Red Sox Greatest Hits

Bergs

funky and cold
SoSH Member
Jul 22, 2005
21,627
The Lester no-hitter was something else. Talk about goosebumps: interrupted by lymphoma (which he crushed), Lester was incredible from his debut in 2006 through 2008. His numbers in that stretch are boffo. He won a WS clinching game. And he threw that gem on May 19th, 2008.


Youkilis makes some great plays, and every play by Manny is an adventure. Jacoby's play in the 4th could be a clip in this thread on its own, and Lowell's two plays on choppers (including the close play in the 9th) are low-key vital moments.

And of course, Lester is magnificent. Only Ellsbury's play is not a routine out. It was the highest personal-performance point in one of the best pitching runs of Sox history.
Man, I miss Tito. And Orsillo.
 

Savin Hillbilly

loves the secret sauce
SoSH Member
Jul 10, 2007
18,783
The wrong side of the bridge....
I always liked this one from Papi, his first big post season hit for the Sox, off of Foulke no less. Game 4 2003 ALDS, IIRC the day after Nixon’s extra inning blast.
View: https://youtu.be/DPz1wJ44bzo
Not to take anything away from Papi, but that is some seriously crap defense there by Dye.

I don't mean to be a buzzkill, 'cause that game was awesome, but, man, Junior Felix used to destroy the Red Sox.
I love him anyway, for being part of my favorite Wheel of Fortune before-and-after that never was: Ken Griffey Junior Felix Jose Canseco.
 

oumbi

Member
SoSH Member
Jun 15, 2006
4,167
For me, this one is among my absolute favorites - Damon's grand slam in game seven of the 2004 American League series. That was when it finally struck me that the Sox were actually, factually, really, truly about to win four straight, escape the curse (TM), and forever pay back the MFY.

Enjoy.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAgMBIu6iVk
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
SoSH Member
Oct 1, 2015
24,386
For me, this one is among my absolute favorites - Damon's grand slam in game seven of the 2004 American League series. That was when it finally struck me that the Sox were actually, factually, really, truly about to win four straight, escape the curse (TM), and forever pay back the MFY.

Enjoy.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAgMBIu6iVk
For me it was when he hit his next homer and Buck said, “Johnny Damon is going off!”
 

Savin Hillbilly

loves the secret sauce
SoSH Member
Jul 10, 2007
18,783
The wrong side of the bridge....
For me, this one is among my absolute favorites - Damon's grand slam in game seven of the 2004 American League series. That was when it finally struck me that the Sox were actually, factually, really, truly about to win four straight, escape the curse (TM), and forever pay back the MFY.

Enjoy.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAgMBIu6iVk
I remember that sequence of emotions well. When Papi hit his HR in the first it was "you know, we really could do this." Then when Damon hit his slam it was "my god, we are really gonna do this." And when he hit his second one it was just laugh/screaming wordlessly at the TV.

That game 7 was my first gamethread ever -- on iChat with a work colleague whose parents were Thai and Chinese, and I remember vividly after the slam he texted "HALF THAI!!!!"
 

snowmanny

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 8, 2005
15,672
May 14, 2016, Houston in town. Papi had announced it was his last year. It's early in the year, and of course you just want to see a little more magic before he goes. Ortiz homers in the third. Triples with two outs in the ninth to tie the game and force it to extras. Then drives one to the triangle to win it in the 11th.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVmAKFkh4_0
 

bringbackburks

New Member
Jul 21, 2005
69
May 14, 2016, Houston in town. Papi had announced it was his last year. It's early in the year, and of course you just want to see a little more magic before he goes. Ortiz homers in the third. Triples with two outs in the ninth to tie the game and force it to extras. Then drives one to the triangle to win it in the 11th.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVmAKFkh4_0
[/QUOTE
 
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bringbackburks

New Member
Jul 21, 2005
69
This is one I'll never forget. We were there with our kids who were then two and four. I'd spent their entire life extolling the legend of Ortiz. We had spent the day shouting at the top of our lungs every time he came up. As the 9th started it seemed basically preordained that Ortiz would deliver, that he did it again for the win was beyond amazing. Kids were less impressed; apparently (for some reason) thought this was how it always worked.

Had to post the one below as the only other walk off I've been to at Fenway. Todd Benzinger won the game with a three run shot in the 12th to keep Morgan Magic on going. The ball landed about 10 rows away. My little brother had been sleeping on my mom's lap and was rudely awakened by the crowd.

View: https://youtu.be/8zmtSv4DHVE
(game recap starts at about 16:15)

As a side not that I forgotten about till I watched the clip; a fan had literally climbed onto the cable that supported the net behind home plate and was up there while play continued.[/QUOTE]
 

Martin and Woods

New Member
Dec 8, 2017
81
This is one I'll never forget. We were there with our kids who were then two and four. I'd spent their entire life extolling the legend of Ortiz. We had spent the day shouting at the top of our lungs every time he came up. As the 9th started it seemed basically preordained that Ortiz would deliver, that he did it again for the win was beyond amazing. Kids were less impressed; apparently (for some reason) thought this was how it always worked.

Had to post the one below as the only other walk off I've been to at Fenway. Todd Benzinger won the game with a three run shot in the 12th to keep Morgan Magic on going. The ball landed about 10 rows away. My little brother had been sleeping on my mom's lap and was rudely awakened by the crowd.

View: https://youtu.be/8zmtSv4DHVE
(game recap starts at about 16:15)

As a side not that I forgotten about till I watched the clip; a fan had literally climbed onto the cable that supported the net behind home plate and was up there while play continued.
[/QUOTE]
I was at the Todd Benzinger walk-off game, and I'd also forgotten about the guy climbing on the cable. A great win always made the drive back to Manchester, NH seem to go a lot faster.

In the absence of actual baseball to follow, it's been fun to read others describing terrific regular-season games they'd attended back in the day, then realize, "I was at that game!" (I'd usually make it down to a handful of games each year). The Mugsy bases-loaded bunt game was fantastic - seemed to take him forever to run to first!

Maybe I'm just enjoying the sense of community and common experience here since we're imprisoned by this @#$% virus? Or maybe I just liking reading about baseball from yesteryear and epic Sox wins.

Was anyone else at this game, August 30, 1980? Down to the A's 6-2, Rice leads off the bottom of the 9th with a homer to CF, Sox force extra innings on a 2-run triple from Glenn Hoffman, and Rice then leads off the 10th with another homer to CF for an incredible come-from-behind win.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BOS/BOS198008300.shtml
Hope everyone is coping well.
 

fenwaypaul

Well-Known Member
Gold Supporter
SoSH Member
Jul 21, 2005
6,582
Boxborough MA
I've gushed about this one in other threads over the years: Tony C's 11-inning walkoff homer into the net against the White Sox, 15 June 1967 (my second Fenway game ever). This time I'll let Will McDonough tell the story. He's much better at it than I am (images spoilered for size).
2944829449
 

leithbones

Member
SoSH Member
Jun 3, 2005
1,063
stroke my uvula
How about the most recent hit we saw in Fenway? Rafi's 3-bouncer seeing-eye single into short right last fall.
Followed by....
Mookie's Mad Dash
I loved it 'cuz we were there.
*Barnes squanders ERod's 20th win in the 8th.
*And I saw THIS the inning before Mookie did his thing in the 9th. Unbelievable....headliner in the "Greatest Catch Thread"
All in all, very memorable game (Devers not necessarily a memorable hit, but I'm taking license here)
 

Sin Duda

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 16, 2005
818
(B)Austin Texas
I found what I think is the game that was a pivotal moment in Red Sox fandom, not for me, but for my little sisters. Baseball Reference helped me find it. I could only recall that Yaz had hit two homers, it was at home, the Red Sox had slobberknocked their opponent, and I was in high school. I had fallen passionately in love with the Sox the summer of '75. The game I remember, per Baseball Reference, was two years later, on June 18, 1977, and the Red Sox beat the Yankees 10-4. Yaz hit 2 homers that day. I remember the first one especially, because Yaz ran the count to 3-0 on Mike Torrez and I explained to my little sisters, who were 14, 13, and 12 at the time and at their first MLB game, that Yaz wouldn't swing at the 3-0 pitch unless it was right down the middle. The Yanks had taken an early 2 run lead in the top of the first but Burleson and Lynn had opened the Red Sox frame with singles, and now with one out, Yaz had come to the plate. He had that upright stance, leaning forward toward the pitcher with his top half, that kids from Old Lyme CT to Old Orchard Beach in Maine knew how to imitate.

Now with a commanding count in his favor, I attempted to describe Ted Williams' hit zone graphic. I told them if Torrez put one down the middle, Yaz was going to smack it right there, and I pointed to the Red Sox bullpen from our centerfield bleacher seats. Sure enough, Torrez threw a get-me-over fastball and Yaz stroked a long drive that ricocheted off the bullpen back wall for a 3-run homer! The Red Sox now led 3-2 and my sisters thought I knew more about baseball than anyone alive.

Homers flew out all day for the Sox (5 in all), and I called another Yaz homer late in the game. It was a long walk back to the car and a longer drive back to Meriden CT but everyone in the car was happy along with being tired from watching a long day game (huh, only 2:38 per BB Ref) at Fenway in 90F weather (BB Ref again).

Holy $h!t I found a video; check the 0:30 mark! Per the video, the Sox victory the night before had moved them into first place over the Yankees. Since Yaz would turn 38 later that summer on August 22 (my birthday too), the weekend sweep of the Yankees (9-4, 10-4, 11-1), in which he went 9 for 14 and hit 4 home runs, might have been his greatest late-career 3-game stretch.

p.s. Bill (Soupy) Campbell pitched 3 innings Friday night for the save, then 3.2 more innings for another save Saturday afternoon. I'm sure it was only Ferguson Jenkins' complete game victory the next day that prevented Zimmer from using Campbell for 3+ innings again on Sunday.
 

jaytftwofive

New Member
Jan 20, 2013
1,182
Drexel Hill Pa.
There would have been no Henderson HR without Don Baylor's shot

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZcCbGsGFMU
Thank You. I posted that also to someone but the response was that Baylor was a power hitter and it was not as surprising and shocking. But the fact is no Baylor HR, Hendu's wouldn't have mattered. Most underappreciated home run in Red Sox post season history. Even as much if not more then Carbo's. And he was such a leader on that team form the normal 25 guys 25 cab Red Sox history. RIP Don.
 

The Gray Eagle

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 1, 2001
16,725
Doesn't have to be the most important, what are some of your favorite Red Sox hits you experienced in your fandom?

Trot Nixon breaks a scoreless tie in the toilet
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIggAozU5D4
The Athletic just put up a nice retrospective of this game:
https://theathletic.com/1753055/2020/04/17/pedro-martinez-roger-clemens-yankees-red-sox-2000/
The bottom of the 6th inning:
When Pedro takes the field, he does some early stretching after sitting for roughly 23 minutes. Pedro’s velocity is not great on his first two fastballs, but he has this sequence against Jeter: 84-mph called strike outside, 88 outside again for a ball, 80-mph foul ball, 88 away for another ball, then 92 mph for a swinging strikeout.

“Blown away” says Miller.

It’s the only time Jeter makes an out in this game. He’ll finish with three of the four Yankee hits.

“He was just overmatched there,” Morgan says. “This fastball, it looked like it just took off. I mean, this one looks like it explodes right at home plate, and it does. I mean, it says 92 mph, but it just exploded. Like, there’s no chance for you to hit that pitch.”
 

brandonchristensen

Loves Aaron Judge
SoSH Member
Feb 4, 2012
38,187
Manny had some great ones. Can't find the date but he had a two homer game in Tampa that were absolute lasers.
And of course this one at Toronto is a legend:
View: https://youtu.be/77ilKxKJSa0
I remember this one because my dad was driving me to a pitching practice for my baseball team (I was 16 I believe)...and because we lived in Canada, we got the Jays games on the radio. So I heard this, and then later saw the replays for it. Insanity.

What I love about a lot of these are that I can remember where I was when they happened. That's a special feeling.
 

chief1

New Member
Aug 10, 2012
147
September 30, 1967. Clinched a win over the Twins, next-to-last game of season. Killebrew then hit his 44th in the top of the 9th.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=equRLYNNKU8
I was there as a young boy for this one. I became addicted to baseball and the Red Sox that day. Strangers hugging strangers. The electricity and euphoria walking out of Fenway at games end made such an impact on me.
Birth of Red Sox nation.
 

reej

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 30, 2006
214
cape cod
My favorite Red Sox hit actually being present at the game was Rico Brogna's walk off grand slam. I was 9 or 10 years old or so, and my dad and I started a "Rico! Rico!" chant that the entire crowd ended up joining in on. Then he went deep. I also have a fuzzy memory of some drunk guy trying to catch the home run and toppling into the bullpen and needing to be taken out of Fenway on a backboard. Been trying to find a clip of that home run ever since but unable.