George Scott

From SoSH

George Charles "Boomer" Scott Jr. (born March 23, 1944 in Greenville, MS), was a great fielding First baseman, winning a Major League record 8 Gold Gloves.

Contents 1 Overall Career 2 Awards 3 Achievements 4 Moment in the Sun 5 Trivia 6 Transactions 7 External Links

Overall Career

Likable and colorful George Scott, with his well-spaced gold teeth and sometimes bulging waistline, was a fan favorite in Boston. A flashy fielder, he collected eight Gold Gloves, a record for first basemen. He was the Eastern League Triple Crown winner and MVP in 1965, then tied a rookie record by playing 162 games with the Red Sox in 1966.

Scott was the AL's starting first baseman in the 1966 All-Star Game, only the second rookie first baseman to start an All-Star Game (Walt Dropo was the first). Though he struck out an AL-high 152 times, he also hit 27 home runs and was nicknamed Boomer for his booming shots. He batted .303 as a key member of the "Impossible Dream" pennant club of 1967. But in 1968 his offense took a tumble; he hit just .171, establishing a ML record for the lowest batting average for a first baseman playing 100 games.

Scott regained his stroke while playing mostly third base in 1969-70. He was traded to Milwaukee in a 10-player deal after the 1971 season. In 1975 he tied Reggie Jackson for the AL lead with 36 HR, driving in an AL-high 109 runs. Sent back to Boston in a trade for Cecil Cooper before the 1977 season, he had his final power year, hitting 33 HR. He went on to play and manage in the Mexican League.

Awards

• 1966 Topps All-Star Rookie Team
• 8-time American League Gold Glove Winner(1967, 1968, 1971 - 1976)
• 3-time American League All-Star (1966, 1975, 1977)

Achievements

• 1975 American League Home Run Leader
• 1975 American League RBI Leader
• 20-Home Run Seasons: 6 (1966, 1971-1973, 1975 & 1977)
• 30-Home Run Seasons: 2 (1975 & 1977)
• 100 RBI Seasons: 2 (1973 & 1975)
• 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 1 (1977)

Moment in the Sun

• Was one of the most recognizable figures on the 1967 Impossible Dream Team, hitting .303
• September 30, 1967: With the pennant on the line and the score tied at 2 vs. the Twins, Scotty steps up in the bottom of the 6th and launches a solo Tater off Ron Kline's first pitch into the CF bleachers, putting the Sox ahead for good and keeping them alive for Pandemonium the next day.

Trivia

• Set record for lowest batting average for a 1B hitting .171 in 1986
• Called his home runs "long taters."

Transactions

• May 28, 1962: Signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent.
• October 11, 1971: Traded by the Boston Red Sox with Ken Brett, Billy Conigliaro, Joe Lahoud, Jim Lonborg, and Don Pavletich to the Milwaukee Brewers for Marty Pattin, Lew Krausse, Tommy Harper, and Pat Skrable.
• December 6, 1976: Traded by the Milwaukee Brewers with Bernie Carbo to the Boston Red Sox for Cecil Cooper.
• June 13, 1979: Traded by the Boston Red Sox to the Kansas City Royals for Tom Poquette.
• August 17, 1979: Released by the Kansas City Royals.
• August 26, 1979: Signed as a Free Agent with the New York Yankees.
• November 1, 1979: Granted Free Agency.
• He later went on to play and coach in Mexico

External Links

• Baseball-Reference.com - Career Statistics and Analysis