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Boston Red Sox History
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 Clevel
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