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| Line 19: |
Line 19: |
| | *19 - [[Josh Beckett]] | | *19 - [[Josh Beckett]] |
| | *64 - Michael Bowden | | *64 - Michael Bowden |
| − | *61 - [[Clay Buckholz]] | + | *61 - [[Clay Buchholz]] |
| | *66 - Dewon Day | | *66 - Dewon Day |
| | *17 - Manny Delcarmen | | *17 - Manny Delcarmen |
| Line 34: |
Line 34: |
| | *56 - Ramon Ramirez | | *56 - Ramon Ramirez |
| | * - Takashi Saito | | * - Takashi Saito |
| − | * - [[John Smoltz]] | + | *29 - [[John Smoltz]] |
| | *70 - Junichi Tazawa | | *70 - Junichi Tazawa |
| | *49 - [[Tim Wakefield]] | | *49 - [[Tim Wakefield]] |
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| | | | |
| | ===Outfielders=== | | ===Outfielders=== |
| − | * - Rocco Baldelli | + | *5 - Rocco Baldelli |
| | *44 - [[Jason Bay]] | | *44 - [[Jason Bay]] |
| | *54 - Chris Carter | | *54 - Chris Carter |
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| | 42 - Jackie Robinson | | 42 - Jackie Robinson |
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| − | ==Early Years==
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| − |
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| − | ===Origins===
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| − | The Red Sox started play during the 1901 season in the newly formed American League. They built their team by signing players from the Boston National League club such as Jimmy Collins, who served as player/manager. Their home games were played at newly built Huntington Avenue Grounds.<ref name="first">http://www.ballparks.com/baseball/american/huntin.htm</ref> The team was unofficially named the Americans. Charles W. Somers was the first owner of the team. Their first game was an exhibition victory over the University of Virginia on April 5. After their April 24 season opener in Baltimore was rained out, they got started two days later and were handed an 8-6 defeat. League chief [[Ban Johnson]] tossed out the ceremonial first pitch with Collins recording the team's first hit and run scored.<ref>Barnes Jr., WS. "Collins's Men Lose"; ''Boston Journal'', 27 April 1901</ref> On May 8, the team kicked off it's home schedule with a 12-4 victory over team Philadelphia. They finished their inaugural season at 79-57, good enough for second behind the [[Chicago White Sox]].
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| − | ===Champions===
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| − | The Americans went 91-47 in 1903 to win the AL by a healthy 14.5 games over second place Philadelphia Athletics. They won the [[World Series]] over the [[Natinal League|National League's]] [[Pittsburgh Pirates]], five games to three.<ref>http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1903_WS.shtml</ref> After falling back for a few years, the renamed Red Sox won their second title in 1912 over the New York Giants in what was their first year playing at Fenway Park.<ref>Murnane, TH. "Boston Now Supreme in Baseball World"; ''Boston Globe'', 17 October 1912</ref> They went on to win three more titles from 1913-1918.
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| − | ===Sale of Ruth===
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| − | Following the 1919 season, both the team and fellow players grew tired of [[Babe Ruth|Babe Ruth's]] antics.<ref>Shannon, Paul. "New York Club gives $125,000 for Battering Babe - Biggest Price Ever Paid for Player"; ''Boston Post'', 6 January 1920</ref> Ruth complained about his pay and refused to play for the team until he got a raise. He also ignored team rules. The Red Sox were concerned his behavior could rub off on other players. With a strong team, they felt they could afford to move Ruth. He was sent to the [[New York Yankees]] for $125,000 after manager [[Ed Barrow]] indicated that none of the New York players was worth acquiring.<ref>Stout, Glenn. (2000), ''Red Sox Century'', Houghton Mifflin, Page 145</ref> Some have suggested that the sale was done to finance team owner [[Harry Frazee|Harry Frazee's]] play, "No, No, Nanette", however the claim is untrue as the play hadn't even been written at the time. Others have claimed that the player put a curse on the team.<ref>http://www.jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/23685/edition_id/470/format/html/displaystory.html</ref> Ultimately the real curse was that of mis-management as well as the bad luck of playing elite teams in their final three World Series apearances of the twentieth century.
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| − | ==Yawkee Era==
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| − | After inheriting a large sum of money, [[Tom Yawkee]] looked into buying a baseball team. Yawkee ultimately chose the Red Sox and bought the team in 1933. He immediately opened his checkbook in an effort to turn the team around following fourteen consecutive losing seasons. Unfortunately, he lacked a strong baseball acumen<ref>Stout, Glenn. (2000), ''Red Sox Century'', Houghton Miffin, Page 178</ref> and spent a lot of money on past their prime players. While the team did improve they still finished way out of the running. Some in the media criticized his wild spending ways, arguing for a wiser spending of finances.<ref>Daniel, Daniel. "You Cannot Buy a Pennant!"; ''Baseball Magazine'', 1936</ref> However, Yawkee continued his spending spree, including a major upgrade of Fenway Park. Despite his spending, the team recorded only three first place finishes during his 45 years owning the team.
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| − | ===Jackie Robinson===
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| − | In 1945, Boston politician Isadore Mushnick pressured the Red Sox to open their team to black players. The team consented and offered tryouts to [[Negro League]] players [[Jackie Robinson]], [[Sam Jethroe]] and [[Marvin Williams]].<ref>Kountze, Doc. "Three Race Baseball Canidates Impress Red Sox Coach Hugh Duffy"; ''Boston Guardian'', 21 April 1945</ref> Coach Hugh Duffey oversaw the tryout with manager [[Joe Cronin]] watching from the stands. Said Duffy, "We were glad to give them a tryout...(They) (d)eserve the same chance as anybody". During the tryout, a sportswriter claimed to have heard a voice in the stands, possibly GM Eddie Collins, yell, "Get those (people) off the field!" After a delay due to Collins' suffering a broken leg, the team decided not to sign the players. When asked about Boston's chances during the 1967 season, Robinson said, "I'd like to see them lose because (Tom Yawkey) is probably one of the most bigoted guys in baseball."<ref> Stout, Glenn. (2000). ''Red Sox Century'', Houghton Miffin, Page 242</ref>
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| − | ==Recent Years==
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| − | ===Dan Duquette===
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| − | In 1994, team CEO John Harrington hired [[Montreal Expos]] GM [[Dan Duquette]] to the same position. His stated goal was to build the team through a revitalized farm system. He got off to a solid start by selecting [[Georgia Tech]] shortstop [[Nomar Garciaparra]] with his first draft pick. Duquette also had a skill for finding talent in players other teams had no use for, such as [[Tim Wakefield]] and [[Troy O'Leary]]. However when the team surprisingly won the AL East in 1995, he abandoned the farm system and signed several past their prime players in a Yawkey-esque attempt to win a championship. Although he was able to acquire Expos ace [[Pedro Martinez]] and future All-Stars [[Derek Lowe]] and [[Jason Varitek]] in a trade with the [[Seattle Mariners]], he was never able to bring in complementary players. His allegedly pompous style in dealing with the media, players and other executives was said to have hurt the team's reputation.<ref>Mnookin, Seth. (2006). ''Feeding the Monster: How Money, Smarts, and Nerve Took a Team to the Top'', Simon & Schuster, Pages 138-139</ref>
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| − | ===Sale of the Team===
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| − | In late 2001, a year after Harrington announced the team was up for sale, three bidders emerged as the finalists; New York lawyer Miles Prentice, Cablevision's Charles Dolan, and a group made up of former [[Florida Marlins]] owner Henry and former [[San Diego Padres]] owner Werner. Prentice entered a bid of $740 million. Dolan bid $700 million. Henry, known as "Investor 11" due to his still technically owning the Marlins<ref>Mnookin, Seth. (2006). ''Feeding the Monster: How Money, Smarts, and Nerve Took a Team to the Top'', Simon & Schuster, Page 108</ref>, and Werner also bid $700 million. Due to Prentice's questionable financing, he was eliminated from consideration.<ref name="buy">Mnookin, Seth. (2006). ''Feeding the Monster: How Money, Smarts, and Nerve Took a Team to the Top'', Simon & Schuster, Pages 122-124</ref> With the other two bids being similar, and the Henry group likely to receive a quick approval from the other baseball owners<ref name="buy"/>, their bid was chosen.
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| − | Henry's first decision was to name former Orioles and Padres executive Lucchino as team president. He then announced the firings of Duquette and manager [[Joe Kerrigan]]. Duquette's assistant, Mike Port, was named interim GM. The team tried to interview Houston Astros bench coach Tony Pena and Oakland Athletics bench coach Ken Macha for the managerial opening but were denied permission from their current teams. Henry then wanted to hire former Expos manager Felipe Alou, but was overruled by Lucchino's choice of Cleveland Indians bench coach [[Grady Little]].
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| − | ===Billy Beane===
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| − | After their first season, the Henry group looked to find a new GM. Their top choice was Athletics GM Billy Beane. The two sides were able to agree on a multi-year deal worth north of two million dollars per year. Beane had already planned his first moves with his new team, such as trading Varitek and signing free agent [[Bill Mueller]].<ref name="moneyball">Lewis, Michael. (2003). ''Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game'', W. W. Norton & Company, Pages 278-279</ref> He also negotiated the compensation Oakland would get for losing him: Kevin Youkilis. However, at the last moment, Beane backed out of the deal. With Beane out, they turned to their second choice, Theo Epstein. Epstein preached fiscal responsibility and a commitment to building through the team's farm system. He quickly acquired cheap free agents such as Mueller and Ortiz that would go on to have major impacts on the team.
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| − | ===2004===
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| − | In the aftermath of their disappointing loss to the Yankees in the 2003 ALCS, the team decided to make major changes. Unhappy with Little's performance, Henry ignored the front office and dismissed the manager. He would be replaced by former Phillies manager [[Terry Francona]]. After being unsuccessful in their efforts to trade Ramirez, they placed him on irrevocable waivers in hopes another team would take the player off their hands.<ref>Wilbur, Eric. "Ramirez placed on waivers"; ''Boston Globe'', October 30, 2003</ref> When that failed, they tried a swap for Texas Rangers high-priced superstar [[Alex Rodriguez]]. After lengthy negotiations, they agreed to acquire Rodriguez for Ramirez, cash to pay part of Ramirez' salary, and pitching prospect Lester. In a separate deal, Boston would send Garciaparra and reliever Scott Williamson to the [[Chicago White Sox]] for [[Magglio Ordonez]], [[Neal Cotts]] and a third player.<ref>http://www.sethmnookin.com/blog/2007/03/15/ftm-post-peek-a-rod-the-sox-the-now-infamous-opt-out-clause-the-theo-n-larry-show-and-the-spending-sprees-of-2006-plus-jon-lester/</ref> The deals fell through when the Player's Association refused to allow Rodriguez to accept a lower salary. They were more successful in their attempts to upgrade the pitching staff, acquiring Schilling from the Diamondbacks and signing Keith Foulke away from the Athletics.
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| − |
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| − | They started fast, going 15-6 over the first month. Their strong play wouldn't last as they went 41-39 from May 1 until the July 31 trading deadline. In an effort to change the team's defensive play, GM Epstein traded Garciaparra to the [[Chicago Cubs]] for [[Doug Mientkiewicz]] and [[Orlando Cabrera]]. He also acquired [[Dave Roberts]] from the [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] in another deal. The team started slowly after the trades, going 2-4, but quickly picked up the pace by going on a 40-15 tear to finish the season and take the AL Wild Card. They swept the Angels in the ALDS before overcoming a 0-3 hole to the Yankees in the ALCS and advancing to the World Series. They swept the [[St. Louis Cardinals]] to win their first title since 1918.
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| | | | |
| | ==References== | | ==References== |
| Line 130: |
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| | | | |
| | *[[Boston]] | | *[[Boston]] |
| | + | |
| | + | *[[Red Sox History]] |
| | | | |
| | == External Links == | | == External Links == |
Fenway Park, the Red Sox's stadium and the oldest active Major League Baseball stadium
The Boston Red Sox are a Major League Baseball team that play in the American League East Division. One of the oldest teams in baseball, with the oldest stadium, Fenway Park; the Red Sox are one of the most storied sports franchises of all time.
AL Pennants: 12 (1903, 1904, 1912, 1915, 1916, 1918, 1946, 1967, 1975, 1986, 2004, 2007)
World Series Titles: 7 (1903, 1912, 1915, 1916, 1918, 2004, 2007)
Management
Roster
Pitchers
Catchers
- 28 - Josh Bard
- 80 - Dusty Brown
- 68 - George Kottaras
Infielders
Outfielders
Designated Hitter
Minor League Affiliates
The Boston Red Sox's minor league affiliates are: [1]
- AAA - Pawtucket Red Sox
- AA - Portland Sea Dogs
- A Adv. - Salem Red Sox
- A - Greenville Drive
- SS - Lowell Spinners
Retired Numbers
Uniform numbers retired by the Red Sox[2]
1 - Bobby Doerr
4 - Joe Cronin
6 - Johnny Pesky
8 - Carl Yastrzemski
9 - Ted Williams
27 - Carlton Fisk
42 - Jackie Robinson
References
See also
External Links
