1966 BOSTON RED SOX ...
"A YEAR OF REBUILDING" ...

Nothing was more prominent on the minds of the young Red Sox players, as the draft. President Lyndon Johnson had doubled the draft rolls. Many professional athletes chose the Army Reserve to fulfill their military obligation.

Tony Conigliaro was one of those who enlisted for a six year hitch in the reserves. He went to basic training in Fort Dix, NJ in October and was released in time to get to spring training.

New GM, Dick O'Connell didn't waste any time dismantling this complacent team. The first move he made happened when the season was finished last year. On October 4th, Bill Monbouquette was traded to the Tigers for George Smith and George Thomas.

Pitcher Jose Santiago, who had battled injuries, hadn't gotten much of a chance playing in Kansas City. The A's had sent him to Portand and O'Connell bought his contract on October 15th.

In December, Arnold Earley, Jay Ritchie and Lee Thomas were traded to the Braves for pitcher, Dan Osinski and Bob Sadowski.

Carl Yastrzemski was named as team captain by the manager, Billy Herman, when spring training began, now in Winter Haven, FL. It was his close relationship with Tom Yawkey that inspired the move in a suggestion made by Haywood Sullivan. As captain, Yaz could hear the complaints and grievances of his teammates and decide which were legitimate concerns and then take them to management.

Following the season last year, the Sox gave Frank Malzone his unconditional release.  O'Connell gave him the choice of becoming a minor-league manager, a hitting instructor, or a scout. Malzone found they paid about the same, but scouting in the New England area afforded him the opportunity to be home more often.

In his first year as general manager, O'Connell was intent on building a team around a good farm system. George Scott and Joe Foy were notable rookies to advance up to the major club, and more would follow.

In spring training, Foy was installed as the regular third baseman, with Dalton Jones as the backup. He had won the International League batting title, playing with the Sox' Triple-A team, Toronto Maple Leafs, hitting .302 with 73 RBIs and 14 homers and was voted the leagues Most Valuable Player. However, when Foy had a rough spring training, batting only .188, Scott started the season at third base.

Scott never played in Triple-A but won the triple crown in the Class AA Eastern League, playing in Pitsfield. He batted .319, with 167 hits, 30 doubles, nine triples and 25 homers. He knocked in 94 runs and led the league's thirdbasemen in putouts and assists.

Rookie pitcher Darrell Brandon was scooped up from the Houston Astros at age 25, the previous September for Jack Lamabe. He had posted a 13-6 record with a 3.30 ERA in Oklahoma City, the Astros' Triple-A team. Pitcher Guido Grilli impressed Billy Herman, not allowing a run in his first 11 innings, and made the team out of spring training.

The Sox were young and so were their fans. Their average age was 25 years old and O'Connell knew that if he could be patient, good results would follow. He didn't realize how correct he would be. Like the country as a whole, the Sox were transitioning to a new generation. But the Sox were still managed by old-school Billy Herman, who didn't see eye-to-eye with O'Connell. Herman didn't like playing the young players and felt the veterans gave him a better chance at winning, even though the Sox had lost 100 games the year before.

Herman also still didn't like Yaz. Behind the scenes, he tried to engineer a trade with the Yankees. His idea was to send him to New York for Tom Tresh and Phil Linz.

The atmosphere was totally different in spring training. The young players had much more enthusiasm, and they already knew each other from playing together in the minors. The younger veterans on the team, Dalton Jones and Tony C. welcomed their counterparts and tried as much as they could, to help them succeed.

Tony C. worked endlessly wit Dom DiMaggio to improve his fielding. At age 21, he wanted to win and go without being fined, getting bad press, being injured and staying away from drinking to excess.

Just before the season started, Felix Mantilla hurt his arm and shoulder and was traded to Houston for Eddie Kasko, while Russ Nixon and Chuck Schilling were shipped out to the Twins for Dick Stigman.

The Sox opened the season at home against the Orioles and lost both games, and then went to Cleveland and lost three games there. The pitchers had pitched fairly well, but their defense was like Swiss cheese, having made 13 errors in just five games. In three games, Sox hitters struck out 42 times to set a major league record.

On April 17th, George Scott was switched to first base, replacing Tony Horton. After starting the first four games of the season, and playing in two others, Horton was sent back to Toronto after hitting a disappointing .136 (just three singles in 22 at-bats). Herman used newly acquired Eddie Kasko at third for a short while, but then replaced him with Joe Foy, who played across the diamond from Scott for the balance of the year.

Dave Morehead pitched five excellent innings to lead the Sox to their first win, 7-0, against the Tigers in the first game of a Patriot's Day doubleheader on April 19th. It was cold and drizzly and the footing on the field was poor. In the fifth inning, he threw a pitch and his left foot gave out as he stepped down on the mound. He felt something pop in his arm and completed the inning, but was unable to lift his arm to take off his jacket and start the sixth. He had allowed only two hits and retired the last 12 man he faced. It was an accident affected the remainder of his career. He would not win another game in 1966 and would not make another appearance until May 30th. Also, George Scott hit his first major-league home run, off Joe Sparma of the Detroit Tigers.

The Sox beat the Tigers for their second win of the season on April 20th, by a score of 6 to 2. Tony C., mired in a slump with a .138 BA, banged out his first homer of the year.

The infield pulled off a triple play on April 23rd against the Indians at Fenway and George Scott slugged a mammoth homer over Lansdowne Street. But the Indians beat the Sox in the ninth inning, 5 to 4.

Yaz collected four hits and drove in three runs. Joe Foy ripped a double and a triple and the Sox beat the Yankees, 8 to 5, on April 25th. Scott then blasted a homer into the left field upper deck at Yankee Stadium.

The next day, on April 26th, the Sox came back and scored four runs in the top of the 9th inning to grab a 6-4 lead. But in the bottom half of the inning, the Yanks scored three runs and won, 7-6. George Scott launched another homer into the upper deck, while Tony C. had a triple, double and single.

In a doubleheader, which the Sox split with the Angels on May 1st, Yaz had three hits, raising his average to .354. He went 8 for 13 in the three game series.

On May 4th, the Sox played the Tigers in Detroit. It was a 7-0 shutout by Earl Wilson. George Scott continued displaying his home run prowess and smashed two terrific shots.

Two more homers came off Scott's bat in Minnesota on May 6th, but the Sox lost 5 to 4. In the next game, on May 7th, Scottie didn't hit a home run. He only hit a single, a double and a triple, but the Sox lost.

Jose Santiago won his first game for the Sox in the second game of a doubleheader with the Twins, 4 to 1. He gave up only two singles and a free pass in six innings. Earl Wilson held down the Twins in the first game also. Four hits and an unearned run was all that he allowed in 5 1/3 innings, winning 8 to 1. George Scott hit his 10th homer in the first game. With only 21 games played, his ten homers were tops in the majors.

In Kansas City, Scott (.352 BA) had three more hits and knocked in the Sox only run in a 6 to 1 loss on May 9th. It tied him with Brooks Robinson for the lead in RBIs, with 23, also tops in the majors.

Scott (.347 BA) ran his hitting streak to 14 games on May 14th in Anaheim, when he hit his 11th homer. The streak was stopped in the first game of a doubleheader the next day on May 15th, when the Sox lost their sixth straight game, 5 to 4. Jose Santiago bailed the Sox out from the losing streak, beating the Angels, 6 to 3, in the second game.

In spite of Rico Petrocelli's grandslam homer, the Sox next lost in Baltimore, 8 to 6 on May 17th, because of sloppy play in the field. It was Rico's second grandslam in nine days. George Scott was among the batting leaders, hitting .330, behind Tony Oliva and Baltimore’s Frank Robinson and Brooks Robinson. He was also leading the league with 11 home runs.

The Sox rallied and finished their road trip by beating the Orioles twice. On May 18th, Earl Wilson took Jim Palmer's first pitch in the 10th inning and deposited it into the right field seats, for a 2 to 1 victory. In the final game, on May 19th, Jim Lonborg and Dick Radatz collaborated in relief for a 3 to 1 win. In 12 1/3 innings this season, Lonborg had given only up four hits, facing the Orioles. The Sox finished their 6-10 road trip, taking 3 of their last 4 games, but were in last place, 11 games behind.

It was the inadequate pitching from the bullpen that had cost the Red Sox. Nine of the Sox 21 defeats had been by one run. Eleven leads or ties were lost in the seventh inning or later. The bullpen had a record of 1 and 11. And of the starters, Dave Morehead and Bob Sadowski had bad shoulders and couldn't pitch.

Then Jose Santiago threw a two-hit shutout against the Kansas City Athletics at Fenway on May 20th. Petrocelli (.156 BA) knocked out his seventh homer of the month, and the Sox won, 2-0. Yastrzemski provided two homers and Jim Gosger tied the game for the Sox in the seventh inning.

Gosger then won the game with a walk-off hit, with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, and a 6 to 5 victory over the A's the next day, May 21st.

Earl Wilson pitched the Sox to their fifth straight win and a sweep of the Athletics in the finale on May 22nd. Wilson pitched a complete game four-hitter and won, 5 to 1.

The Sox next clobbered the Minnesota Twins, 11 to 2, on May 24th. Yaz and Tony C. both reached the centerfield bleachers with first inning homers, and Rico homered, had two doubles and a single. Jose Santiago (4-1, 2.34 ERA) pitched another good game, allowing five hits, but he had to leave after eight innings, when his back stiffened up. Dick Radatz closed it out. That was six straight wins, their best in three years. During the win streak, Radatz played a major role, by not allowing a run in 32 innings.

The Sox took 2-of-3 from the Twins. On May 24th, the Sox banged out 16 hits to bomb Minnesota, 11 to 2. Rico Petrocelli, Jim Gosger and Yaz, each had three hits.

Two days later, on May 26th, they beat the Twins, 7 to 2. Rico Petrocelli's leadoff first inning homer was all that Earl Wilson needed, who had a shut out thru eight innings. In the series the leaders were Joe Foy (6 for 12), Petrocelli (7 for 14) and Yazi (7 for 12). But Scott (2 for 13) and Tony C. (2 for 13) were both slumping.

After winning 5 of the 6 games on the home stand, the Sox went on the road. In Washington on May 27th, George Scott bombed a ninth inning, 430 ft homer to give the Sox a one run lead. But misplays in the field by Tony C. and Joe Foy gave the Senators a 5-4 win.

The Sox won the next game, on May 28th, 6 to 5, and Jim Lonborg, who had pitched seven good innings, tired in the eighth and gave way to Dick Radatz with the bases loaded and the Sox having a 6-0 lead. Radatz couldn't save him and gave up a grandslam homer. Then in the ninth, after he gave up back-to-back doubles, Radatz was replaced by Dan Osinski, to get the final two outs.

In Chicago, on May 30th, the Sox lost a doubleheader and were shutout in both games, 1-0 and 11-0. White Sox hitters happily saw their grounders roll past Scott and Foy.

Tony C's homer was all that Dick Stigman needed as he shut out the White Sox, 1-0, in the third game on May 31st.

Yaz had gone 0 for 24 on the trip and saw his average drop from .329 to .284. Tony C was batting only .213, Lenny Green (.214 BA), Dalton Jones (.210 BA), Mike Ryan (.193 BA) and George Smith (.186 BA) all were not hitting. The Red Sox in 9th place, 11 1/2 games out.

On June 1st, the Sox and Senators split a doubleheader. Bob Sadowski pitched brilliant two-hit ball and Rico Petrocelli supplied the power in the second game, 5 to 0.

Dick O'Connell made some major moves to start the month. The first involved Dick Radatz, who never overcame his arm troubles and was traded to the Indians on June 2nd. Radatz received a salary reported to be $42,500, and was the highest paid player on the Red Sox. He appeared in 16 games (19 innings), and had an ERA of 4.74 with a record of 0-2. In return the Sox got pitchers Lee Stange and Don McMahon.

Jim Gosger slammed a three-run homer in the 16th inning to beat the New York Yankees at Fenway Park on June 4th.

When Lou Perini, one of the original sponsors of the Jimmy Fund, sold the Milwaukee Braves to their new owners in Atlanta, he stipulated that the team must come to Boston, at their own expense, and play a game to benefit the charity. This year it was scheduled for June 6th and the Sox won the contest, 5 to 3.

Gosger was hitting .254 with five home runs in 126 at-bats, including the only two-homer game of his career against Detroit’s Denny McLain at Tiger Stadium on June 8th. It went for naught as the Sox lost to the Tigers, 5 to 4.

The Sox had lost five straight games when they rallied for seven runs in the seventh inning and beat the Orioles 8 to 2, in Baltimore on June 11th. The rally made a winner of Jim Lonborg, although he was unable to throw strikes and allowed the Orioles to score their runs without getting a hit. George Scott hit his 14th homer.

Then on June 13th, O'Connell traded Jim Gosger and pitchers Guido Grilli and Ken Sanders to the Athletics for pitchers John Wyatt, Rollie Sheldon and outfielder Jose Tartabull.

Earl Wilson told his roommate Lenny Green, who was also an African American, that he thought the Sox management saw there are too many black players on the team and someone will have to go. Wilson and outfielder Joe Christopher, were traded to the Tigers for outfielder Don Demeter, the next day. Wilson at the time had appeared in 15 games and had a 5–5 record. His ERA was 3.84. The trade was linked with Billy Herman’s eventual firing, as Wilson went on to go 18-11 (13-6 as a Tigers hurler) for the season while Demeter played only part time.

Also on June 14th, ninth inning home runs by George Scott, with two men on base, and by George Thomas, with the bases empty, gave the Red Sox an 11 to 7 victory and a split of the doubleheader in Cleveland. Scotty's homer tied him with Frank Robinson for the league lead in home runs with 16.

The Sox returned to Fenway and got hammered by the Detroit Tigers. They fared no better against the Orioles and lost the next three games before finally winning the last game of the series. In these six games, Red Sox pitchers had handed out 55 runs, 70 base hits, and 15 home runs.

The Sox did split a doubleheader with the O's on June 19th. George Scott banged out his 18th homer in the game the Sox won, 5 to 2.

The pitching improved against the Indians, but it was the hitters who didn't produce. The Sox did lose 2 of 3, but the two losses were low scoring and all three games were won or lost by one run.

The game the Sox won, was the second game of a doubleheader on June 22nd. Don Demeter's double in the ninth inning knocked in Yaz and gave the Sox a 6-5 walk-off win. Yaz had gone 1 for 20 and had been benched in the second game of a doubleheader, but came in to pinch hit and was walked. He hustled all the way around from first, scoring on Demeter's line drive off the wall. Tony C. had three hits on the day, two of which were home runs.

Jose Santiago beat Washington at Fenway, 5 to 1, on June 24th. Tony C. belted his 14th homer but Rico Petrocelli hurt his leg again. The two teams split a doubleheader on June 26th. Joe Foy hit his first grandslam in the opening inning of the game the Sox won, 13 to 7.

On June 27th, George Scott (.278 BA) became an All Star. He was the second highest vote getter to Brooks Robinson. Scotty and Frank Robinson were tied for the league lead with 18 homers, and second to Brooks Robinson with 47 RBIs.

June ended with the Red Sox taking 2 of the 3 games from the Yankees. Mike Ryan hit his first homer of the season in the first game of the series, on May 28th, with the Sox winning 5-3. For the Yanks, Mickey Mantle hit two homers for the second time this year.

In the third game, on May 30th, the Sox erased a 2-0 Yankee lead and then Don Demeter and Yaz teamed up again to push the Sox ahead to stay, 3 to 2.

The home-stand saw the Sox lose 7 of their first 8 games played and winning 5 of their last 9. They fell to 22 1/2 games behind the league-leading Orioles to start July. Of their six wins, Jose Santiago had won three of the games.

Lee Stange gave up just three hits and carried the Sox to a 1-0 shutout of the Senators on July 4th in the second game of the holiday doubleheader. After pitching an inning the the first game, Bob Sadowski’s pitching arm was so sore, as it was for most of his time with the Red Sox, that he was sent home, never to pitch again in the majors.

Darrell Brandon chalked up his first win in the majors against the Yankees in New York on July 5th, striking out Mickey Mantle twice, as the Red Sox defeated the New Yorkers, 7-1, in Yankee Stadium. He pitched a complete game in which he contributed to his own cause with two hits, including a triple. The Sox won thanks in part to George Smith's three-run homer. Smith was 13 for 35 against the Yanks in nine games, with three homers and eight RBIs. Rico Petrocelli, who had gone 1 for 29, collected three hits and a homer.

Don McMahon came out of the bullpen twice in a July 6th doubleheader in New York, and both times he posted a win. In the first game, he came in to pitch in the 7th inning with the score tied 3-3. Dalton Jones batted for the pitcher in the ninth inning and hit a one-out, two-run home run to make the score 5-3. The Sox won the second game, 5-4, on a 7th inning rally that broke another 3-3 tie. McMahon was, again, the pitcher at the time.

But in the next game at Yankee Stadium on July 7th, McMahon was brought in during the 9th inning to protect a 2-0 Red Sox lead with one out and runners on first and second. He gave up two singles and a sacrifice fly that tied the game. Mickey Mantle's home run then gave the Yankees a walk-off win and the loss went to McMahon. But the Sox took 3-of-4 in New York.

Back in Fenway Park, the Sox swept a doubleheader from the White Sox, the next day. On July 8th, Jim Lonborg pitched nine strong innings and won the game 3 to 1. He struck out six of the first nine men he faced. It was his first complete game of the year. Lee Stange then threw a complete game also and beat the White Sox, 5 to 1. It was Stange's second complete game in his last two starts. Darrell Brandon won his second major league game, another complete game 4-2 win, the next day.

Darrell Brandon won his second big league game on July 9th. He beat the White Sox, 4 to 2, giving up five hits.

George Smith, after going 0-for-29, slugged out a grandslam homer in the 10th inning that won the second game of a July 10th doubleheader, 10-6 with the same White Sox. Joe Foy had a home run in each game, and was 8 for 16 in the series. His three-run homer in the 7th inning of the first game was the game winner, 8 to 4. Tony C. had two hits in each game and drove in four runs. He had 22 hits in his last 41 at bats. Petrocelli also homered in each game.

It was a five game sweep of the White Sox and nine wins in the last ten games for the Red Sox as they entered the All Star break. But they still remained in the cellar, 22 games behind. In those 10 games, the opposition scored only 27 runs.

The All Star Game was played at Busch Stadium, in St. Louis, on July 12th, where it was close to 103 degrees on the field. Brooks Robinson had a triple off Sandy Koufax to go along with two singles and had eight assists, winning the game's MVP, but the National League Stars won the game 2 to 1 in 10 innings. George Scott was the majority choice of his peers to start at first base. He batted twice against future Hall of Famers Sandy Koufax and Jim Bunning, but popped out both times. Yaz was also picked but didn't play.

The Sox moved into Anaheim after the break and lost 2 of 3 on July 15th. In the game the Sox won on July 16th, Jose Santiago flirted with a no-hitter for six innings and beat the Angels 7 to 1. Joe Foy doubled with the bases loaded and homered a few innings later.

The Sox next split a doubleheader in Kansas City on July 17th. The second game was won 3 to 2 in 10 innings with John Wyatt pitching three shutout innings against the team that traded him to the Sox. The game was won in the 10th when Joe Foy hit his third homer of the trip, this one an inside-the-park job. Foy hit a line drive to right center that Mike Hershberger leaped against the fence for, only to see it bounce 60 feet back toward the infield. By the time he tracked it down Foy was hustling toward third. In his eagerness to grab the ball Hershberger made two attempts to grab the ball but couldn't get a hold of it in time.

Billy Herman announced on July 19th that he would bench George Scott back home at Fenway. Scotty’s batting average had dropped to .263, and he had fallen off the leaderboards. In the field, he was playing brilliantly and considered one of the top defensive firstbasemen in the league. The benching incident turned out to be just a threat by Herman, but what followed seemed to stir the city. Speculation was rampant whether Scott was being treated fairly. He claimed he wasn’t getting help from his manager or coaches, nor were his teammates showing much concern for him.

But Rico Petrocelli, who had started the season with one hit in 34 times up, had totally turned things around. He had 17 homers, one less that the team leader.

The Angels and Red Sox split a doubleheader on July 20th. Darrell Brandon's two-hitter was responsible for a win in the first game, 6 to 1. Then Dennis Bennett twirled a two-hitter against the Angels for five innings, but lost 1-0. It was a scoreless tie when he left the game. It was the second time Bennett shutout the Angels in a week. He allowed them just one hit thru five innings last week in Anaheim.

Petrocelli drove in the winning runs in a 7-3 victory over the Angels on July 21st, with home runs from Yaz and Tony C. Dan Osinski was clutch, striking out two batters when he came in, in the eighth inning, with the bases loaded and one out.

The next day, July 22nd, George Thomas trotted in from the bullpen, grabbed a bat, and delivered a single that won the game against the Twins, in the 10th inning, 6 to 5. In the previous four innings, the Sox had their chances to win the game, but failed. They left a total of 16 runners on base.

On July 25th, Ted Williams was inducted in the Hall of Fame along with Casey Stengel. Twice receiving standing ovations, Ted captivated the crowd and called on the Hall to allow Negro League members to be included.

Dennis Bennett picked up his first Red Sox victory on July 26th. He struggled to win an 8 to 5 decision. Joe Foy helped him with two home runs.

The Red Sox then lost a doubleheader in Washington on July 29th. Their defense fell apart as the Senators scored 11 unearned runs. The pitching was poor as the Senators collected 32 hits off eight different pitchers. And the Sox stranded 21 runners in the first game and 17 runners in the second game.

Jose Santiago righted the ship the next day on July 30th. He pitched 10 solid innings, while George Scott and George Smith supplied the offense. Each had two hits, including a home run and three RBIs. The Sox won 8 to 2.

On July 31st, Don McMahon came in with the score tied and two men on base in the sixth inning. He shut down the Senators that inning and the rest of the game to eventually earn the win, 5 to 2.

August started with the Sox clearly out of the race, 25 games behind. Then to make their fate pretty certain, they lost four straight to the Twins.

In Detroit, the Sox next split a four game series. The two games they lost were to Earl Wilson, who shut them out 2-0 on August 5th, and to Bill Monbouquette, 9-2, in the first game of an August 7th doubleheader. In the second game, the Sox came back to win in extra innings. Yaz hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning that tied the score at 6-6, Then Foy homered to lead-off the 10th inning and give them the lead, winning 7-6.

GEORGE SCOTT, JIM LONBORG AND TONY CONIGLIARO

George Scott had not missed a game all season long, as a starter or coming in as a pinch-hitter. But he recently had been in a bad batting slump and was in danger of being benched. But against the Indians on August 8th, he banged out his 21st homer. It gave the Red Sox and Jose Santiago a 3 to 1 win.

Scotty then hit another home run, in support of Lee Stange, who shut-out the Indians, 2-0, on August 10th. His homer streak continued in the third game on August 11th, as he and Tony C. each belted two-run homers helping Jim Lonborg, who struck out 10 batters and beat Cleveland, 13-3.

Earl Wilson again came back to haunt the Red Sox on August 13th. He spun a four-hitter and belted a grandslam homer, as the Tigers beat-up the Sox, 13-1.

The Sox swept a doubleheader from the Tigers on the final day of the four game series on August 14th, 8-5 and 5-3. Yaz hit a two-run homer in the first game and singled in the final run of the second game. Don Demeter slashed his 13th homer in the opener and Tony C. banged his 22nd homer over the left field net, with two men on base, in the first inning of the closer. Lee Stange pitched a complete game for the third straight time in the nite cap.

Pitcher Hank Fischer was traded to the Red Sox from Cincinnati for two players to be named later (Dick Stigman and Rollie Sheldon) plus cash. Pitcher Bill Short, was also purchased from the Orioles for the $20,000 waiver price, and Dave Morehead was sent down to the Sox Pittsfield minor league team.

The first place Orioles took the Sox three straight games at Fenway. The highlight for Baltimore was Boog Powell's three homers, all over the left field wall, on August 15th. His last one tied the game in the ninth inning. Then he hit a home run the next day and it tied the game in the ninth inning also. The Sox fell further behind them, still in the basement, 28 1/2 games behind.

Against the Athletics at Fenway on August 25th, the Sox swept a doubleheader. Joe Foy ended the first game with a ninth inning two-run homer, 8 to 6. Newcomer Hank Fischer beat the A's to finish the day, 4 to 1 in the second game.

In Baltimore, Don McMahon struck out Frank Robinson to preserve a 3-2 win for Jim Lonborg on August 27th. The next day, August 28th, the Sox again won a close game by another 3-2 score in Baltimore. Joe Foy singled home the game-winning run in the seventh inning.

Jose Tartabull's single, with the bases loaded, in the ninth inning gave the Sox a 4-3 win in Anaheim on August 29th. And they won the next game against the Angels on August 30th, 7 to 6. John Wyatt came in and struck out Paul Schaal to save the game in the ninth. The Sox had won four straight games, all by one run.

Jim Lonborg gave up two hits and spun his first shutout of the season on September 3rd. He beat the A's, 7-0, in Kansas City, now having pitched 19 consecutive shutout innings. George Scott came up twice with the bases loaded. Each time he got a hit and brought home four runs.

Darrell Brandon tossed another shutout, 3-0, the next day in the first game of a doubleheader of September 4th. He gave up three hits and only two runners made it to second base.

Then in Cleveland, Lee Stange faced only 30 batters, allowed four hits and beat the Indians, 5 to 1 on September 5th. Tony C. hit his 27th homer and George Scott hit a homer also.

The next night, September 6th, Scotty hit his 27th home run to tie Tony C., but the Sox lost, 6-2. The Sox concluded their road trip, winning the final game with the Indians, 5 to 4. The went 8-6 on the road trip, with Jim Lonborg winning three of those games.

Pitcher Gary Roggenburk divided the first four months of the season between the Minnesota Twins and Triple-A Denver, and on September 7th he was sold to the Red Sox.

On September 8th, the Sox were 28 games out. And with the team in last place, Billy Herman was fired and Pete Runnels was named the interim manager.

The Sox returned home in 9th place, but 1/2 game ahead of the Yankees, who had dropped into the cellar. But in three games at Fenway with the Yanks, the Sox bats went silent. They lost all three, scoring only four runs in total.

After New York tossed the them back into the basement, the Sox took five straight from the White Sox and the Angels. On September 13th, George Scott drove across four runs, as the Sox banged out 15 hits in a 10-1 victory.

Lonborg turned in another strong performance. Joe Foy's two-run homer provided all the runs the Red Sox needed to beat the White Sox, 2-1, in the second game on September 14th.

Carl Yastrzemski chalked up his 1000th hit in the third game, on September 15th, a 5-4 win.

DICK WILLIAMS

The Angels came next to Fenway. Yaz homered in the eight inning to tie the game and then doubled in the ninth, for a 5-4 walk-off win on September 16th.

On September 17th, Yaz homered again and the Sox won their fifth straight game, 3 to 1.

At Yankee Stadium on September 23rd, Lee Stange beat the Yankees, 2 to 1, and he retired the last 19 Yankee batters in a row. It was his seventh win as a member of the Red Sox since he and Don McMahon, who has won eight games, were traded to the Red Sox for Dick Radatz.

The next game on September 24th, saw Jim Lonborg hold the Yankees to three singles in seven innings, but he lost, 1-0. Rookie, Reggie Smith got three of the Sox six hits.

On September 26th, Darrell Brandon shut-out Senators in D.C., 5 to 0. On the final day of the season, September 27th, the Sox won the second game of the doubleheader in Chicago, 2 to 1. Tony C. tripled home George Thomas and scored on an error for the win.

The 1966 Red Sox finished the season with a 72-90 record, in 9th place. Not since 1948, had the Red Sox finished higher than the Yankees, but in 1966 the Sox were 1/2 game better. But it really was a tail of two seasons. The team before July 4th was totally different than they were the remainder of the year.

The day after the season ended, Dick O'Connell wasted little time in finding a permanent replacement for 1967. The Triple-A manager in Toronto, Dick Williams was hired. He began posturing and making noises right from the start. He announced he was stripping Carl Yastrzemski of his position of team captain. There would only be one “chief” and that would be him. He also made one promise, saying that under him, the Sox would win more games than they would lose. The seeds for "The Impossible Dream" had been planted.

Yaz batted .312 and just missed out on winning the batting title, in spite of missing 29 games because of broken ribs, losing to Tony Oliva once again.

Tony Conigliaro (.265 BA)  in 150 at bats, belted out 28 homers and 93 RBIs to, once again, lead the team in both categories. In a year going nowhere, his only goal became hitting more homers than George Scott, which he did, 28 to 27.

George Scott was among the batting leaders, hitting .330, behind Tony Oliva, Frank Robinson and Brooks Robinson by mid-May. He was leading in home runs and was the talk around the league, with many projecting him for Rookie of the Year. Although he would hit for power, he did not hit for the high average that had accompanied his slugging during the first half of the season. He finished the year with 27 home runs and 90 RBIs, but batted a mere .245. He also led the league in strikeouts with 152, setting a rookie record in the process.

Scotty opened his rookie season at third base, but he would make his mark as one of the finest first baseman to play the game, winning eight Gold Gloves. He started at third base and was switched to first base when Tony Horton made too many errors, and Joe Foy played most of the rest of the year at third. Foy batted .262 with 15 home runs and 63 RBIs in 554 at-bats.

Rico Petrocelli had a so-so year, batting .238 with 18 homers. His sore elbow persisted into the season, eventually landing him on the disabled list. To make matters worse, Petrocelli was not a favorite of Billy Herman. The old-school manager had little patience for his brooding and insecurities, and made life miserable for the young shortstop. The situation came to a head when Petrocelli left the team in the middle of a game to tend to a family emergency. Herman demanded that he be suspended. Instead, he was fined $1,000.

During the off-season, the major-league players, coaches, and managers honored Scotty with the most votes (532) in their selections for the eighth annual Topps All-Star rookie team, ranked the best of both leagues. he Boston baseball writers elected Scott and Foy co-winners of the "Harry Agganis Memorial Award" as Red Sox rookies of the year.

Joe Foy had a great second half. He hit .213 with four home runs in the first half, then .306 with 11 homers in the second half, while the team played well. He hit second in the order most of the year.

Reggie Smith and rookie Mike Andrews were late season call-ups to the big club, but had a chance to taste the major league experience. They= both played in Toronto, the team’s top farm club, under Dick Williams on a championship team. Smith led the league in batting average that year with a .320 mark. Mike Andrews played solid defense at second base, boosted both his batting average (.267 BA) and home-run output to 14, and led the International League in runs scored with 97.

It was Eddie Kasko’s last season as a player. He played in 58 games, missing more than a month in May/June to a lower back problem, and hit a disappointing .213 with 12 RBIs. The Red Sox released him in late October.

With Yaz fixed in left and Conigliaro in right, Lenny Green shared playing time with Don Demeter, Jose Tartabull, and a number of other outfielders. Limited to 133 at-bats, he hit .241, but he was one of the guys who knew where he was in baseball, and knew what he could do in baseball. He’d just stretch out and help as many guys as he possibly could.

Don Demeter played mostly center field for the Red Sox, hitting .292 with 9 home runs in 73 games for them. His final statistics for the year were down once again, with only 14 home runs, 41 RBIs, and a .268 batting average.

When he left the Athletics, Jose Tartabull's average stood at .236, but for the Red Sox he hit .277. He led the club with 11 stolen bases, while the team as a whole had only 35. When he was not sharing the center-field position, Tartabull was pinch-hitting, making some impressive hits at crucial moments.

George Thomas played in only 69 games and batted .237, but he had a sense of humor that was appreciated in the clubhouse, and was a versatile, hustling player, a quality that earned him esteem in the eyes of manager Billy Herman. Many bench players complain about their lack of playing time, but Thomas accepted his role and came ready to play every day.

Dalton Jones lost his starting job to Joe Foy, and his offensive production dropped off. He batted only .234 in 252 at-bats, more than 100 fewer than in either of his previous two major league seasons. It was a struggle all year. Jones played in 70 games at second base and just three at third base. He committed 10 errors in 260 chances.

Under the tutelage of pitching coach, Sal Maglie, Jim Lonborg's pitching improved. Lonborg had a solid 10-10 record with a 3.86 ERA for the season. And Lonnie pushed batters off the plate, drilling 19 hitters, a trademark of Maglie's when he played.

Rookie Darrell Brandon was 8-8, but won four of his last five starts. In September Brandon threw two shutouts and had the best ERA (3.31) among the starting pitchers.

Another rookie pitcher, Jose Santiago got in a full 28 starts and won 12 games with a 3.66 ERA. He had seven complete games and 119 strikeouts. Jose was selected as Red Sox "Pitcher of the Year".

Lee Stange found his groove during the second half, pitching seven complete game victories, including a two-hitter against the Yankees in September. After his 8-9 season, the Boston Baseball Writers gave Stange the "Unsung Hero Award" at their annual banquet.

Don McMahon took over the fireman role, leading the bullpen with nine saves and a 2.65 ERA. McMahon and John Wyatt split the important relief duties with Wyatt posting numbers of 3-4, 3.14, and nine saves in 42 games. The Boston baseball writers noted McMahon’s contribution and voted him the club’s most valuable pitcher for 1966.