Winning in extra innings is fairly common; Boston played bonus baseball 18 times in 2017, amassing a surprising 15-3 mark in those instances. Shutouts are also not unusual; Boston blanked its opponent in 11 games last season. All that stated, winning in extra innings while shutting out your opponent? That is somewhat unique. According to Baseball-Reference.com, since 1908, there have been only 32 instances where the Red Sox shut out their opponent but needed extra frames to secure the win.

Between 1912 and 1918, a span of seven seasons that saw the Red Sox win four World Series championships, Boston needed extra frames in 12 instances to win, including three games against Cleveland in 1918. Two of those games against the Indians came on back-to-back days, but not in back-to-back games, as the first shutout came in the first game of a doubleheader on 08 July.

Additionally, a game between the Red Sox and St. Louis Browns on 14 July 1916 at Fenway Park ended in a 0-0 tie after 17 innings. Ernie Koob went the distance for the visitors, while Carl Mays pitched the first 15 innings for Boston and Dutch Leonard tossed the final two. The Red Sox have one other instance in their history of a game that went to extra innings and ended in a 0-0 tie; that game came on 08 September 1929 against the Browns that was scoreless after ten innings. Likely because it was the second game of a doubleheader and that it came well before the Red Sox installed lights at Fenway did the game end when it did. Ironically, that game was a make up of a rain out from 25 July.

Since 1931, a span of nearly 88 seasons, there have only been 20 additional instances of the Red Sox shutting out their opponent in extra innings. Surprisingly, since 2011, Boston has accomplished this feat five times; more improbably, they have done it three times over the past two seasons: twice against Baltimore and once against Pittsburgh. Perhaps the most nail-biting of the most recent affairs came in 2011, when the Red Sox needed 16 innings to shut out the Rays 1-0 in Tampa, with Dustin Pedroia driving home Josh Reddick with two outs in the top of the frame and Jonathan Papelbon coming in to get the final three outs and preserve the win.

There is no question from anyone who has watched him over his eight-plus seasons with Boston that he has been an invaluable contributor to its recent success and there’s a possibility that we have not seen him pitch for the last time in a Red Sox uniform. So how does he compare to others greats who have pitched for this franchise?

In franchise history, there have been 133 lefties who have started at least one game for the Red Sox. We looked at Baseball-Reference.com‘s Play Index and narrowed the search to those pitchers who toed the rubber for at least 100 games with Boston as a starter.

Top Career ERA+

Top Career WAR

Top Career WHIP

Grove, who is the only pitcher to notch his 300th victory in a Red Sox uniform, pitched eight seasons between 1934 and 1941. His ERA+ of 134 and WAR of 44.7 leads the franchise in both categories for left-handed pitchers. He is also sixth all-time in WHIP. Leonard, who pitched six seasons between 1913 and 1918 and was part of three World Series championships, has the second-best ERA+ in franchise history (134), is fourth in WAR (27.2), and third in WHIP (1.136), putting him very close to Grove.

Also showing up on all three lists is Ruth who, while better known for changing the game of baseball with his bat, was part of the same three world championships as Leonard and has the third-best ERA+ in franchise history for southpaws. Collins, while perhaps not as well-known to casual Red Sox fans, is also on all three lists, playing for two world champions in 1912 and 1915 and currently sitting at number two in franchise history for WHIP (1.134).

Lester, upon close examination, certainly matches well in all three categories. His ERA+ of 120 places him fifth behind Ruth, his WAR of 31.0 places him second only to Grove, and his WHIP puts him fifth in that category. Also consider that, save for Collins and Tannehill, every other player listed here is a member of the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame, and it’s probably a safe bet to say that he will someday be there, too.

In team history, Clemens is tied with another former Boston great, Cy Young, for the most shutouts in team history, although Young did that over eight seasons while Clemens accomplished his total over 13 seasons with the club. Standing alone in third place in Smoky Joe Wood with 28 over eight years with the club, while Luis Tiant is fourth with 26 over eight seasons and Dutch Leonard is fifth with 25 over six seasons. The single season record for the franchise is 10, accomplish by Young in 1904 and Wood in 1912; Babe Ruth is third with nine in 1916, and Clemens (1988) and Carl Mays (1918) are tied for fourth with eight.

The 23-year-old rookie, drafted by the Red Sox in 2005 as compensation for the loss of Pedro Martinez to free agency, also became the third pitcher to throw a no-hitter in either his first or second major league start; his only other start came two weeks ago against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the first game of a day-night doubleheader at Fenway. Buchholz also became the 17th rookie in major league history to throw a no-hitter and the third pitcher to throw a no-hitter this season. It was also the first time that he had thrown more than seven innings in a start for the Boston organization this season; he had thrown seven complete twice with Double-A Portland and once with Triple-A Pawtucket.

Ironically, Boston actually had the opportunity on the last day of the 2006 season to witness a rookie throw a no-hitter in just his second start. Devern Hansack, making his Fenway debut one week after his major league debut in Toronto, went five innings against Baltimore and, despite one walk, had faced the minimum 15 batters while striking out six. Unfortunately, the game was called on account of severe weather after five complete with the Red Sox leading 9-0; due to rule changes made in 1991 by Major League Baseball’s Committee for Statistical Accuracy, Hansack’s effort was not recognized as an official “no-hitter” in the record books since he had thrown fewer than nine no-hit innings.

In team history, only Cy Young and Dutch Leonard have thrown more than one no-hitter for the Red Sox and Young is the only Boston pitcher to throw a perfect game, the first in American League history. Oddly enough, no-hitters have come in bunches for Boston; nine were tossed between Young’s perfect gem in 1904 and Leonard’s second no-no in 1918. After Howard Ehmke no-hit the Athletics in Philadelphia in 1923, no Red Sox pitcher managed another one until 1956 when Mel Parnell threw one at Fenway Park against Chicago. Six years later, Earl Wilson and Bill Monbouquette threw no-hitters within five weeks of each other in 1962 and Dave Morehead threw a no-no against the Indians at home in 1965; it would then be another 36 years before the next Red Sox no-hitter and 37 years before a Red Sox pitcher would toss one in front of the home crowd at Fenway.

So, in no particular order, are five candidates for consideration:

1. Don Zimmer

Younger Red Sox fans might remember him more as the old guy who Pedro Martinez tossed to the side in the midst of an on-field melee at Fenway Park during the 2003 ALCS, but “Zim” led Boston over four years at the helm, taking over for Darrell Johnson after the latter was fired midway through a disasterous 1976 campaign. In 715 games as manager, he won 411 contests and finished with better than 90 wins in every season between 1977 and 1979 before being dumped unceremoniously seven games before the end of the 1980 campaign. He also served 2-1/2 seasons under Johnson as Boston’s third base coach and returned for one season in 1992 as Butch Hobson’s bench coach. Older fans often remember him as the manager who watched the Red Sox blow a 14-1/2 game lead in July of 1978, and then witnessed Bucky Freakin’ Dent hit a home run in a one-game playoff at Fenway to lose the AL East crown that same season, but that team also managed to win 99 games, the fourth-most wins ever in a season in franchise history. He was, in the words of Johnny Pesky: “…an innovator, a student of the game, and an excellent day-to-day manager.”[1]

2. Earl Wilson

Wilson owns the distinction of being the first African-American pitcher in Red Sox team history, breaking the color barrier by hurling a scoreless one-inning relief appearance in late July of 1959; three days later, he made his first ever start. He also threw a no-hitter at Fenway Park in June of 1962, helping his own cause with a home run, and becoming the first black major league pitcher to throw an American League no-hitter. In seven seasons with Boston, Wilson won 56 games for clubs that finished at or near the bottom of the league standings. After a trade to Detroit midway through the 1966 campaign, Wilson’s career took off as he further blossomed and won another 64 games with the Tigers. Wilson was also regarded as one of baseball’s greatest power-hitting pitchers, hitting 35 home runs during his career and all but two of them while in the game as a pitcher. He even hit two in one game with the Red Sox in 1965.

3. Dutch Leonard

Leonard pitched for six seasons in Boston between 1913 and 1918, posting 90 wins and a 2.14 ERA with 769 strikeouts in that span. He also won both of his World Series starts, once in 1915 and another in 1916, as the Red Sox won back-to-back world championships. He may be best remembered, however, for posting an amazing 0.96 ERA in 1914, the modern baseball record, while going 19-5 in 36 starts. He also threw two no-hitters in his Red Sox career, once in August of 1916 and again two years later in June of 1918. Unfortunately, due to shipbuilding and millitary obligations, he missed most of the 1918 season, losing out on the opportunity to be part of a third world championship.

4. Bill Lee

“Spaceman” made a name for himself more due to his unique personality but few people remember that he was actually a great pitcher during the mid-1970s, winning 17 games in three straight seasons between 1973 and 1975. After beginning his career in the bullpen, Lee was made a permanent fixture of the rotation in 1973 and responded with 16 wins in 33 starts and an overall 17-11 record with a 2.75 ERA, enough to earn him his only All-Star appearance. After posting a 17-15 record the following season, he went 17-9 in 1975 during Boston’s pennant-winning season. 16 of those wins came between May and August to help the Red Sox distance themselves from their division rivals; he also enjoyed a stretch of eight straight appearances between early July and mid-August that included seven starts without a loss, including four straight complete game victories, and compiled a 6-0 record with a 3.14 ERA during that span. He would finish his Boston career with 94 wins and a 3.64 ERA to his credit, along with enough off-the-wall comments made during his career to create a Fenway Park legend.

5. Mike Greenwell

“Gator” became a Fenway Park fixture in 1987 and spent ten seasons with the club, averaging .303 at the plate while hitting 133 home runs with the only team he ever knew. An All-Star twice, he provided a solid and reliable presence in the team’s lineup during his tenure, perhaps best demonstrated with the fact that he averaged a strikeout only once every 3-1/2 games and posted a .368 career on-base percentage, twice recording an OBP of .400 or better. Greenwell finished fourth in his rookie season for American League Rookie of the Year honors and finished second a year later in the MVP race to Jose Canseco. In most years, he was the team’s everyday left fielder, following in the hallowed footsteps of legends like Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, and Jim Rice, and managed a respectable .982 fielding percentage playing in front of the wall at Fenway Park. He is also one of just 18 Red Sox players to hit for the cycle and hit an inside-the-park grand slam against the Yankees at home in September of 1990.

[1] Pesky, J. and Pepe, P. Few and Chosen: Defining Red Sox Greatness Across the Eras. 2004, Triumph Books, Chicago, IL. 170 pp.