Kent Mercker is a name I didn’t remember until the above post. Probably blocked out bad memories
And the fans were super supportive before game 3 at Fenway. I remember watching that game on ESPN and I’m pretty sure he got a nice ovation during the introductions.Tony Graffanino let that ball go right through his legs in the 2005 ALDS.
Lost by 1 in games 1 and 2 then won game 3. Got screwed in game 5 too. I’m not saying the Sox should have won that series. The MFY were SO much better. Just saying that series was a lot more competitive than the 4-1 series margin made it appear.They got royally screwed by the umpires in game one, but they also rolled out the corpse of Bret Saberhagen and Kent Mercker to start in the ALCS against a really good MFY team. They had no chance.
Boston traded Bill Lee to Montreal for him in 78. Zimmer and Lee never got along so we gave up a solid starter for a .188 hitting utility infielder. Certainly one of the worst trades in Sox history.Who the hell is Stan Papi?
And what did Bill Lee have to say about that?Boston traded Bill Lee to Montreal for him in 78.
My memory of Aguilera is that he came on in the bottom of the 11th of Game 1 of the ALDS against the Indians hoping to preserve a 4-3 lead for the Red Sox. He ends up slipping on the wet mound and appears to hurt his groin in the process. And the first batter, Albert Belle, takes him deep to tie the game. Aguilera is then unable to finish the inning after giving up 2 more hits, and is eventually ruled out of the remainder of the ALDS.Rick Aguilera. Got him from the Twins in July of 1995, before he re-signed with the Twins. On the day of the trade he switched locker rooms and pitched against his teammates from earlier in the day, earning a save.
Those were the days when we lusted after Twins closers: see Campbell, Bill and Reardon, Jeff.
Made me look up Seung Song but he never made it. He was still pitching in the KBO as of last year though. Wow.Jin-Ho Cho and Sun-woo Kim?
I was at Jin Ho Cho's major league debut. He had a strong start on a July 4th day game against the White Sox, but took the loss after surrending a homer to Mike Cameron. I thought he had big things coming after that start.Jin-Ho Cho and Sun-woo Kim?
Arquimedez? We have had at least a couple members here using some play on his name as their usernames.While we’re talking about obscure Sox players, I thought Kimi Pozo was going to be a star, and I also thought Jim Tatum was going to be a huge power hitter for us, because Jim Tatum kinda sounds like the type of guy who would put up 45 dingers.
Not so much…
And then he picked his own son in the second round in 1979. Marc Sullivan hit .186 over 5 seasons with the Sox as the backup catcher.I had completely forgotten that Haywood Sullivan PLAYED for the Red Sox. Cups of coffee in '55, '57, and '59 then 52 games as one of a group of backup catchers. We lost him to the Senators in the expansion draft.
Ha, when I first started buying a few baseball cards in the early 70s McAuliffe was a Red Sox card I got and saved for decades. So, no surprise to me!Dick McAuliffe. Shocked that he played 7 games in 1975 after clearly circling the drain in 1974.
Ernie Harwell: "McAuliffe's hit into one double play all year"....before he hit GIDP #2, which clinched the pennant for the 1967 Red Sox.
Bruce Chen was a more interesting story in 2011 when he was NOT on the Red Sox, but might have been.Totally forgot Cliff Floyd played here. Brad Penny too.
Also, Bruce Chen and Bobby Kielty, but they were the sort of guys you wouldn’t necessarily expect to remember 15 years later. Like, I won’t remember Marwin Gonzalez 15 years from now.
Your sarcasm meter failed.You? Of all people to forget about Heath Slocumb and one of the most lopsided trades in history.
Also his last hit in the majors.Kielty hit a HR which proved to be the game winning run of a WS clincher. Not sure how you could forget about him.
Whoops.Your sarcasm meter failed.
The bolded is the criteria I use in this thread. I couldn't conjure up some of the names that have been mentioned out of my own brain... but once mentioned, I either do remember that they played for the Sox, or I don't know who the hell they are.Mark Lemke and Aaron Cook are the only two guys so far that I know full well played a while in MLB, but if you asked me if they'd ever played for Boston, I'd say "Nah, I don't think so."
Olerud may have slipped my mind too. That could be his superpower. Maybe that Rickey Henderson anecdote isn't apocryphal.
Yes, and actually his very last at bat and game. He went out on top. Few can say that in any sport.Also his last hit in the majors.
Now this is a "really?" moment for me. I absolutely remember that Gary Gaetti played for the Red Sox. I never would have guessed correctly if you asked me to name the year. I'd have said he was done in 1995 at the very latest.Also his last hit in the majors.
The 2000 team is a great case study for this thread:
Gaetti
Ed Sprague (traded from SD in June, released in August and promptly signed back with SD)
Jeff Fassero
Bernard Gilkey
Maybe you're confusing him with Brunansky since both orginally were stars with the Twins? (I'm not saying you think Bruno and Gaetti are one and the same; just saying that you might be confusing the timing of their RS tenures.)Now this is a "really?" moment for me. I absolutely remember that Gary Gaetti played for the Red Sox. I never would have guessed correctly if you asked me to name the year. I'd have said he was done in 1995 at the very latest.
Nope. Just remember Gaetti as an 80s player (with the Twins) and didn't realize he played through the entire 90s as well.Maybe you're confusing him with Brunansky since both orginally were stars with the Twins? (I'm not saying you think Bruno and Gaetti are one and the same; just saying that you might be confusing the timing of their RS tenures.)
This post reminded me just how utterly brutal that 2000 Red Sox team was outside of Garciaparra, Everett, Pedro, and maybe Trot Nixon. If we include the bullpen Derek Lowe was pretty damned good that year too. But man, they ran out some complete trash that season. Other names from that team that come to mindare Mike Lansing, Dante Bichette, and Rico Brogna.Also his last hit in the majors.
The 2000 team is a great case study for this thread:
Gaetti
Ed Sprague (traded from SD in June, released in August and promptly signed back with SD)
Jeff Fassero
Bernard Gilkey
The bolded is my answer to this thread. TOTALLY forgot about Sabes.They got royally screwed by the umpires in game one, but they also rolled out the corpse of Bret Saberhagen and Kent Mercker to start in the ALCS against a really good MFY team. They had no chance.
An El Guapo Rich Graces. One of the highlights of that year was being in Fenway, spacing out in between innings , then hearing a random cheer start to fill up Fenway. So you look around trying to figure out what is going on and realize El Guapo is coming out of the bullpen!This post reminded me just how utterly brutal that 2000 Red Sox team was outside of Garciaparra, Everett, Pedro, and maybe Trot Nixon. If we include the bullpen Derek Lowe was pretty damned good that year too. But man, they ran out some complete trash that season. Other names from that team that come to mindare Mike Lansing, Dante Bichette, and Rico Brogna.
You know what I forgot? Tom Brunansky played for the Sox for two separate tours.
(I was not a Bruno fan, I was pissed Lou Gorman traded him for Lee Smith. So I guess I took my displeasure of that trade out on him.)
Gorman acquired Tom Brunansky for Lee Smith. It was after the Sox inexplicably signed Jeff Reardon in the offseason as a free agent despite having Smith in the backend of the bullpen.Gorman traded Al Nipper and Calvin Schiraldi for Lee Smith.
Never mind, I see now. The Sox obtained Brunansky for Smith. I'd forgotten about that!
Yes, your phrase "Gorman traded him for Smith" threw me. I thought you were saying they traded him to acquire Smith. I knew that Brunansky had been on the Sox twice, but I'd forgotten that they traded Smith for him. The second time, I would have guessed that they'd grabbed him after he'd been released.Gorman acquired Tom Brunansky for Lee Smith. It was after the Sox inexplicably signed Jeff Reardon in the offseason as a free agent despite having Smith in the backend of the bullpen.
No memory of Deer here. I hated both him and Incaviglia in the 80s. Alas, I did not realize …Rob Deer had 143 ABs in 1993. He hit .196 with 7 HRs and 46Ks. It was the end of his MLB career.
How can you forget Julian Tavarez?! Dude was a piece of work between sucker punching Joey Gathright in spring training exhibition play and rolling the ball to 1st.Julian Tavarez