Bill Mueller’s 2 grand slams revisited

[TFisNEXT]

I can't find a cut of the NESN call anywhere, but I distinctly remember Jerry Remy exclaiming "whoa" as the ball jumped of Mueller's bat for the 3rd homer/2nd slam.

Epstein's early acquisitions (Walker, Mueller, Ortiz, Bellhorn) were ho-hum guys on their old teams who put on relentless quality at-bats.

Bill Mueller was the classic undervalued guy back then. Didn’t hit for much ISO (so he never had the sexy HR and RBI numbers) but he had already put up 4 seasons with OBPs over .380 before he got to Boston. Theo and his guys correctly figured his power numbers would look a bit better in Fenway with his switch hitting and great oppo stroke from the left side and knew how valuable the OBP skills already were.

 

[GB5]

I remember having no idea who Bill Mueller was and I watched his first spring training at bat with his crazy top heavy swing and saying this guy is going to be a disaster. I could not have been more wrong. He was fantastic.

I see a lot of references to Williamson on this board, he was so tough to hit. I remember reading something to the effect that Grady didn’t trust him because he was developing blisters on his face and lips during the Yanks series due to anxiety. Anyone else have any recollection of these allegations or am I crazy.

In the 03 Oakland series, it’s forgotten but Williamson walked the first two batters in the 9th in game 5, immediately predating DLowe saving the season.

 

[TFisNEXT]

I remember having no idea who Bill Mueller was and I watched his first spring training at bat with his crazy top heavy swing and saying this guy is going to be a disaster. I could not have been more wrong. He was fantastic.

I see a lot of references to Williamson on this board, he was so tough to hit. I remember reading something to the effect that Grady didn’t trust him because he was developing blisters on his face and lips during the Yanks series due to anxiety. Anyone else have any recollection of these allegations or am I crazy.

In the 03 Oakland series, it’s forgotten but Williamson walked the first two batters in the 9th in game 5, immediately predating DLowe saving the season.

Re: bolded….

I definitely never forgot that part because I had initially viewed it as a good quick hook from Grady. Many other managers would’ve kept their “closer” in for at least another batter if not until they lost. It gave me more confidence in him that he would do the right thing with the season on the line. It’s what made game 7 in the ALCS so much more painful to me. I wasn’t expecting such a colossal blunder.

There were a couple of other tidbits which I always found interesting/perplexing from that game 5 in Oakland….

1. Oakland sac bunted (successfully) with Ramon Hernandez when DLowe came in with 1st and 2nd with nobody out. It was unlike Oakland to drop a sacrifice bunt. I never found out if that was called by Ken Macha or if Hernandez did it on his own. Hernandez had dropped the surprise game-winning bunt in extra innings of game 1 so it’s possible he did it on his own in game 5 too. Regardless, I always took it as a gift handed to the Red Sox since Hernandez was a pretty good hitter.

2. The next hitter was going to be Jermaine Dye, but Ken Macha chose to pinch hit the switch-hitting Adam Melhuse. The only reason I can figure was so he could have a left handed bat up there against DLowe….but that seemed really foolish considering Dye struck out at a rate significantly less than Melhuse and a K with runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out is disastrous there. Seemed like a situation of over-weighting the platoon advantage. Melhuse went on to strike out on a filthy sinker tailing over the inside corner of the plate similar to the pitch that ended the game against Terrence Long two batter later. I’m glad we never saw Dye bat there.

 

[GB5]

Lot of weird stuff going on in Game 5. Didn’t Grady go offense/defense very early by putting Darrin Jackson in for Todd Walker in the 6th inning or so. Darrin Jackson wiped out Johnny Damon shortly thereafter.

 

[lexrageorge]

Hence, of course, the username of @mt8thsw9th . Which became a muttering of despair that offseason around SoSH.


I'd be interested in what records the 2003 Sox hold, but I believe the record for runs scored in a season, since the deadball era, goes:

1. 1931 Yankees, 1067
2. 1936 Yankees, 1065
3. 1930 Yankees, 1062
4. 1950 Red Sox, 1027
5. 1999 Indians, 1009
6. 1930 Cardinals, 1004
7. 1932 Yankees, 1002
8. 1930 Cubs, 998
9. 1996 Mariners, 993

2003 Red Sox: 961 runs scored (809 allowed). I don't think we were all that close to any sort of notable record.

I think it was total bases of 2832 that set a record. Since tied by the 2019 Twins.