1975 Red Sox

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1970-1971-1972-1973-1974-1975-1976-1977-1978-1979

1 General Info
2 Summary
3 Roster
4 External Links

General Info

W-L Record: 95-65
1st in the AL Eastern Division
Won the American League Pennant over Oakland Athletics (3-0)
Lost the 1975 World Series to Cincinnati Reds (4-3)
Scored 796 runs, allowed 709 runs
Pythagorean Record: 88-72
Manager: Darrell Johnson

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Summary

1975 was a watershed year for the Red Sox. It was the year the baton was passed, from the stars of the 1967 champions to a new generation. In sports, there is always some transition from older players to younger men underway, but the 1975 team was more than that - a whole new nucleus was emerging. On opening day, the Red Sox started three of the mainstays from the 1967 team - Carl Yastrzemski, Rico Petrocelli, and Tony Conigliaro - but all three had been moved to less demanding positions, to make way for the new wave of Red Sox stars. Rico, for example, was now a third baseman, replaced at shortstop by a rookie, "the Rooster", Rick Burleson. Both Yaz and Tony C had been bumped from the outfield - Yaz was now a full-time first baseman, and Tony C was a DH, until he was released in June. In their places, and across the diamond, a brilliant young team was coming into its own.

The infield was anchored by its catcher, Carlton Fisk, better known as "Pudge". Fisk had joined the Sox in 1972, when he was the first unanimous selection for AL rookie of the year. In 1975, he was restarting his career, after missing nearly an entire year with a knee injury suffered in 1974. Yaz was the everyday first baseman, spelled occasionally by Cecil Cooper, then in his second year. Third base, for the most part, belonged to Rico.

The most significant mid-season deal made by General Manager Dick O'Connell during the 1975 season was the acquisition of second baseman Denny Doyle from the Angels. Prior to Doyle's arrival, second base belonged primarily to Doug Griffin, a useful role player who hit .240 in 100 games for the Sox in 1975. Doyle represented a significant improvement at second, though - he hit .298 for the season (and .310 with the Sox), and was solid afield, as well. With Doyle, the Sox had an infield that was more than adequate, both in the field and at the plate.

It was in the outfield, however, that the 1975 Red Sox were most improved. The Red Sox farm system at this time was producing an abundance of excellent young outfielders, providing the parent club with new talent each year. By the end of 1974, when it was decided that Yaz would become a full-time first baseman, the Sox already boasted a promising outfield nucleus. The team had acquired Bernie Carbo, a former NL rookie of the year (1970), from St. Louis in a trade involving Reggie Smith. In 1972, the Sox promoted Rick Miller, a fine defensive center fielder, from Pawtucket. In 1973 they added Dwight Evans, who quickly established himself as one of the best all-around outfielders in baseball. 1974 saw the arrival of Juan Beniquez, a converted shortstop with a quick bat and good speed.

To this group, in 1975, the Sox added Fred Lynn and Jim Rice.

It's hard to convey, at this date, the impact that Lynn and Rice had on the Red Sox - and for that matter, on the American League. In 1975, Lynn started all but a handful of games in center field. He won the Rookie of the Year award, and the MVP. He hit .331, with 105 RBIs, and 21 home runs. He led the league in runs scored (103), doubles (47), and slugging percentage (.566), was second (to Rod Carew) in average, and third (despite missing the final weekend of the season, which was rained out) in RBIs. And he was as good defensively in center field as anyone in either league.

Rice took a different path to a superb rookie season. He began the year on the bench, as backup DH, and didn't play in the field until June. He ended the year on the disabled list, after having his hand broken by a pitch on September 21. In between, he hit .309 (fourth in the league) with 102 RBIs (tied for fifth), 22 home runs, and 92 runs scored.

With Lynn and Rice added to a capable nucleus, the Red Sox offense was as potent as any in the AL. Their defense, keyed up the middle by Fisk, Burleson, and Lynn, was also championship caliber. It is tempting to say that as a result, the Sox rolled to a 95-64 record, and the AL East flag. This would be misleading, though, because it would omit any mention of pitching - and pitching, as any Sox fan can tell you, plays a huge role in success.

The 1975 staff was anchored by Luis Tiant. In 1975, El Tiante claimed to be 34, and was probably several years past that. Who cared? The man with the jitterbug delivery won 18 games in 1975, giving him a total of 60 over the past three seasons. Moreover, he was a presence - the man who the club looked to when it needed a victory.

The second and third starters were Bill Lee and Rick Wise. Lee, the "Spaceman", is best remembered as the man who got away with the worst excuse of all time ("I don't smoke it - I sprinkle it on my buckwheat pancakes to cut the bitterness"), but he was also a fine pitcher. The Spaceman was 17-9 in 1975, his third consecutive 17 win season. Wise had been a consistent starter in the NL. He was acquired with Carbo in the Reggie Smith trade, but missed much of 1974 with arm problems. In 1975 he bounced back, posting a 19-12 record with a 3.95 ERA. Reggie Cleveland (13-9) was the fourth starter on the 1975 staff. Rogelio (Roger) Moret, dividing his time between the bullpen and the rotation, ended up with a 14-3 record. Cleveland and reliever Diego Segui (2-5, 4.82 in 33 appearances) came to the Sox in an ill-fated trade with the Cardinals that included Lynn McGlothen, who was a fine pitcher for years in St. Louis. The Sox didn't really feature a "closer" in 1975, but the bullpen revolved around Dick Drago, a hard-throwing right hander who had come to the Sox from Kansas City prior to the 1974 season. Drago counted 15 saves, nearly half of the 1975 team's total of 33. Jim Willoughby, who had 8 saves in 1975, joined Drago, Segui, Moret, Jim Burton and Dick Pole to give the Sox an adequate bullpen.

In the American League playoffs, the Red Sox squared off against the Oakland A's. The A's were not quite the same squad that had terrorized baseball earlier in the 1970s, but were still a veteran team, deep in talent. Offensively, the A's were explosive, possessing both clutch hitters and tremendous team speed. They were led at the plate by Reggie Jackson (not yet gone to New York), Sal Bando, Joe Rudi, and Gene Tenace, joined by a supporting cast including Bert Campanaris, Billy North, Phil Garner, Billy Williams, and Claudell Washington. The pitching staff included Ken Holtzman, Vida Blue, and Rollie Fingers. In short, the A's were an excellent team.

As were the Red Sox. When the dust cleared, it was the Sox that were AL champions.

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Roster

	REGULARS	BA	HR	RBI	Salary
1B	Carl Yastrzemski	.269	14	60	$
2B	Doug Griffin	.240	1	29	$
SS	Rick Burleson	.252	6	62	$
3B	Rico Petrocelli	.239	7	59	$
OF	Fred Lynn	.331	21	105	$
OF	Dwight Evans	.274	13	56	$
OF	Jim Rice	.309	22	102	$
C	Carlton Fisk	.331	10	52	$
DH	Cecil Cooper	.311	14	44	$
	Other position players: Bernie Carbo (.257, 15, 50), Denny Doyle (.310, 4, 36), Juan Beniquez (.291, 2, 17), Bob Montgomery (.226, 2, 26), Tim Blackwell (.197, 0, 6), Bob Heise (.214, 0, 21), Rick Miller (.194, 0, 15), Tony Conigliaro (.123, 2, 9), Tim McCarver (.381, 0, 3), Dick McAuliffe (.133, 0, 1), Deron Johnson (.600, 1, 3), Steve Dillard (.400, 0, 0), Butch Hobson (.250, 0, 0), Andy Merchant (.500, 0, 0), Kim Andrew (.500, 0, 0), Buddy Hunter (.000, 0, 0)
	STARTERS	W-L	ERA	SV
R	Luis Tiant	18-14	4.02	0	$
R	Rick Wise	19-12	3.95	0	$
L	Bill Lee	17-9	3.95	0	$
R	Reggie Cleveland	13-9	4.43	0	$
R	Dick Pole	4-6	4.42	0	$
	BULLPEN
R	Dick Drago	2-2	3.84	15	$
R	Diego Segui	2-5	4.82	6	$
L	Jim Burton	1-2	2.89	1	$
R	Jim Willoughby	5-2	3.54	8	$
L	Roger Moret	14-3	3.60	1	$
	Other pitchers: Steve Barr (0-1, 2.57), Rick Kreuger (0-0, 4.50)