What are Red Sox Players Remembered For?

Manny Alexander

 * In 2000, Alexander loaned his Mercedes-Benz to a bat boy. The bat boy was stopped by a state trooper who suspected the car wasn't his.  The trooper ended up finding steroids and syringes in the glove compartment of the car.  (The bat boy was arrested for driving the car without a license, they found the syringes and steroids after the car had been impounded.) Citing "insufficient evidence" Alexander was never charged with any wrong-doing.

Abe Alvarez

 * Thus far, Alvarez is known for being "that pitcher who wears his cap crooked". Truth is, he's legally blind in his left eye and claims that wearing his cap the way he does helps balance the lighting in his eyes.

Brady Anderson

 * Brady Anderson was drafted in 1985 and came through the Red Sox system during the eighties. He was subsequently traded (with Curt Schilling) to the Baltimore Orioles for relief pitcher Mike Boddicker on July 30, 1988.  Anderson later became one of the best players for the Orioles (and baseball) during the nineties.

Bronson Arroyo

 * Remembered for:Arroyo will always have a place in Red Sox lore for holding the ball that Alex Rodriguez illegally knocked away in Game 6 of the 2004 American League Championship Series.Arroyo is credited with the second out of the eighth inning for his attempt to tag A-Rod in Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS. He then retired the side against Gary Sheffield.
 * Arroyo was also the only Red Sox player in my memory to put out a fairly decent rock album.

Mark Bellhorn

 * Worst Achievements:Aka The Strike out King ! Bellhorn's incredible strikeout ability earned him the respect of his manager in Boston, Terry Francona. In an interview with the The Boston Globe during the 2004 MLB All-Star Break, Francona stated, "Bell's steady, thats why we keep him in there everyday," an obvious reference to Bellhorn's unique ability to strikeout two or more times per game. After the interview was published, Bellhorn was given the nickname Mark "Steady" Bellhorn by his Boston teammates
 * Best Achievements: 2004 American League Championship Series: For the first seven postseason games of his career, Bellhorn had 2 hits in 25 at-bats (.080). But his resurgence started as he hit a three-run homer off Jon Lieber to power Boston to a 4-2 victory over the Yankees in Game 6 of the ALCS. He also homered in Game 7 in the Bronx for a key insurance run, sending the ball high and clanging it loudly off the right field foul pole.

Dante Bichette
Bichette spent his first five years in the majors playing for the Angles and Brewers before being traded to the Colorado Rockies, for whom his career was most prolific, in 1993. He batted above .300 for his first six seasons with the Rockies, then went to the Reds in 2000. Towards the end of the season, he was traded to the Red Sox and played in 137 games with them in '00 and '01, tallying 505 total at-bats with the team before being granted free agency and retiring.

Oil Can Boyd

 * Went into the clubhouse after the second out in the tenth inning of Game 6 in the 1986 World Series and began opening wine bottles, causing some to think he jinxed the whole thing.

Chad Bradford

 * The man with the submarine motion, and a star of Moneyball, was acquired from the Oakland Athletics for the petulant Jay Payton and cash. Lots of fun to watch, particularly when his knuckles grazed the mound, but didn't do a whole lot as part of the LOOGY-ROOGY stunt bullpen with Mike Myers in 2005.

Tom Brunansky

 * Best Achievement:On the last day on the 1990 season, the Red Sox were playing the White Sox at Fenway. With a one game lead over the Blue Jays, the Red Sox needed a win to clinch the division at face the Oakland A's in the ALCS.  In the top of the ninth, with the Red Sox hanging on to a 3-1 lead, and closer Jeff Reardon in the game for Boston, Chicago managed to get 2 runners on.  With 2 outs, Ozzie Guillen hit a sharp liner to right field that if it fell in would score both runners and tie the game.  Tom Brunansky made a game saving, and season saving, sliding catch in the right field corner to seal the Red Sox victory and clinch them the American League East.

Bill Buckner

 * Worst Achievement: October 25, 1986. The Boston Red Sox were leading the New York Mets 3 games to 2 in the 1986 World Series, and Game 6 was tied after nine innings. The Red Sox had taken a two-run lead in the top of the tenth, but the Mets had come back to tie on a wild pitch by pitcher Bob Stanley. Mookie Wilson of the Mets fouled off several pitches before hitting a ground ball to Buckner at first base. The ball took a deadening bounce on the dirt and rolled under Buckner's glove, through his legs, and into right field, allowing Ray Knight to score the winning run from second base.

Bernie Carbo

 * In game 6 of the 1975 World Series, the Red Sox were down 6-3 in the bottom of the 8th inning to the Reds. With two men on base, Bernie Carbo hit a home run to straight away center field to tie the game, setting the stage for Carlton Fisk's home run in the bottom of the 12th.

Matt Clement
Player=Matt Clement Years=2005 Type=Pitching
 * The biggest memory of Matt Clement may be the line drive that hit him in the head during the 3rd inning on July 27, 2005 he was pitching against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He was 10-3 with a 4.30ERA before that game, leading the team.  He looked shaky after his return, however and went .500 for the rest of the season, finished 13-6 with a 4.56ERA.

Roger Clemens

 * Greatest Ahievements: Clemens is one of only two pitchers to have thrown 20 strikeouts in a 9-inning major league game (Kerry Wood is the other. Randy Johnson also struck out 20 batters in the first nine innings of a game, but since the game went into extra innings, Johnson was not awarded the record). Remarkably, Clemens accomplished the feat twice; on April 29, 1986 against the Seattle Mariners at Fenway Park, and on September 18, 1996 against the Detroit Tigers at Tiger Stadium, more than ten years later. He accomplished both as a member of the Boston Red Sox.
 * Greatest Achivements: Clemens also won three of his seven Cy Young Awards while he was with the Red Sox in 1986, 1987, and 1991.

Clemens' 3 Cy Young Awards with Red Sox
Player=Roger Clemens Type= Pitching Years=1986, 1987, 1991

Paxton Crawford
A largely forgettable pitcher for the Red Sox, Crawford pitched to a 5-1 career record as a member of the 2000 and 2001 Red Sox. His career was derailed by injuries, most notably cutting his back and a tendon rolling out of bed onto glass. He is the first Red Sox player to admit to using steroids while on the team. Several Red Sox players and front office members dispute this claim, saying that Crawford wasn't very good.

Johnny Damon

 * Best Achievement:Many Red Sox fans will remember Johnny Damon for his performance in the 2004 ALCS and World Series- helping to bring the World Series back to Boston for the first time in 86 years. His grand slam in game 7 of the ALCS against the Yankees to give the Red Sox a level of comfort in the game is probably the best moment.


 * Worst Achievement:However, Johnny Damon will inevitably be remembered for signing with the Yankees following the 2005 season, less than 1 year after he vowed that he would not necessarily go for the offer with the most money and that he would never play for the Yankees. Many Red Sox fans view this betrayal as the worst kind and will forget all the good he did in Boston, choosing to call him a traitor and hate him forever.

Manny Delcarmen

 * So far Manny is only known as the kid that Terry Francona refesuses to put into the game. His control issues and the fact that he's inexperienced apparently mean that he can't make an appearance in even the biggest blowout

Dom DiMaggio
The lesser famous of the DiMaggio brothers, Dom quietly put up a solid career in the Red Sox outfield. He was the center fielder to Ted Williams' left field, and batted .298 over 11 seasons with the Red Sox.

Lenny DiNardo

 * DiNardo was acquired from the New York Mets in the Rule V Draft before the 2004 season. He spent the entire year with "injuries" made up by the Red Sox so that they could keep him on the DL instead of on their roster.

Dennis Eckersley
One of the best relievers ever to play the game, Eck is a Hall of Famer who spent 24 years in the league, 8 of them in Boston. A starting pitcher early in his career, Eck threw a no-hitter as a member of the Cleveland Indians in 1977. He was traded to Boston in 1978 and lasted 6 1/2 seasons until 1984, when he was sent to the Chicago Cubs for Bill Buckner. After 2 1/2 years in Chicago, Eck went to Oakland and restarted his career as a dominant closer. One of the most famous moments of his career is the home run he gave up to Kirk Gibson in game 1 on the 1988 World Series. Eck signed with Boston for one last season in 1998 and now serves as a broadcaster for NESN during pregame and postgame shows. Eck was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2004.

Carl Everett

 * On September 2, 2001, Everett was the pinch hitter who ruined a near perfect game by Mike Mussina of the New York Yankees. Mussina had retired the first 26 Boston Red Sox and gotten two strikes on Everett before he hit a soft double to left center.

Carlton Fisk

 * The defining moment of his illustrious career came in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series at Fenway Park. Fisk was facing Cincinnati Reds pitcher Pat Darcy and hit a pitch down the left field line that appeared to be heading to foul territory. The enduring image of Fisk jumping and waving the ball fair as he made his way to first base is inarguably one of baseball's greatest moments. And it worked -- the ball struck the foul pole, giving the Red Sox a 7-6 win and forcing a seventh and deciding game of the fall classic.

John Flaherty
Flaherty joined the Red Sox to be knuckleball pitcher Tim Wakefield's personal catcher. The day after his first spring training outting, where he looked baffled by Wakefield's offerings, Flaherty announced that he was retiring from baseball. After a long career in baseball, Flaherty had apparently decided it wasn't worth staying in the game if it meant having to catch a knuckleball every five days.

Bryce Florie

 * Pitcher who spent a few season in a Red Sox uniform from 1999 to 2001. Career cut short when he was struck in the eye with a line drive during a game.  His vision was never the same again, and was forced into retirement after being released by Boston and struggling in Oakland's minors.

Keith Foulke

 * Foulke gave up only one run in the 2004 postseason and, notably, closed the final game of the 2004 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. He got Edgar Rentaria to ground out to end the Red Sox' 86 year drought of World Series victories.

Jackie Gutierrez
Known for his constant bird calls during the game. You would think you were at a bird sanctuary

Billy Hatcher

 * On August 3, 1992 Hatcher stole home in a 7-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. Tom Brunansky was at the plate and the play happened so fast that even he didn't realize what was going on.

Rickey Henderson

 * He spent his second to last season in the majors with the Red Sox. He appeared in only 72 games for an unremarkable 2002 team. And the Red Sox felt that he contributed so much that they held a ceremony and awarded him a brand new car.

Ed Jurak
A rat ran on the field and Eddie Jurak picked it up with his glove and threw it in the dugout. He kinda looked like Eddie Van Halen and was a utility player but Eddie Jurak was a pretty good guy to have on the team. My father used to call him s**thead.

Byung-Hyun Kim

 * Best known for flipping off the fans at Fenway Park as he was booed for his poor performance.

Bill Lee

 * Arguably one of the greatest cult figures of Boston sports. Bill "the Spaceman" Lee is notorious for his insight in the game and his memorable quotes that put Yogi Berra to shame. Such include:


 * Upon being asked how he thought the 1-1 WS against the Reds, "Tied"


 * "When I am on the mound I like to think about the cosmic snowball theory. That's when the sun expands too much and engulfs the earth in flames and everything just snowballs out of existence. It makes me wonder, how important will me striking out this guy be."


 * "You give me a team with 25 assholes and I'll show you a pennant. I'll show you the New York Yankees."


 * "You should enter a ballpark like you enter a church."


 * "When you use the left side of you body you are using the right side of your brain and the right goes with the left. It is a scientific fact. So therefore left handed people are the only ones in their right mind."


 * Of course Bill is not only notorious for his quirky remarks. He was a capable pitcher among being an amazing personality. He claims that by eating marijuana with his buckwheat pancakes he would be immune to bus fumes on his jog to Fenway. When Lee left the Red Sox in 1978 he pitched briefly for Montréal. He then went on to run for President of the United States on the Rhinoceros Party Ticket. Unfortunately for Lee and the United States he did not appear on the ballot in any state.

Derek Lowe

 * Best and Worst:Lowe spent 7 1/2 years with the Red Sox, and will be remembered as a great closer (42 saves in 2000), a shaky closer (only 24 saves in 2001), a fantastic starter (38-15 in 2002-2003), and a shaky starter (5.42 ERA in 2004). However, the one lasting image of Lowe is as the only player in baseball history to win the clinching games in every series in the same postseason.  Lowe pitched the 10th inning in the Sox' game 3 victory over the Angels in the ALDS.  Then, on short rest, he pitched 6 innings in game 7 of the ALCS, giving up only one hit and striking out 3.  Finally, in the clinching game of the 2004 World Series, Lowe pitched 7 shutout innings over the Cardinals, giving up 3 hits and fanning 4.

Pedro Martinez
Player=martipe02 Type=Pitching Years=1997,1998,1999,2000,2001
 * As the most dominant pitcher from 1997 through 2001, Pedro has many memorable moments. Who can forget the one hit, 17 strikeout game in Yankee Stadium?  What about his heroic World Series performance, giving up only 3 hits over 7 innings?  However, the most memorable moment is when Pedro beat the Indians in the 1999 ALDS.  Coming in the with score tied at 8 in the third inning, and having a strained muscle in his back making him unable to bring his heavy fastball, Pedro came out of the bullpen and shut down the Indians with 6 no-hit innings, striking out 8 batters along the way and clinching the division series for the Red Sox.

Cla Meredith

 * Touted by some as one of the next great relief pitchers in 2005, he gave up a grand slam in his first appearance in the majors. Shipped to San Diego with Josh Bard in the trade that brought Doug Mirabelli back to Boston.

Doug Mientkiewicz
The defensive replacement for Kevin Millar during the 2004 post-season, Mientkiewicz caught the ball flipped to him by Keith Foulke for the final out of the 2004 World Series, giving the Red Sox their first World Series title in 86 years. In the following months and for more than a year, Mientkewicz would be in a battle with the Red Sox over the ownership of the ball. The matter was finally laid to rest as both sides agreed to give the ball to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Kevin Millar
Two words: Cowboy Up!

Wade Miller
The Red Sox signed Wade Miller in the off-season following 2004- seemingly as soon as he was available, surprising many. His deal was small because, while he was a good pitcher, he had been riddled with injury. He missed the first half of the 2005 season and came in to do nothing spectacular for the Red Sox, starting 16 games and going 4-4 with a 4.95ERA.

Doug Mirabelli
Dougie's going deep tonight!

Bill Mueller
Mueller might be remembered most for one at-bat. In the ALCS, game 4 against the Yankees in 2004, with Dave Roberts on 2nd base, Mueller hit a basehit up the middle, driving in Roberts with the tying run and propelling the Red Sox to the come-from-behind victory in 7 games.

Trot Nixon
An old-fashioned ball player who plays the game with heart and determination, Trot will be remembered for hitting the game winning home run in game 4 of the 2003 ALCS to tie the series at 2 games a piece.

Also the original dirt dog, can be seen with the dirt on his cap from afar.

Hideo Nomo
His first start of the 2001 season, April 4, he pitched a no-hitter against the Orioles. He pitched 2 complete game shut-outs in 2001, but finished the year with a 13-10 record and an unspectacular 4.50ERA

David Ortiz
Quite possibly the most clutch player in Red Sox history

Jonathan Papelbon
Papelbon came into the league in 2005 and pitched in only a handful of games, mostly in long relief. At the start of the 2006 season, Papelbon was thought to become a starter at the back end of the Red Sox rotation. However, with Keith Foulke struggling at the end of a mop-up victory, Papelbon was put into the closer role and banged out on of the most dominant streaks a closer has ever had. Still considered a rookie, Papelbon started converting 20 straight save opportunities and as of June 28, 2006, carries a microscopic ERA of 0.46 and 23 saves, and he's given up only 2 runs on the season.

Johnny Pesky
Although he only hit 17 career home runs, 6 of those came in Fenway Park down the right field line. The short pole down the line came to be known as "Pesky's Pole" even thought Pesky never hit a home run off the pole. Pesky retired in the 1950s but continues to be active in the Red Sox organization, and even suits up every night and spends the game in the dugout in a "consultant" role.

Carlos Quintana
Quintana was the everyday first baseman for the Red Sox in 1990 and 1991, and we poised for a breakout year in 1992. However, during the offseason in his native Venezuela, Quintana was involved in a car accident that put him out for the entire 1992 season. His replacement, Mo Vaughn, went on to become one of the best first basement in Red Sox history and the 1995 MVP winner.

Manny Ramirez
Three words - Manny being Manny

Dave Roberts

 * Greatest Achievement: Roberts made a significant number of contributions to the Red Sox first World Series win in 86 years. The most notable was his stolen base against the Yankees in the ALCS Game 4. Facing elimination in the bottom of the ninth inning down 4 runs to 3, Kevin Millar drew a walk from Mariano Rivera. Roberts, who had not played in 10 days, came in to pinch run. Rivera threw over to first base three times (the last almost picked off Roberts), and on the next pitch, Roberts managed to steal second base. Bill Mueller followed with a single, Roberts scored, and the Sox went on to win in 12 innings and begin their run of eight straight wins culminating in the World Championship title.

Billy Rohr
Billy Rohr was a Red Sox pitcher whose first major league outing came at Yankee Stadium in April 1967. He took a no-hitter through 8 2/3 before his bid was broken up by a line drive.

Earlier in the game, Carl Yastrzemski had made a spectacular diving catch to preserve the no-no. The call - "It's hit deep to left, Yastrzemski's going hard, way back, way back, and he dives and makes a TREMENDOUS CATCH!" was classic, and was played as part of AM radio station WEEI's pregame audio montage at least until 2004.

Babe Ruth
Three words: No, No, Nanette

Curt Schilling

 * On October 19, 2004, Schilling won Game 6 of the 2004 American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees. Notably, he won this game playing on an injured ankle - the same injuries that contributed to his disastrous outing in Game 1 of the ALCS. These injuries were so acute that by the end of his performance that day his white sock was soaked with blood. The sock was placed in the Baseball Hall of Fame after Boston's victory over St. Louis in the World Series.

Calvin Schiraldi

 * Worst Achievements:In Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, though Bob Stanley, not Schiraldi, was on the mound when Mookie Wilson hit a ground ball between the legs of Bill Buckner, Schiraldi was responsible for the runners who scored in the inning.

Wally Shaner

 * Hit 30 triples for the Lincoln Links in the Western League in 1925 - the second most in minor league history and third most in all of Organized Baseball. This feat tweaked the interest of the Sox and soon he was a regular at Fenway.

Heathcliff Slocumb
Slocumb was a closer who put the fear of God into players when he entered the game. However, the fear was put into his own teammates and the Red Sox fans around the world waiting for him to blow another game. The Red Sox managed to trade him to Seatle in one of the most lopsided trade-deadline deals ever. In exchange for Slocumb, the Red Sox got Jason Varitek and Derek Lowe, two of the most important members of the 2004 World Series team.

Bob Stanley

 * Stanley was a key member of the 1986 Red Sox team that came within one out of winning the World Series but ultimately fell to the Mets in seven games. In the tenth inning of Game Six, Stanley's two-out wild pitch to Mookie Wilson allowed the Mets to tie the score.

Dick Stuart
AKA Dr. Stange Glove

Mike Timlin
Has a penchant for letting inherited runners score, but most of the time he's a great setup man for whichever Flavor-of-the-Month closer the Sox are currently using.

Jason Varitek
Catcher, captain, dirt dog. Will always be remembered for giving Alex Rodriguez a facial enhancement procedure with the back of his glove.

Mo Vaughn
Vaughn played for the Red Sox from 1991 through 1998, and finished his career in 2003 with a .293 batting average and 328 home runs. One of his most famous homers in the minds on Red Sox fans was on April 10, 1998. In the Fenway home opener, Randy Johnson held the Sox to 2 runs on 2 hits and 15 K's through 8 innings. Down 7-2, the Mariners brought in 4 relivers, all of whom failed to record a single out. With the bases loaded and the score 7-5, Vaughn launched a pitch off Paul Spoljaric into the seats in right field for a grand slam and a 9-7 Boston victory.

Tim Wakefield

 * Best and Worst:In the 2003 ALCS, Wakefield was one of the most formidable pitchers against the Yankees, allowing only three runs in 13 innings. He started Games One and Four of the Series, with the Red Sox winning both. He was also called in to pitch in extra innings of Game Seven, after the Yankees tied the game. The Red Sox had been leading 5–2 in the eighth inning. After retiring the side in order in the 10th, Wakefield gave up a home run to Aaron Boone on his first pitch of the 11th, sending the Yankees to the World Series. Wakefield apologized to fans after the game.

Todd Walker
Todd Walker was part of the 2003 Cowboy Up team. An average second baseman, he will always be remembered for his fantastic hair. Immune to both helmet- and hat-head, his locks, like the 2003 post-season itself, were tragically cut short during the ALCS.

Scott Williamson

 * He was acquired in 2003 to give some much needed bullpen help, but pitched terribly until the team got into the playoffs. Then he became the team's bullpen anchor and part of the Embree/Timlin/Williamson combination the worked all the way through the play-offs...until game 7 of the ALCS when Grady Little forgot he had a bullpen and left Pedro Martinez in for too long.

Ted Williams
The Splendid Splinter, only wanted "that when [he] walk[ed] down the street folks [would] say, 'There goes the greatest hitter that ever lived.' He arguably was.

Carl Yastrzemski

 * One of the greatest players in Red Sox history and a first ballot Hall-of-Famer, Yaz played for the Sox from 1961 through the 1983 season. He is remembered as the last major leaguer to win the Triple Crown, leading the AL in home runs, RBIs, and batting average in the 1967 season.

Kevin Youkilis

 * Referred to as the "Greek God of Walks" Youk is well known for his patience at the plate as well as his eye for pitches outside the strike zone. He is young in the Red Sox uniform, but will inevitably have great moments in the years to come.  2006 marks his first full year in the Red Sox uniform, having been called up multiple times in the previous years.  He may be best remembered (for the time being)for the way that fans cheer for him as he steps into the box, leaving many to wonder why he is "booed" when they are actually yelling "YOUK!"

Cy Young

 * Denton "Cy" Young won 511 games in his illustrious 22 year career. Had this name immortilized with the "Cy Young Award" named after him, an award given to the best pitcher every year in each league.