in 1959, stealing 20 bags while being caught just five times.
1967
We all know of Carl Yastrzemski’s 1967 season. He won the Triple Crown and led the Red Sox to the American League pennant that season. It was a career year for Yaz, but how did he finish the following season?
Well, his statistics dropped off quite a lot, but so did a lot of the league in the offensively-challenged 1968 season. In fact, Yaz won the batting title that season with a .301 average. He also led the league in on-base percentage and OPS. The biggest drop-off was his power, falling from 44 home runs in 1967 to 23 in 1968. With it, his RBI and slugging percentage tumbled.
1975
In 1975, Fred Lynn became the first rookie to win the MVP Award. To this day, he is joined only by Ichiro Suzuki, who at 27 was hardly a real rookie. Lynn led the league in doubles, on-base percentage and OPS that rookie season.
In 1976, although Lynn played well, his offense took a noticeable dip. Lynn batted an excellent .314, but with 10 home runs his total was less than half of his rookie season. Lynn also hit 15 less doubles and walked less. So, it was a solid season, but a far cry from his MVP campaign.
Lynn actually was the best player in the league in 1979, arguably his best season. Don Baylor won MVP after leading the league in RBI and making the playoffs. However, the Red Sox actually won three more games than the Angels, yet missed the playoffs. Lynn led the league in batting, on-base percentage and slugging that season while hitting 39 home runs. Somehow, he finished fourth in the voting.
1978
In the midst of a monster three-year stretch, Jim Rice put up his best season in 1978. He won the MVP Award that season and broke Jimmie Foxx’ 40-year-old franchise record for total bases in a season. Rice led the league in hits, home runs, RBI, triples, total bases, slugging and OPS.
Hi follow-up season wasn’t much worse. Rice hit a career high .325 in 1979 and launched 39 home runs. He again led the league in total bases and eclipsed 200 hits for the third season in a row.
Over the three year stretch he batted .320 with a .972 OPS. His average season had 207 base hits, 41 home runs, 12 triples and 128 RBI.
1986
Roger Clemens won the MVP in addition to the Cy Young Award in 1986. He is still the only pitcher in Red Sox history to do so, thanks to Pedro Martinez being robbed of the MVP in 1999. Clemens had a breakout season, leading the league in wins, ERA and WHIP. He struck out a record 20 batters in April of that season, a feat he would match ten years later.
Clemens did not disappoint in 1987. He again led the league in wins and won the Cy Young Award. He was 20-9 that year with a 2.97 ERA and 256 strike outs. His strike outs placed him second to Mark Langston and he finished third in ERA.
1995
Mo Vaughn wasn’t really the best player in the American League in 1995, but he had an excellent season and it led to the MVP Award. The Red Sox won the division title in large part to Mo’s bat. Mo batted .300 that year with 39 home runs and a league leading 126 runs batted in.
Mo was even better in his quest to win back-to-back MVP’s in 1996. Unfortunately, the team didn’t quite measure up. Vaughn had a career high 207 base hits, 44 home runs and 143 runs batted in that season. His batting line was an exquisite .326/.420/.583/1.003. This led to a fifth-place finish in the MVP voting despite the Red Sox third-place finish in the American League East.
2008
Following up his Rookie of the Year Award in 2007, Dustin Pedroia added every other award to his cabinet in 2008, taking home the MVP, Gold Glove and Silver Slugger. He led the league with 213 base hits and 54 doubles while playing great defense. His .326 average was tops on the team and he was a near perfect 20-21 on stolen bases.
In 2009 he fell off some, but he pretty much had to. Pedroia still batted .296 with 48 doubles. He stole 20 bases for the second straight season and played his usual stellar defense. His play led to a second straight all-star berth.
2018
Mookie Betts had a phenomenal 2018 season, leading the league in hitting (.346) and slugging (.640). He had a 30-30 season and bashed 48 doubles to boot. On top of it all, he won a Gold Glove for his continued excellence in right field.
So how will Mookie Betts follow up his MVP season? As you can see, most former Red Sox MVP’s only suffered small drop-offs the following season. All of them were still very good the following year. Betts was so good last year he almost has to drop off a little, but not much of one should be expected, and nothing in this history changes that viewpoint.
The Boston Red Sox are coming off perhaps the greatest season in franchise history, and one of the greatest seasons any team has ever had. Coming off the ninth World Series championship in franchise history, I wondered how the previous defending champions they have had performed the following season.
1903 World Champions
Still named the Boston Americans, the franchise won the first ever World Series in 1903. They faced the Pittsburgh Pirates in a best of nine series, winning five games to three.
The team didn’t change much in the offseason as they got set to defend their world title. The 1904 Americans didn’t hit much, but they had a good rotation fronted by Cy Young. They had three 20 game winners as they won the American League Pennant again. However, the New York Giants of the National League refused to play them in the World Series. As such, the World Series never took place and no team was credited with a victory.
1912 World Champions
Deprived of their chance at winning the first two World Series, the Red Sox didn’t make it back until 1912. That season they steamrolled the competition, winning 105 games and finishing 14 games ahead of the second-place finishers. Smoky Joe Wood won 34 games, including 16 straight. Tris Speaker batted .383 and won the MVP.
The Red Sox returned most everyone the following season. However, Smoky Joe faced some injuries as he only made 18 starts. This left a huge hole in Boston’s rotation. The Red Sox “Million Dollar Outfield” performed well, with Tris Speaker, Duffy Lewis and Harry Hooper all living up to expectations. That was not enough, however, as the team finished a distance fourth in the American League.
Crowd in third base grandstand with view of left field wall for Game 2 of the 1912 World Series at Fenway Park. Courtesy of the Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection.
A Run on World Championships
Starting in 1915, the Red Sox won three of the next four World Series Championships. In 1915 they won 101 games to edge out the Detroit Tigers for the pennant. They then dispatched of the National League champion Phillies in five games.
In 1916 they dropped 10 wins in the standings, yet still managed to win the pennant. Babe Ruth, who wasn’t allowed to pitch in the previous World Series, pitched excellent in the Fall Classic for the Red Sox as they beat the Brooklyn Robins in five games.
The Red Sox were just as good record-wise in 1917, yet finished in second, nine games back of the White Sox. The performance was a good one, but it didn’t have the happy ending of the surrounding seasons.
The Red Sox rebounded in 1918, winning the pennant in a season shortened by the first World War. The World Series was played in early September that year. Babe Ruth had started making the transition to batting and led the league in home runs. He still pitched though and was the winning pitcher in two World Series games as they beat the Cubs in six games.
The follow-up to the World Series this time around didn’t go so well. Babe Ruth pitched far less, but eviscerated the single season home run record by blasting 29 homers. However, the rotation took a hit. The team had traded three very important players (Dutch Leonard, Duffy Lewis, Ernie Shore) to the Yankees in the offseason. The team fell to under .500 in 1919, coming in sixth out of eight teams.
Babe Ruth, pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, warms up before a game. (Photo by Mark Rucker/Transcendental Graphics, Getty Images)
2004 World Champions
The 86-year drought finally ended in 2004. The sweetest part of all was becoming the first team to ever come from 0-3 down in a playoff series to win, and it was against the Yankees! There were so many heroes on that team, where the championship never would have happened without them.
So, what happened in 2005 when they went to defend a World Series title for the first time in most everyone’s lifetime? It could have gone worse. The 2005 Red Sox won 95 games, taking the Wild Card spot. Their play all around the infield dropped off significantly from 2004. All five of their regular starting pitchers posted ERA’s over 4.00, and postseason hero Keith Foulke gave his arm to the 2004 title and wasn’t the same. It’s really quite impressive given all that this team managed to win 95 games. However, they were swept by the White Sox in the first round of the playoffs.
The Boston Red Sox celebrate after defeating the St. Louis Cardinals 3-0 to win game four of the World Series at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.(Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
2007 World Champions
The 2007 Red Sox were in first place for every day from April 18th on. David Ortiz was doing David Ortiz things, Mike Lowell and Josh Beckett were paying huge dividends in their second season in Boston, and newcomer Dustin Pedroia won Rookie of the Year.
The Red Sox won 95 games in 2008, actually only one less than in 2007. This time though, they would settle for the Wild Card. Dustin Pedroia took another step forward, but David Ortiz’ hitting dropped off steeply and Manny Ramirez caused problems for the team until they dealt him at the deadline. Getting Jason Bay back in that deal helped spur the team to a strong finish.
The Red Sox dispatched of the Angels, as usual, in the ALDS. Facing the up and coming young Rays team in the ALCS, the Sox put up a valiant effort. Down three games to one and trailing the Rays 7-0 entering the bottom of the seventh in game five, the Red Sox rallied to an 8-7 victory. They then forced a game seven before being stymied by Tampa Bay pitching in a 3-1 game seven loss.
2013 World Champions
Following an embarrassing last place finish under Bobby Valentine in 2012, the Red Sox didn’t go out and make any huge panic moves. They brought in role players such as Mike Napoli, Shane Victorino and Jonny Gomes, while counting on some other guys to rebound from down seasons. It worked. Galvanized by the Boston Marathon bombings, the team rallied with the city and won the division. They went on to take the Pennant and the World Series too.
The follow-up was another embarrassment. The Red Sox went from last, to first, then back to last again. Each of the acquisitions that played such a big role in 2013 suffered huge drop-offs in 2014. Some others just didn’t live up to expectations. Their only two good starting pitchers, Jon Lester and John Lackey, were traded away by the end of July.
2018 World Champions
So where will this team fall into place in defending their world championship? Can they become the second Red Sox team to repeat as world champions? I think it’s fairly safe to say they won’t follow the same route as the last defending champions from 2014.
For the final article in my series of the greatest Red Sox players to wear each uniform number, I will cover the numbers 71 and higher. This one will get a little weird, with guys who didn’t play much wearing the number or still haven’t played much. However, they are all recent guys and have made some sort of contribution at least, so I didn’t want to leave them out. Many numbers up this high have never been worn, and a few others have only had one guy wear them.
Number 71 – Austin Maddox
Maddox didn’t pitch long with the Red Sox, but he was great while he did. He spent three separate stints with the big club in 2017, with the longest coming in September. He impressed so much he was included on the postseason roster.
Maddox allowed just one run over 17.1 innings pitched in 2017. He struck out 14, allowed just 13 hits and walked only two. In seven of his 13 outings he was called upon to get more than three outs.
Unfortunately, Maddox was hurt almost the entire 2018 season, never coming close to returning to Boston. He faces an uphill battle to be with the team this season.
Number 72 – Xander Bogaerts
Before he wore the number 2, Bogaerts was number 72 when called up to the roster in 2013. Having to pay his dues and earn the right to grab a lower number, Bogaerts showed enough that September that he was placed on the postseason roster.
In September of 2013, Bogaerts hit .250 with a home run and a stolen base. The newly turned 21 year old impressed further in the playoffs. In the ALCS against Detroit he was three for six at the plate with three doubles and three walks. He showed more patience that October than he showed for a while afterwards. His play wasn’t as good in the World Series, but he still contributed five hits, including a triple. In total, he was 8-27 with six walks that postseason.
Number 73 – Tzu-Wei Lin
Tzu-Wei Lin wore the number 73 in 2017, his first year in the bigs. He was with the Red Sox for almost a month in the summer, then came back up in September. While with the team, he played some good infield defense and showed an ability to get on base.
Lin made just one error over 25 games divided between second base, shortstop and third base. He also had a very solid .369 on-base percentage that season over 66 plate appearances. Lin doesn’t have much power, but did hit two triples in his limited time in Boston. This past season, Lin wore a different number while with Boston.
Number 76 – Hector Velazquez
Skipping a couple numbers here to get to an underrated member of the Red Sox, Hector Velazquez. He has relieved and started during his time in Boston, but no matter what he’s doing, he just seems to win.
Velazquez has a 10-3 record over his two seasons in Boston so far. He has made 11 starts and 44 relief appearances in that time. His first outing in 2017 didn’t go that well, but he was rock solid from then on. After taking a loss in his first game, opponents batted just .176 the rest of 2017 against Velazquez, as he went 3-0 with a 0.92 ERA.
In 2018, he started in his first appearance and pitched great. After being bumped to the bullpen, he made another spot start and was solid again. Despite bouncing back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen, Velazquez finished the season 7-3 with a 3.18 ERA over 85 innings. He is one of the most underappreciated players on the team.
Number 77 – Pedro Ciriaco
Ciriaco spent parts of two seasons with the Red Sox, wearing number 77 during his first season. This fits perfectly for the purposes of this article, since Ciriaco did well in 2012 wearing 77. The following season, he did not fare well while wearing number 23.
Ciriaco played a lot during that miserable 2012 season for the Red Sox. Ciriaco played every position except for first base and catcher that season. He batted .293 over 259 at-bats. Although he rarely drew a walk, he gave them a good utility player over the season. Ciriaco also stole 16 bases in 19 tries.
Number 91 – Alfredo Aceves
A big jump up to the number 91. Some other numbers were briefly worn, but no one made enough of an impact.
Despite going 14-1 with a 3.21 ERA over parts of three seasons with the Yankees, the Yankees let Aceves go after 2010. He continued his excellent run into 2011 with the Red Sox. Aceves made 55 appearances, four of them starts in 2011, going 10-2 with a 2.61 ERA and two saves. His 1.10 WHIP backed up his success. He was 24-3 lifetime at this point in time.
Aceves never found that success again. He actually closed on the lousy 2012 Red Sox, but did not fare well. Aceves saved 25 games, but also lost 10 and posted a 5.36 ERA. Back again in 2013, Aceves went 4-1 but had a 4.86 ERA. However, his first season in Boston was good enough that his ERA in Boston remained under 4.00 while posting a winning record.
As the Red Sox struggle to avoid massive penalties from the luxury tax, the question of who will be the team’s closer remains. Many of the top free agent relief pitchers have already been signed. Craig Kimbrel is still on the market, but the contract he would command would be much larger than the Red Sox will go. Ideally, the Red Sox could find a cheap closing option to avoid even stiffer penalties than they already face.
The Early Years
Greg Holland was once one of the most dominant late-inning bullpen options in the game. His rookie season of 2011 he went 5-1 with a 1.80 ERA and 0.93 WHIP. The next season he went 7-4 and saved 16 games as he morphed into the closer’s role in Kansas City.
Over the next two seasons, Holland was as good as anyone. Between 2013 and 2014 he saved 93 games. He had a 1.32 ERA and 0.89 WHIP over that two year stretch and struck out 13.4 batters per nine innings. The results were staggering.
Holland faded a bit in 2015 but still put up serviceable numbers. It was then revealed that he needed Tommy John Surgery, which may have explained some of his drop-off in production.
Post Tommy John Surgery
The days of Holland being one of the best closer’s in baseball may be a thing of the past, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be a good one. Fresh off his Tommy John Surgery and missing the entire 2016 season, Holland signed with the Colorado Rockies. Probably not the best place to sign for someone coming off an arm surgery. Nevertheless, Holland was an All-Star for them.
In 2017, Holland led the National League with 41 games saved. He had a solid 1.15 WHIP and 11 strike outs per nine innings. Not quite what he was in his best years, but certainly effective. His ERA of 3.61 doesn’t tell the whole story. At the end of July, after four months of pitching, Holland had a 1.64 ERA. Opponents were batting just .169 against him with a .268 on-base percentage and .262 slugging percentage. His numbers weren’t far off from his dominant seasons.
Holland was far more hittable from that point forward, but you must remember, he hadn’t pitched in over a year following surgery. On top of that, he was pitching in Coors Field and the high altitude of Denver, Colorado. The high altitude has been known to put extra stress on a pitcher’s arm. He likely was just running out of a gas.
The Ups and Downs of 2018
2018 tells the story of why Holland can likely be had on the cheap. He turned down the Rockies contract offer and hit the open market. Many players remained unsigned late into the offseason, and it seemed to affect the pitcher’s the most. Holland did not sign until March 31st, missing the entire Spring Training. This likely threw him out of whack and had a huge detriment on his pitching.
Holland was a total disaster for the Cardinals. Over 25 innings he walked as many batters as he struck out (22). He was extremely hittable, allowing 12.2 hits per nine innings. His previous career high since his 15-game stint in 2010 was under eight hits per nine. His ERA and WHIP were unsightly, at 7.92 and 2.24. Nothing went right in St. Louis. As a result, he was ultimately released on August 1st.
When the Nationals picked him up on the cheap later that month, they got the Holland of old. In 24 appearances in DC, Holland allowed just two runs on nine hits. He was 2-0 with a 0.84 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 10.5 strike outs per nine innings. Those results are much more what people had come to expect from Greg Holland. Leading us into this offseason, where he comes off a mixed bag of a season.
Greg Holland of the Washington Nationals pitches in the ninth inning against the Miami Marlins at Nationals Park on August 17, 2018(Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
Conclusion
Is Holland going to be one of the best closers in all of baseball? No, probably not. But he was still an All-Star and led the league in saves just two years ago. After not having a normal offseason, and no spring training last year, he did not have a peak performance. However, with a change of scenery, he looked like the Greg Holland he used to be. Therefore, it would seem likely that if he were to sign a contract earlier in the offseason this year, that team would likely be getting a good pitcher for the back end of their bullpen.
Currently, the Red Sox don’t have anyone with closing experience on their roster. The top candidates on the roster to close at the moment appear to be either Matt Barnes or Ryan Brasier. Barnes has been a relatively effective setup man, but he isn’t one of the best in the game. Brasier on the other hand has very little experience, and was on the verge of retirement last offseason. The Red Sox could use a guy with experience on the team, and Holland could maybe be just as good as Craig Kimbrel was last year for far less money.
Holland is likely searching for a one-year deal to restore his value. He will want to have a good season and enter free agency again next offseason coming off a good year, looking for one final big payday. The Red Sox should jump.
The uniform numbers 56-60 for the Boston Red Sox feature the franchise’s greatest closer, and one of the more dominant postseason closers ever. It also celebrates a man who had a t-shirt made about him this past season. Find out who makes the cut for the numbers 56-60.
Number 56 – Joe Kelly
Joe Kelly gathered quite a following for himself this past season. On April 11, Joe Kelly hit Yankees Tyler Austin with a pitch and urged him to charge the mound. Kelly proceeded to win the fight and the hearts of many Bostonians. Shirts were made about it, titled “Joe Kelly Fight Club.”
Kelly was miscast as a starting pitcher when he first came to Boston, but he mostly did well after being moved to the bullpen. Throwing heat reaching 100 at times, Kelly’s two-pitch mix featuring the heater played up much better in the pen. After a mediocre run from the trade deadline in 2014 through 2015, Kelly had a miserable six start stint in the first half of 2016. Moved to the bullpen, he went 2-0 with a 1.02 ERA over 14 appearances the rest of the season.
Kelly was excellent in 2017, winning four games against just one loss. He had a 2.79 ERA and at one point pitched 23 straight games without allowing a run.
This past season had its ups and downs, but Kelly came through when it mattered most. He allowed only one run over a span of 24 games early in the season before hitting tough times. He finished the season with a 4.39 ERA, but with an ERA over 8.00 in June, July and September. Come playoff time, fighting Joe Kelly was back. He allowed just one earned run over 11.1 innings and pitched six shutout innings in the World Series. This gave him a 0.51 ERA in the postseason over three postseason trips with the Red Sox.
Honorable Mentions: Darren Bragg, Ramon Ramirez
Number 57 – Eduardo Rodriguez
Another member of the 2018 World Series Champions, Rodriguez will likely be back with the club in 2019, unlike Kelly. This past season was the first of Rodriguez’ career where he wore the number 57, but he still did enough to earn the nod. Over his first three seasons he wore number 52 and earned an honorable mention at the number.
2018 is all that gets factored in for the sake of this article, because it is only what he did while wearing this particular number. Rodriguez won 13 games for the Red Sox and only lost five. He had a nice 3.82 ERA and struck out 10.1 batters per nine innings pitched. On September 1st he struck out 12 White Sox in only 5.2 innings pitched in his return from a disabled list stint. Rodriguez didn’t pitch very well in the postseason, but he certainly helped the team in setting a franchise record for wins.
Honorable Mention: Ron Mahay
Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez pitches against the New York Yankees during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
Number 58 – Jonathan Papelbon
Papelbon was always so intimidating on the mound; the way he lowered his head to peer in at the signs, his eyes just looking out from under the brim of his cap with a look that said “I’m going to throw this ball through you.” He could back it up too. Over his first four seasons, Papelbon was probably the best closer in all of baseball.
After showing potential as a call-up in 2005, Papelbon served as the Red Sox closer in 2006 and never looked back. He posted one of the most dominant seasons you will find, pitching to a 0.92 ERA and 0.78 WHIP. Papelbon saved 35 games that season as a rookie.
In 2007 he struck out a career best 13 batters per nine innings. He had a 1.85 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and saved 37 games. In the postseason he was untouchable, pitching 10.2 shutout innings. Papelbon saved three games in the World Series and was on the mound for the final out.
Papelbon continued his dominant ways, saving 41 games the next year before lowering his ERA back under 2.00 in 2009. From 2006-09 he had a 1.74 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 10.6 K/9 and 151 saves. He wasn’t as dominant his last two years in Boston, but he did have a WHIP under 1.00 again in 2011.
Papelbon made four all-star teams with the Red Sox, and saved a franchise record 219 games. During the postseason he pitched 26 shutout innings before he was finally scored upon. He is the greatest Red Sox reliever for an entire body of work, and the only 58 worth mentioning.
Number 59 – Tommy Layne
Layne is not a name one might expect to find here, but crazy things happen in the higher numbers. He was a lefty specialist for the Red Sox over parts of three seasons, making the trip to and from Pawtucket a few times.
Layne first appeared on the team in 2014, posting a sterling 0.95 ERA over 30 relief appearances, totaling 19 innings. This would not be the norm, but that isn’t the norm for anyone. He did a solid job with the team over the next two seasons before they moved on. He put men on base, but at least never had an ERA of 4.00 or higher until he pitched for the Yankees in 2017. Over 95.1 innings in Boston, Layne had a 3.30 ERA.
Honorable Mention: Clayton Mortensen
Number 60 – Daniel Bard
But wait, Daniel Bard was number 51 you say? That’s correct, Bard did most of his work wearing the number 51 on his back and was chosen as the greatest Red Sox player to wear that number. So how come he is number 60 as well? His rookie season, Bard wore the number 60, and the competition is very light. Daniel Nava wore the number 60 for only one season as well, his rookie season, and Bard had a better rookie season than Nava did.
Bard pitched 49.1 innings that year, showing off his 100 mile per hour heater. He had a 3.65 ERA and struck out 63 batters at a career best 11.5 batters per nine innings. He was dominant in front of his home crowd, going 2-0 with a 1.46 ERA at Fenway Park. In the postseason that year he pitched three perfect innings, striking out four batters.
The higher the numbers get, the less they have been worn. As we enter the fifties, the amount of players to select from, and generally the quality of players lessens. That is not to say these guys did not have their value, but you might not find yourself remembering who wore these numbers.
Number 51 – Daniel Bard
After wearing number 60 as a rookie in 2009, Bard switched to the number 51. He had his best career season in 2010.
Daniel Bard threw easy heat; He didn’t look like he was exerting much effort, but the ball would fly out of his hand at 98-100 miles per hour. He also had a nice slider to go with it, giving him a devastating two-pitch combination out of the pen.
This repertoire was at its best in that 2010 season, as Bard posted a 1.93 ERA and 1.00 WHIP as the Red Sox top setup man to Jonathan Papelbon. Bard was dominating again the next season until September, when he collapsed along with the rest of the team. At the end of August, Bard had a 2.03 ERA with batters hitting .164 against him. That includes an opening day disaster that saw him allow four runs. Between his second game of the season and the end of August, Bard had a fantastic 1.47 ERA. However, September saw him allow more runs than he had allowed from April 5th through the end of August and his ERA finished at 3.33.
The Red Sox decided to try Bard in the rotation in 2012, which made zero sense. Bard had begun his minor league career as a starting pitcher and was a disaster, prompting the move to the bullpen. This time didn’t go any better. Bard had a 6.22 ERA and never recovered. He spent most of the next several years throwing pitches to the backstop and hitting batters in the minor leagues. However, he was still a dominant setup man for a couple seasons wearing number 51.
Honorable Mention: Reid Nichols
Number 52: Mike Boddicker
The Red Sox traded Brady Anderson and Curt Schilling to the Orioles for Boddicker at the trade deadline in 1988 to bolster their rotation for the stretch run. Although Schilling ought to make the Hall of Fame, he wasn’t a starting pitcher until 1992. Brady Anderson was also a fine player, but hadn’t done anything before 1992 as well. That is four years later, had the Red Sox not traded them then, they very well could have moved on later before they amounted to anything anyways.
Mike Boddicker did his job for the Red Sox. Over the rest of the 1988 season he was 7-3 with a 2.63 ERA. He gave the Red Sox three very good starting pitchers and they won the American League East.
Boddicker pitched two more seasons for the Sox, winning 32 games. In 1990, he had his best season since 1984, going 17-8 with a 3.36 ERA. He also won the Gold Glove Award that season. He made a team high 34 starts, throwing 228 innings. In two-plus seasons with the Red Sox, Boddicker finished 39-22 with a 3.49 ERA.
Honorable Mention: Eduardo Rodriguez
Number 53 – Rich Hill
Rich Hill is not someone you would expect to find on a list like this for the Red Sox. He was very successful, but in a limited amount of innings while with the franchise.
Hill wore the number 53 with the Red Sox between 2010 and 2012. During this time he had been transitioned into a relief pitcher after a couple ineffective seasons and a torn labrum. The Red Sox signed Hill at the end of June in 2010 and made him a September callup. He pitched four shutout innings.
The next season Hill was given an opportunity out of the bullpen in May. Using a new sidearm motion, Hill was dominating, throwing eight shutout innings and striking out 12 batters before hurting his arm again. This time he would need Tommy John Surgery.
Back with the club in 2012, Hill recovered quickly enough to pitch for the team before April was over. However, another injury sidetracked his season until September. When the season was over, he had gone 1-0 with a 1.83 ERA 19.2 innings.
In total wearing number 53 for the Red Sox, Rich Hill was dominant in limited innings due to injury. He finished 2-0 with a 1.14 ERA and over a strike out per inning during this time. When he dominated in September of 2015 for the Red Sox, he was wearing a different number.
Honorable Mentions: Tomo Ohka, Brendan Donnelly, Chad Bradford
Number 54 – Darnell McDonald
Darnell McDonald is another surprising addition to this lineup of players. McDonald had one pretty good season as a part-time player for the Red Sox, and that’s enough to make him the best number 54 in team history.
McDonald was a first round pick way back in 1997, but only had 147 career Major League at-bats when the Red Sox signed him for the 2010 season. He would more than double his career at-bats that season. Over 117 games and 319 at-bats, McDonald hit nine home runs and stole nine bases in ten tries. He had a respectable .270/.336/.429/.766 batting line.
McDonald made an immediate impact on that 2010 team. In his first at-bat with the Red Sox, he pinch-hit for Josh Reddick in the bottom of the 8th inning, trailing by two with a runner on base. McDonald hit a two-run homer off Darren Oliver to tie the game at six. The Red Sox would win it the next inning when Darnell McDonald drove home the winning run with a base hit to center field.
McDonald’s stint with the Red Sox wasn’t as successful after that season. He batted .236 with six home runs in 2011 and would be released during the 2012 season after a poor start. His 2010 season was more than any other number 54 had to offer though.
Honorable Mention: Morgan Burkhart
Number 55 – Joe Hesketh
Joe Hesketh was a left-handed pitcher for the Red Sox from 1990-94. He mostly started but also relieved some with the team. He had one good season, a couple alright ones and one poor one, which is enough to get him the spot at 55 without anyone else even putting up a fight.
Hesketh was signed by the Red Sox off waivers on July 31, 1990. By 1991, he was a key member of the pitching staff. That season, Hesketh made 39 appearances, 17 of which were starts. He finished 12-4 for an American League best .750 winning percentage. He entered the starting rotation around midseason and went 10-3 with an ERA of 3.00 in the second half of the 1991 season. Hesketh had a 3.29 ERA on the season.
The next season he was mostly a starter, finishing 8-9 with a 4.36 ERA. After a poor 1993 season that saw him pitch mostly out of the bullpen, Hesketh rebounded for 1994. In that strike-shortened season he was 8-5 with a 4.26 ERA over 20 starts and five relief appearances. In total he was 31-26 with a 4.04 ERA with the Boston Red Sox.
The players stay strong as we move through the end of the forties and into the fifties. The best players to wear the uniform numbers between 46 and 50 all played key roles on some good Red Sox teams. One is the franchise all-time leader in games pitched, another is the franchise leader in innings pitched. Take a look.
Number 46 – Bob Stanley
Born in Portland, Maine, Bob Stanley spent 13 seasons with the Red Sox, and is the franchise leader in games pitched with 637. He started a healthy amount the first few seasons of his career before moving full-time to the bullpen (aside from 1987).
1978 was Stanley’s second season in the bigs, and he had an excellent year. Stanley was 15-2 with a 2.60 ERA and saved 10 games on that famous team. The next year he made 30 starts, made the All-Star Game, and won 16 games. In 1980 he won 10 games and saved 14, while pitching to a 3.39 ERA. He was 49-29 with a 3.55 ERA and 28 saves after four seasons, making 63 starts and 122 more relief appearances.
Moving to the pen, Stanley won 22 games over the next two seasons. Becoming the full-time closer in 1983, Stanley saved 33 games and made his second all-star team. From 1981-85, working in relief, Stanley had a 3.20 ERA and saved 79 games while winning 45. He had a mediocre 1986, and despite not allowing a run in 6.1 innings in the World Series, he is remembered very negatively for his crucial wild pitches in game six.
The Red Sox oddly moved Stanley back to the rotation in 1987 after six years of relief work; it did not go well. Stanley was 4-15 with a 5.01 ERA. With the experiment over, Stanley had one more good season in him, going 6-4 with a 3.19 ERA over 101.2 innings in 1988. In total, he won 115 games, and saved 132, over his 13 seasons in Boston.
Bruce Hurst was a solid pitcher for the Sox in the eighties. He had an excellent 1986, and was good in 1988, but aside from that was largely average before going to San Diego. With that said, he is easily the best number 47 in team history.
Hurst spent some time with the Sox in 1980, but didn’t do much before 1983. He was 7-9 with a 6.17 ERA by the end of 1982. At age 25 he made some strides, going 12-12, and throwing over 200 innings in 1983. He was 12-12 again in 1984, and got his ERA below 4.00 for the first time, despite a very high 1.47 WHIP. His strike outs and WHIP improved in 1985, but his ERA rose back up. Over that three-year stretch, he was 35-37 with a 4.18 ERA and 1.42 WHIP.
Hurst had his best season yet in 1986. He was 13-8 over 25 starts that year, posting an excellent 2.99 ERA. He then went 3-0 in the postseason, including 2-0 in the World Series. Had the bullpen not choked away game six, Hurst may have won World Series MVP. Hurst won 15 games in 1987, and made his first All-Star Game despite a high ERA (his ERA was much better in the first half). 1988 would be the final season of his Red Sox career, and he posted a career best 18-6 record. Hurst placed fifth in the Cy Young vote with his 3.66 ERA and 18 wins.
He was largely much better towards the end of his time with the Sox, going 46-27 with a 3.76 ERA over the final three seasons. In total, he won 88 games as a Red Sox, and posted a 4.23 ERA and 1.40 WHIP.
Honorable Mentions: Rod Beck, Jason Varitek (1997-99)
Number 48 – Lee Smith
The recent Hall of Famer did more of his work with the Cubs than anyone else, but his two-plus seasons with the Sox contributed to his case. Acquired in the offseason between 1987 and 1988 for Al Nipper and World Series goat Calvin Schiraldi, Smith was brought in to give the team a legitimate closer.
Smith’s first season with the team he had a 2.80 ERA and struck out over 10 batters per nine innings. His 29 saves were the most by a Red Sox since Bob Stanley’s 33 in 1983. In 1989 he was 6-1 and saved 25 games. His 12.2 strike outs per nine innings pitched was the highest of the Hall of Famer’s career.
The Red Sox curiously acquired another closer in the offseason in Jeff Reardon. This seemed to spell something was amiss. S mith had a 1.88 ERA and four saves early that season, before being dealt to the Cardinals for Tom Brunansky on May 4th.
Honorable Mentions: Javier Lopez, Tony Fossas, Scott Atchison
Number 49 – Tim Wakefield
The franchise’s all-time leader in starts and innings pitched, as well as some less desirable categories, Tim Wakefield is the only 49. Picked up off the scrap heap in 1995, Wakefield had an epic season for the Sox. He was 16-8 with a 2.95 ERA, finishing third in the Cy Young vote. He started the year 14-1 with a magical 1.65 ERA, before teams started squaring up his knuckleball late in the year. That was the start of a 17-year run in Boston for Wakefield, including two World Series championships.
Wakefield was a serviceable starter over the next few seasons, and won 17 games in 1998. The following four seasons would be split between starting and relieving. He made 17 starts three straight years from 1999-2001, and 15 starts in 2002. Wakefield even saved 15 games in 1999 as he proved he could perform many roles. 2002 was his best season since his first in Boston, going 11-5 with a 2.81 ERA and 1.05 WHIP.
Wakefield moved back to the rotation in 2003 and had a solid season. He was then excellent in the postseason before an ending that never should have happened. He threw a career high 225.1 innings in 2005, and won 16 games, his most since 1998. In 2007 he matched his career high with 17 wins. Proving, at the age of 40, the knuckleball is ageless. In 2009 he finally made his first all-star team, going 11-3 by the break.
After pitching two more seasons, Wakefield got to 200 career wins, 186 of them coming for Boston. That total sits him third on the franchise list behind Roger Clemens and Cy Young. He pitched in every role for the team, and proved himself a valuable commodity both on the field and as a teammate.
Number 50 – Mookie Betts
Who other than the MVP would be number 50? Betts is the cornerstone of this current Sox team and coming off an MVP season. At 26 years old he is already a three-time All-Star, a three-time Gold Glove winner, a two-time Silver Slugger, an MVP, a batting champion and a World champion. Not too shabby.
Betts showed his potential immediately in 2014, batting .291 for the Sox in a season that began in AA. The next year he batted .291 again, hitting 42 doubles, eight triples and 18 home runs. Betts broke out in 2016, and nearly won the MVP, finishing second to Mike Trout. He had 214 hits as he batted .318 with 31 home runs and 26 stolen bases.
Despite 2017 being a down year, Betts still homered 24 times and drove in 102 runs. He doubled 46 times and stole 26 bases in 29 tries. With a new hitting coach and new manager this past year, as well as some much-needed lineup protection, Betts put together a historic season. He has now doubled over 40 times in all four of his full Major League seasons, giving him 189 total. He has hit 110 home runs, as well as stolen 110 bases. The future is bright for the always smiling Mookie Betts.
The uniform numbers 41-45 feature another retired number from the Red Sox. Yes, 42 is retired, but that is for all of baseball, not a Red Sox retired number. The Red Sox’ 42 brought some serious clout to the plate though. The series continues and starts with a current Red Sox.
Number 41 – Chris Sale
Chris Sale has only been with the team for two years, but he has already accomplished so much. Most important, he was on the mound for the final out of the 2018 baseball season, striking out Manny Machado to clinch the World Series victory. Beyond that, Sale has struck out 545 batters over the two seasons, good for a whopping 13.2 batters per nine innings. He is 29-12 with a 2.56 ERA and 0.92 WHIP.
Sale had an excellent chance of taking home the Cy Young Award this season before he was placed on the disabled list and barely pitched over the final two months. He had 13.5 strike outs per nine and a 0.86 WHIP. It’s almost hard to believe he has yet to win a Cy Young and feels like only a matter of time. The Red Sox need to lock him up so he can keep adding to his Red Sox legacy.
Honorable Mentions: Dick Drago, Jeff Reardon, Victor Martinez
Chris Sale makes Manny Machado look foolish as he strikes him out to end the World Series.
Number 42 – Mo Vaughn
Without a doubt, “the Hit Dog” is the all-time best Red Sox player to wear number 42. Big Mo is from Connecticut and came up through the Red Sox farm system. After a couple Major League seasons finding his way, Mo broke out in 1993 and never stopped clubbing the ball. He hit 29 home runs and drove in 101 runs that season. His .297 batting average would be the last time he would hit under .300 as a Red Sox.
Vaughn hit .310 with a .984 OPS in the strike-shortened season of 1994. He then won his MVP Award in 1995, hitting 39 home runs and driving in an American League best 126 runners. His 1996 season was even better, batting .326/.420/.583/1.003 with 44 home runs and 143 runs batted in. Vaughn surpassed 200 hits for the first time that season, picking up 207. After a stellar 1997, Vaughn finished out his Red Sox career with another 200 hit season in 1998 while batting a career high .337. He hit 40 homers for the second time and posted a .993 OPS.
From 1995-98, Vaughn averaged 40 home runs and 120 runs batted in per season. His batting average was .320 during that time with a .986 OPS. Stretching those numbers out to 1994 only lessens them because of the strike, as his OPS would remain .986. Big Mo is a Red Sox legend.
Honorable Mention: Sonny Siebert
Number 43 – Dennis Eckersley
Before he was a lovable commentator for the team with all his funny sayings, Dennis Eckersley was a Hall of Fame pitcher. Eight of those seasons were spent in Boston. Eck was traded to the Red Sox before the 1978 season, when he enjoyed perhaps his finest season as a starting pitcher. Eckersley won 20 games that season, going 20-8 with a 2.99 ERA. He posted a 2.99 ERA again the following season, going 17-10.
The early eighties weren’t as kind to Eckersley, and he developed some bad habits which led to poorer performance on the field. He still had his use though, posting numbers worthy of a rotation spot for most of the time. Eckersley in fact made the All-Star Game in 1982, his first since his time in Cleveland. Over his first five seasons in Boston, he was 71-53 with a 3.56 ERA.
Eckersley returned to Boston for the final season of his career in 1998. He had a 4-1 record for the team in his final hurrah. Although his ERA was a little high, Eckersley pitched well for most of the season. Lit up in April, Eckersley settled down and had things straightened out by the middle of May. From May 11th onward he posted a 2.48 ERA
Honorable Mention: Alan Embree
Number 44 – Jason Bay
There isn’t a lot of competition at the number 44. Gabe Kapler was a likable guy and won a World Series with the team, but he was a reserve outfielder. Orlando Cabrera was a key component to winning the 2004 World Series, but they let him walk at the end of the season. Danny Darwin had a couple nice years with the Red Sox, but also had a couple poor ones. Jason Bay gets my vote for his work over the final two months of the 2008 season and his excellent 2009 campaign.
Bay came to the Red Sox at the trade deadline in 2008 in a deal that swept Manny Ramirez out of town. He scored the winning run in the 12th inning of his first game with the team. The next day he homered and drove in three. Bay would hit nine home runs and post an .897 OPS over the season’s final two months. He then tore the cover off the ball in the postseason, homering three times and driving in nine runs. He batted .341 with an 1.105 OPS that October.
Bay got to play one full season with the Red Sox, and he made it count. Bay made the All-Star Game and won a Silver Slugger for his work as he bashed 36 home runs and drove in 119 runs. His .921 OPS was second on the team to Kevin Youkilis and he led the team in both home runs and RBI. He got a nice contract in the offseason from the Mets and never produced that much again, but that has no effect on his standing here.
Honorable Mentions: Danny Darwin, Gabe Kapler, Orlando Cabrera
Number 45 – Pedro Martinez
Pedro Martinez is the greatest pitcher I have ever watched. Every game he pitched at Fenway was a can’t-miss event. He threw in the upper-nineties, had a wicked curveball and those weren’t even his best pitches. Pedro had a change-up that was described as unhittable even if the batter knew it was coming.
After a 1998 season that saw him win 19 games and place second in the Cy Young vote, Pedro went on perhaps the most dominant two year stretch in baseball history. Pitching in the height of the steroid era, in the American League East, Pedro was 41-10 with a 1.90 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 12.5 strike outs per nine innings and 8.65 strike outs for every one batter walked. He led the league in ERA, WHIP and strike outs in both seasons and won the pitching triple crown in 1999.
His 2.07 ERA that season was even inflated by his post-All-Star break start. After dominating the All-Star Game in front of his home crowd, Pedro wasn’t right and was hit hard by the Marlins. After a disabled list stint, he was back to his dominant ways. His ERA was still almost a run and a half better than the second-place finisher. The next season his 1.74 ERA was almost two full runs better than Roger Clemens’ second place 3.70 ERA! He was unreal.
Pedro missed much of 2001 with injury, but returned to lead the league in ERA, WHIP and K/9 in each of the next two seasons. He was a combined 34-8 with a 2.24 ERA and 0.98 WHIP those years. In 2004, he accomplished his goal of winning the World Series in Boston. Pedro pitched seven shutout innings to win game three of the World Series. His number 45 is forever immortalized at Fenway Park.
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
