1970 Boston Red Sox season
Encyclopedia
The 1970
Boston Red Sox
season involved the Red Sox finishing third in the American League East
with a record of 87 wins and 75 losses.
near the end of the 1969 season
, general manager Dick O'Connell
reached down into the farm system again for a replacement and came up with Eddie Kasko
, who had managed the Red Sox AAA farm team at Louisville to a second-place finish in 1969. Eddie had been an infielder for the St. Louis Cardinals
, Cincinnati Reds
, Houston Astros
and Boston Red Sox for 10 years (and eventually became the scouting director for Boston).
Eddie took over a team in transition in 1970. Its leading pitcher was Ray Culp
, with 17 wins. Jim Lonborg
, the superstar of 1967
, still was not back in form and went 4-1. Carl Yastrzemski
led the team and the American League, with a .329 average, and Tony Conigliaro
appeared to have recovered from the horrible beaning of 1967, hitting .266, with 36 home runs and 116 RBIs. Reggie Smith
hit .303, and George Scott had a banner year at .296, with 16 homers and 63 RBIs. Unfortunately the Red Sox finished 21 games back of the rampaging Baltimore Orioles
, who won 108 games and then went on to defeat the Cincinnati Reds
in the 1970 World Series
, 4 games to 1.
1970 in baseball
-Major Leagues:*World Series MVP: Brooks Robinson*All-Star Game, July 14 at Riverfront Stadium: National League, 5-4 ; Carl Yastrzemski, MVP-Other champions:*Caribbean World Series: Navegantes del Magallanes *College World Series: USC...
Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
season involved the Red Sox finishing third in the American League East
American League East
The American League Eastern Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions . This division was created before the start of the 1969 season along with the Western Division...
with a record of 87 wins and 75 losses.
Offseason
- December 13, 1969: Dalton JonesDalton JonesJames Dalton Jones is a former Major League Baseball player who played nine seasons in the big leagues for the Boston Red Sox , Detroit Tigers , and Texas Rangers .-Biography:...
was traded by the Red Sox to the Detroit TigersDetroit TigersThe Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
for Tom MatchickTom MatchickJohn Thomas Matchick is a former professional baseball player. He was a utility infielder over parts of 6 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers and Baltimore Orioles. Matchick was a member of the 1968 World Series champion Tigers...
.
Regular season
The 1970s began with a new manager for the Red Sox. After the firing of Dick WilliamsDick Williams
Richard Hirschfeld "Dick" Williams was an American left fielder, third baseman, manager, coach and front office consultant in Major League Baseball. Known especially as a hard-driving, sharp-tongued manager from 1967–69 and 1971–88, he led teams to three American League pennants, one National...
near the end of the 1969 season
1969 Boston Red Sox season
The 1969 Boston Red Sox season was a season in American baseball. In the first season following the split of the American League into two divisions, the Red Sox finished third in the newly-established American League East with a record of 87 wins and 75 losses.- Offseason :* October 15, 1968: Joe...
, general manager Dick O'Connell
Dick O'Connell
Richard Henry O'Connell was an American front office executive in Major League Baseball. He was executive vice president of the Boston Red Sox from 1961 through 1977 and served as general manager of the team from September 16, 1965, through October 24, 1977, a period during which he played a...
reached down into the farm system again for a replacement and came up with Eddie Kasko
Eddie Kasko
Edward Michael Kasko is a former infielder, manager, scout and front office executive in American Major League Baseball....
, who had managed the Red Sox AAA farm team at Louisville to a second-place finish in 1969. Eddie had been an infielder for the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
, Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
, Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
and Boston Red Sox for 10 years (and eventually became the scouting director for Boston).
Eddie took over a team in transition in 1970. Its leading pitcher was Ray Culp
Ray Culp
Raymond Leonard Culp was a pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies , Chicago Cubs , and Boston Red Sox ....
, with 17 wins. Jim Lonborg
Jim Lonborg
James Reynold Lonborg is a former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher who played with the Boston Red Sox , Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies...
, the superstar of 1967
1967 Boston Red Sox season
The Boston Red Sox season, often referred to as The Impossible Dream, consisted of the Red Sox shocking New England and the rest of the baseball world by winning the American League Championship and reaching the World Series for the first time since 1946...
, still was not back in form and went 4-1. Carl Yastrzemski
Carl Yastrzemski
Carl Michael Yastrzemski is a former American Major League Baseball left fielder and first baseman. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989. Yastrzemski played his entire 23-year baseball career with the Boston Red Sox . He was primarily a left fielder, with part of his later career...
led the team and the American League, with a .329 average, and Tony Conigliaro
Tony Conigliaro
Anthony Richard Conigliaro , nicknamed "Tony C" and "Conig", was a Major League Baseball outfielder and right-handed batter who played for the Boston Red Sox and California Angels . He was born in Revere, Massachusetts, and was a 1962 graduate of St. Mary's High School...
appeared to have recovered from the horrible beaning of 1967, hitting .266, with 36 home runs and 116 RBIs. Reggie Smith
Reggie Smith
Carl Reginald Smith is a former Major League Baseball outfielder, coach and front office executive. During a 17-year big league career , Smith appeared in 1,987 games, hit 314 home runs and batted .287. He was a switch-hitter who threw right-handed. In his prime, he had one of the strongest...
hit .303, and George Scott had a banner year at .296, with 16 homers and 63 RBIs. Unfortunately the Red Sox finished 21 games back of the rampaging Baltimore Orioles
1970 Baltimore Orioles season
The Baltimore Orioles season involved the Orioles finishing first in the American League East with a record of 108 wins and 54 losses, 15 games ahead of the runner-up New York Yankees. The Orioles swept the Minnesota Twins for the second straight year in the American League Championship Series...
, who won 108 games and then went on to defeat the Cincinnati Reds
1970 Cincinnati Reds season
The 1970 Cincinnati Reds season consisted of the Reds winning the National League West title with a record of 102-60, 14½ games ahead of the runner-up Los Angeles Dodgers. The Reds defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates in three straight games in the 1970 National League Championship Series to win their...
in the 1970 World Series
1970 World Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 10, 1970 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, OhioThe Jackson 5 performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" prior to the game, which almost became an embarrassment when the group realized shortly before their performance that they weren't familiar with the lyrics...
, 4 games to 1.
Opening Day lineup
| 2 | Mike Andrews Mike Andrews Michael Jay Andrews is a retired American Major League Baseball infielder who played for the Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox and Oakland Athletics. He is currently the chairman of The Jimmy Fund, an event fundraising organization affiliated with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston,... |
2B |
| 7 | Reggie Smith Reggie Smith Carl Reginald Smith is a former Major League Baseball outfielder, coach and front office executive. During a 17-year big league career , Smith appeared in 1,987 games, hit 314 home runs and batted .287. He was a switch-hitter who threw right-handed. In his prime, he had one of the strongest... |
CF |
| 8 | Carl Yastrzemski Carl Yastrzemski Carl Michael Yastrzemski is a former American Major League Baseball left fielder and first baseman. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989. Yastrzemski played his entire 23-year baseball career with the Boston Red Sox . He was primarily a left fielder, with part of his later career... |
LF |
| 5 | George Scott | 1B |
| 6 | Rico Petrocelli Rico Petrocelli Americo Peter "Rico" Petrocelli is an American retired baseball shortstop and third baseman who played his entire career in the American League with the Boston Red Sox... |
SS |
| 25 | Tony Conigliaro Tony Conigliaro Anthony Richard Conigliaro , nicknamed "Tony C" and "Conig", was a Major League Baseball outfielder and right-handed batter who played for the Boston Red Sox and California Angels . He was born in Revere, Massachusetts, and was a 1962 graduate of St. Mary's High School... |
RF |
| 1 | Luis Alvarado Luis Alvarado Luis César Alvarado Martínez , born in Lajas, Puerto Rico, was a utility infielder in Major League Baseball.... |
3B |
| 10 | Jerry Moses Jerry Moses Gerald Braheen Moses is a retired American professional baseball player. A catcher, he signed a bonus contract with the Boston Red Sox in and spent his early Major League Baseball career with the Bosox, but over the course of his nine years in MLB Moses would play for seven different teams... |
C |
| 43 | Gary Peters | P |
Notable transactions
- May 28, 1970: Tom Matchick was traded by the Red Sox to the Kansas City RoyalsKansas City RoyalsThe Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
for Mike FioreMike FioreMichael Gary Joseph Fiore is a former first baseman in Major League Baseball. He was signed by the New York Mets before the season, drafted by the Baltimore Orioles from the Mets in the 1963 first-year draft , and later drafted by the Kansas City Royals from the Orioles as the 17th pick in the...
. - July 14, 1970: Chuck HartensteinChuck HartensteinCharles Oscar Hartenstein [Twiggy] is a former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for five different teams between the and seasons. Listed at 5' 11", 165 lb., Hartenstein batted and threw right-handed...
was acquired by the Red Sox from the St. Louis CardinalsSt. Louis CardinalsThe St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
as part of a conditional deal.
Roster
| 1970 Boston Red Sox | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers |
Catchers Infielders |
Outfielders |
Manager Coaches |
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Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 14 | 1 | .071 | 0 | 0 | |
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | 251.1 | 17 | 14 | 3.04 | 197 | |
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0.00 | 8 | |