Boston Red Sox - Baseball Hall of Fame

boggs cronin doerr ferrell fisk foxx grove williams yastrzemski

Lefty Grove (1947)

Lefty Grove, pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics and the Boston Red Sox, began his career in the Baltimore Orioles' minor leagues in 1920. His contract was sold to the Philadelphia Athletics in 1925 for $100,500, the highest amount paid for a player at that time.

Grove pitched for Philadelphia for nine years. At the end of the 1933 season, the Athletics traded him to the Boston Red Sox. Grove pitched in 39 games or more in his nine seasons (1925-1933) with Philadelphia and in 21 games or more in his eight seasons (1934-1941) with Boston.

Grove's statistics in his 17 years with the Athletics and the Red Sox include:

9 seasons with an ERA under 3.00, with a low of 2.06 in 1931
13 winning seasons
8 seasons of 20 or more wins, with a high of 31 in 1931
8 seasons with over 150 strikeouts, with a high of 209 in 1930
7 seasons with at least twice as many strikeouts as walks

Grove's career statistics include:

616 games pitched
3,940.2 innings pitched
3.06 ERA
300-141 record
2,266 strikeouts to 1,187 walks

Grove's best year was probably 1930 when he led the AL in wins, ERA, strikeouts, complete games, and shutouts. The following year, he was awarded the AL MVP. Between 1926 and 1938, Grove won nine ERA titles. He retired from baseball in 1941.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Lefty Grove
ESPN Sports - Lefty Grove

Jimmie Foxx (1951)

Jimmie Foxx played major league baseball for four teams over a twenty-year period, beginning in 1925 with the Philadelphia Athletics. He started at the age of 17 and played at various positions (catcher, first baseman, outfielder) in his early years. In 1929, the Athletics made him their regular starting first baseman.

Although Foxx had 11 good years with Philadelphia (1925-1935), the Athletics sold his contract to the Boston Red Sox before the 1936 season. He then played for over 6 years with the Red Sox until they traded him to the Chicago Cubs in 1942. He served in WW II in 1943 and returned in 1944 for one year with Chicago before moving to the Philadelphia Phillies for his final season. In his last three years (1942, 1944-1945), Grove's abilities diminished and he became a reserve player and a pinch hitter, playing in only 24 games in his last two years.

From 1928 through 1942, Foxx played in 100 games or more in each of those 15 seasons. His statistics for that time include:

11 seasons with a batting average of .300 or better, with a high of .364 in 1932
12 seasons with 30 or more home runs; 5 seasons with over 40 home runs, with a high of 58 in 1932
15 seasons with over 20 doubles; 9 seasons with 30 or more doubles, with a high of 37 in 1933
4 seasons with 10 or more triples
2 seasons with over 200 hits, with a high of 213 in 1932
14 seasons with over 100 RBIs, 4 seasons with over 150 RBIs, with a high of 175 in 1938

Career statistics for Foxx include:

2,317 games played
8,134 at-bats
.325 batting average
534 home runs
458 doubles
125 triples
2,646 hits
1,922 RBIs

Foxx was the second major league baseball player to hit 500 home runs and he was the youngest player (age 32) to do it until Alex Rodriguez. He won three AL MVP awards (1932, 1933, 1938) and the Triple Crown in 1933.

After he retired as a major league baseball player, Foxx became a minor league manager and coach.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Jimmie Foxx
ESPN Sports - Jimmie Foxx

Joe Cronin (1956)

Joe Cronin, shortstop for the Boston Red Sox for eleven years (1935-1945), started his major league career in 1926 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He stayed with the Pirates for only two years and then moved to the Washington Senators for seven years (1928-1934). From 1933 to 1934, Cronin also managed the Senators. He then moved to the Red Sox as player-manager. Although he ended his playing days with the 1945 season, he continued to manage the team through the 1947 season.

Cronin played in over 100 games in 12 seasons (1929-1935, 1937-1941). His statistics over those 12 seasons include:

8 seasons with a batting average over .300, with a high of .346 in 1930
24 home runs in 1940 (his only season with 20 or more home runs)
11 seasons with over 30 doubles; 6 seasons with 40 or more doubles, with a high of 51 in 1938
4 seasons with over 10 triples
203 hits in 1930
8 seasons with over 100 RBIs, with a high of 126 in 1930 and 1931

Cronin's career statistics include:

2,124 games played
7,579 at-bats
.301 batting average
515 doubles
118 triples
2,285 hits
1,424 RBIs

In 1930, Cronin was awarded the AL Writers' MVP and the AL Sporting News MVP.

In addition to having a successful career as a player, Cronin had a good record as a manager. His overall record was 1,236 wins to 1,055 losses and two AL pennant wins (1933 with the Washington Senators and 1946 with the Boston Red Sox).

After retiring as manager of the Red Sox, Cronin was promoted to general manager, a position he held from 1947 until the beginning of 1959. From 1959 until 1973, he was president of the American League.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Joe Cronin
ESPN Sports - Joe Cronin

Ted Williams (1966)

Ted Williams, one of the greatest hitters of all time, was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966. His career batting average was .344 with 521 career home runs and 1,839 RBIs.

Williams started playing major league baseball in 1939 with the Boston Red Sox, the team he played with for his entire 19 year career. In his first year, Williams led the American League in RBIs. Two years later, he ended the season with a batting average of .406, a record that no other player has been able to beat.

Among Williams' accomplishments in his 19 years were:

2 American League MVP awards (1946, 1949)
2 Triple Crowns (most home runs, most RBIs and highest batting average) (1942, 1947)
home run in final at bat (September 28, 1960)

Nine years after retiring as a baseball player, Williams returned in 1969 to manage the Washington Senators (now the Texas Rangers) for two years.

Source for Information
Wikipedia - Ted Williams

Rick Ferrell (1984)

Rick Ferrell was a major league catcher who played for eighteen years with three teams. He started in 1929 with the St. Louis Browns and played with them until 1933, when he was traded to the Boston Red Sox. In 1937, Ferrell was traded to the Washington Senators, but he was traded again in 1941, this time back to the St. Louis Browns. He finished his major league career with the Washington Senators, returning to them in 1944, playing with them in 1945 and 1947.

Eleven of Ferrell's 18 years in the major leagues were seasons in which he played in over 100 games (1930-1938, 1940-1941). He played in 87 games in 1939, 99 games in 1942 and 1944, 74 games in 1943, 91 games in 1945, and only 37 games in 1947.

Even though Ferrell is in the Baseball Hall of Fame, his statistics over his 11 full seasons are not that impressive. They include:

4 seasons with a batting average over .300, with a high of .315 in 1932
7 seasons with over 20 doubles; 3 seasons with 30 or more doubles, with a high of 34 in 1935

Ferrell's career statistics include:

1,884 games played
6,028 at-bats
.281 batting average
324 doubles
1,692 hits

Ferrell did not win any major league awards, but he set several records. Until 1988, he held the AL record for games caught with 1,806 games. That record was broken by Carlton Fisk in 1988. From 1933 through 1936, Ferrell held the records for Red Sox catchers for batting average, doubles, home runs, and RBIs.

After he retired as a major league player, Ferrell was a coach for the Washington Senators. Later, he moved to the Detroit Tigers and served, at various times, as a coach, scout, general manager, and executive consultant.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Rick Ferrell
ESPN Sports - Rick Ferrell

Bobby Doerr (1986)

Bobby Doerr was the Boston Red Sox's catcher for fourteen years (1937-1951). He started playing major league baseball at the age of 19 and, in his second year with Boston, he became part of their regular starting lineup. From 1937 through 1951, Doerr missed only one year, 1945, when he served in the US Army in California.

Doerr played in over 100 games in 13 seasons (1938-1944, 1946-1951). His statistics for those 13 seasons include:

3 seasons with a batting average over .300, with a high of .325 in 1944
3 seasons with over 20 home runs, with a high of 27 in 1948 and 1950
13 seasons with over 20 doubles; 6 seasons with 30 or more doubles, with a high of 37 in 1940
4 seasons with over 10 triples
6 seasons with over 100 RBIs, with a high of 120 in 1950

Career statistics for Doerr include:

1,865 games played
7,093 at-bats
.288 batting average
223 home runs
381 doubles
89 triples
2,042 hits
1,247 RBIs

In 1944, Doerr was awarded the AL Player of the Year award by The Sporting News. Over his 14 year career with the Red Sox, he set several team records that were later broken by his teammate, Ted Williams. Doerr set the records for most games played, at-bats, hits, doubles, and RBIs.

Several years after retiring as a major league baseball player, Doerr returned to the game as a scout for the Boston Red Sox (1957-1966). In 1967, he became the first base coach for the Red Sox, a position he held until 1969. Later, in 1977, he became a hitting coach for the Toronto Blue Jays, and he stayed in that position until 1981.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Bobby Doerr
ESPN Sports - Bobby Doerr

Carl Yastrzemski (1989)

Carl Yastrzemski, an outfielder for the Boston Red Sox for 23 years, was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989. During his years in Boston, Yastrzemski won several awards, including seven Gold Gloves (1963, 1965, 1967-1969, 1971, 1977). He retired from baseball after the 1983 season, at the age of 44.

Yastrzemski signed his first contract with the Boston Red Sox in 1959 when he was just 20. He played in the minor leagues for two years and made his first appearance with the Red Sox in the 1961 season. It took two years in the majors before Yastrzemski showed his power and fielding skills. In 1963, he was the American League batting leader, with a .321 average, and he led the league in doubles. Four years later, Yastrzemski led the American League in batting again, this time with a .326 average, and he led the league in home runs with 44 and RBIs with 121. Yastrzemski received the coveted American League MVP award for his accomplishments in 1967.

Yastrzemski kept going strong and, in 1968, he was again the American League batting leader. The following two years, he hit 40 home runs each season and in 1970, Yastrzemski won the MVP award for the All-Star game. That year was his strongest and he ended the 1970 season with a .329 batting average.

When Carl Yastrzemski retired in 1983, he had a career batting average of .285, 452 home runs and 1,844 RBIs in 3,308 games and 11,988 at bats.

Source for Information
Wikipedia - Carl Yastrzemski

Carlton Fisk (2000)

Catcher Carlton Fisk had a 24-year career in major league baseball, playing 11 years with the Boston Red Sox and 13 years with the Chicago White Sox. The three-time Silver Slugger was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000.

Fisk was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 1967, but he didn't play full-time for them until 1972. Once he did become a regular Red Sox, he played consistently well. In his first full season, Fisk led the American League in triples and won both the American League Rookie of the Year award and the American League Gold Glove for catchers.

Fisk played with the Red Sox until 1980. During that time, he was selected for the All-Star team seven times (1972-1974, 1976-1978, 1980). He became a free agent at the end of the 1980 season and the following March, he signed a new contract with another Sox team, the Chicago White Sox.

Fisk played even better with the White Sox and, in 1981, he won his first of three Silver Slugger awards. His other two came in 1985, at the age of 38, and in 1988, at the age of 41. Unlike most players who begin to slow down after the age of 40, Fisk continued playing well until he retired at the age of 45. In his last five years as a player, Fisk hit 72 home runs. He ended his career with a .269 batting average, 376 home runs and 1,330 RBIs. Fisk holds the record for most games played by a catcher (2,226).

Source for Information
Wikipedia - Carlton Fisk

Wade Boggs (2005)

Wade Boggs, who spent more than half of his 17 year major league baseball career with the Boston Red Sox, was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005. Boggs won six Silver Slugger awards during his time with the Red Sox and two more when he played with the New York Yankees.

Third baseman Boggs began his major league baseball career with the Boston Red Sox in 1982 at the age of 23. In 1983, he won his first of five batting titles with a season batting average of .361 and 210 hits. From 1982 until 1991, Boggs never had a batting average under .302 and he had a career high average of .368 in 1985.

In 1992, Boggs had a career low batting average of .259 and the next year, he began a five year partnership with the New York Yankees. During that time, Boggs batted over .300 for four of the five years and he won two Gold Glove awards for his fielding at third base.

Boggs left the Yankees at the end of 1997 and he played his last two years with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He continued to bat well in those two years, with a batting average of .280 in 1998 and .301 in 1999.

When Boggs retired at the end of the 1999 season, he had a lifetime batting average of .328 with 3010 hits, 1,513 runs scored, and 1,014 RBIs.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Wade Boggs
ESPN Sports - Wade Boggs

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