56 Facts About Red Sox

1.

Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston.

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2.

The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball as a member club of the American League East division.

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3.

Red Sox were a dominant team in the new league, defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first World Series in 1903 and winning four more championships by 1918.

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4.

The Sox endured an 86-year wait before the team's sixth World Championship in 2004.

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5.

Red Sox are owned by Fenway Sports Group, which owns Liverpool FC of the Premier League in England.

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6.

From May 15,2003, to April 10,2013, the Red Sox sold out every home game—a total of 820 games for a major professional sports record.

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7.

Name Red Sox, chosen by owner John I Taylor after the 1907 season, refers to the red hose in the team uniform beginning in 1908.

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8.

The Red Sox went on to win the 1916 World Series, defeating the Brooklyn Robins.

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9.

The sale of Babe Ruth came to be viewed as the beginning of the Yankees–Red Sox rivalry, considered the "best rivalry" by American sports journalists.

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10.

Red Sox served two stints in the United States Marine Corps as a pilot and saw active duty in both World War II and the Korean War, missing at least five full seasons of baseball.

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11.

In 1949, the Red Sox were one game ahead of the New York Yankees, with the only two games left for both teams being against each other, and they lost both of those games.

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12.

The BoRed Sox had finished the 1966 season in ninth place, but they found new life with Yastrzemski as the team won the pennant to reach the 1967 World Series.

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13.

Red Sox was named the league's Most Valuable Player, just one vote shy of a unanimous selection as a Minnesota sportswriter placed Twins center fielder Cesar Tovar first on his ballot.

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14.

Red Sox was struck just above the left cheek bone by a fastball thrown by Jack Hamilton of the California Angels on Friday, August 18,1967, and sat out the entire next season with headaches and blurred vision.

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15.

The start of the season was delayed by a players' strike, and the Red Sox had lost one more game to the strike than the Tigers had.

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16.

The Red Sox went to Detroit with a half-game lead for the final series of the season, but lost the first two of those three and were eliminated from the pennant race.

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17.

The 1975 Red Sox were as colorful as they were talented, with Yastrzemski and rookie outfielders Jim Rice and Fred Lynn, veteran outfielder Dwight Evans, catcher Carlton Fisk, and pitchers Luis Tiant and eccentric junkballer Bill "The Spaceman" Lee.

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18.

Carl Yastrzemski retired after the 1983 season, during which the Red Sox finished sixth in the seven-team AL East, posting their worst record since 1966.

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19.

Red Sox won the AL East for the first time in 11 seasons, and faced the California Angels in the ALCS.

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20.

The Red Sox then found themselves with six- and seven-run wins at Fenway Park in Games 6 and 7 to win the American League title.

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21.

Red Sox faced a heavily favored New York Mets team that had won 108 games in the regular season in the 1986 World Series.

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22.

Two years later, in 1990, the Red Sox again won the division and face the Athletics in the ALCS.

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23.

Red Sox fans felt retribution to Dent being fired on their field, but the Yankees used him as a scapegoat.

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24.

Red Sox won the newly realigned American League East in 1995, finishing seven games ahead of the Yankees.

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25.

In 2002, the Red Sox were sold by Yawkey trustee and president Harrington to New England Sports Ventures, a consortium headed by principal owner John Henry.

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26.

Red Sox then scored on an RBI single by Bill Mueller, sending the game into extra innings.

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27.

Red Sox swept the St Louis Cardinals in the 2004 World Series.

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28.

The Red Sox never trailed throughout the series; Mark Bellhorn hit a game-winning home run off Pesky's Pole in game 1, and Schilling pitched another bloodied-sock victory in game 2, followed by similarly masterful pitching performances by Martinez and Derek Lowe.

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29.

The Red Sox earned many accolades from the sports media and throughout the nation for their season, such as in December, when Sports Illustrated named the Boston Red Sox the 2004 Sportsmen of the Year.

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30.

The Red Sox faced the Colorado Rockies in the 2007 World Series, and swept the Rockies in four games.

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31.

Red Sox began their season by participating in the third opening day game in MLB history to be played in Japan, where they defeated the Oakland A's in the Tokyo Dome.

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32.

The Red Sox defeated the Angels in the 2008 ALDS three games to one.

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33.

The Red Sox then took on their AL East rivals the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALCS.

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34.

Red Sox returned to postseason play in 2009 but were swept in the ALDS by the Los Angeles Angels.

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35.

The Red Sox struggled throughout the season due to injuries, inconsistent play, and off-field news.

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36.

The Red Sox became the first team since the 1991 Minnesota Twins to win the World Series a year after finishing in last place, and the second overall.

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37.

The Red Sox grabbed the lead in the AL East early and held on to it throughout the year, which included many teams honoring Ortiz throughout the season.

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38.

The Red Sox subsequently fired their manager, John Farrell, and hired Alex Cora, signing him to a three-year deal.

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39.

The Red Sox surpassed the 100-win mark for the first time since 1946, broke the franchise record of 105 wins that had been set in 1912, and won the most games of any MLB team since the 2001 Seattle Mariners won 116.

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40.

The 2018 Red Sox were highlighted by All-Stars Mookie Betts, JD Martinez, Chris Sale, and Craig Kimbrel.

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41.

Red Sox entered the postseason as the top seed in the American League, and defeated the New York Yankees in four games in the Division Series.

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42.

On January 7,2020, it was reported in The Athletic that the Red Sox had used their video replay room to steal signs during their 2018 season.

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43.

The Red Sox defeated the Yankees in the AL Wild Card Game, and defeated the Rays in the Division Series, but were eliminated by the Astros in the League Championship Series.

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44.

Major MLB awards, voted by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, Red Sox players have won the MVP Award 12 times, most recently by Mookie Betts in 2018; the Cy Young Award seven times, most recently by Rick Porcello in 2016; Rookie of the Year six times, most recently by Dustin Pedroia in 2007; and Manager of the Year twice, most recently by Jimy Williams in 1999.

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45.

In October 2008, the Lee County, Florida, Board of Commissioners approved an agreement with the Red Sox to build a new spring training facility for the team.

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46.

In November 2008, the Red Sox signed an agreement with Lee County intended to keep their spring training home in the Fort Myers area for 30 more years.

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47.

Unofficial beginning of the spring training season for the Red Sox is Truck Day, the day a tractor-trailer filled with equipment leaves Fenway Park bound for the team's spring training facility in Florida.

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48.

The 1978 division race is memorable for the Red Sox having held a 14-game lead over the Yankees more than halfway through the season.

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49.

In 2003, The Red Sox lost in Game 7 of the ALCS on Aaron Boone's walk-off home run.

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50.

Rays–Red Sox rivalry developed in the late 2000s, after the two clubs had their first postseason meeting in the 2008 ALCS.

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51.

Red Sox has worked with play-by-play veterans Bob Starr and Jerry Trupiano.

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52.

Previously, the Red Sox published three official requirements for a player to have his number retired on their website and in their annual media guides.

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53.

In 2008, the Red Sox made an "exception" by retiring number 6 for Johnny Pesky.

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54.

In 2015, the Red Sox chose to forgo the official criteria and retire Pedro Martinez' number 45.

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55.

Several baseball writers, professionally based in Boston while writing about the Red Sox, have been recipients of the BBWAA Career Excellence Award, given for "meritorious contributions to baseball writing".

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56.

Red Sox personnel inducted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame are automatically inducted to the team's hall of fame.

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