Red Sox 2013: Naked Came the Lineup

In , he returned to Cedar Rapids, hitting. He also started at catcher for 37 games. After being transferred to Rancho Cucamonga in , he only played 47 games after injuring his right shoulder. In , he hit. In , he was promoted to Double-A Arkansas , finishing second in the league in extra-base hits and fifth in runs scored. Eventually, Napoli worked his way to become the Angels' regular starting catcher.

In , Napoli hit. The second half of the season was injury-marred for Napoli, as he suffered a sprained ankle on a game-winning play at the plate during the final game before the All-Star break, causing him to miss 12 games. He then suffered a strained hamstring only five games after returning, causing him to miss all of August.

For the season, Napoli hit. Napoli again was the Angels Opening Day starter at catcher, and after fully recovering from his injuries, began the season by hitting six home runs in April. Napoli continued to share time behind the plate with Jeff Mathis , who had assumed the back-up duties after the Angels trade of Molina during the season.

Napoli again was injured in July, causing him to miss 28 games with shoulder issues. However, after fully recovering from the injury, Napoli led all of Major League Baseball with a. For the season, Napoli tallied a. Napoli's production helped the Angels win the American League West Division championship, with a —62 record. He then singled and scored the game-winning run in the 11th inning, helping the Angels avoid playoff elimination. Napoli continued to compete with Jeff Mathis for the leading catcher spot in He also started 18 games at designated hitter while teammate Vladimir Guerrero was injured.

Napoli set or matched career highs in games played , at bats , runs scored 60 , hits , doubles 22 , and RBIs He also finished the season with a. On defense, he led AL catchers in errors, with 8. Napoli wound up playing the majority of the season at first base.

He made his first major league start at first base on May 30, after regular first baseman Kendrys Morales broke his lower leg in a walk-off celebration. With the loss of Morales for the season, and the return of fellow catcher Jeff Mathis from the disabled list, Napoli started 70 games at first base, posting a. Napoli set career highs in several categories, most notably home runs He was 7th in the AL in strikeouts , in at bats.

On May 29, he was involved in a controversial game-ending play at home plate in the ninth inning in a game against the Kansas City Royals. Napoli was at first and Elvis Andrus was up against Joakim Soria. Andrus hit a shot past Eric Hosmer that got into right field. Napoli was sent home by the third-base coach. Hosmer threw the ball to the plate. Brayan Pena tagged Napoli on the upper shoulder, but Napoli was called safe by the home-plate umpire, giving the Rangers a walk-off win.

Pena was enraged and arguing with the umpires with manager Ned Yost. Replays showed that Pena did not block the plate, but tagged Napoli, who got his feet in just before the tag. In Napoli's first season with the Rangers, he batted.

In Game 5 of the World Series , Napoli hit a two-run double in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the Rangers a lead. The Rangers held on to win and take a 3-games-to-2 lead in the series, but eventually lost the World Series Championship to the St. Louis Cardinals in 7 games. He received the second highest raise for anyone in their third or fourth time through the arbitration process, with Prince Fielder taking the top spot. He became a free agent after the season. The incentives were to stay on the active roster for at least days which Napoli achieved , or get up to plate appearances with at least days on the roster.

Boston Red Sox - Wikipedia

On April 22, , Napoli hit his fourth career grand slam in a win over the Oakland Athletics. On September 15, , Napoli struck out for the th time of the season, passing Mark Bellhorn to be the new Red Sox franchise leader in strikeouts in a season. The teams split the first two games in Boston, but the Angels won the next two home games, taking a 3—1 lead in the series.

With the Angels poised to win the series, the Red Sox trailed 5—2 heading into the ninth inning of Game 5. A two-run homer by Baylor cut the lead to one. With two outs and a runner on, and one strike away from elimination, Dave Henderson homered off Donnie Moore to put Boston up 6—5. Although the Angels tied the game in the bottom of the ninth, the Red Sox won in the 11th on a Henderson sacrifice fly off Moore.

Boston won the first two games in Shea Stadium but lost the next two at Fenway, knotting the series at 2 games apiece. After Bruce Hurst recorded his second victory of the series in Game 5, the Red Sox returned to Shea Stadium looking to garner their first championship in 68 years.

However, Game 6 became one of the most devastating losses in club history. After pitching seven strong innings, Clemens was lifted from the game with a 3—2 lead. Years later, Manager John McNamara said Clemens was suffering from a blister and asked to be taken out of the game, a claim Clemens denied. The game went to extra innings, where the Red Sox took a 5—3 lead in the top of the 10th on a solo home run by Henderson, a double by Boggs and an RBI single by second baseman Marty Barrett.

A message even appeared briefly on the Shea Stadium scoreboard congratulating the Red Sox as world champions. After so many years of abject frustration, Red Sox fans around the world could taste victory. With the count at two balls and one strike, Mets catcher Gary Carter hit a single. It was followed by singles by Kevin Mitchell and Ray Knight.

With Mookie Wilson batting, a wild pitch by Bob Stanley tied the game at 5. Wilson then hit a slow ground ball to first; the ball rolled through Bill Buckner 's legs, allowing Knight to score the winning run from second. While Buckner was singled out as responsible for the loss, many observers—as well as both Wilson and Buckner—have noted that even if Buckner had fielded the ball cleanly, the speedy Wilson probably would have still been safe, leaving the game-winning run at third with two out.

Many observers questioned why Buckner was in the game at that point considering he had bad knees and that Dave Stapleton had come in as a late-inning defensive replacement in prior series games. It appeared as though McNamara was trying to reward Buckner for his long and illustrious career by leaving him in the game. After falling behind 3—0, the Mets then won Game 7, concluding the devastating collapse and feeding the myth that the Red Sox were "cursed.

This World Series loss had a strange twist: The Red Sox returned to the postseason in With the club in fourth place midway through the season at the All-Star break, manager John McNamara was fired and replaced by Walpole, Massachusetts, resident and longtime minor-league manager Joe Morgan on July The club immediately won 12 games in a row, and 19 of 20 overall, to surge to the AL East title in what was called Morgan Magic. In , Yankees fans started to chant "! Red Sox fans felt retribution to Dent being fired on their field, but the Yankees used him as a scapegoat. But it happened in Boston and the nightly news had its hook.

Tom Yawkey died in , and his wife Jean R. Yawkey took control of the team until her death in Their initials are shown in two stripes on the left field wall in Morse code. The trust sold the team in , concluding 70 years of Yawkey ownership. Duquette revived the team's farm system , which during his tenure produced players such as Nomar Garciaparra , Carl Pavano and David Eckstein. Their postseason losing streak reached 13 straight games, dating back to the World Series. Roger Clemens tied his major league record by fanning 20 Detroit Tigers on September 18, in one of his final appearances in a Red Sox uniform.

After Clemens had turned 30 and then had four seasons, —96, which were by his standards mediocre at best, Duquette said the pitcher was entering "the twilight of his career". Out of contention in , the team traded closer Heathcliff Slocumb to Seattle for catching prospect Jason Varitek and right-handed pitcher Derek Lowe. In , Duquette called Fenway Park "economically obsolete" and, along with Red Sox ownership, led a push for a new stadium.

On the field, the Red Sox were finally able to overturn their fortunes against the Indians. Game 4's 23—7 win by the Red Sox was the highest-scoring playoff game in major league history. The one bright spot was a lopsided win for the Red Sox in the much-hyped Martinez-Clemens game. A week later, manager Joe Kerrigan was fired and was replaced by Grady Little. While nearly all offseason moves were made under Duquette, such as signing outfielder Johnny Damon away from the Oakland Athletics , the new ownership made additions such as outfielder Cliff Floyd and relief pitcher Alan Embree.

Derek Lowe, newly converted into a starter, won 20 games—becoming the first player to save 20 games and win 20 games in back-to-back seasons. Epstein, raised in Brookline, Massachusetts , and just 28 at the time of his hiring, became the youngest general manager in MLB history. The team was known as the "Cowboy Up" team, a nickname derived from first baseman Kevin Millar 's challenge to his teammates to show more determination.

Derek Lowe returned to his former relief pitching role to save Game 5, a 4—3 victory. The Red Sox could not score off Mariano Rivera over the last three innings and eventually lost the game 6—5 when Yankee third baseman Aaron Boone hit a solo home run off of Tim Wakefield.

Others credited Little with the team's successful season and dramatic come-from-behind victory in the ALDS. Due to some midseason struggles with injuries, management shook up the team at the July 31 trading deadline as part of a four-team trade. Following the trades, the club won 22 out of 25 games and qualified for the playoffs as the AL Wild Card.

Players and fans affectionately referred to the players as "the Idiots", a term coined by Damon and Millar during the playoff push to describe the team's eclectic roster and devil-may-care attitude toward their supposed "curse. In the third game of the series, David Ortiz hit a walk-off two-run homer in the 10th inning to win the game and the series to advance to a rematch of the previous year's ALCS in the ALCS against the Yankees. The ALCS started very poorly for the Red Sox, as they lost the first three games including a crushing home loss in game 3.

In Game 4, the Red Sox found themselves facing elimination, trailing 4—3 in the ninth with Mariano Rivera in to close for the Yankees. After Rivera issued a walk to Millar, Roberts came on to pinch run and promptly stole second base. The Red Sox went on to win the game on a two-run home run by Ortiz in the 12th inning. The odds were still very much against the Sox in the series, but Ortiz also made the walk-off hit in the 14th inning of Game 5.

The comeback continued with a victory from an injured Schilling in Game 6. Three sutures being used to stabilize the tendon in Schilling's right ankle bled throughout the game, famously making his sock appear bloody red. With it, Boston became the first team in MLB history to force a series deciding Game 7 after trailing in games. The Red Sox completed their historic comeback in Game 7 with a 10—3 victory over the Yankees. Ortiz began the scoring with a two-run homer. The Red Sox joined the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Islanders as the only North American professional sports teams in history at the time to win a best-of-seven games series after being down 3—0.

The Red Sox swept the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. The Red Sox never trailed throughout the series; Mark Bellhorn hit a game-winning home run off Pesky's Pole in game 1, and Schilling pitched another bloodied-sock victory in game 2, followed by similarly masterful pitching performances by Martinez and Derek Lowe. It was the Red Sox' first championship in 86 years.

To add a final, surreal touch to Boston's championship season, on the night of Game 4 a total lunar eclipse colored the moon red over Busch Stadium. The Red Sox earned many accolades from the sports media and throughout the nation for their season, such as in December, when Sports Illustrated named the Boston Red Sox the Sportsmen of the Year. The AL East was decided on the last weekend of the season, with the Yankees coming to Fenway Park with a one-game lead in the standings. The Red Sox won two of the three games to finish the season with the same record as the Yankees, 95— However, a playoff was not needed, as the loser of such a playoff would still make the playoffs as a wild card team.

As the Yankees had won the season series, they were awarded the division title, and the Red Sox competed in the playoffs as the wild card team. Boston failed to defend their championship, and was swept in three games by the eventual World Series champion Chicago White Sox in the first round of the playoffs. However, Boston failed to make the playoffs after compiling a 9—21 record in the month of August due to several injuries in club's roster. Theo Epstein's first step toward restocking the team for was to pursue one of the most anticipated acquisitions in baseball history.

Initially, rookie second baseman Dustin Pedroia under-performed, hitting below. Manager Terry Francona refused to bench him and his patience paid off as Pedroia eventually won the AL Rookie of the Year Award for his performance that season, which included hits and a. Okajima finished the season with a 2.

Minor league call-up Clay Buchholz provided a spark on September 1 by pitching a no-hitter in his second career start. Facing the Cleveland Indians in the ALCS , the Red Sox fell in games 2, 3, and 4 before Beckett picked up his second victory of the series in game 5, starting a comeback. The Red Sox captured their twelfth American League pennant by outscoring the Indians 30—5 over the final three games. Down the stretch, outfielder Manny Ramirez became embroiled in controversy surrounding public incidents with fellow players and other team employees, as well as criticism of ownership and not playing, which some claimed was due to laziness and nonexistent injuries.

The front office decided to move the disgrunted outfielder at the July 31 trade deadline, shipping him to the Dodgers in a three-way deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates that landed them Jason Bay to replace him in left field. Down three games to one in the 5th game of the ALCS, Boston mounted a comeback from trailing in the 7th inning to win In they placed third in the division and failed to make the playoffs.

In the Red Sox collapsed , becoming the first team in MLB history to blow a 9-game lead in the division heading into September, as they went in the final month and failed again to make the playoffs. In December , Bobby Valentine was hired as a new manager. The season marked the centennial of Fenway Park , and on April 20, past and present Red Sox players and coaches assembled to celebrate the park's anniversary. However, the collapse that they endured in September carried over into the season.

The Red Sox struggled throughout the season due to injuries, inconsistent play, and off-field news. They finished 69—93 for their first losing season since , and their worst season since Boston, which finished last in the American League East with a 69—93 record in —26 games behind the Yankees , became the 11th team in major league history to go from worst in the division to first the next season when it clinched the A. East division title on September 20, As a former member of the staff, he had the respect of influential players such as Lester, Pedroia, and Ortiz.

While some questioned these players as "re-treads", it was clear that Cherington was trying to move past — by bringing in "clubhouse players". Essential to the turnaround, however, was the pitching staff. With ace veteran John Lackey coming off Tommy John surgery and both Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz returning to their prior form, this allowed the team to rely less on their bullpen.

Everything seemed in danger of collapsing, however, when both closers , Joel Hanrahan and Andrew Bailey , went down early with season-ending injuries. Farrell gave the closing job to Koji Uehara on June 21 who delivered with a 1. Louis Cardinals for the best record in baseball. Louis Cardinals in the World Series , four games to two. The Red Sox'. Throughout the season, the Red Sox players and organization formed a close association with the city of Boston and its people in relation to the Boston Marathon bombings that occurred on April 15, On April 20, the day after the alleged bombers were captured, David Ortiz gave a pre-game speech following a ceremony honoring the victims and the local law enforcement, in which he stated, "This is our fucking city!

And nobody is going to dictate our freedom! The team also hung up in the dugout a custom jersey that read "Boston Strong" with the number , representing the city of Boston's area code. On many occasions during the season, victims of the attack and law enforcement involved were given the honor of throwing the ceremonial first pitch. Following their victory in the World Series, the first one clinched at home in Fenway Park since , Red Sox players Jonny Gomes and Jarrod Saltalamacchia performed a ceremony during the team's traditional duck boat victory parade , in which they placed the World Series trophy and the custom jersey on the Boston Marathon finish line on Boylston Street , followed by a moment of silence and a singing of God Bless America.

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This ceremony helped the city "reclaim" its spirit that was lost after the bombing. Following the championship, the team finished last in the AL East during with a record of 71—91, and again in with a record of 78— On September 20, , David Ortiz hit his th career home run off Matt Moore in Tropicana Field becoming the 27th player in MLB history to achieve that prestigious milestone; in November , Ortiz announced that the season was to be his last. Rookie Andrew Benintendi established himself in the Red Sox' outfield, and Steven Wright emerged as one of the year's biggest surprises.

The Red Sox grabbed the lead in the AL East early and held on to it throughout the year, which included many teams honoring Ortiz throughout the season. Despite the success, the team lost five of their last six games of the regular season and were swept in the ALDS by the eventual American League Champion Cleveland Indians. The team went 5—5 in their last ten regular season games and were eliminated by the Houston Astros in the ALDS in four games. The Red Sox finished with a — Martinez , Chris Sale , and Craig Kimbrel. Betts led baseball in batting average and slugging percentage, while Martinez led in runs batted in.

Sale tossed only innings due to a shoulder injury late in the year, but was otherwise superb, posting a 2. Kimbrel saved 42 games and struck out 96 batters. The Red Sox entered the postseason as the top seed in the American League , and defeated the Yankees in four games in the Division Series. The team's motto during the season, "do damage", [75] became "damage done" upon their victory. The franchise's first spring training was held in Charlottesville, Virginia , in , when the team was known as the Boston Americans.

In October , the Lee County, Florida , Board of Commissioners approved an agreement with the Red Sox to build a new spring training facility for the team. In November , the Red Sox signed an agreement with Lee County intended to keep their spring training home in the Fort Myers area for 30 more years. JetBlue Park opened in March Included in the wall is a restored version of the manual scoreboard that was housed at Fenway for almost 30 years, beginning in the s.

Mike Napoli

The unofficial beginning of the spring training season for the Red Sox is Truck Day, the day a tractor-trailer filled with equipment leaves Fenway Park bound for the team's spring training facility in Florida. The Yankees—Red Sox rivalry is one of the oldest, most famous and fiercest rivalries in professional sports. The rivalry is often a heated subject of conversation in the Northeastern United States. In addition, the teams have twice met in the last regular-season series of a season to decide the league title, in when the Red Sox won and when the Yankees won.

The teams also finished tied for first in , when the Yankees won a high-profile one-game playoff for the division title. The rivalry is often termed "the best" [93] and "greatest rivalry in all of sports.

Joe Castiglione , in his 25th year as the voice of the Red Sox, serves as the lead play-by-play announcer, along with Tim Neverett. He has also worked with play-by-play veterans Bob Starr and Jerry Trupiano. Many stations throughout New England and beyond pick up the broadcasts. The integration of music into the culture of the Red Sox dates back to the Americans era, which saw the first use of the popular showtune Tessie as a rallying cry by fans. Another song associated with the team and its fanbase is Neil Diamond 's single " Sweet Caroline ". The song was first introduced to Fenway Park in By , its play had been established as a nightly occurrence.

It continues to be played at every home game during the 8th inning, sung along to by those in attendance. Caroline Kennedy's great-grandfather, John F. Fitzgerald , threw Fenway Park's first ever ceremonial opening pitch on April 20, Previousy, the Red Sox published three official requirements for a player to have his number retired on their website and in their annual media guides.

The requirements were as follows:. These requirements were reconsidered after the election of Carlton Fisk to the Hall of Fame in ; who met the first two requirements but played the second half of his career with the White Sox.

As a means of meeting the criteria, then-GM Dan Duquette hired Fisk for one day as a special assistant, which allowed Fisk to technically finish his career with the Red Sox. In , the Red Sox made an "exception" by retiring 6 for Johnny Pesky. Pesky neither spent ten years as a player nor was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame; however, Red Sox ownership cited " In justifying the number's retirement, Red Sox principal owner John Henry stated, "To be elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame upon his first year of eligibility speaks volumes regarding Pedro's outstanding career, and is a testament to the respect and admiration so many in baseball have for him.

In , less than eight months after he played the final game of his illustrious career, David Ortiz had his 34 retired by the Red Sox. Ortiz will not be eligible for election to the Hall of Fame until At the time of his retirement, Ortiz was the only Red Sox player to have won three World Series championships since the issuance of jersey numbers starting in The number 42 was officially retired by Major League Baseball in , but Mo Vaughn was one of a handful of players to continue wearing 42 through a grandfather clause.

He last wore it for the team in While not officially retired, the Red Sox have not issued several numbers since the departure of prominent figures who wore them, [] specifically: There has also been debate in Boston media circles and among fans about the potential retiring of Tony Conigliaro 's number Until the late s, the numbers originally hung on the right-field facade in the order in which they were retired: After the facade was repainted, the numbers were rearranged in numerical order.

In , the numbers were rearranged again in chronological order of retirement 9, 4, 1, 8, 27, 6, 14 followed by Robinson's As additional numbers are retired e.

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Martinez's 45, Boggs's 26, Ortiz's 34 , Robinson's 42 is moved to the right so it remains the right-most number hanging. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. For other uses, see Red Sox disambiguation. American League —present East Division —present. Red, navy blue, white [a] [2]. Boston Red Sox —present Boston Americans — Fenway Park —present Huntington Avenue Grounds — History of the Boston Red Sox. The Impossible Dream List of Boston Red Sox award winners. Boston Red Sox spring training roster v t e. Logos and uniforms of the Boston Red Sox.

List of Boston Red Sox spring training venues. List of Boston Red Sox broadcasters. List of Major League Baseball retired numbers. Players and managers listed in bold are depicted on their Hall of Fame plaques wearing a Red Sox cap insignia. Names in bold received the award based primarily on their work as broadcasters for the Red Sox. List of Boston Red Sox minor league affiliates. List of Boston Red Sox team records. Retrieved August 21, Retrieved October 14, Retrieved January 26, Retrieved November 12, Retrieved October 30, Retrieved April 11, Retrieved September 12, Retrieved November 25, A History of the Boston Baseball Club: A concise and accurate history of Base Ball from its inception.

Apparently this originated with a writer for the Washington Post during , and by it started to be retroactively applied to the club, even by Boston newspapers. Retrieved October 31, Archived from the original on May 16, Archived from the original on June 26, Retrieved October 24, Retrieved February 17, The Life and Times of Babe Ruth.

Archived from the original on July 15, Retrieved January 31, Is Clemens the Antichrist? The New York Times. Yankees fans had taunted the Red Sox all weekend with chants of ', ! Retrieved October 17, Worst to first finishes becoming more coming.