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Setting the right tone

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It’s a long season ahead. Every fan has a friend or significant other that reminds us of that whenever we suffer a loss. But Red Sox fans know that every game counts and that postseason plans can be dashed by a couple of games, or even just one.

Getting out of the gate strong is valuable not just for the wins, but for the psyche of a team. Last year marked the 44th time since 1914 that the Red Sox started the first 30 games of a season with a sub .500 record.

How the Red Sox have opened the season since 1914.

How the Red Sox have opened the season since 1914.

1946 was a special year for the Red Sox. Six Boston players earned spots on the American’s League’s Top 20 batting averages of the season, led by Ted Williams (.342), Johnny Pesky (.335), and Dom DiMaggio (.316), for 2nd, 4th, and 7th-best in the AL that year, respectively. 1946 set the franchise record for best win percentage over Boston’s first 30 games: 24 wins, a remarkable 80% win percentage. That record is tied for the 3rd best win percentage over the first 30 games in all of baseball since 1914. Only the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers (25) and the 1984 Tigers (26) have had more.

The Red Sox came tantalizingly close to their franchise record with 23 wins over their first 30 games of 2002. The World Series Champions of 2007 and 2013 each notched 20 wins, tied with 8 other Red Sox teams for the 6th-most wins over the first 30 games.

Recovering from a tough start

In 1914 the then-Boston Braves won the World Series despite amassing the fewest wins by any team over their first 30 games since that time. The Braves won just 9 of 30 games that season but overcame that deficit to finish first in the National League with a 94-59 record. They met up the AL Champion Philadelphia Athletics (99-53), sweeping them in four straight games led by Hank Gowdy and Johnny Evers, who combined to go 13-for-27 (.482) in the Fall Classic.

Since the 1914 Braves just 8 other teams have won the World Series when opening the season with a sub .500 win percentage over the first 30 games:

  • 1942 Cardinals, .483
  • 1915 Red Sox, .483
  • 1925 Pirates, .467
  • 2009 Yankees, .467
  • 1969 Mets, .467
  • 1924 Washington Senators, .448
  • 1926 Cardinals, .433
  • 1979 Pirates, .400
  • 1914 Boston Braves, .310

Power restored

With the exciting moves in the 2015 offseason fans will be keenly focused on a restoration of Red Sox power. Here are some Red Sox offensive records for the first 30 games:

  • Most hits: 327 (2002)
  • Most home runs: 43 (1969)
  • Most RBI: 183 (1950)
  • Highest batting average: .305 (2002)
  • Highest on-base percentage: .394 (1950)
  • Highest slugging percentage: .482 (2002)
  • Most walks: 179 (1946)
  • Most doubles: 84 (2012)
  • Most triples: 20 (1934)
  • Most stolen bases: 40 (1918)

Badenhop heads to Reds

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News today that the Reds have signed pitcher Burke Badenhop to one year deal. It’s his fourth straight one year contract following stints with the Rays, Brewers, and Red Sox. Badenhop tuns 32 on Sunday.

In 2014 Badenhop reached a 7-year career high for most appearances (70) with the Red Sox. He worked effectively to a club- and career-best 2.29 ERA over 70.2 innings pitched, during which time he allowed just one home run (a one out solo shot off the bat of Yankees Kelly Johnson on April 12). In 32 road games of 2014 Badenhop’s ERA was 0.92. Badenhop’s career best 1.5 WAR last season was third best for the Red Sox behind Jon Lester (2.7) and Koji Uehara (1.7).

Badenhop, who got off to a slow start by allowing 7 earned runs over 9.1 innings (6.75 ERA) April 4-18, hit a particularly rough patch when he allowed runs in 3 straight games from July 5-8. His ratio for strikeouts per 9 innings pitched in 2014 dropped to a career low of 5.1

Grantland’s Jonah Keri reports that Badenhop’s deal with the Reds is for $1 million this season with a $4 million club option or $1.5 million buyout for 2016.


2015 Red Sox hope to reignite home run power

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Despite an uptick in 2012, the number of Major League players with 20+ home runs in a single season has been declining steadily since 2008. Last season just 56 MLB players reached that mark, the lowest such tally since the 30-year low of 31 such players in 1994.

Since 1985, the Red Sox have always had at least one 20+ home run slugger, save for 1992.

David Ortiz, who hit 35 home runs in 2014, has belted 20+ HRs every season since joining the Red Sox in 2003. His 12 such seasons is 2nd in Red Sox history only to the 16 by Ted Williams. Last year Ortiz surpassed Dwight Evans and Jim Rice, both of whom had 11 such seasons.

MLB Players with 20+ HRs in a Single Season

Over the past 30 seasons, the Red Sox have had at least one 20+ home run hitter in every season but 1992.

2014 was, well, forgettable.The Red Sox total of 123 home runs last season was their worst output since 114 total HRs in 1993. In 2014 Ortiz was the only Boston player to reach 20+ home runs. It marked just the 5th time over the past 30 seasons (and the first time since 1994) that the Sox had just one such player. The four other times since 1985 featured Ellis Burks (1990), Jack Clark (1991), and Mo Vaughn (1993-94).

In what turned out ultimately to be the disappointing season of 2003, the Red Sox had a club record six players with 20+ home runs: Manny Ramirez (37), David Ortiz (31), Nomar Garciaparra (28), Trot Nixon (28), Kevin Millar (25) and Jason Varitek (25).

The MLB record for a club with the most players with 20+ home runs in a single season is seven. It’s happened just five times: 1996 Orioles, 2000 and 2010 Blue Jays, 2005 Rangers, and the 2009 Yankees.

Red Sox home runs over the past 30 seasons.

Red Sox total home runs over the past 30 seasons.

By every measure, the 2015 Red Sox offensive production should be prodigious, particularly when compared to the anemic campaign we just witnessed. It will be fun to see how the retooled Boston offense performs together and what new records can be written.


3 Worth Reading

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Happy new year, fans. We’re finally into double digits as we count down to Opening Day 2015.

Here are some noteworthy stories from around the web for Red Sox fans:

  • With all that’s gone on this offseason it has been easy to lose sight of Rusney Castillo, the Sox’ $72 million man. Castillo went 15-for-37 (.405) with two doubles, a home run, two walks, and only four strikeouts in the Arizona Fall League and has just finished 10 games of Winter Ball under manager (and former Red Sox) Alex Cora in Puerto Rico. Cora’s views are positive on Castillo both offensively and defensively.
  • Everyone’s favorite utility man, Brock Holt, says he’s ready for anything in the 2015 campaign. Holt hit .281 with four home runs, 29 RBIs, 12 stolen bases and a .331 on-base percentage in 106 games last season. He says he’s talked to GM Cherington and Manager Farrell: “They told me that it’ll probably be kind of similar to what I did last year. Move around, give guys days off whenever they need them.” For his part, Holt is “just kind of happy to help out however I can.”
  • BleacherReport.com is out with their power rankings for 2015. As things stand they peg the Red Sox at No. 13 of the 30 Major League teams (with AL East mates Rays at No. 26, Yankees at No. 21, Orioles at No. 11, and Blue Jays at No. 7) and the Cardinals topping the list altogether. While they acknowledge plenty of questions for Boston as of today, they conclude “the Red Sox have a real shot at contending for what looks to be a suddenly wide-open AL East division.”

Greenwell’s rarest
of rare home runs

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"<strongMike Greenwell ended an 86 year drought—not for a World Championship, but for one of the rarest of rare feats: an inside-the-park grand slam home run against the New York Yankees.

24 years ago on a sunny September 1, 1990, Greenwell did something at Fenway Park that hadn’t been done in 29 years. Facing the Yankees that Saturday afternoon the Red Sox outfielder went 4-for-5 including a memorable inside-the-park grand slam home run off New York reliever Greg Cadaret. It was the first such Red Sox home run since Gary Geiger‘s on August 8, 1961.

Two-time All-Star Mike Greenwell played 12 seasons with the Red Sox from 1985-96, retiring with a 303/.368/.463 slash line. In an outstanding 1988 All-Star and Gold Glove season he went .325/.416/.531, the 2nd-best on-base percentage, 3rd-best batting average, and 5th-best slugging percentage in the American League. He achieved single-season career bests that year for home runs (22) and RBI (119). His WAR was 7.5, 5th-best in the AL. Greenwell was runner-up that year for AL MVP, losing out to Jose Canseco.

Greenwell joins a small group of Red Sox

But in that September 1, 1990 game “The Gator” distinguished himself in a way few others have. That it came against the Yankees made it especially sweet. The 2nd time, in fact, the Red Sox had managed the rarest of home runs vs their dreaded rivals, but the first time in 86 years. The Red Sox would win that game 15-1 boosted by two home runs for Ellis Burks and another by Tom Brunansky.

Greenwell joined a small group of Red Sox with inside-the-park grand slams at home. The others are:

  • Gary Geiger vs the Twins (August 8, 1961)
  • Don Lenhardt vs the Philadelphia Athetics (April 19, 1952, Game 1)
  • Hobe Ferris vs the White Sox (June 5,1903)
  • Jimmy Collins vs the Cardinals (July 25, 1902)

In club history four other Red Sox batters have had inside-the-park grand slams on the road, including two by Duffy Lewis: October 3, 1912 vs the Philadelphia Athletics and May 13, 1911 vs the Tigers. The others are: