Boston Red Sox
This is the most complete record book ever written about the Boston Red Sox. Every season and career record is placed in chronological order from the first year of their franchise to the present.
Typical record books eliminate old records when new ones are created, but this book simply adds history to existing chronology lists. No players or their records are ever forgotten, and the history of Red Sox records will forever be preserved.
Four never-before-seen features are offered here. First are the Chronology Lists, which begin in 1901 and show the first set of records, how long each lasted before broken, and every subsequent Record Breaker, including the present record holder.
The second includes the Record Holders Lists shown at the end of each chapter, revealing the team’s top five record producers. The third feature are the individual Record Profiles, which contain all of a player’s records in chronological order, shows how long each record stood before broken, all record breakers, and all records which remain unbroken.
The fourth feature is The Composite Record Holders Lists, which is a compilation of every season and career record of every player in Red Sox history in batting, pitching and fielding. Two lists are presented, one for players and one for pitchers. The lists begin with the player and pitcher with the most records and end with the players with the fewest. No one is left out, and these statistics are complete and easy to grasp.
The best way to understand and value the Chronology Lists is to review the following sample of home run records.
| HOME RUNS | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1901 1903 1919 1936 1938 2006 |
Buck Freeman Buck Freeman Babe Ruth Jimmie Foxx Jimmie Foxx David Ortiz |
12 13 29 41 50 54 |
This represents the complete history of the season home run records. In the first year of play, Buck Freeman became the first home run champion by belting 12 round trippers. In 1903, he would break his own record by reaching the seats 13 times. His record would stand for 16 years before broken by Babe Ruth, who thrilled Red Sox fans with 29 of his mighty blasts. Seventeen years would go by before Jimmie Foxx would smash 41 home runs and break Ruth’s mark. Proving this was no fluke, Foxx would break his own record two years later when he erupted for 50 four baggers. Foxx’s record was difficult to break, and remained unchallenged for 68 years, when present-day star David Ortiz excited Boston fans with 54 incredible home runs. Ortiz’s record remains unbroken to this day.
This is the chronology concept of record keeping. It is the most complete method of record keeping and certainly easy to understand. The entire book uses this concept in every category of season and career batting, pitching, and fielding.
Now, for the first time, it is easy to establish the important records every player and pitcher of this franchise has established. This information was never before available.
TEAM HISTORY
The Red Sox were one of the original teams in the American League in 1901. They were originally called the Boston Pilgrims, sometimes called the Boston Americans, and were officially named the Boston Red Sox when owner John T. Taylor made the announcement in 1907.
Jimmy Collins was the team’s first manager, bringing them to second place in 1901, third in 1902, and ultimately winning the Pennant and World Series in 1903. He won another Pennant in 1904, but lost his chance of a World Series victory as the American and National leagues were at war and did not play. They won additional World Series in 1912, 1915, 1916, and 1918. In 1916, Babe Ruth established a new record for starting pitchers by going 14 innings, winning the game 2–1. In the 1918 series, he pitched a complete game shutout and went 8 innings in his next start, which the Red Sox won 3–2. Ruth had pitched 29.2 scoreless innings with an ERA of 0.85.
When owner Harry Frazee sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees in 1919, the Red Sox did not win another World Series for 86 years. Nicknamed after Babe, it was called “The Curse of the Bambino.” When the team did win the series in 2004, it was the most dramatic victory in baseball history. In the championship series, they were down three games to none against the Yankees and then won four straight to get them into the series. They won the series in 2004, 2007, and 2013.
The curse was over.