Boston Red Sox,
professional baseball team and one of five teams in the East
Division of the American League (AL). Originally called the
Americans (the team’s name was changed in 1907), the Red Sox play at
Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts, and wear uniforms of white,
red, and blue.
The Red Sox were one of the AL’s most powerful teams in the early
part of the 20th century. Baseball legends Babe Ruth, Tris Speaker,
and Cy Young helped Boston win six pennants and five World Series
titles from 1903 to 1918.
Outfielder Ted Williams, considered one of the best hitters in
baseball history, was the last major league player to compile a
batting average of .400 or greater in a season. He is one of only
two players who have twice won the Triple Crown, leading the league
in hitting, home runs, and runs batted in (RBIs) in the same season.
The other is Rogers Hornsby of the St. Louis Cardinals.
Boston lineups of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s featured stars such as
Wade Boggs, Roger Clemens, Dwight Evans, Carlton Fisk, Fred Lynn,
Jim Rice, and Carl Yastrzemski. Yastrzemski won the Triple Crown in
1967; no player has accomplished the feat since.
Cy Young One of baseball’s greatest pitchers, Cy Young set several
major-league career records that still stand, including the most
wins, most innings pitched, and most complete games. Young, who
played with the Red Sox from 1901 to 1908, won 511 games during his
22-year career. In 1956 Major League Baseball established the Cy
Young Memorial Award, which is given annually to each league’s best
pitcher.
The Boston Americans became charter members of the American League
in 1901. Player-manager Jimmy Collins guided the team to two AL
pennants and, in 1903, a World Series victory. Pitcher Cy Young,
whose 511 career victories are an all-time record, led Boston in
wins seven times from 1901 to 1908. Outfielder Tris Speaker batted
.300 or better seven seasons in a row from 1909 to 1915, powering
the Red Sox to World Series titles in 1912 and 1915.
In 1914 a 19-year-old pitcher from Baltimore named Babe Ruth joined
the Red Sox. By 1916 the 6-ft 2-in (188 cm) left-hander was one of
the AL’s premier starters, leading the league in wins, shutouts,
complete games, and earned run average (ERA). He helped Boston to
World Series titles in 1916 and 1918. A year later, however, it was
clear that he was also an outstanding hitter. Ruth stunned the
baseball world in 1919 when he led the league with 29 home runs, 114
RBIs, 103 runs, and a .657 slugging percentage while posting an 8-5
pitching record and a 2.98 ERA. His home run count was more than the
total output of 10 of the other 15 teams. After that season Ruth’s
contract was sold to the New York Yankees, with whom he became the
greatest power hitter the game has ever known.
After Ruth’s departure, the Red Sox finished last in the AL nine
times from 1922 to 1932. The team’s fortunes changed in 1939 when
outfielder Ted Williams arrived. The 20-year-old rookie led the
major leagues with 145 RBIs as Boston compiled its best record
(89-62) in 32 years. Williams joined a talented lineup that also
included shortstop-manager Joe Cronin, second baseman Bobby Doerr,
first baseman Jimmie Foxx, and pitcher Lefty Grove.
In 1941 Williams hit .406, and in 1942 he won his first of two
Triple Crowns, while also leading the league in slugging percentage,
runs, and walks. After three years of military service in World War
II, Williams returned in 1946 to power Boston to its first pennant
since 1918. The Red Sox, however, were bested by the St. Louis
Cardinals in the World Series, 4 games to 3. In 1947 Dave Ferriss
led the pitching staff with 25 wins and Williams won his second
Triple Crown, but the Red Sox finished in third place.
Boston did not win another pennant until 1967. That year Carl
Yastrzemski, who replaced Williams in left field in 1961, won the
Triple Crown. Outfielder Tony Conigliaro and shortstop Rico
Petrocelli also starred offensively, while Jim Lonborg anchored the
pitching staff. The Red Sox lost to the Cardinals in the World
Series.
In 1975 the Red Sox participated in one of the most thrilling World
Series in league history. A home run by catcher Carlton Fisk in the
bottom of the 12th inning of game six gave Boston a series-tying
victory over the Cincinnati Reds. The next night Cincinnati erased a
3-0 lead by the Red Sox to win game seven, 4-3. That year Red Sox
outfielder Fred Lynn became the first player to be named rookie of
the year and most valuable player (MVP) in the same season.
In 1978 Boston started strong but suffered a late-season slump and
ended the year tied with New York for first place in the East
Division; the Yankees went on to beat the Sox in a one-game playoff.
Boston outfielder Jim Rice was named the league’s MVP that year.
The Red Sox returned to the postseason in 1986 with a lineup
starring Rice, third baseman Wade Boggs, first baseman Bill Buckner,
pitcher Roger Clemens, and Dwight Evans, one of the finest defensive
right fielders in the game’s history. After defeating the California
Angels (now Anaheim Angels) in the AL Championship Series (ALCS),
Boston lost to the New York Mets in the World Series.
The Red Sox captured East Division titles in 1988, 1990, and 1995,
but the team was swept each year in the ALCS. Leading the 1995 club
were designated hitter José Canseco and first baseman Mo Vaughn,
winner of that year’s MVP award. In 1998 the Red Sox reached the
playoffs as a wild card team but lost to the Cleveland Indians in
the first round. In 1999 pitcher Pedro Martinez led Boston back to
the playoffs and won the AL Cy Young Award after finishing with a
23-4 win-loss record, an earned-run average (ERA) of 2.07, and 313
strikeouts. After defeating Cleveland in the first round of the
postseason, Boston lost to the Yankees in the ALCS.In the
baseball-crazed region of New England, they will no longer cuss
about mythical curses. Red Sox players will no longer be force-fed
history lessons on the generations of championship futility that
preceded them. The heartbreak is officially over, thanks to a
historic odyssey that arguably now earns top-shelf status as the
biggest story in the history of Boston sports.
The entire culture of the Boston Red Sox changed Wednesday night at
Busch Stadium, as the tradition-laden franchise carted home its
sixth World Series championship, but first since 1918.
TOP MANAGER
Cap Anson was manager from 1879-1897 and finished with a 1238-932
record. Frank Chance managed from 1905-1912 and finished with a
768-389 record. Jim Frey (1984) and Don Zimmer (1989) were named NL
Manager of the Year.
MVPS
Gabby Hartnett (1935), Phil Cavarretta (1945), Hank Sauer (1952),
Ernie Banks (1958, 1959), Ryan Sandberg (1984), Andre Dawson (1987),
Sammy Sosa (1998)
CY YOUNG
Ferguson Jenkins (1971), Bruce Sutter (1979), Rick Sutcliffe (1984),
Greg Maddux (1992)
ROOKIE OF YEAR
Billy Williams (1961), Ken Hubbs (1962), Jerome Walton (1989), Kerry
Wood (1998)
RETIRED NUMBERS
14 - Ernie Banks (SS)
23 - Ryan Sandberg (2B)
26 - Billy Williams (OF)
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