Thursday, May 28, 2015

February 22 down, February 22 down...

Daniel Nava (born on February 22) went on the DL today.

Carlos Peguero (born on February 22) debuted for the Red Sox today.


Eduardo Rodriguez comes from Valencia, Carabobo - hey, wait....

Eduardo Rodriguez comes from Valencia, Carabobo - hey, wait....that's the same city and state that Edward Mujica came from.

The only other two Carabobo-ans to play for the Red Sox are Pablo Sandoval and Felix Doubront.

Thursday, May 21, 2015

the 1931 Red Sox are now complete

With my recent completion of biographies on Johnny Lucas, Bill McWilliams, Marv Olson, Gene Rye (born Mercantelli), Howie Storie, George Stumpf, and Al Van Camp, we now have SABR BioProject biographies of everyone on the 1931 Red Sox.

That makes 1901-1931 complete.

I've also submitted the first three bios to move toward completing the 1932 team.  It will take some time to be able to finish all of 1932. I've got six more to research and write now.

Not every one of the 1931 team will have been posted to the SABR site yet, because one or two are still being edited.

The mission continues....

0-for-17 with the bases loaded?

Bill Ballou reports that the last 17 times the Red Sox have batted with the bases loaded, they have failed to get a base hit.


Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Mookie! and the 1975 Red Sox

The Sox fell from first place to last place in a little over a week, with a 2-7 record over the stretch from April 26 to May 4.

And last night, with the team celebrating the 40th anniversary of the 1975 A. L. champion Red Sox, they were being no-hit by Tampa Bay's Drew Smyly through five innings.  (Rick Porcello had held the  Rays scoreless, too.)

Leading off the bottom of the sixth, Mookie Betts put an end to that. Home run, left field.  He'd actually struck the game-winning hit -- though, of course, no one could know that yet.

Mookie had already earned an outfield assist in the top of the fifth. With runners on first and second and nobody out, the Rays were threatening to score first. But Mookie caught a fly ball to center and fired back to Bogaerts at second base to trap Longoria off the bag, for a double play.  Good stretch and catch by Bogaerts. It survived a replay challenge.

Betts led off the eighth, too. Another home run.  Insurance.  Sox won, 2-0.

Monday, May 4, 2015

some things you might like to know about Dalier Hinojosa

He had his Red Sox debut last night, the only native ever to play in the majors who was born on the Isle of Youth in Cuba.

He struck out the first batter he faced - Alex Rodriquez.  His control was far from perfect, walking three and hitting a batter - but he didn't allow either a hit or a run.

Wearing #94 (the same number he wore for Guantanamo in Cuba - the team from that city, not the U.S. Navy base), he's only the second Red Sox player to wear a number in the 90s. The first was Alfredo Aceves, who told me he wore #91 because of his appreciation of Dennis Rodman.  

Wally wears #97, but he has never played for the Red Sox. 

Hinojosa is the only pitcher ever to throw two perfect games in international tournament competition (though both were against third-world teams and were shortened “knockout” games (mercy rule).


World University Championships V (Tokyo, August 3, 2010)

Dalier Hinojosa (perfect game) 14-0 over Sri Lanka (7 innings), with 16 Ks (of 21 batters faced)  Game stopped after seven due to mercy rule. This was also the first time a no-hitter has ever been authored during the medal elimination round (as opposed to pool play) of any official IBAF-sanctioned international event.


Intercontinental Cup XVII, Taiwan, October 27, 2010


Dalier Hinojosa (perfect game) 20-0 over Hong Kong (5 innings), Hinojosa’s second perfect game. Stopped after five innings due to mercy rule.



How many Red Sox players were born in Massachusetts?

I've written at length (in RED SOX THREADS) about the Red Sox players born in the City of Boston.  But how many were born in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts?

92, by my count.

Here's the list:


Bob Adams
Harry Agganis
Casper Asbjornson
Whispering Bill Barrett
Jimmy Barrett
Mark Bellhorn
Hugh Bradley
Rico Brogna
Chris Capuano
Carlos Castillo
Jack Chesbro
Shano Collins
Billy Conigliaro
Tony Conigliaro
Jim Corsi
Pat Creeden
John Curtis
Manny Delcarmen
Gene Desautels
Hal Deviney
John Donahue
Tommy Dowd
Duke Farrell
John Freeman
Bob Gallagher
Ed Gallagher
Rich Gedman
Russ Gibson
Skinny Graham
Bob Guindon
Joe Harris
Alex Hassan
Rich Hill
Jack Hoey
Chris Howard
Paul Howard
Herb Hunter
Hal Janvrin
Skip Lockwood
Steve Lomasney
Walt Lonergan
Joe Lucey
Lou Lucier
Tony Lupien
Danny MacFayden
Bill McLeod
Keith MacWhorter
Bunny Madden
Chris Mahoney
Bill Marshall
Chick Maynard
Marty McHale
Stuffy McInnis
Jud McLaughlin
Doc McMahon
Lou Merloni
Fred Mitchell
Bill Monbouquette
Freddie Moncewicz
Matt Murray
Alex Mustaikis
Chet Nourse
Buck O'Brien
Ted Olson
Mike Palm
Stan Partenheimer
Eddie Pellagrini
Robert Person
Jeff Plympton
Frank Quinn
Jeff Reardon
Jerry Remy
Allen Ripley
Walt Ripley
Billy Jo Robidoux
Mike Rochford
Brian Rose
Sy Rosenthal
Mike Ryan
John Shea
Dave Shean
Jack Slattery
Doug Smith
Pete Smith
Wally Snell
Bill Spanswick
Andy Spognardi
Ed Sprague
Marc Sullivan
Carl Sumner
Matt White

Wilbur Wood

Let me know if you find one who's NOT on my list. I'd want to update it so it was fully accurate.

Sunday, May 3, 2015

James Taylor's new song "Angels of Fenway"

James Taylor just had a private showing in the media interview room at Fenway Park of his new video, "Angels of Fenway."  He also took several questions and sang a portion of the song live as well.  

The video contained some vintage Fenway footage I had never seen before. I hear it's going to be shown on the big messageboard before the game tonight. And available to hear on RedSox.com and MLB.com as early as tomorrow.

He's playing Fenway with Bonnie Raitt in August.

fan interference may have cost the Red Sox a win

This is a delayed post about Friday night's game (I am finally thawed out). This may have been mentioned on one of the broadcasts, but that fan who reached out a touched the ball during the game cost the Red Sox what would have been their third run.  The fan was ejected, but the Red Sox never did score three times and lost the game to the Yankees, 3-2.  New York's third run was, as we know, contributed by a pinch hitter whose name we will not mention here.


Why Red Sox fans should maybe care who wins the British elections on Thursday

Ed Miliband is the leader of the Labor Party. His father Ralph was a "prominent Marxist historian."  And if that's not reason enough (?), Ralph Miliband's career "brought the family to the United States for visiting professorships during which his sons acquired a lifelong fascination with American politics and, in Ed's case, a fanatical rooting interest in the Boston Red Sox."

--Griff Witte, Washington Post, in today's Boston Globe