The numbers have been processed and the scores have been tallied. We have our top 25 Red Sox pitchers ready to be presented but, before we cycle through the best in team history, let’s see who just missed the cut. After all, these Boston legends were so close to making the rotation or the relief corps…

26. Curt Schilling
RHP, 2004-2008 - 53-29, 3.95 ERA, 574 SO, 9 SV, one All-Star selection
Sixteen years after being part of a mid-season deal that sent him to Baltimore for Mike Boddicker, Schilling returned in 2004 looking to “help break a 86-year-old curse” and did just that, giving his all in winning 21 games during the regular season, posting a 3.26 ERA and 203 strikeouts. He also posted nine saves in 2005 after coming off the disabled list to fill in for regular closer Keith Foulke. In his time here, he’s averaged 7.65 strikeouts against only 1.44 BB per nine innings pitched, placing him fourth and second all-time in franchise history and giving him a strikeout-to-walk ratio second only to Pedro Martinez.

27. Dick Radatz
RHP, 1962-1966 - 49-32, 2.65 ERA, 627 SO, 104 SV, two All-Star selections
He was “the Monster” before that name was given to the left-field wall at Fenway Park, throwing his arms up in triumph after finishing a game for the Sox. Between 1962 and 1965, he averaged 25 saves at a time that the statistic didn’t exist, and he often pitched two or three innings to earn it. He ranks first in hits allowed per nine innings pitched, second in strikeouts per nine innings pitcher, second in games finished, and ninth in WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched)

28. Bruce Hurst
LHP, 1980-1988 - 88-73, 4.23 ERA, 1043 SO, one All-Star selection
He is arguably the best left-handed pitcher in recent years with Boston, a place where southpaws usually struggle. Between 1986 and 1988, he was a remarkable 33-9 at Fenway Park and, in team history, ranks second behind former Boston lefty Mel Parnell with 56 at the place the Red Sox call home. Hurst is one of only six pitchers to record at least 1000 strikeouts in a Boston uniform and also ranks seventh all-time in strikeouts per nine innings pitched.

29. Frank Sullivan
RHP, 1953-1960 - 90-80, 3.47 ERA, 72 CG, 821 SO, two-time All-Star selection
Sullivan was nothing short of a workhorse for the Red Sox during the 1950s. He twice won at least 15 games for the Sox, leading the league in wins with 18 and innings pitched with 260 in 1955 while posting a 2.91 ERA.

30. Roger Moret
RHP, 1970-1975 - 41-18, 3.43 ERA
The sidearm-throwing Moret twice led the American League in win percentage, going 13-2 and 1973 and 14-3 in 1975 for the Sox, though he started only about half of his appearances those seasons. In 1973, he started the season 11-0, including six straight starts at one point, which places him second only behind Roger Clemens for number of wins to start a season without a loss.

Tags: Boston Red Sox, Bruce Hurst, Curt Schilling, Dick Radatz, Frank Sullivan, Roger Moret

The numbers have been processed and the scores have been tallied. We have our top 25 Red Sox positional players ready to be presented but, before we cycle through the best in team history, let’s see who just missed the cut. After all, these Boston legends were so close to making the roster…

26. Frank Malzone
3B, 1955-1965, .276 BA, three-time Gold Glove winner, six-time All-Star
From 1957 through 1964, Malzone was Boston’s everyday third baseman, averaging around 15 home runs and just over 80 RBI per season. In 1957, he was the first player honored with a Gold Glove at third base, and he won it the following two years representing the American League. Five times, he started in the All-Star Game representing Boston. In team history, he ranks ninth in total hits with 1454.

27. Larry Gardner
3B, 1908-1917, .282 BA, 87 3B, 134 SB, 182 SF
When speed mattered, Gardner was one of the best in team history. He ranks fifth all-time in triples by a Boston player with 87, hitting 18 in 1912 and setting a personal best with 19 in 1914. He also swiped 134 bases with Boston, which also places him fifth in franchise history, and recorded 182 sacrifice hits, good enough for third all-time. Between 1912 and 1917, as Boston’s regular third baseman, he played part in three world championships; he later earned another ring with Cleveland and former Red Sox outfielder Tris Speaker in 1920.

28. Johnny Damon
CF, 2002-2005 - .295 BA, 461 R, 98 SB, two-time All Star
He may have been a self-proclaimed “idiot” but Damon was an integral part of the 2004 World Series champions, setting highs of 123 runs scored, 20 home runs, and 94 RBI while his long, dark locks chased him around the bases. In four seasons with Boston, he averaged 115 runs, nearly 25 stolen bases, and 75 RBI per season while averaging just under .300.

29. Ellis Burks
CF, 1987-1992, 2004 - .280 BA, 94 HR, 388 RBI, 95 SB, one Gold Glove
As a rookie, Burks was just the third player in team history to hits at least 20 HR and steal 20 bases in one season. When he was healthy, he was phenomenal; in 1988, he hit another 18 home runs, drove in 92, scored 93 times, and stole 25 bases while batting .294. He also displayed great range in center field, earning a Gold Glove in 1990. That same year, he earned his only All-Star selection with the team, hitting 21 home runs and batting .296 while also taking home Silver Slugger honors.

30. Trot Nixon
RF, 1996-2006 - .278 BA, 133 HR, 523 RBI, 547 R
Nixon was the true definition of a “dirt dog” - tough, gritty, and willing to do whatever was necessary for the team; that, in turn, earned him the admiration of not only his teammates but the Boston fans. In seven full seasons - not including the 2004 season in which he missed all but 48 games - he averaged 18 home runs and 71 RBI while showing great range in Fenway Park’s tricky right field.

Tags: Boston Red Sox, Ellis Burks, Frank Malzone, Johnny Damon, Larry Gardner, Trot Nixon

Over 1200 players have picked up a bat and over 700 players have thrown a pitch wearing a Boston uniform, so who has made the most of his opportunity with the franchise? FenwayFanatics.com, home to Boston Red Sox fans everywhere, presents a new series this season that takes a look at the all-time top 25 pitchers and positional players in franchise history. Players past and present who have played at least four years in Boston are ranked according to totals accumulated with the Red Sox through the end of the 2007 season.

To further qualify, pitchers must have started at least 50 games or made 100 appearances and thrown a minimum of 440 innings, while positional players must then have a combined totaled of at least 720 at-bats and walks and played a minimum of 200 games. Rankings are then decided strictly by regular season numbers, so post-season heroics don’t count here, nor do Cy Young and MVP awards, batting titles, no-hitters, and All-Star selections, among others outside factors.

Our inspiration comes from Baseball-Reference.com, the definitive site for statistics tied to every player in Major League Baseball history. In addition to providing the batting, pitching, and fielding statistics of each player, it also ranks players based on the statistics and accomplishments of former players elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. One of those is the Hall of Fame Career Standards measurement, which is used “…to measure the overall quality of a player’s career as opposed to single brilliance (peak value)…”[1] and based primarily on similar methods used by Bill James in his book, The Politics of Glory. From there, we tweaked the formula for our own use[2] and the results will be published here over the next six months. Stay tuned!

[1] Leader Glossary. Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 07 April 2008.
[2] FenwayFanatics.com All-Time Top 25 Rankings Explained.

Tags: Boston Red Sox, top players

On the last play of Wednesday afternoon’s game in Oakland, Boston Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis collected a ground ball from Athletics left fielder Jack Cust and recorded the out at first unassisted; in the process, he set a new major league record for consecutive error-free games by a first baseman with 194. That mark breaks the old mark held by former big leaguer Steve Garvey, who set the mark between June 1983 and April 1985 with the San Diego Padres. Youkilis also went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI single in Boston’s 5-0 win over Oakland.

In 2007, Youkilis broke Stuffy McInnis’s old team record of 119 games and then surpassed the old American League mark of 178 straight games by Mike Hegan. At season’s end, Youkilis not only finished with a 1.000 fielding percentage but was awarded a Gold Glove, the only Red Sox first baseman other than George “Boomer” Scott to win the award at that position. Oddly enough, Youkilis originally joined Boston as a third baseman in 2004 but transitioned to first base full-time in 2006, though he did have some minor league experience at that position.

Tags: Boston Red Sox, George Scott, Kevin Youkilis, Stuffy McInnis

01 April 1998 - On this day ten years ago, Pedro Martinez makes his debut with the Boston Red Sox, strikes out 11 batters, and allows only three hits in a 2-0 win over the Athletics in Oakland. Martinez, who had pitched the previous four seasons in Montreal, had signed as a free agent with Boston over the off-season in a deal that guaranteed six years and $72.7 million, with a club option for a seventh season at $17.5 million. The previous season, he had posted 17 wins in 31 starts with a 1.90 ERA and 305 strikeouts, easily winning the National League Cy Young award. With the game starting late on the West Coast at 10:40 PM ET, Martinez set down the first eleven batters he faced before giving up a line-drive single to left field to Ben Grieve. The only real threat came in the seventh when back-to-back singles followed by a sacrifice bunt put runners on second and third with one out; however, facing his last two batters of the night, Martinez struck out catcher A.J. Hinch and center fielder Jason McDonald to keep Oakland off the board. Darren Bragg provided the only run the Red Sox would need in the fifth with a sacrifice fly to right that scored Darren Lewis, and John Valentin added an insurance run in the seventh with a sac fly that plated Bragg.

Martinez would go on to finish second in the American League Cy Young vote that season behind former Red Sox pitcher Roger Clemens, posting a 19-7 record with a 2.89 ERA and 251 strikeouts in 33 starts. The following year, he joined Randy Johnson as the first pitchers to win a Cy Young award in both leagues, the first of two consecutive awards for the ace. In seven seasons with Boston, Martinez would win 117 games against 37 losses, post a 2.52 ERA, and strike out 1683 batters in nearly 1400 innings of work. He would also be part of the club in 2004 that won Boston’s first World Series championship in 86 years, winning Game Three of the series against the St. Louis Cardinals with seven scoreless innings of work. Through 2007, his won-loss percentage of .760 puts him first in franchise history, his win total puts him tied for sixth, and his strikeout total puts him second behind Clemens, though just three ahead of current Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield.

Tags: Boston Red Sox, John Valentin, Pedro Martinez, Roger Clemens