Still Looking Good

It was the 1975 team that made me a Red Sox fan, and specifically these two guys, Fred Lynn and Jim Rice (along with El Tiante and Bill Lee).  I'd moved to the Boston area in August 1973 and was a National League and Mets fan.  But two things appealed to me about the Sox, (1) everyone in Boston hated the Yankees, which was part of the baseball creed in which I'd been raised, and (2) late in the '74 season rookies Lynn and Rice joined the club.  Of course, it helped they won the pennant in '75 and the greatest world series I'd seen, three games to four (don't forget Carlton Fisk and Bernie Carbo!).  Freddie won the Rookie of the Year and MVP awards, while Jim hit .309 with 22 homers before getting hit by a pitch and breaking his hand a week before the end of the season, causing him to miss the series.

It was also the season that the future Mrs THC and I attended our first Red Sox game together and saw Rice hit the longest home run I ever saw in person.

Here they are a couple of days ago in Springfield, Massachusetts; Jim at 70, Fred at 71, both looking good. 

Twins reunion …Jimmy looks great. … stories flying. ⁦@MGMSpringfield⁩ #Soxwinterweekend ⁦@NESN⁩ ⁦@RedSox⁩ pic.twitter.com/eAE2Q1kyMG

— Fred Lynn (@19fredlynn) January 21, 2024

Bill Lee

On this date in 1969, 22 year-old Bill Lee made his major league debut with the Boston Red Sox.  It was the second game of a double header at Fenway against the Cleveland Indians.  The Indians scored five runs in the top of the 3rd to take a 6-3 lead.  It was a freaky inning.  Against starter Mike Nagy and  reliever Vincente Romo the Indians recorded this sequence after a pop up for the first out:

Walk

Single (Pop fly)

Single (Pop fly)

Walk

Walk

Walk

Walk

Sacrifice Fly

 

Lee came in to pitch the top of the 4th and remained through the seventh. A bit nervous he walked the first two hitters, got the third to hit into a double play, and struck out the fourth.

 

Over four innings he gave up only two hits, one run, and got two double plays.  The unusual thing was that he had 5 Ks.  For the year he struck out 45 in 52 innings, very different from most of his career.  In 1974 he pitched 285 innings, winning 17 games, but only striking out 76. 

 

Bill went on to pitch in the majors for the Sox through 1978 and then for the Expos until 1982, winning 110 games.  At his peak from 1971 through 1975 he had two outstanding years as a reliever and then won 17 games for three years in a row.  He was also one of the most entertaining pitchers to watch, throwing a variety of off-speed pitches including the notorious eephus which, unfortunately, he chose to throw to Tony Perez in game seven of the 1975 World Series.  Perez, who'd been sitting on the pitch, hit it into Kenmore Square.

 

Always a competitor on the mound, he was a complete eccentric off it, always good for a quote, gaining the nickname Spaceman.  I sat with a hammered Lee in a Cambridge bar in 1978 as he told very funny stories.

 

He also had the honor of having Warren Zevon write a song about him.

 

Bill's life has also been made into a biopic.

 

Since he finished with the majors, he's spent much of the past 40 years pitching for independent league teams, most recently the Savannah Bananas.

I've mentioned Bill before - The Longest Home Run, Notable Quotables, and Rockin' The 70s.

Bill & Louie

Bill Murray and Luis Tiant together recently.  El Tiante, now 81, was so much fun to watch when he pitched for the Red Sox in the 70s.  And it's Bill Murray's birthday today - he's 72.  Looks like Bill is in his What About Bob? posture.

Papi

Today David Ortiz is being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.  Next to Willie Mays, my favorite ballplayer.  So many good memories.  An outstanding, clutch, and inspirational ballplayer.  Big Papi changed the nature of Red Sox baseball - from a team that always found a way to lose to a team you expected to win.  He is deservedly the most popular player in Red Sox history.

2004 will always remain the most memorable season of my life, and attending the victory parade an unforgettable moment.  Mrs THC and I were at his last regular season game and retirement ceremony on October 2, 2016 but the 2013 season is hard to top for memorable moments, from Papi's speech in Fenway after the Boston Marathon bombing, through a great season and then came the playoffs.  

Against the Tigers, the Sox and Papi were struggling, until he hit that grand slam to tie Game 2, and after that the Sox were unstoppable.  In the World Series, David hit an unbelievable .625 with an OPS of .760, and I was fortunate to be in the bleachers at Game 6 when the Sox won the series at home for the first time since 1918.  But my favorite moment of that Series was in Game 4, with the Sox down two games to one, in the fifth inning, Ortiz gathered his teammates around him for a pep talk, something very, very rare to see in a baseball game.  In the top of the 6th inning, Johnny Gomes hit a three run homer to put the Sox ahead and they won the game and the next two to become champions.

Passing The Time

 . . . while wondering if there will be a baseball season.

I first saw this in 2020 but had forgotten it until Super 70s Sports, the best account on twitter, revived it recently.

What a swing that gal has!  Great stance, great bat speed.  And listen to how the ball sounds coming off the bat.  That is Emma Humplik of Orange, Texas when she was in high school.  Emma is now at the University of South Florida and we wish her the best.  And don't forget to give a tip of the hat to whoever is doing the tossing from a sitting position!

Hit like a girl. Goddamn.

pic.twitter.com/jiCDRzzU83

— Super 70s Sports (@Super70sSports) February 28, 2022

The screaming line drive blast she starts with immediately reminded me of a game I saw in Fenway Park. Sitting near the Red Sox dugout, I watched Jack Clark get hold of a pitch and send it on a line over The Wall in left field.  You could feel the power when he connected with that incredible bat speed and it seemed like it took only a milisecond for the ball to leave the park.

I went back and checked Clark's history.  He came to the Red Sox at the tail end of his career and hit 28 home runs in 1991.  The home run I witnessed occurred during a day game.  According to Baseball-Reference, Clark hit 8 home runs in day games at Fenway that year.  Through a process of elimination, it's likely the homer I witnessed took place on August 3 or 4 that year, when the Sox played the Toronto Blue Jays on a weekend and Clark homered in both games.  His blast on the 4th is described as to "deep LF", while the one the prior day is "line drive, deep LF", making it the most likely candidate.

Old-Timers

 I remember when these guys were young . . . like me.

Best catch I made all year! Running into ⁦@realElTiante⁩ in Denver. ⁦@AllStarGame⁩ ⁦@RedSox⁩ #oldfriends ⁦@70sBaseball⁩ Miss him. pic.twitter.com/JC7gyPJ5Ws

— Fred Lynn (@19fredlynn) July 9, 2021

Ted Goes To Korea

April 30, 1952. Ted Williams' last game before rejoining the Marine Corps.  In his final at bat hits a two run homer in bottom of the 7th to win the game.  Williams missed the 1943, 1944 and 1945 seasons while serving as a Marine pilot during WW2, first learning to fly and then serving as a pilot instructor.

Upon reentering the service in 1952, Williams was trained as a jet fighter pilot and sent to Korea where he served as wingman for John Glenn, flying 37 combat missions.  On February 19, 1953, after his F9 Panther Jet was damaged by enemy anti-aircraft fire, Ted managed to return to his airfield and crash landed, escaping without injury.

Glenn later recounted:

“(During his crash) he was on fire and had to belly land the plane back in. He slid it in on the belly. It came up the runway about 1,500 feet before he was able to jump out and run off the wingtip.

“Much as I appreciate baseball, Ted to me will always be a Marine fighter pilot.”

Williams was discharged on July 28, 1953.  In his first appearance with the Red Sox on August 6 he popped out as a pinch hitter.  Three days in his second at bat, also as a pinch hitter, Ted hit a home run to deep right field.  In 37 games that season, Williams would hit .407. 

Ted Williams missed most of five seasons due to military service during his prime years, ages 24 through 34.  His first full season back in 1954 he was 35 years old.  Over the next four years he batted .345, .356., .345 and .388. and hit a home run in his last at bat in 1960.

Opening Day

 . . . is tomorrow.

In the meantime, remember Mayday Sam Malone, Yaz, and Coach Ernie Pantusso?

Fenway legends. pic.twitter.com/qA4Ba7rkJ8

— Super 70s Sports (@Super70sSports) March 29, 2021

Me Too

I miss the days when pitchers didn’t have all their individual identity coached out of them by age 12.

pic.twitter.com/F9WC8UGzNt

— Super 70s Sports (@Super70sSports) August 25, 2020

Luis Tiant in the 1970s.  That's Carlton Fisk behind the plate and Fred Lynn in center.  I watched him pitch in Fenway so many times in those years.  El Tiante belongs in the Hall of Fame.

I tried throwing like Tiant and learned how difficult it was.  Very hard to regain your focus on the plate after turning your back on the batter.

Get Well, Big Papi

A moment of reflection for Big Papi. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/pmf2pNjC7J

— Boston Red Sox (@RedSox) June 10, 2019

Shocking news from the Dominican Republic.  David Ortiz shot in the back.  Six hours of surgery and now in stable condition but reportedly part of his intestines and gall bladder removed.   The Red Sox have sent a plane to the DR to take Papi back to Boston where he will be treated at Massachusetts General Hospital.

“David Ortiz is probably the most beloved and one of the most important players in our history, leading us to multiple World Series championships, and an active member in the community," said Red Sox team president Sam Kennedy. "I would be hard-pressed to think of anyone more beloved than David. It’s a very difficult day for the organization.

“I love David Ortiz. We all love David Ortiz. So telling my kids last night what had happened was very difficult. It’s hard to express what David Ortiz means to the Boston Red Sox. When you love someone and they come in harm’s way, it’s jarring. But you have to put those emotions aside and focus on what’s necessary."

I’m at peace knowing you out of danger; you a strong man Compai, can’t wait to hear your voice. My thoughts and prayers are with you, see you soon.
Me siento tranquilo de saber que estás fuera de peligro, usted es fuerte Compai, ya quiero oírle la voz. Orando, nos vemos pronto pic.twitter.com/jdSnNsM7eI

— Pedro Martinez (@45PedroMartinez) June 10, 2019

Billy Buck

Bill Buckner passed away yesterday at the age of 69 (oh, that sounds so young!) from Lewey Body Dementia, a nasty disease for both the sufferer and their loved ones, and one our family has had experience with.

Though Buckner had a 20 year major league career, gathering more than 2700 hits, he is best remembered for a play that went horribly wrong in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, when the Red Sox seemed on the verge of their first World Championship since 1918.  I will always remember that excruciating inning which ended with me on the floor, face down in front of the TV, reaching out to shut the device off (this was before the age of remote controls), and then laying there motionless for some time before dejectedly going off to bed.

Bill Buckner took a lot of blame from Red Sox fans for his miscue in letting that ground ball bounce through his legs, yet the bulk of the blame lay elsewhere, with Sox pitchers Calvin Schiraldi and Bob Stanley who let a sure victory get away and, most of all, in the failure of Sox manager John McNamara.  Buckner was a hurting ballplayer by then, particularly defensively, with damaged ankles limiting his flexibility.  Yet when the left-handed hitting Buckner batted in the top of the 8th against against Mets lefthander Jessie Orosco, a specialist in retiring left handed hitters, McNamara did not pinch hit for him. 

Entering the 1986 World Series, Bill Buckner had only two hits, both singles, in 18 at bats against Orosco in his career.  He'd already faced Orosco twice in the Series, in the 8th inning of Game 2 getting a bloop single to short right field, and in Game 4 hitting a weak bouncer to Mets first baseman Keith Hernandez.  And it wasn't as if Buckner was otherwise hitting well.  So far in the playoffs plus the last five games of the regular season, Bill had only 14 hits in 85 at bats, a .165 average, with one extra base hit, a double, and two walks, one intentional.

Buckner swung at the first pitch and lofted an easy pop fly to center field.

During the season, McNamara had often put the slick fielding Dave Stapleton in as a defensive replacement for Buckner in the late innings but this night he failed to do so even as the Sox entered the bottom of the 10th inning with a 5-3 lead.  Bill was in the wrong place at the wrong time due to his manager's inaction.

What is often lost in the debacle of Game 6 is the key role Bill Buckner played in the most important stretch of the regular season for the Red Sox in 1986.

As of August 30, the Sox were in first place but had played mediocre ball for more than a month going 19-25, including losing 5 of their last 6 games, cutting their lead, which once stood at 8 games, to 3 1/2 over the Toronto Blue Jays and 5 1/2 over the Yankees.  Buckner was having a below average season with ten homers, 79 ribbies, and a slash line of .259/.300/.391.  We all feared another late season collapse.

Starting that day, the Sox turned it around, winning 12 of 13, and by September 12 had a ten game lead and could glide through the rest of the season.  In those thirteen games, Bill Buckner went 21 for 55 with five doubles and six home runs (he hit only 18 the entire season), and walked six times (he had only 40 base on balls in all of 1986), along with driving in 19 runs.  His slash line was .382/.444/.745.

Bill and Red Sox fans slowly made their peace with each other, with Bill returning briefly to close out his career with the Sox in 1990 and making a couple of other appearances, but it was winning the World Series in 2004 that made it easier for everyone.  I'm happy Bill got to enjoy this moment in Fenway, throwing out the first pitch in the 2008 season:

Red Sox World

The Sox own the first two decades of the last two centuries!  Five championships from 1903 to 1918.  Four from 2004 to 2018.  Don't ask me what happens after 2020.

The Ovation

Last night's Game 1 of the World Series at Fenway saw the Dodgers players introduced to varying levels of boos, with Manny Machado deservedly getting the most.  However, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts received a standing ovation from the fans.

Boston loves Dave Roberts. #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/jwZ0T0qtSy

— MLB (@MLB) October 24, 2018

This is why.  Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS with the Red Sox down three games to none and the Yankees leading 4-3 in the bottom of the 9th with the best relief pitcher in baseball history on the mound.  Pinch runner Dave Roberts stole second base, the most important stolen base in Red Sox history, when everyone in the stadium including the Yankees knew he would be running, and scored the tying run on a single.  Big Papi eventually won the game in extra innings, the Sox went on to win the next three against the Yankees, and then sweep the Cardinals to win their first championship since 1918.  The base Roberts stole is on display at Fenway along with an endless tape loop of the steal.

100

Last night the Boston Red Sox triumphed for the 100th time this season, a feat they last accomplished in 1946.  We were in attendance and saw an exciting pitching duel in which the only run scored on a wild pitch by Toronto hurler Aaron Sanchez.  David Price continued his revival tour tossing seven scoreless innings.

The Sox will likely break the franchise record of 105 victories set by the 1912 team led by pitcher Smoky Joe Wood and centerfielder Tris Speaker, though they are unlikely to surpass that team's winning percentage (they went 105-47).  Let's hope that like the 1912 team they win the World Series.

A Baseball Day

Started out the day going to Chase Field for the 1pm game between the Diamondbacks and Giants.  A well played game but the Dbacks lost 3-2.  I then raced home and made it in time to watch David Price pitch to the first Yankees batter.  Watched the entire game, all 11 innings and nearly five hours.  The Sox, down 4-1 in the bottom of the 9th with two out and the formidable Aroldis Chapman pitching, came back to tie and then won in the 11th.   This capped a four game sweep by Boston, of which I watched all but two innings.  All in all, a perfect baseball day.

So given my baseball fixation, I spent some time on baseball-reference.com while watching the games so can inform you of these interesting tidbits:

In 1976, Mark Fidrych, the Detroit Tigers 21 year old rookie had a phenomenal debut season, of which THC has written (read The Bird), in the course of which he accumulated 9.6 Wins Above Replacement value (WAR).  There are only three other players since 1900 who have had more than 9.6 WAR at age 21 or younger; Babe Ruth, Bob Feller, and Mike Trout - two Hall of Famers and the best player in baseball today.  Unfortunately, Fidrych hurt his arm the next year, but it was one glorious season for him.

I also decided to investigate in more detail the 1966 campaign of Juan Marichal, the stylish Hall of Fame pitcher for the San Francisco Giants, another player of whom THC was written before (see Gibson Koufax Marichal Mashup and The Fight)

From 1963 through 1969, Marichal won more than 20 games six times, only falling short in 1967 when he was injured.  In 1966, Juan started out 10-0 after his first 11 starts, with the only non-decision coming in a May 17 start against the Dodgers when he was lifted after ten innings after allowing only seven hits and one run in a game the Giants eventually lost in the 13th inning.

Marichal (who was also known as The Dominican Dandy) was dominating in his first 10 starts having an ERA of only 0.59 after shutting out the Phillies on May 26, but it was this game that alerted me to his astonishing usage pattern by Giants manager Herman Franks.

In those first 10 starts, the Giants hurler allowed zero earned runs on five occasions, one earned run four other times, and gave up two runs against the Cardinals, and only gave up six extra base hits (3 doubles and 3 home runs).  It looks like the two runs scored by the Cards may have been because Marichal let up a bit against them, after the Giants scored 13 runs in the top of the third before adding another in the fourth to take a 14-0 lead.  Juan allowed the two runs in the fifth before being removed from the game.

In those ten starts, the Giants star tossed three games on three days rest, five on four days rest, and once on six days.  Eight of the ten starts were complete games, the exceptions being the five innings against the Cardinals and the ten against the Dodgers.  The Dodgers game was his eighth start, followed by a three hit shutout against the Mets on four days rest.  His next start was against the Phillies after only three days off and he threw 14 innings to beat the Philadelphia team 1-0, raising his record to 10-0.  He must have thrown somewhere between 160 and 200 pitches, simply unthinkable by today's standards.

Franks trotted him out against the Reds on four days rest in his next start.  Though Marichal threw another complete game victory he gave up three runs for the first time in 1966.  He then pitched his next two starts on three days rest, giving up six runs in both of them!  So did Franks give him some more rest?  Of course not!  The Giants manager continued to pitch him on three days rest and Juan was effective beating the Dodgers and Astros in his next two starts.

Though he was not as effective for the rest of the season, Marichal finished with 25 wins and only six losses setting career single season best performances on hits per 9 innings, walks per 9 innings, and K/W ratio.  It was a different time.

Boy, Do I Feel Old

Jim Rice, Fred Lynn, Dwight Evans.  Fenway Park, July 14, 2018

The Last Of The Four Friends

He was the oldest living major league player, the only one left who'd played against Lou Gehrig.  Bobby Doerr died yesterday at age 99.

They came to the Red Sox within a few years of each other, Doerr in 1937, Ted Williams two years later, Dom DiMaggio in '40, with Johnny Pesky joining them in 1942.  They were all West Coast kids at a time when that was more unusual for baseball; Doerr from LA, Williams from San Diego, DiMaggio from the Bay Area and Pesky an Oregon native.  They became life long friends and they all lived long lives, Dom passing at 92, Pesky making it to 93, while Ted at 83 went first and youngest.

(Below, Williams, DiMaggio, Doerr, and Pesky)


The Hall of Fame second baseman for 13 seasons for the Red Sox retired at the age of 33 after injuring his back, returned to the West Coast, and became an Oregon farmer.

(Below, DiMaggio, Doerr, and Pesky throw out first ball, Game 2, 2004 World Series; Williams passed in 2002)


Bobby Doerr lived long enough to be at Fenway Park for its 100th anniversary in 2012, a park that was only 25 years old when he made his debut.

(Below, Doerr and Pesky at 100th anniversary, behind them are Varitek, Big Papi, and Wakefield.)

The Missing Red Sox 1st Baseman: 1972-1983

In December 1971 the Boston Red Sox traded 27 year old first baseman George Scott to the Milwaukee Brewers. 

In December 1976 the Boston Red Sox traded part time DH and first baseman Cecil Cooper (who turned 27 two weeks later), to the Milwaukee Brewers for 32 year old George Scott.


Looked at solely from a first baseman to first baseman comparison the trades were a disaster for the Red Sox.  From 1972 through 1983, Brewers first basemen accumulated 52.4 WAR (4.4 average/season) and averaged 136 OPS+ compared to 22.4 WAR (1.9 average/season) and a 106 OPS+ average.  They managed to let the Brewers have Scott during his peak years, getting him back as he entered a speedy decline and trading Cooper just before he emerged as a star.

The deals look even worse when you just look at the years when the Sox had someone other than Carl Yastrzemski as their primary first baseman.  Yaz played first from 1973 through 1976 and while Scott was a bit better with WAR of 17.5 and OPS+ of 133, Yaz was not too far behind with 14.9 WAR and 128 OPS+.

But look at 1972 and 1977-83.  Over those eight seasons, Brewers first baseman accumulated 34.9 WAR and 137 OPS+ compared to 7.5 WAR and 95 OPS+ for the Sox.  Red Sox first basemen in those years (with WAR and OPS+) compared to the Brewers:

1972:  Danny Cater (1.0/85) v George Scott (4.9/124)                
1977:  George Scott (2.4/114) v Cecil Cooper (2.7/113)
1978:  Scott (0.2/83) v Cooper (3.0/133)
1979:  Bob Watson/Yaz/Scott (2.6/110) v Cooper (3.7/133)
1980:  Tony Perez (0.6/108) v Cooper (6.8/155)
1981:  Perez/Dave Stapleton (1.7/100) v Cooper (4.2/151)
1982:  Stapleton (0.6/87) v Cooper (5.6/142)
1983:  Stapleton (-1.6/76) v Cooper (4.0/138)

The first Scott deal looks somewhat better when you evaluate it in totality.  That trade involved nine players but boiled down to Scott for outfielder Tommy Harper and starting pitcher Marty Pattin.  In 1972, Pattin got off to a 1-7 start, then won 16 of his last 22 decisions and becoming a key part of the Sox's pennant run that ultimately fell a half game short of the Detroit Tigers.  Harper had a respectable season but you can argue that the Sox might not feel that bad about the trade as of the end of 1972.  Their real mistake was trading Sparky Lyle for Danny Cater to replace Scott.

In 1973 Pattin became an ineffective pitcher but Harper had an outstanding year playing center field, stealing 54 bases and accumulating 4.7 WAR.  Pattin was gone after the season and Harper never had another good year for the Sox.

The trade that brought Scott back to Boston in December 1976 was a complete disaster.  The Sox gave up Cecil Cooper to get Scott and Bernie Carbo.  Bernie had been with Boston for the '74 and '75 seasons and was traded to the Brewers in June 1976 for Bobby Darwin and Tom Murphy.  Darwin's slash line for the Sox that year was 179/216/349, walking twice and striking out 35 times in 106 at bats, one of the worst batting performances in baseball history.  Murphy, a reliever, had a 6.75 ERA in 16 appearances.

While Cecil Cooper became a star, Scott had one decent year with the Sox, and then a season and a half of rapid decline before being dealt to Kansas City.  He retired after the 1979 season.  Carbo had an okay year in 1977 as a part-time player (2.3 WAR), before falling off rapidly in 1978 and being sold to the Cleveland Indians in mid-season. 

The Last Goodbye

After the Red Sox were eliminated from the playoffs by the Cleveland Indians last night the players were in the clubhouse when Sox officials came to David Ortiz and told him most of the fans were still in the stadium, waiting to say goodbye to him.   He went back on the field.  Afterwards he said:

"I definitely always want to show love to the fans. I started thinking, I have my moment once I walk onto the mound, start looking around. And that moment, that hits you. You know you're never going to be able to be performing in the baseball world in front of all this. No disrespect to anyone, but I think we have the best fans worldwide. It's something that, it kind of hit me a little bit -- I'm not going to lie to you."

"I give everything I have, do something special while I play. And the fans respect that. The fans love that. The fans, they live through it. And that's all that matters to me."

"And everywhere I go, everywhere I bump into our fans, it doesn't matter if you bump into two of them or you bump into a thousand of them. They show the same love. And that's why I got better, that's why I got the opportunity to have the career that I had."

You can watch the moment here.

Big Papi's Big Day

Yesterday afternoon the Missus and I were at Fenway Park for the last regular season game of David Ortiz, the most popular player in the history of the franchise.  In the hour long farewell ceremony:

The Mayor of Boston named a street after Big Papi

Not to be outdone, the Governor of Massachusetts named a bridge after Big Papi

The President of the Dominican Republic (Danilo Medina) showed up to throw the first pitch to - - - Big Papi, who was born in the Dominican and became a U.S. Citizen in 2011  

Big Papi took a selfie with the President

Kevin Spacey recited Rudyard Kipling's If

Three National Anthems were played (Canada, Dominican Republic, U.S.)

Mary J Blige (Papi's favorite singer) sang The Star Spangled Banner, as well as One by U2.

The Red Sox and team owners donated $1 million to Big Papi's charity which funds life saving operations for kids in the Dominican and New England (563 so far)

Former teammates from the 2004, 2007 and 2013 champion teams walked out of the center field pavilion carrying the World Series trophies to join Big Papi

Manny Ramirez managed to remember to show up

(Manny & Papi hug, Pedro Martinez on left, Jason Varitek on right)
 
It was emotionally exhausting (video of his speech is here).  And there was a game afterwards.  Turned out to be a pretty good one.  Now, on to the playoffs.

All through the year, I feared Papi would tail off from his amazing start.  While it did to a minor degree, he never plunged into the lengthy slump many of us anticipated.  He led the American League in doubles, RBI, slugging, on base + slugging, intentional walks and extra base hits, along with finishing 6th in batting average, 3rd in on-base percentage and 8th in homers and walks.  It was his best season since 2007 and the best final season over the natural career arc of any major league ballplayer (Ted Williams had an incredible final season at age 42, but was only a part-time players, starting only 87 games with 390 plate appearances compared to 626 for Papi; another recent, and often forgotten, outstanding finale was for 39 year old Mike Mussina, who went 20-9 for the 2008 New York Yankees).  The only comparable final years were in careers cut short, Sandy Koufax's 1966 campaign, ended at age 30 by an arthritic elbow, and Shoeless Joe Jackson in 1920, terminated at age 32 by the Black Sox Scandal.

Recently watching a lengthy interview with Ortiz broadcast on NESN we learned several things:

He hated playing for the Minnesota Twins who, he complained, tried to make him into a singles hitter and didn't want him taking big swings.  The Twins apparently didn't think much of him, releasing Ortiz in December 2002 at the age of 27, an incredible mistake in retrospect.

He gives Pedro Martinez credit for getting him to Boston (and gave him special mention in his farewell speech yesterday).  When Pedro learned Ortiz was released he called the Red Sox front office urging them to sign him, which they did despite misgivings.

The two people he singled out for helping him become a better hitter were Jason Varitek and Manny Ramirez.  In his first season with the Red Sox, Tek persuaded him to switch to a heavier bat which he said would make Papi use his wrists more and body less and give him more power.  Ortiz said it made an immediate difference.

From Manny, he learned how to have a plan for each at bat.  Despite his well-known eccentricities (like letting uncashed $50,000 pay checks sit in his locker), Manny has always had the reputation as a very smart hitter.

His major adjustment as he got older was to stop looking for inside pitches and concentrate on the outer half of the plate, feeling he could always handle the inside pitch.  He was right.

Along those lines, one of the things that jumps out is his recovery from what looked like a terminal decline in 2008 through 2010, to finish with such a strong kick over his final six seasons.  It looks like a key factor was his approach to controlling the strike zone.  In most cases, a batter's strikeouts increase as they get older and can't get around on the fastball anymore.  During 2009 and 2010 Papi was striking out in almost 24% of his plate appearances (PA), and during the early part of 2010, in 33% of his PA.  He clearly made some type of adjustment, and in 2011 struck out in less than 14% of his PA, maintaining that pace right through this year.

Papi from The Players' Tribune:

Boston is not just my team. Boston is my city. I consider myself a Bostonian, and it’s the thing I’m most proud of in the world.

For some wonderful pictures from throughout the career of David Ortiz go here.