2009 Boston Red Sox Season Summary

Record: 95-67, 2nd in American League East (5 teams)
Runs Scored: 872
Runs Allowed: 736
Pythagorean W-L: 93-69

Manager(s): Terry Francona (95-67)
Ball Park: Fenway Park

Post-Season Results

Lost AL Division Series to Los Angeles Angels (3-0)

Notable Moments from 2009

12 January 2009 - After 20 years with the Atlanta Braves, veteran hurler John Smoltz signs a free agent deal with the Red Sox. However, after missing most of the first few months of the season recovering from off-season surgery, the future Hall of Fame pitcher manages only two wins in eight appearances for Boston with a 8.32 ERA and is released in early August.

12 January 2009 - Former Red Sox left fielder Jim Rice, who spent all of his 16 years in baseball with Boston, is elected to the Hall of Fame in his final year of eligibility. Rice becomes the third player in Red Sox history to spend the bulk of his career playing left field for Boston, following in the footsteps of Ted Williams and Carl Yastrzemski.

21 January 2009 - Southpaw Jon Lester, who overcame anaplastic large cell lymphoma to pitch Game Four of the 2007 World Series and hurl a no-hitter in May 2008, wins the Hutch Award, and the first to be treated by a doctor from the renowned institution named for Seattle baseball legend Fred Hutchinson.

27 January 2009 - Author John Updike passes at the age of 76. The Pulitzer Prize winner and life-long Red Sox fan was inspired to pen the essay, Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu, after attending Ted William's last game at Fenway Park in 1960.

30 January 2009 - Veteran catcher Jason Varitek signs a one-year deal with Boston with club and player options for a second season. The Red Sox captain is unable to find another team interested in his services, while the team is unable to find a suitable replacement for its Gold Glove catcher.

24 April 2009 - Boston left fielder Jason Bay ties the game with a two-out, two-run ninth inning home run off New York closer Mariano Rivera and first baseman Kevin Youkilis hits a solo shot in the eleventh to give the Red Sox a 5-4 win over the Yankees at Fenway Park in the first meeting of the season between the rival clubs.

28 April 2009 - Boston's 11-game winning streak comes to an abrupt end in Cleveland as the Red Sox relinquish leads of 5-1, 7-3, and 8-7 in a 9-8 loss to the Indians. The streak included a stretch of nine games at Fenway Park sandwiched between wins on the road in Oakland and Cleveland.

6 June 2009 - With one out in the top of the seventh at Fenway Park, Texas third baseman Michael Young's double breaks up a perfect game being thrown by Boston southpaw Jon Lester, who settles for a complete game two-hitter and an 8-1 win for Boston. The gem comes just over a year after Lester had no-hit the Kansas City Royals.

11 June 2009 - A 4-3 Red Sox win over the Yankees marks the eighth straight win for Boston over New York to open the season, the first time that had happened since 1912 when the team won its first 14 games over its American League rival.

21 June 2009 - Light-hitting shortstop Nick Green leads off the bottom of the ninth inning with a solo shot down the right field line at Fenway Park that gives Boston a 6-5 win over Atlanta. The ball lands just past the Pesky Pole in the right field stands, a mere 305 feet from home plate but far enough to give the Red Sox a walk-off win over the Braves.

1 July 2009 - After relinquishing a nine-run lead to the Orioles the night before in an 11-10 loss, the Red Sox score four runs in the ninth to erase a 5-1 deficit and win 6-5 in 11 innings thanks to Julio Lugo's RBI single. Closer Jonathan Papelbon, who failed to set the franchise mark for career saves the previous night, pitches a perfect frame to give him 133 career saves, all with Boston.

2 August 2009 - Boston bangs out 23 hits in an 18-10 win over Baltimore at Camden Yards. Eight different Red Sox players have multiple-hit games, including newcomer Victor Martinez, who goes 5-for-6 with a double and four RBI.

6 September 2009 - Jon Lester becomes the tenth Boston pitcher in franchise history to record 200 strikeouts in a single season as the Red Sox win 6-1 over the White Sox. Lester joins Bruce Hurst as the only southpaws to reach this mark with the team.

15 September 2009 - David Ortiz sets a new mark for home runs hit by a designated hitter as number 270 leaves the playing field at Fenway Park of a 4-1 win for Boston over Los Angeles at Fenway Park. His eighth-inning blast against the Angels allows him to surpass Frank Thomas for most all-time at that position.

30 September 2009 - Appearing in the ninth inning of a 12-0 blowout at the hands of Toronto, catcher Dusty Brown becomes the third positional player of the season to take the mound for Boston. Brown is preceded by outfielder Jonathan Van Every on 30 April against Tampa Bay and shortstop Nick Green on 27 August against Chicago.

11 October 2009 - The Angels win their first post-season series over the Red Sox with a three-game sweep in the ALDS. With a 6-4 lead in the ninth at Fenway Park, Boston closer Jonathan Papelbon allows three two-out runs and the Sox are unable to score off Brian Fuentes as Los Angeles exacts its revenge against a team that had beaten the franchise in four previous playoff series.

16 December 2009 - Boston signs free agents John Lackey (pitcher) and Mike Cameron (outfielder) to contracts. Lackey gets a five-year, $82.5 million contract with a sixth-year club option, while Cameron gets two years and $15.5 million.