Tag Archives: Walt Dropo

The Greatest Red Sox Legends by Uniform Number: 1-5

Number 1 – Bobby Doerr

The greatest second baseman in franchise history, Bobby Doerr made the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986 and has his number one retired by the Red Sox. Doerr played on some great teams in the forties with pals Ted Williams, Johnny Pesky and Dom DiMaggio. He had a smooth glove at second base and was one of the finest offensive players at the keystone position the game had seen.

Doerr batted .318 in 1939, his third season in the big leagues. By the next season, he had surpassed 20 home runs and 100 runs batted in for the first time. He would make four straight All-Star Games from 1941-44 before joining the fight overseas in World War II and missing the 1945 season. After returning, Doerr made three straight All-Star Games and five times in six seasons to close out his career. He drove in more than 100 runs in four of the five seasons following World War II, finishing with 95 the season he fell short.

Unfortunately, Doerr was forced into early retirement due to a bad back. He had actually become more consistent at the plate later in his career, posting an OPS between .886 and .891 each year between 1948 and 1950. He still finished with a very solid .826 OPS in his final season. From his first full season in 1938 through his last in 1951, Bobby Doerr averaged a season of .289 with 17 home runs and 95 RBI.

Honorable Mentions: George Kell, Bernie Carbo, Billy Conigliaro, Joe Foy

BOBBY DOERR from the Boston Red Sox. (Photo by Sporting News via Getty Images)

Number 2 – Jacoby Ellsbury

Ellsbury’s career has spiraled, but that’s a good thing since he’s eating up the Yankees payroll to do nothing. With the Red Sox, he was a good player when healthy and helped the Red Sox win two World Series. Ellsbury came up that year and was so successful down the stretch that he was put on the postseason roster. He then batted .438 in the World Series. Ellsbury was solid again in the 2013 postseason, winning a second World Series with the Red Sox.

Ellsbury spent parts of seven seasons with the Red Sox, but only had four relatively full seasons. He led the league in stolen bases in three of his four healthy seasons. He batted .300 twice and stole 50 bases three times. In 2011, Ellsbury had a career season, finishing second in the MVP vote, winning a Gold Glove and the Silver Slugger. While the rest of the team collapsed down the stretch, Ellsbury was white hot and would have won the MVP if the team hadn’t fallen apart and missed the playoffs.

Honorable Mentions: Rick Ferrell, Xander Bogaerts, Jerry Remy, Mike Andrews

Number 3 – Jimmie Foxx

Foxx is one of the most powerful right-handed bats of all-time. The greatest first baseman in Red Sox history, Foxx won one of his three MVP Awards with the Red Sox and finished second in another season. He homered 35 or more times in each of his first five seasons with the team, averaging 40 home runs and 134 runs batted in per season. There is a reason Foxx was referred to as “The Beast.”

In 1938, his third season in Boston, Foxx won the MVP Award. That season he hit 50 home runs and drove in a league high 175 runs. His slash line that season was .349/.462/.704/1.166, leading the league in each category. The next season he batted .360 and led the league in on-base percentage, slugging percentage and home runs. Cumulatively, Foxx batted .320 with the Red Sox and is second in franchise history in on-base percentage and slugging percentage behind only Ted Williams.

Honorable Mentions: Pete Runnels, Jody Reed, Jeff Frye, Walt Dropo

Number 4 – Joe Cronin

Another retired number, as the Sox retired the number four in honor of Cronin. Cronin spent seven seasons as a full-time player before he started focusing more on managing the club and being limited to mostly pinch-hitting. Despite this role, Cronin batted over .300 with an OPS over .900 each of his first two seasons doing so.

Cronin made five all-star teams with the Red Sox and had two top ten MVP finishes. From 1937-41 he batted over .300 four times, posting a .307/.404/.504/.909 line during that time period. He averaged 19 home runs and 103 runs batted in during that time. He was the Red Sox manager from 1935-47. After, Cronin went on to become general manager, president and treasurer of the team before moving on to the role of American League president.

As a close second, Jackie Jensen deserves a few words. Jensen hit 20+ home runs in each of his first six seasons with the Red Sox, averaging a season of .285 with 26 home runs and 111 RBI. He was the 1958 MVP and won a Gold Glove the following season.

Honorable Mentions: Jackie Jensen, Butch Hobson, Tommy Harper, Carney Lansford

Number 5 – Nomar Garciaparra

During his time in Boston, Nomar was one of the most popular players the franchise had ever seen. Around Fenway Park, around the city, you could hear people yell “Nomaaahhh!” Arguably the greatest shortstop in franchise history, the uniform number five is synonymous with Nomar for an entire generation of fans.

Nomar came up with much fanfare and won the Rookie of the Year in 1997. He hit 30 home runs and led the league in hits that season. In year two, Nomar finished runner-up for the MVP Award. The following two seasons he was batting champion, hitting .357 and .372. Nomar was getting better and better, before an Al Reyes pitch hit him on the wrist, requiring surgery the following season. Nomar was still an excellent player when he came back, but wasn’t quite the same. His averages fell to .310 and .301 his next two full seasons. However, he did hit 52 home runs and drove in 225 runs over those two seasons. He also led the league with an astounding 56 doubles in 2002.

Things didn’t end on the best terms in Boston for Nomar, but he should be remembered for what he did with the team and for how much the fans loved him. He batted .323 with a .923 OPS during his time in Boston. Nomar hit 50 doubles twice and eclipsed 40 two other seasons. In his six full seasons with the Sox, Nomar hit over 20 home runs in all six. He is truly a Red Sox legend.

Honorable Mentions: George Scott, Vern Stephens, Jim Tabor

Featured picture from NBC News

J.D. Martinez Joins Exclusive Company

Jimmie Foxx

Jimmie Foxx was already the most powerful right-handed bat the baseball world had ever seen by the time he arrived in Boston. Foxx had led the league in home runs in three of his final four seasons in Philadelphia. Sold by the Athletics to the Red Sox during the Great Depression, Foxx was one of several stars brought in my new club owner Tom Yawkey.

1936 was Foxx’ first season in Boston and he clubbed 41 home runs and drove in 143 runners. This was the first time somebody eclipsed 30/100 in his first season with the team. Foxx would accomplish the feat during each of his first five seasons with Boston, averaging 40 home runs and 134 RBI during that stretch. Foxx also won the MVP Award in 1938.

Ted Williams

Williams was a 20-year-old rookie when he joined the Red Sox in 1939 and reached the marks. Told in spring, ”Wait until you see this guy Jimmie Foxx hit,” Williams famously replied “Wait until Foxx sees me hit”. Williams became the first rookie in franchise history to surpass 30 home runs and 100 runs batted in. He hit 31 home runs that year and drove in a league best 145 runners. Williams also hit 44 doubles and 11 triples in that rookie season.

Ted Williams is greeted by Jimmie Foxx as he crosses home plate.

Walt Dropo

Dropo was the third Red Sox to accomplish those numbers in his first season with the team, and second rookie. Dropo wasn’t supposed to be a star, he was already 27 years old when the Sox called him up early in 1950. The 27-year-old rookie went on to hit 34 home runs, drive in a league best 144 runs and lead the league with 326 total bases. Dropo easily won Rookie of the Year and made his one and only All-Star Game.

After a bad season in 1951, Dropo bounced back to hit 29 home runs in 1952. However, after that season he never again reached 20 homers. He spent the second half of his career as a part-time player.

Dick Stuart

Dr. Strangeglove, as he was called, had a big bat and no glove. Another nickname of his was “stonefingers”. His porous defense didn’t help his career, as he played only parts of 10 seasons. Stuart could hit though. He came to the Red Sox in 1963, having made an All-Star Game in Pittsburgh in 1961 after batting .301 with 35 home runs and 117 runs batted in.

In his first season in Boston, Stuart crushed 42 home runs and drove in 118 runs, which led the American League. The 42 home runs were the most hit by any Red Sox player since Ted Williams hit 43 in 1949. Stuart hit 33 home runs and drove in 114 runs the next year before being shipped out of Boston after just two seasons.

Tony Armas

In 1983, Tony Armas became the first Red Sox since Dick Stuart two decades prior to accomplish a 30/100 season in his first year with the team. Armas didn’t actually play well, but still managed to hit 36 home runs and drive in 107 runs. He batted just .218 and posted a .707 OPS despite all the home runs.

Armas was much better in year two for the Sox, batting .268, which was higher than his on-base percentage was the year before. Armas also led the league in home runs and runs batted in with 43 and 123.

Nick Esasky

Just five years after Armas achieved these marks, Nick Esasky did in his lone season with the team. The Red Sox acquired Nick Esasky along with left-handed pitcher Rob Murphy from the Reds in December of 1988. In 1989, Esasky hit 30 home runs and drove in 108 runs for the Red Sox. The Red Sox let Esasky walk in the offseason, leaving him with one (very good) season in a Red Sox uniform. Esasky barely played again, suffering from severe vertigo after signing with the Atlanta Braves.

Nick Esasky of the Red Sox bats during a game against the Rangers on May 1, 1989 at Fenway Park. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

Carl Everett

The Red Sox acquired Carl Everett from the Houston Astros for Adam Everett and Greg Miller. Adam Everett was an all glove shortstop and Greg Miller never made the Majors. Meanwhile, Carl Everett beasted in Boston during the 2000 season. He made the all-star team, batted .300 and hit 34 home runs with 108 RBI. He also got a 10 game suspension that year for head butting an umpire and said dinosaurs weren’t real, but his play in 2000 was no joke.

Manny Ramirez

When the Red Sox signed Manny Ramirez, he was handed largest contract in baseball history at the time. He didn’t disappoint either. That first season with the Sox, Manny blasted 41 home runs and drove in 125 runs. Nomar missed most of the season with a wrist injury and Carl Everett slumped badly from the previous season though. Without the lineup protection, Manny’s numbers fell as the year wore on, batting .258 from May 27th on after batting .400 to that point. His first season was still impressive nonetheless.

Manny would make eight All-Star Games, have four top six MVP finishes, win a batting title and a home run crown while in Boston. He also added World Series MVP to his résumé in 2004. In his first six seasons with the club, Manny averaged 39 home runs and 119 RBI per season while posting a .316/.416/.610/1.026 line.

Manny Ramirez follows through during the Red Sox 7-6 victory over the Angels at Fenway Park.

David Ortiz

After being released by the Twins in the offseason despite hitting 20 home runs the previous season, the Red Sox signed David Ortiz for just 1.25 million. It then took Grady Little forever to realize Ortiz was a lot better than Jeremy Giambi. Once finally given a spot in the lineup, David Ortiz raked. From July 1st on, David Ortiz hit 27 home runs and posted a 1.022 OPS. Ortiz homered twice in back-to-back games at Yankee Stadium on July 4th and 5th, games the Red Sox won 10-3 and 10-2.

Everyone knows what happened from there. Ortiz is arguably the most clutch player to ever put on a baseball uniform and arguably the greatest designated hitter. The city of Boston will be descending down upon the small town of Cooperstown, New York in a few years.

J.D. Martinez

These are the names Martinez has joined with his first season performance in Boston. With over 40 games left in the season, Martinez is leading the league with 37 home runs and 104 RBI while batting .332/.400/.666/1.066 as of this writing. He has a legitimate shot at the triple crown.

Honorable Mentions

There are a few guys who came very close to achieving a 30/100 season their first year in Boston. Others accomplished the feat in their first full season in Boston, but had spent a partial season with the team prior.

Vern Stephens hit 29 home runs and drove in 137 runs in 1948, his first year with the Red Sox. He then hit 39 and 30 home runs the next two seasons while leading the league in RBI both years.

Ken “Hawk” Harrelson was acquired in late 1967 to replace the injured Tony Conigliaro. His 80 at-bats that year preclude him from this list. However, 1968 was his only full season with the Red Sox. The year he hit 35 home runs while driving in a league best 109 runs.

Don Baylor was part of the Red Sox team that went to the World Series in 1986. He hit 31 home runs that year but fell six RBI shy of the 100 mark.

Nomar Garciaparra was a September call-up in 1996. In his rookie season of 1997, he fell two RBI shy of becoming the first Red Sox rookie since Walt Dropo in 1950 to hit 30 home runs and drive in 100 runs.

Jason Bay falls in the same boat as Hawk Harrelson. Bay was acquired at the trade deadline in 2008 and posted an .897 OPS over the season’s final two months. 2009 was his only full season with the team, and he hit 36 home runs and drove in 119 runs.

Featured picture from overthemonster.com

On This Day In Red Sox History: June 8, 1950

The 1950 Red Sox

This was one of several Red Sox clubs from that era victimized by there being no playoffs. Two teams played for the World Series in those days, there were no playoffs leading up to them. You had the best record in the league or you didn’t. The 1950 Red Sox went 94-60, which is more wins than either of the division winning teams the Red Sox have fielded the past two seasons, in fewer games. However, they did not get the chance to play for anything.

The Red Sox also scored 1067 runs as a team in 1950, only 40 less than the Major League record. They did all this while missing Ted Williams for half the season, who broke his elbow at the All-Star Game. Williams had hit 28 home runs and driven in 97 runs over just 89 games. Six of their eight regulars that season batted over .300, with the other two finishing above .290. Their top utility player, Billy Goodman, batted .354! This team deserved a chance to play in a postseason.

The Red Sox bats did not disappoint in the previous days game, scoring 20 runs on 23 hits. The team had hit five home runs in the onslaught.

Red Sox box score from June 7, 1950.

The Game Gets Underway

The Red Sox featured nearly the same lineup as the day before, and why not? They had just banged out 20 runs after all. The only differences were in the 8-9 spots. Matt Batts replaced Birdie Tebbetts at catcher batting 8th, and the 9th spot was filled by the pitcher, Chuck Stobbs. The team didn’t look like they were about to accomplish something historic when they went scoreless in the first inning. Johnny Pesky and Ted Williams were stranded on base in the inning.

The floodgates were opened up in the 2nd inning. Coming off a three hit day, Al Zarilla started the inning with a double. Take note of that, as he would have a few more of them before the game ended. After a walk to Bobby Doerr, backup catcher Matt Batts doubled in the first run of the game. The pitcher Chuck Stobbs then drew a walk, another common theme of the game. The bases were loaded with a run already in. Two straight fly balls netted just one run but Ted Williams was due up with two men still on base. He unloaded on the Cliff Fannin offering to right for a three-run homer and the Sox had themselves a five run inning.

They weren’t finished. After a walk Walt Dropo homered to left field to make it seven runs in. Al Zarilla then doubled for the second time during the inning and was brought home by Bobby Doerr. When Fannin finally got out of the second inning the Red Sox had 8 runs in and had sent 12 men to the plate.

Red Sox Pile On

The Browns pinch-hit for Cliff Fannin in the third, ending his day with just two innings pitched. They picked up three runs on three hits and two walks in the inning to make it an 8-3 ballgame. The Red Sox offense then went to work against Cuddles Marshall, not a daunting name.

Chuck Stobbs drew his second walk in as many plate appearances. Two more walks had the bases loaded against Cuddles with just one out. Vern Stephens doubled to left to score two, followed by Walt Dropo’s two-run single. The score was 12-3. Al Zarilla doubled once more and Bobby Doerr brought home a run with a sacrifice fly. The Red Sox reloaded the bases, again. Chuck Stobbs drew his second walk of the inning, third of the game, and yes, he was the pitcher. But Cuddles Marshall was able to get out of the inning with “only” five runs scored.

The Browns went 1-2-3 in the top of the 4th and the Red Sox offense went right back at it. Vern Stephens scored Johnny Pesky with a triple, then was driven home by Walt Dropo. Bobby Doerr hit his first homer of the game, a 2-run shot, and Cuddles Marshall’s day was over. Marshall allowed nine runs while only recording four outs. Sid Schacht replaced him and fared better, only if because he kind of had to. Chuck Stobbs drew his fourth consecutive walk, a record for walks drawn by a pitcher in one game.

Chuck Stobbs set a record for pitchers by drawing 4 walks.

The Sox Ease Up

The Red Sox scored two more in the fifth but were held scoreless in the sixth. Meanwhile, Stobbs wasn’t having much trouble on the mound or in the batter’s box. After a scoreless sixth he had still allowed runs in just the one inning. The seventh gave him more trouble, as he walked two and hit a batter. However, the Browns still failed to score so the game remained 22-3 Boston at the 7th inning stretch.

The Sox wasted no time in adding to their lead in the bottom half. Al Zarilla led off the inning with his fifth hit of the day, and the first that wasn’t a double. Bobby Doerr then followed him up with a 2-run shot over the monster in left, his second home run of the game. Doerr had now driven in seven runs on the day. The next three batters went down in order; 24-3 Red Sox after seven.

Red Sox Set Records

Sid Schacht had pitched alright considering how others before him had fared, but he lost it in the 8th. The Red Sox homered three times off him in the inning before he was removed with one out. Johnny Pesky opened the inning with a double to right, his fifth hit of the day. Ted Williams then hit the first of three 8th inning homers, his second of the day. Williams drove in five runs in the blowout. Vern Stephens singled for his third hit of the day. Walt Dropo followed with his second home run of the game. Dropo had four hits and seven runs batted in. After a flyball out, Bobby Doerr deposited his third baseball over the wall in left field. Doerr had four hits, three of them home runs, and eight runs batted in! Schacht’s night was over, as was the scoring for the Red Sox.

The Red Sox had set a Major League record with their 29 runs scored in the game. Their 29-4 victory also set the record for largest victory in big league history. The 60 total bases accumulated by Red Sox hitters was also a record. Beyond that, coupled with their 20-4 thrashing of the Browns the day before, the Red Sox had set a record with 49 runs scored and 51 base hits over a two game span. Throw in pitcher Chuck Stobbs record four walks in one game for a pitcher (not to mention his two base hits) and the Red Sox were living large.

Bobby Doerr hit three home runs and drove in eight runs in the 29-4 demolition of the Browns.

Boston Sports Extra

By Boston Fans, For Boston Fans