Date of birth: 1 June 1973
Primary position: Pitcher
Elected to Red Sox Hall of Fame: 2018
Lowe was part of perhaps the most lopsided trade in team history that favored the Red Sox, coming to Boston with catcher Jason Varitek in exchange for Heathcliff Slocumb at the trade deadline in 1997. Primarily used as a relief pitcher early in his Red Sox career, he succeeded Tom Gordon as the team closer after the latter was placed on the disabled list in June 1999. From there, he recorded 15 saves that season, then recorded another 42 saves in 2000 to earn the honor of closing for the American League All-Star squad that summer. Although Lowe saved another 24 games the following season, he proved less effective, blowing six saves; with that, the Red Sox made the decision to move him to the starting rotation, which proved to be the right choice.
In 2002, Lowe won 21 wins in 32 starts and was chosen as the starter for that season’s AL All-Star team, becoming the first player to start an All-Star game after appearing as the closer in a previous Mid-Summer Classic. He also finished third in the vote for the Cy Young Award behind Barry Zito of the Oakland Athletics and teammate Pedro Martinez. The highlight of his season for Lowe, however, was a no-hitter thrown on 27 April against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in a 10-0 win, the most lopsided no-hitter in major league history, in which he allowed just one batter to reach base. With that, he became the third player in major league history to have both a 40-save season and a no-hitter on his resume as well as the first to record a no-hitter following a 40-save season. He also became only the third player to have both a 20-win season and a 40-save season and the only one to first record the 40 saves.
While Lowe won 31 games over his last two seasons with the Red Sox in 2003 and 2004, his ERA ballooned as control issues began to plague him. However, he is well remembered for his post-season efforts in both seasons. In the deciding fifth game of the 2003 Division Series versus the Athletics, Lowe came in to relieve closer Scott Williamson and recorded the last three outs of the game, ending it with a strikeout of Terrence Long to send Boston to the Championship Series. The following year, he earned the win in all three of the deciding series games, capped with seven innings of shutout baseball in Game Four of the World Series versus the Cardinals for the team’s first world championship in 86 years.
Career Pitching Statistics through 2018 Season
| Season | W | L | SV | IP | H | ER | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 16.0 | 15 | 6 | 13 | 3.38 |
| 1998 | 3 | 9 | 4 | 123.0 | 126 | 55 | 77 | 4.02 |
| 1999 | 6 | 3 | 15 | 109.3 | 84 | 32 | 80 | 2.63 |
| 2000 | 4 | 4 | 42 | 91.3 | 90 | 26 | 79 | 2.56 |
| 2001 | 5 | 10 | 24 | 91.7 | 103 | 36 | 82 | 3.53 |
| 2002 | 21 | 8 | 0 | 219.7 | 166 | 63 | 127 | 2.58 |
| 2003 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 203.3 | 216 | 101 | 110 | 4.47 |
| 2004 | 14 | 12 | 0 | 182.7 | 224 | 110 | 105 | 5.42 |
| TOTAL | 70 | 55 | 85 | 1037.0 | 1024 | 429 | 673 | 3.72 |
Memorable Moments for Derek Lowe
- 31 July 1997 - The Red Sox perhaps make the best deal in franchise history when they send Heathcliff Slocumb to the Mariners in exchange for future All-Stars Jason Varitek and Derek Lowe.
- 27 April 2002 - Derek Lowe pitches the first no-hitter at Fenway Park in 37 years, allowing just a leadoff walk in the third inning, as the Red Sox trounced the Devil Rays, 10-0.
- 14 September 2002 - Red Sox pitcher Derek Lowe collects win number 20 with a 6-4 Boston triumph over Baltimore; Lowe is the first pitcher to record his first twenty-win season after saving 40 or more games in a previous season.
- 22 September 2002 - With Pedro Martinez notching win number 20, he and Derek Lowe become the first pair of Red Sox pitchers to win 20 or more games in a single season since 1949.
- 6 October 2003 - Boston completes the comeback from an 0-2 series deficit with a 4-3 win over Oakland in Game Five of the division series. Jason Varitek and Manny Ramirez both homer to score all four Boston runs and Derek Lowe comes from the bullpen to record the final three outs.
- 20 October 2004 - Boston rebounds from an 0-3 series deficit and clobbers New York 10-3 at Yankee Stadium for the club's first pennant in 18 years. Johnny Damon hits two home runs, David Ortiz hits his third of the series, and Derek Lowe earns the win by allowing just one run on one hit in six innings of work. The Red Sox become the first team to ever rally from an 0-3 playoff series deficit in Major League Baseball history.
- 27 October 2004 - With a lunar eclipse occurring simultaneously, Boston shuts out St. Louis 3-0 and sweeps the Cardinals in four games for the first Red Sox World Series win in 86 years. Johnny Damon leads off the game with a home run, Trot Nixon adds two more with a double, and Derek Lowe goes seven strong to become the first pitcher in Major League Baseball history to win the deciding game of all three series in a single postseason. The final out comes when Cardinals shortstop Edgar Renteria hits a chopper back to closer Keith Foulke, who easily underhands the throw to first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz, and Boston becomes the fourth team to sweep a series without having ever trailed in any of its four games.