Baseball history changed with the added excellence of Carlton Fisk, Wade Boggs, Cy Young, Luis Aparicio, Dennis Eckersley, Roger Clemens, Fred Lynn, Nomar Garciaparra and Pedro Martinez. Even a die-hard Yankees fan like me must admit to the extraordinary achievements of some of the greatest players to ever drive their cleats into the turf of Fenway Park. Let’s take a closer look at the historical scope of the best players who wear the official shirt of blood, sweat and tears. It is necessary to pay tribute to one of the best teams in American baseball.
The former is not only arguably the greatest hitter in baseball history, but also a notable US sailor and fisherman, Ted Williams, left fielder. This retired No. 9 jersey-wearing power hitter was nicknamed “The Splendid Splinter,” “The Kid,” “Teddy Ballgame,” and “The Thumper.” Since 1930, no one could hit .400 until 1941 when Williams first did it. Now, no slugger has hit above .400 since Williams. Missing four seasons due to his commitment to the US Navy, Williams’ batting average would likely have been even higher. The 521-home run hitter wrote six books on fishing and baseball, one called The Science of Hitting; appropriately titled as Williams believed in practicing the art of hitting.
Playing for the Red Sox from 1939 to 1942 and 1946 to 1960, this 1966 Hall of Famer (also listed in the Fishing Hall of Fame) twice won Most Valuable Player (MVP). William’s artifacts in the National Baseball Hall of Fame include a ball he hit for his 500th career home run on June 17, 1960, a ball signed by him and Dom DiMaggio, and his sunglasses.
With much respect for his passing in 2002 at age 83, both Boston and San Diego (his hometown) named a tunnel and highway after Williams, The Ted William Tunnel and Ted Williams Parkway, respectively.
The legend “Teddy Ballgame” will always be honored and remembered by his fans and will continue to remind us of the fun spirit in the ball game.
Games, at-bats, runs, hits, doubles, total bases, RBIs and extra-base hits: Close behind Williams, who succeeded him in left field, is Carl Yastrzemski, who led them all. Yastrzemski is the only player to have played with a team for that long, wearing a now-retired No. 8 straight jersey for 23 years with the Red Sox (from 1961 to 1983).
Yastrzemski won seven Gold Glove Awards, “Yaz” found an honorable presence in the 1989 Hall of Fame. Yastrzemski artifacts in the National Baseball Hall of Fame include his 1971 Gold Glove Award, his 1971 Triple Crown in 1967 and his Silver Slugger for winning the American League batting title in 1963. As if all this wasn’t enough, he was 18 years old. -All-Star time, too.
Still dedicated to the Red Sox today, Yaz is still heavily involved as a traveling instructor.
It is important to mention that the third wide receiver, Carlton Fisk, catches more games (2,226) than anyone in history. Nicknamed “Pudge”, his number 27 jersey is also retired. A 24-year-old baseball player overall, Fisk played for the Red Sox in 1969 and from 1971 to 1980 and then the Chicago White Sox as No. 72, also retired. Not only an outstanding catcher, during Fisk’s rookie season in 1972, he was the first American League catcher to lead the league in 3-pointers when he made nine of them. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000 and chose to be represented by the Red Sox even though he played more with the White Sox.
Following Fisk’s incredible career, two dedications have been dedicated to him in his honor. The first was the fourth foul pole at Fenway Park called the “Fisk Pole,” where he hit his 1965 World Series-winning 12th-inning home run in Game 6, one of the most memorable games in Major League history. . The second was the life-size bronze statue of himself inside US Cellular Field in Chicago.
In fourth place is superstitiously successful third baseman and 12-time All Star Wade Boggs. His excellence ultimately landed him in the Hall of Fame in 2005 since he played for the Red Sox from 1982 to 1992. From 1983 to 1989, Boggs scored at least 100 runs each season, just one of his masterful hitting feats.
Fifth, but not forgotten, is Cy Young, whose real name was Denton True Young. Cy was short for “Cyclone” because his fastball was faster than fast, evident by the destruction of nearby barns and fences as he practiced throwing. Young was inducted into the 1937 Hall of Fame for pitching with the Red Sox from 1901 to 1908. His artifact in the National Baseball Hall of Fame features his pipe and his case. The annual award given to the best pitcher in each Major League was honorably named after him: the Cy Young Award.
He is followed by Luis Aparicio, Venezuelan shortstop. Nicknamed “Little Looey,” he played briefly for the Red Sox from 1971 to 1973 and then was a 1984 Hall of Famer for nine Gold Glove Awards leading the American League in nine seasons with stolen bases. Aparicio was also a 10-time All-Star. Holding the career shortstop record, Aparicio retired in 1973 with the most games played, double plays, and assists.
Pitcher Dennis Eckersley, also known as “Eck,” was inducted into the 2004 Hall of Fame six years after playing on and off for the Red Sox, from 1978 to 1984 and 1998. He had a 20-win season and a 50-save season in his career, thus becoming the first pitcher in major league history to have both.
Although not members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and last but not least, Roger Clemens, Fred Lynn, Norman Garciaparra and Pedro Martinez have also made a lasting impression on Red Sox history.
The pitcher, Roger Clemens, nicknamed “The Rocket,” played for the Red Sox from 1984 to 1996. He is only one of two pitchers to have thrown 20 strikeouts in a nine-inning major league game. Now that he plays for the Houston Astros, do the Red Sox want him back? Of course, but he may not want to give up his relationship with the Astros, winning seven Cy Young Awards. A Hall of Fame position may be close to pitcher’s plate for Clemens.
Fred Lynn, center fielder, played for the Red Sox from 1974 to 1980. This nine-time All Star was the first player to win MVP and Rookie of the Year awards in the same season in 1975. With notable mention, though not as prestigious as National Baseball Hall of Fame, Lynn was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2002.
Popular shortstop Nomar Garciaparra played for the Red Sox from 1994-2004. He was talented enough to stop John Valentin at short in 1994. In his rookie year alone he had 30 home runs, won 98 runs, led the league in hits and was second in extra-base hits.
An early running speed of 95 miles per hour led to Pedro Martinez winning three Cy Young Awards. Although his speed has decreased since then, he is still a pitcher with a myriad of professional and dominating techniques. Martinez, a native of the Dominican Republic, played for the Red Sox from 1998 to 2004 and is only one of ten Red Sox pitchers to have had 100 or more wins.
There you have it: eleven reasons to celebrate the success of Boston’s greatest baseball heroes known as the Red Sox Greats of all time. Even if not everyone may be a Red Sox fan, there’s no denying it; we all bleed red
