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The Greatest Red Sox Legends by Uniform Number: 71+

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.

Featured picture from RantSports

How the Red Sox are Solving their Injury Problems

With a fair amount of talent currently on the disabled list, how is this team filling the absences? How are these “role players” preforming under the pressure of expectations from Boston fans and media?

In recent weeks the Red Sox have placed numerous everyday players on the disabled list. The versatility of the bench was questioned, and put to the test. How have these players preformed? What will their roles look like once these players come back from injury at full strength?

The starting rotation

It’s no secret that the starting rotation has taken a beating this season. Despite the pile of injuries it seems like they are pitching better than ever. With Cy Young candidate Chris Sale back on the 10 day disabled list with shoulder inflammation, one man has truly risen to the occasion. Haters rejoice to none other than David Price.

He has been chewed up, spit out, pummeled, and completely shammed by the Boston media and “fans” (bandwagoners we know who you are). In his last 7 starts, he sports a 5-0 record with an incredible 1.50 ERA with 7 walks and 48 strikeouts to mold a 0.88 whip. For a pitcher that everyone likes to use as their punching bag, he’s finally shutting them all up. Once Sale comes back expect him to be the number 2 starter in the rotation.

Another starting pitcher that seems to have been unnoticed is Eduardo Rodriguez. After being on the dl for a while due to an ankle injury. Rodriguez has finally made a few rehab starts. He made a rehab start against the New Hampshire Fisher cats on Monday. He threw 63 pitches (39 for strikes) in four shutout innings, including 8 strikeouts.

A huge contributor in his absence is Brian Johnson. Although his last start was a rocky one, over his last 7 he sports a 3-1 record, with a 4.01 ERA to go along with 11 walks, 33 strikeouts in 33.2 innings pitched. While his numbers don’t justify just how well he has performed in the rotation, expect to see him in a Hector Velazquez role once E-rod comes back.

Infield questions??

With Ian Kinsler being reactivated last Friday, the team had some backups in store. Brock Holt and Eduardo Nunez have stepped up big this season. Holt is hitting a modest .265 with 3 homers and 32 rbi’s in 86 games this season. in his 52 starts coming at second base, he has zero errors (1 all season). He is the definition of a true utility player. He has been one of the few shining stars in that position with Dustin Pedroia still fighting his nagging knee injury.

The other player who has made contributions at second is Eduardo Nunez. The 31-year-old has played 74 games at the position. With a .257 average, 7 homers, 38 rbi’s Nunez has been consistent this season. While he thrives more in the left side of the field, he has been a good player in the lineup. The team also has guys like Brandon Phillips and Tzu-Wei Lin in the minor leagues waiting for their shot.

Christian Vazquez has been working with Sox legend Jason Veritek while recovering from a pinky injury. In the meantime, Sandy Leon and Blake Swihart have played nicely. Leon gets the majority of reps behind the plate. While his offensive numbers are not worth mentioning, his defense stands out. He currently has a catchers ERA of 3.13 in 69 games behind the plate. Along the way he even received a personal endorsement from former CY Young winner Rick Porcello.

Blake Swihart hasn’t seen much time in the majors this season. Most appearances have come from pinch hitting. While he hasn’t been a huge factor this season, he still brings versatility if and when the team calls his name. Truly a team player.

How does this affect the team chemistry moving forward? Will this translate to a deep playoff run? Find out soon!

All stats referenced is from mlb.com.

Red Sox Beat New York In Round One

The battle of David vs. Goliath was more of a thrashing, as Mookie, and Chris Sale lead the charge and beat the Yankees 14-1 .

While both teams sent their aces out in the first match up of the year, Luis Severino didn’t have a shot. Chris sale mowed down 8 while lasting 6 innings in a monstrous 14-1 win. This brings their season record to 9-1 while New York is sitting at 5-6 ( 4.5 games back.)

Mookie Betts went 4-4 while hitting a grand slam and collecting 4 rbis and drawing a walk. Hanley extended his hit streak to 8 games with a pair of hits and grabbing 3 rbis. To round off the top three hitters Andrew Benintendi went 2-3 with a triple and 3 rbis.

Luis Severino (2-1) now posts a 3.50 era with 20 strikeouts on the season. He had a rough night from the jump, his command was never well placed, and he never had the Red Sox hitters second guessing. His opponent, Chris Sale (1-0) now sports a 1.06 era while tallying 23 strike outs on the season. Sale had a polar opposite night than Luis, with great command and sending multiple Yankee fans home depressed.

Aaron Judge hit the Yankees only run in a 444 foot home run over center field. Giancarlo Stanton went 2-4 while striking out twice and notching a double out by the Green Monster. With Xander Bogaerts slated for the 10 day dl, Brock Holt and Tsu-Wei-Lin stepped in for the shortstop. Both infielders providing great defense in tonight’s win.

Wednesday’s match-up is slated for 7:10 pm with the Sox sending David Price ( 1-0) 0.00 era, against New York’s Masahiro Tanaka (1-1) 2.92 era in what should be a good match up. With Alex Cora keeping his powerful lineup well rested, it’s only a matter of time until we see which line up is sent out to the field tomorrow night. It’s Boston vs. New York round 2, with only 18 more meetings on the season, every game counts towards first place.

Boston Sports Extra

By Boston Fans, For Boston Fans