1977 BOSTON RED SOX ...
THE SOX BATS RUMBLE, BUT THE PITCHING STUMBLES ...

The 1977 Boston Red Sox were able to rekindle the hope, with a strong run at the AL East title, but like so many Red Sox teams, managed to come up just a little bit short.

BILL CAMPBELL

When Tom Yawkey passed away the year before, he left his baseball holdings to a trust controlled by his widow. Tight lipped about her plans for the ballclub, Jean Yawkey finally issued a brief statement. It simply said that offers to purchase the Red Sox would be accepted.

The new MLB "Basic Agreement" was in effect and called for a draft of free agents. On November 4th, at New York City’s Plaza Hotel, major-league baseball held its first “re-entry draft.” Twenty-four players had played out their options that season and were declared free agents. Among the players were some of the biggest names in the game, including Reggie Jackson, Bobby Grich, Sal Bando, Don Baylor, Rollie Fingers, Joe Rudi and Bill Campbell. Teams would select players in the “draft.” Players could be selected by as many as 13 clubs, including their current team. Those teams would then have the right to negotiate with their “drafted” players for a free-agent deal.

Pitcher Bill Campbell had decided to leave the Minnesota Twins and become a free agent. He had a contract for $22K and wanted $27K, but the Twins wouldn't budge. So he decided to become a free agent.

The night of the draft, Campbell and his agent went to the bar at the Plaza Hotel. Oakland A’s owner Charlie Finley called the two over to his table. He offered Campbell a three-year, $100,000 contract with a $100,000 signing bonus if he signed before he left the table. Campbell had already settled on the idea of his value and wanted a million-dollar contract. He told Finley that, and Finley just laughed. The Sox had selected Campbell in the draft, and they signed him to a five-year contract worth $1.05M over five years, two days later. The deal made him the third free agent in baseball history, after Andy Messersmith and Catfish Hunter.

The Red Sox also drafted free agents Bobby Grich and Don Gullett, but Haywood Sullivan, who had become the team's vice president, had the ear of Jean Yawkey and the trustees. He thought spending the kind of money they wanted was more than they were worth, and the trustees agreed with him.

Carl Yastrzemski was also approached by both of the two new expansion teams in Toronto and Seattle. He had told Tom Yawkey before his death, that he intended to retire as a member of the Red Sox, so there was no need to protect him and to protect the younger players instead.

Yaz, on the advice of his agent Jerry Kapstein, decided to at least listen to the offers. Toronto wanted to take him in the expansion draft and then trade him to the Yankees for younger players. The Yankees would then guarantee Yaz a five year deal. He mulled it over, but his loyalty to the Yawkeys made him decline. The Yankees then signed Reggie Jackson.

Instead, the Red Sox traded for former Sox players, George Scott and Bernie Carbo, giving up Cecil Cooper on December 6th.

The Sox thought they were over their contract problems, but they weren't. They couldn't agree with Luis Tiant on a deal, and he reported to spring training with just two weeks remaining. Tiant’s relationship with the team’s management was now strained from this point forward.

Then in a spring training game against the Pirates, Fred Lynn tore ligaments in his left ankle and missed the first five weeks of the season. Rick Miller replaced him but was hit by a pitch and broke his thumb.

Shortstop Ramon Aviles was on track to make the Opening Day roster until a freak accident cost him his chance. Aviles and Jim Rice slammed into each other chasing the same pop fly on March 16th in Fort Lauderdale. Aviles hung on to the ball to make the play, but he separated his shoulder and spent the rest of the camp with his arm in a sling. He was sent back to Triple-A Pawtucket, as questions remained about his condition.

Rookie pitcher Bob Stanley's work during the spring training was so outstanding that Zimmer decided to carry a 10-man pitching staff back north instead of his planned nine. Stanley was the tenth man.

George Scott had lost much of his bat speed since he originally came up with the Sox. One day, as he was swinging and missing, batting practice pitcher, Harvey Haddix, now near 60, bet Scotty that he could throw ten fastballs by him. Scott swung and missed again and again, until he finally connected and hit the tenth pitch. With that hit, he yelled at Haddix. "See, I told you that you couldn't do it"

The Sox started the year losing two to the Indians at Fenway Park. The second game, on April 10th, is a prime example on what was wrong with the 1977 version of the Red Sox. The Sox scored nine runs in the game and lost 19-9. They could hit and score lots of runs but their pitching couldn't hold down their opponents.

After losing four straight, Luis Tiant got the Sox their first win on April 16th, by beating the Indians 8 to 4 in Cleveland. Luis allowed three hits in the five innings he pitched. The Sox runs came on two-run triple by Jim Rice and home runs by Yaz and Dwight Evans. The next day on April 17th, the Sox and Indians split a doubleheader. Reggie Cleveland won the first game, allowing just four hits in a 4 to 1 win.

The Sox got their first Fenway win on Patriots Day, April 18th, against the Tigers. Steve Dillard got three hits in the 5 to 3 victory. Butch Hobson gave the Sox the lead with a two-run homer in the sixth and drove in an insurance run in the eighth. The next day on April 19th, the Sox ripped the Tigers, 11 to 3, knocking out 17 hits. Rick Miller drove home three runs with three hits and Rick Burleson had two RBIs with his three hits. But the Sox lost the next two games for a series split.

After two rained out games, the Red Sox finally got to face the new expansion team, Toronto Blue Jays in Canada on April 24th. Canadian citizen, Ferguson Jenkins put them in their place with a 9 to 0, three-hit shutout. Only two runners were able to reach second base. The next day on April 25th, the Sox won the second game of a doubleheader by a score of 6 to 5 from the Jays. They got four runs in the seventh inning to tie the game and Rick Burleson's sacrifice fly scored the winning run the next inning.

In Milwaukee, on April 26th, Rick Wise allowed five hits and Carlton Fisk knocked out three hits in a 3 to 1 win.

Back home on April 29th, three home runs, including a three-run shot by Fisk, powered the Sox to a 7 to 4 victory over the Oakland A's. Bill Campbell had compiled a 0-3 record with no saves and a 10.57 ERA. Red Sox fans were angry that he did not seem to be living up to his new $1M contract. A large sign reading: “Sell Campbell, Bring Back $1.50 Bleachers” was hung from the center field wall at Fenway Park.

Rick Burleson drove in three runs with a pair of hits and Dwight Evans smacked a two-run homer to beat the A's, 8 to 4, in the next game on April 30th.

The Sox swept Oakland by winning the third game, 6 to 4 on May 1st. It was Fisk again, driving in five runs with a pair of homers, to extend his hitting streak to eight games. The Sox (10-9) started May, two games out of first place.

The expansion Seattle Mariners came to Fenway for the first time and lost 2-of-3 to the Red Sox. On May 4th, Jim Rice clouted a home run and a triple, to lead the Sox to a 5 to 2 victory. The next night on May 5th, Rice hit another homer, with a man aboard, as the Sox won once again by a 5 to 2 score. The win gave Ferguson Jenkins his fourth straight victory.

Against the California Angels, on May 7th, Bob Stanley chalked up his first major league win, by shutting them out, 3 to 0. The next day on May 8th, Dwight Evans broke up a tie game with a sixth inning homer, putting the Sox ahead to stay, 4 to 3. The Sox finished their homestand against the west coast teams, winning seven of the nine games.

BOB STANLEY

On to the west coast where the Sox lost two in Oakland. But in Seattle, on May 13th, George Scott rescued the Sox from a 5-4 deficit with a two-run eighth inning homer, to give them a 7 to 5 win. Jim Willoughby turned in a brilliant seven inning relief job and Fred Lynn hit two homers on the first two pitches thrown to him.

Bob Stanley won his third straight game the next day, on May 14th, 8 to 4. The Mariners left six men on base in the last three innings, allowing homers by Rice and Fisk, a triple by Butch Hobson and four doubles to hold up.

In the last Seattle game, on May 15th, Bill Lee picked up his first win, throwing six strong innings, winning 5 to 4. After a slow start, Bill Campbell (0.59 ERA) picked up his 6th save in nine appearances.

Then in Anaheim, the Sox found themselves tied for first place on May 16th. They had won 11-of-15 and took this game in 11 innings, 8 to 7. Denny Doyle's base hit scored Dwight Evans. Campbell was the winner in relief.

The Sox came home and it was the pitching that would continue to haunt the Sox. The staff's ERA was mediocre at 4.12. Bob Stanley, Reggie Cleveland and Ferguson Jenkins had pitched well, but Luis Tiant, Rick Wise and Bill Lee were struggling to find their good stuff. Bill Campbell and Jim Willoughby were the only relievers that could be counted on at all.

One of the most roller-coaster games was held at Fenway on May 21st, with the lead changing hand back and forth numerous times, until the Sox prevailed over the Brewers 10-9, when they scored four runs in the ninth inning. Dwight Evans barreled into secondbaseman Don Money, breaking up an attempted doubleplay and permitting Carlton Fisk to score the winning run with two outs in the ninth.

 

George Scott's grandslam homer highlighted a record tying 11 home run spree in the first game of a doubleheader, which the Sox won by a score of 14-10 on May 22nd. Fred Lynn had two home runs, while Dwight Evans, Scott, Butch Hobson and Yaz, each had one.

Jim Willoughby broke his right ankle running in the outfield during batting practice before the game, and Mike Paxton was the pitcher called up to take his place.

In New York, the Sox beat the Yankees, 4 to 3, on May 23rd. Dwight Evans and Butch Hobson belted consecutive home runs in the second inning, and then Hobson ignited a tie-breaking two-run eighth, with a double. Bill Lee allowed five scattered hits beating the Yanks for the 12th time in 16 career decisions.

The Yankees won the next game on May 24th, 6-5, and the Sox left New York, tied with the Yankees for second place, 1 1/2 games behind the Orioles.

On May 27th, Yaz singled home a run, while Carlton Fisk and George Scott homered, to lead the Sox to a 10-1 victory over the Royals at Fenway Park. Ferguson Jenkins struck out six and walked one.

The next game, on May 28th, the Sox' booming bats rallied from an 8-2 deficit, finishing with a 17-12 victory over the Royals. Jim Rice drove in five runs with two home runs and a single, and powered the Sox biggest scoring outburst of the season.

The Sox next traded Bobby Darwin to the Chicago Cubs for pitcher, Ramon Hernandez and sold Tom House to Seattle. They called up Jack Baker from Pawtucket, who was hitting over .330 at the time.

The Sox split a series with the Yankees to finish out the month of May. On the 31st, Jim Rice and Butch Hobson each hit homers, and Rick Miller knocked in two insurance runs to beat the Yankees, 5 to 1. The Sox had played .500 ball during the month and were in third place, 2 1/2 games behind.

Then the Sox made their move, winning 17 of the first 21 games in June. The month started with the Red Sox in Arlington, Texas, facing the Rangers. On June 1st Yaz banged out two home runs in leading the Sox in a 7 to 5, come-from-behind victory.

Doug Griffin played his last major-league game on June 2nd, and a few weeks later was given his unconditional release.

In Minnesota, on June 4th, Fred Lynn, who had missed 29 games because of an ankle injury, robbed Dan Ford of a homer with an acrobatic catch, stabbing a towering drive as it cleared the fence at the 440-ft mark in Metropolitan Stadium. He also drove home two runs with two singles, as the Sox beat the Twins, 5 to 2. The next game on June 5th, had Butch Hobson knock out a pair of RBI singles and Yaz belt a two-run homer, in a 5-1 victory over the Twins.

Yaz continued his slugging assault in Kansas City the next day, on June 6th, belting a seventh inning solo homer that provided Luis Tiant with the winning run, in a 1-0 pitching duel with Dennis Leonard of the Royals. Tiant gave up four hits, before handing the ball over to Bill Campbell in the eighth inning.

The Sox returned to Fenway in third place, one game behind the Yankees and Orioles, who were tied for first place. They pushed Baltimore out of the tie by taking the first two games of the homestand from them. On June 8th the Sox beat up the Birds, 14 to 5. Hobson finished off an 11-run inning second inning with a three-run homer. The next night, on June 9th, Jim Rice hit two home runs and Lynn and Fisk belted one each to power the Sox to a 7-3 win.

BUTCH HOBSON

The Red Sox next swept a doubleheader from the Texas Rangers, on June 12th. Luis Tiant pitched a three-hitter in his first complete game of the year, a 2-0 shutout, in the second game. He struck out eight and didn't allow a walk. The Sox won the opener in the ninth inning, when Rick Miller sprinted home, with the winning run, on Fred Lynn's sacrifice fly.

On June 13th, Carlton Fisk's third hit of the game put the Sox in first place for the first time since the final day of the season in 1975. Fisk, who was second in the AL batting race with .349 BA, gave the Red Sox, a 5 to 4 walk-off 10th inning win over the White Sox, with a line single to center, that scored Rick Burleson. He had now hit in 12 straight games and in 21 of the last 22. The win, the Red Sox' fifth straight and eighth in nine games, put them in first, 1/2 game ahead of the Yankees.

Bill Campbell once again had to come in to save the game for the Red Sox on June 14th. He relieved a tiring Rick Wise and dispatched all six White Sox batters he faced to help the Red Sox win, 7 to 1. Campbell had turned his season around. In his last 47 1/3 innings, he compiled a 5-0 record, with 12 saves, for an ERA of 1.52

The early season showdown that resulted in a sweep of the Yankees started on June 17th. The Sox bombed Catfish Hunter and equaled a club record with four home runs in one inning, winning 9 to 4. Rick Burleson led off the first inning with a rising line drive into the net. Fred Lynn followed with a towering drive into the right field bleachers. After retiring the next two batters, Carlton Fisk bombed one over the left field screen. After a quick visit to the mound from Billy Martin, and before he had a chance to get back to his spot in the dugout, George Scott drove one onto Lansdowne Street. Fisk had three hits and saw his average climb to .358

The next day, on June 18th, Bernie Carbo and Yaz drilled two home runs each, in leading the Sox to a 10-4 win. But this game is remembered for a nationally televised audience seeing a dugout confrontation between New York manager Billy Martin and Reggie Jackson turn physical. Martin thought Reggie wasn't hustling and pulled him off the field. As the two went nose to nose in the dugout, Elston Howard rushed to keep them apart.

In the series finale, on June 19th, Ferguson Jenkins pitched a strong three hitter as the Sox swept the Yankees by a 11-1 score. Denny Doyle drove in three runs and homered as Bernie Carbo, Jim Rice, Yaz and George Scott also homered.

The Red Sox bats thoroughly had unloaded over the weekend series. The Sox scored thirty runs in the three-game sweep of their archrival. No one was hotter than Yaz. He went 9-for-14 in the sweep, drove in ten runs and hit four home runs, in a weekend to remember. The Sox completed their homestand going 9-1, set major league records by hitting 16 home runs in three games, 18 in their last four games and 21 in five games. Their lead in the AL East was at 2 1/2 games.

The Sox left home, headed to Baltimore and next swept the Orioles in the next four games. In their first matchup on June 20th, Rick Wise pitched a two-hit shutout, struck out 10 and beat the Os, 4 to 0. Jim Rice tripled home one run, Yaz, doubled in two more and a solo homer from Butch Hobson, let the Sox tie the major league record of 22 homers in six games.

On June 21st, veteran infielder, Tommy Helms signed as a free agent with the Red Sox. That night, it was Luis Tiant's turn to throw a two-hitter. He shut out the Orioles, 7 to 0. Rice and Scott homered for 24 home runs in seven games tying another record.

The third game on June 22nd was a 7 to 4 victory. The Sox, who trailed 4-1 after six innings, continued their assault on the record book with five homers, for 32 in eight games, a new major league record. Carlton Fisk's second home run of the game, in the ninth inning, gave the Sox a 7 to 4 win. Butch Hobson, Scott and Rice also hit long balls.

In the series finale, a 7 to 3 win on June 23rd, Hobson's home run extended the Sox streak to 30 long balls in nine consecutive games. The Red Sox (41-25) had won 16 of their last 18 games and their lead in the AL East grew to five games.

But a return trip to the Bronx brought them back to earth, as they proceeded to lose nine straight games. On June 24th, the Sox had a 5-3 lead and were ready to close out another win. Bill Campbell was on the mound and got the first two outs. Then he gave up a triple to Willie Randolph, a home run to Roy White and the game was lost in extra innings. The Sox, however, had three homers from Yaz, Hobson and Scott, for 33 in the last 10 games.

Mike Torrez handed the Sox a 5-1 loss in the second game on June 25th, and stopped the home run streak. But the Red Sox had set eight major league records and tied one.

The third game on June 26th had the Sox trailing 3-1, but they rallied to tie the game and go ahead 5-3. Unfortunately Bill Campbell gave it back in the bottom of the ninth, and the Yankees walked-off with a 6 to 5 win in the 11th inning.

The Red Sox next dropped three straight in Detroit and three straight to Baltimore back at Fenway, as July began. Rick Wise and Luis Tiant each had lost two games, showing how the lack of a rotation stopper left them vulnerable to long losing streaks. After nine consecutive losses, their lead in the AL East had totally disappeared. They had come full circle and were back in second place, one game behind the Yankees, the same spot they were in when their winning homestand started against Baltimore back on June 8th.

On July 4th the Sox finally got back in the win column. It was the Red Sox who supplied the fireworks. Fred Lynn and George Scott hit two homers each and Butch Hobson, Bernie Carbo, Jim Rice and Yaz one apiece, as the Sox snapped their losing streak with a 9 to 6 comeback over the Blue Jays. The Sox had set a major league record by hitting five or more home runs in a game for the seventh time this season. The eight homers tied a major league record set by the '39 Yankees, '53 Braves, '56 Reds, '61 Giants and the '63 Twins. The Sox hit four in one inning, marking the 10th time in major league history that it had been accomplished. It was the fifth time the Sox had done it and the second time this season.

Yaz and Lynn had four hits apiece in the next game on July 6th, as the Sox smashed 17 hits, beating the Blue Jays 9 to 5. Yaz (.311 BA) scored three runs and drove in two. He also made a run-saving diving catch and turned a line drive into a doubleplay.

Carlton Fisk drove in three runs with a homer and a sac fly, while Jim Rice knocked out three hits, including a home run as the Sox completed a three game sweep of the Jays on July 7th.

In Milwaukee, Rice belted a two-run homer, and George Scott and Bernie Carbo added solo shots in a 7 to 3 victory in the first game of a four game set on July 8th.

Rick Burleson's single and triple sparked the Sox to an 8 to 5 comeback win in the first of two games on July 10th. A homer by Scott triggered a four-run second inning in the second game for a 7 to 3 doubleheader sweep.

In his second start of the season, Bob Stanley pitched a five-hitter in Cleveland that beat the Indians, 2 to 1 on July 11th. Two days later, on July 13th, a pair of towering homers by Jim Rice kept the Sox in the game and Butch Hobson, who had four hits, won it with a three-run blast in the 10th, to give the Sox a 9 to 7 triumph over the Indians.

In the next game, on July 14th, Hobson knocked out his third homer in three games, to lead the Sox to a 7-4 win in Cleveland. Yaz also had a homer and a single to move him past Ted Williams with his 2654th hit to make him the Red Sox all-time leader in hits.

In Chicago on July 16th, Yaz's tiebreaking sacrifice fly scored Jim Rice to give the Red Sox a 4 to 3 win over the White Sox. But even though the division lead had vanished, the Sox still got to the All-Star break within a half-game of first place.

Yaz started in centerfield for the American League All Stars at Yankee Stadium on July 19th. Carlton Fisk and Rick Burleson found themselves in the starting AL lineup also. Fred Lynn, Jim Rice, George Scott and Bill Campbell rounded out the contingent of Sox All Stars. The American Leaguers went down in defeat, 7 to 5. Rice singled in the eighth inning and Scott hit a "tater" in the ninth inning over the 385 ft sign in right field.

The Sox split a doubleheader with Cleveland at Fenway, to start the second half on July 21st. Butch Hobson slammed a three-run homer, for his second hit in a nine run seventh inning, going 3-for-4, in the game the Sox won, 11 to 4. Luis Tiant struck out eight to push him over the 2000-mark in career strikeouts. The next day, on July 22nd, Rick Wise chucked a 3 to 0 shutout at the Indians.

A soft schedule with the Milwaukee Brewers, California Angels, Seattle Mariners and Oakland A’s, resulted in an 11-game win streak for the Red Sox over late July and early August.

On July 26th, Don Aase was called up to make his first major league start. He responded by striking out 11 batters and beat the Brewers 4 to 3.

Ramon Hernandez had appeared in a dozen contests and posted a 5.68 ERA. On July 27th, the Sox trailed Milwaukee, 7-5, in the ninth inning when he came in and gave up four more runs. It was his last major league appearance.

Two days later, on July 28th, rookie Mike Paxton pitched a four-hitter and beat the Brewers 12-0. After the game, he admitted that he was tired after seven innings. With an 8-0 lead, on a mound visit during the eighth, Carlton Fisk joked, “If you’re tired, let me pitch. There’s only six outs to go.”

In Anaheim, Bernie Carbo's 10th inning homer led the Sox to a 6 to 5 victory over the Angels on July 29th. The next night, on July 30th, Luis Tiant out-pitched Nolan Ryan, beating the Angels, 3-0.

Don Aase pitched another gem in his second Red Sox appearance, shutting-out the Angels 1-0 with seven strikeouts, for the series sweep on July 31st. He’d always dreamed of pitching in the ballpark so close to his California home. He did not disappoint, pitching a three-hit shutout. The game was 0-0 through eight innings. Consecutive singles by Jim Rice, George Scott, and Carlton Fisk got the Sox one run, and after Aase induced a groundout and struck out the last two batters he had another win, one that lifted the Red Sox into first place. Aase was named "Player of the Week" in the American League.

The sweep put the Sox back in first place. But as July turned into August, the pitching was clearly holding them back. The Sox led the majors with 146 home runs, but had a pitching staff with an ERA of 4.36 ... Jim Rice was third in the AL with a .320 BA, leading the league with 27 HRs. George Scott was second with 25 HRs.

Fred Lynn's sacrifice fly scored Denny Doyle in the 10th inning to edge the Mariners, in Seattle, 3 to 2 on August 2nd. The Sox pummeled the Mariners in the next game. Bernie Carbo blasted a grand slam and Jim Rice added two solo homers in the 12-4 massacre.

Upon being asked about the grand slam, Bernie Carbo said he had not been aware that the bases had been loaded. When served with a follow-up question asking him the last time he had homered off a left-hander, Carbo thought that the reporters had been playing with him. “Now I know you’re pulling my leg, because he was a right-handed pitcher. Zimmer would never let me hit against a left-hander with the bases loaded,” he declared.

On August 4th, Ferguson Jenkins won his first game since June 23rd in Oakland. He went the distance, pitching a three-hitter and winning, 3 to 1. Luis Tiant posted his second consecutive shutout, firing a five-hitter and winning 1 to 0, against the A's the next day on August 5th.

Don Aase won his third straight major league game on August 6th, in the third game of the series in Oakland, 2 to 1. In the series finale on August 7th, Bernie Carbo's leadoff homer in the ninth inning provided the winning margin, and Fred Lynn added a 3-run homer, later in the inning. Bill Campbell finished the game, and it was the ninth win in a row for the Red Sox, 5 to 2. They returned home, enjoying a 3 1/2 game lead in the AL East.

Carbo drilled a two-run pinch-hit home run in the eighth inning and Yaz singled across the go-ahead run as the Sox rallied for an 11 to 10 victory over the California Angels on August 10th. It extended their winning streak to 11 games.

JIM RICE

After getting the streak snapped, the Sox beat the Seattle Mariners, 7 to 2, on August 12th. The Sox scored six runs in the first inning and Rick Wise breezed to his ninth win. Jim Rice drilled his 30th homer in the game.

More homers followed in the next game on August 13th, which the Son won 13 to 6. Yaz launched his 20th along with bombs from George Scott, Butch Hobson and Dwight Evans.

The Sox swept the Mariners in the third game with homers from Carlton Fisk and Evans in the final meeting, for their major league leading 162 HRs. The score was 11 to 1 on August 14th.

The Kansas City Royals came to Fenway and lost a dramatic, 2 to 1 game to the Sox on August 15th. Reggie Cleveland pitched brilliantly for eight innings and Bill Campbell got George Brett in the ninth inning, with the bases loaded, for his 20th save.

The next night, on August 16th, Butch Hobson drilled a three-run homer and triggered a two-run seventh to break a tie game. The Sox beat the Royals, 5 to 3 for their 16th victory in their last 17 games, but that was all about to change.

In Milwaukee, George Scott banged out four hits and shined in the field to lead the Sox to an 8-4 win on August 18th. But for the second time this season, the Sox would endure another long losing streak, losing the next 8-of-9 games and again falling out of first place. After splitting the two game series in Milwaukee, the Sox would be swept in Kansas City, swept in Minnesota and lose two of three to the Rangers back in Boston. From having a 3 1/2 game lead in the AL East, they dropped to two games behind, never to sit in the top spot again.

Outfielders Dwight Evans and Rick Miller had collided in the game on August 19th in Kansas City, and were both hurt. Miller needed a week off, and Evans needed surgery. Fred Lynn had a sore neck and outfielder Sam Bowen was called up from Pawtucket. Ramon Hernandez was released to make room for Bowen.

Butch Hobson stopped the Sox skid on August 25th. After Texas took a 5-3 lead, Hobson led a six run rally. Both George Scott and Tommy Helms banged out three hits apiece with the Red Sox winning 9 to 4.

In a game where both Rick Burleson and Bill Lee had it out with Don Zimmer, the Sox beat the Twins at Fenway, 7 to 5, on August 27th. Home runs came off the bats of Butch Hobson, Bob Montgomery, George Scott and Tommy Helms.

Bill Campbell got his 22nd save in the next game on August 30th. With two men on in the ninth and one out, he threw seven pitches and got Rod Carew to pop-up and Lymon Bystock to whiff, completing a 6-5 win.

September started with Bill Lee beating the Indians and Dennis Eckersley, 3 to 1 on Sept 1st. Yaz had a double and two singles, to go along with his 13th outfield assist of the season.

While the Sox were fluctuating wildly, the Yankees were gaining traction and by Labor Day, the Yanks led by 4 1/2 games over the Sox and five over the Orioles. The Red Sox, contrary to their image, didn’t fold up at this key moment of the season. Instead, they came on strong, with a 22-9 finish. The problem was the Yankees went 20-10 over this same period. The Sox won 10-of-11 games starting on September 3rd, but could only cut the Yankees' lead in the AL East to 1 1/2 games.

The final push started on September 3rd in Texas. Jim Rice slugged his 34th homer, giving Mike Paxton a 2-1 lead, to be saved by Bill Campbell, who pitched two perfect innings.

Luis Tiant quit after pitching two innings on September 4th. Rick Wise took over and was brilliant for 5 1/3 innings and Campbell picked up his 24th save. The Sox hitters beat up Gaylord Perry, 8 to 4, for the win.

On September 5th, the Sox swept a doubleheader in Toronto with two shutouts. Reggie Cleveland allowed five scattered hits in his 6 to 0 complete game, while Don Aase threw a three-hit shutout, 8 to 0. The next day, on September 6th, Carlton Fisk drove in seven runs with a first-inning grand slam to lead the Sox to an 11-2 romp over the Jays.

Fisk knocked in another five runs with two homers against the Jays on September 8th. Along with George Scott, the two helped the Sox set a major league record for consecutive home runs, having done it 16 times during the season.

DON AASE

Jim Rice slammed two home runs back at Fenway on September 9th, as the Sox swept a doubleheader from the Tigers by scores of 5-1 and 8-6. Bill Campbell saved both games for his 25th and 26th saves.

In the next game on September 10th, Sox fans witnessed another pitching gem by Don Aase, who scattered five hits in beating the Tigers, 7 to 1. Bernie Carbo triggered a four-run sixth inning with his 14th homer. Jim Rice's first career grand slam next led the Sox to a series sweep of the Tigers with a 6 to 2 victory on September 11th.

The Yankees' lead in the AL East lead was 1 1/2 games over the Sox and 2 1/2 over the Orioles, when the Sox traveled to Yankee Stadium for three games. In the first game on September 13th, Ron Guidry froze the Red Sox bats cold, allowing just five hits in a 4-2 Yankees win.

The next night, on September 14th, Reggie Cleveland and Ed Figueroa were in a scoreless pitcher's duel until the bottom of the ninth. Mickey Rivers, who took that famous sucker punch at Bill Lee's head in the big brawl of '76, got an intentional fastball in the ribs from Cleveland, in his first time up. The game went on until Thurman Munson singled and Reggie Jackson banged out a walk-off two run homer, to win 2-0.

Yaz and Bernie Carbo each had three hits in the September 15th game that the Sox won 7 to 3, but the Yankees had taken two of three and still led by 2 1/2 games.

Jim Burton was a call-up in September. Nearly two years after his career-altering pitch to Joe Morgan in the World Series, Burton was back on the Red Sox and threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings of relief against the Orioles in Baltimore, on September 17th, which the Sox lost 11-2.

Ted Cox’s major-league debut came on September 18th. With Dwight Evans out for the remainder of the season, Don Zimmer moved Jim Rice to right field and insert Ted Cox at DH. More than 51,000 fans thronged the ballpark in Baltimore, for the game, which featured a tribute to Brooks Robinson, who had played his last game about a month earlier, finishing off a 23-year playing career for the O’s.

Rick Burleson singled to lead off the game and Cox singled to left. As per custom, time was called and the ball was taken in the dugout as a keepsake. In his second at-bat, Cox walked to lead off the third and scored his first run in the major leagues. He singled again in the fifth, scoring three batters later. The score was tied, 4-4, after five innings.

In the top of the sixth, Burleson singled. Cox stepped into the batter’s box. Burleson stole second base and Cox singled to center field, driving in Burleson with his first RBI.

The Red Sox held the lead into the top of the ninth. Cox hit a ball off the wall in right field, missing a home run by only a few inches, but hustling and sliding head-first into second base for a double. Two batters later, he scored on Yaz's sacrifice fly, for the seventh run in what became a 10-4 win for the Red Sox.

Back at Fenway, the Sox kept their hopes alive by taking two games from the Yankees. In the first game on September 19th, Ted Cox got two more hits in his first two times up, making six straight hits in his first six at bats in the majors. Carlton Fisk broke a 1-1 tie with his 24th home run into the left field nets, as the Sox won, 6 to 3.

Since major-league baseball began, no player has ever enjoyed a debut to match the one by Ted Cox. The record he broke had been set by Washington Senator Cecil Travis on May 16, 1933. Travis was 5-for-7, with base hits his first four times up.

Bob Bailey was next traded from the Cincinnati Reds to the Sox, for a minor leaguer and cash on September 20th.

George Scott's sixth inning homer broke a 2-2 tie, on September 21st, and the Sox won again, 3 to 2. They were 2 1/2 games behind the Yankees and 1/2 game behind the Orioles.

The Sox kept pace winning three-of-four in Detroit. Bill Lee fired a four-hitter and Butch Hobson hit a three-run homer in a 5-1 victory on September 23rd.

The Sox won the next game on September 24th, 6 to 2, as Yaz's two-run homer into the upper deck at Tiger Stadium, broke a 1-1 tie. Home runs by Carlton Fisk, Yaz and Hobson powered the Sox past the Tigers, 12 to 5, in the last game on September 25th. But with seven games left, the Yankees led by three games.

The Sox took 3-of-4 from the Blue Jays at Fenway, keeping their hopes alive. In a doubleheader, on September 27th, Jim Rice picked up his 200th hit and Yaz knocked in his 100th RBI, for the fifth time in his career. The Sox took both games, 6 to 5 and 5 to 1.

On September 29th, it was announced that an agreement to purchase the Boston Red Sox had been reached for an estimated $15 million. The group making the offer was headed by Haywood Sullivan and the club’s former trainer Buddy LeRoux. Sullivan, a former Sox catcher in the 50s, had been a part of the Red Sox front office, recruited by Dick O'Connell in 1965. Buddy LeRoux was a hustler who made his fortune investing in Florida real estate.

There had been two other bids higher than the one accepted from Sullivan and LeRoux. One group that owned Rawlings Sporting Goods, bid $18.75M and two Boston businessmen bid $16M. A lawsuit followed and became major news in Boston.

Once it was all settled, Sullivan and LeRoux placed Mrs. Yawkey in the background as a limited partner. But before the other American League owners could approve the proposition, she exerted her authority by firing Dick O'Connell and two of his aides. Haywood Sullivan was named as O'Connell’s replacement.That move did not sit well with the Red Sox fans, because it was O'Connell, who put the Sox on the map and turned a perennial loser into a winner.

When the final weekend began, the Red Sox and Orioles both trailed the Yankees by three games with three to play. To make things easier for New York, they would play a bad Detroit team at home, while the Sox and Baltimore had to play each other. Even though the Yankees lost on both days, the Red Sox knocked the Birds out on September 30th, 11-10, and Baltimore returned the favor in the next to last game on October 1st, 8 to 7.

RICK DEMPSEY

In that final game, Tommy Helms appeared in his last major-league game. Although the Sox had used him mainly as a designated hitter, he was the starting second baseman in this game, the only time he played the position all year. He went 1 for 3, hitting a single in the second inning. It was his last major-league hit. He was removed for a pinch-hitter, Bernie Carbo, in the ninth inning and his major-league career was over at the age of 36.

One of the memorable moments of the season occurred on October 2nd. Instead of a game with the Orioles that was rained out, Oriole catcher Rick Dempsey gave the fans their money's worth. He put on a 15 minute barefoot show on the tarpaulin, dancing, slipping and sliding, and then led the delighted Fenway fans in a chorus of "Sweet Rosie O'Grady". He finished by throwing his hat in the stands, hitting a mock home run, and sprinting around the tarp, scoring with a belly-flop slide across the plate.

The 1977 Boston Red Sox still won 97 games and provided a lot of entertainment with the muscle of their offense. The Sox could score runs, and power was their calling card, hitting 213 home runs, 21 more than the White Sox, who were second in the major leagues. The club hit five or more homers in eight games.

Nor were the Sox just a slugging team that couldn’t get on base. They were second in the American League in on-base percentage at .345, but just too flawed in the pitching department to be able to get over the top.

George Scott hit 33 HRs with 25 at the All-Star break, and just eight thereafter. He had an uncharacteristic year in the field, making 24 errors. In spite of that he was barely edged out for a ninth Gold Glove by Jim Spencer of the White Sox.

Butch Hobson, an ex-Alabama football player, had a breakout year and also his finest as a major leaguer. He smashed hit 30 HRs with 112 RBIs, establishing a Red Sox record for third basemen. Hobson’s free-swinging ways combined to produce a career-best .265 batting average, 33 doubles, and 162 strikeouts. He was named the BoSox Club Man of the Year for his contributions to the success of the team and for his cooperation in community projects.

Rick Burleson had a .338 OBP, as he played shortstop and hit at the top of the order. He had a 13-game hitting streak in April and May and, by the beginning of June, was hitting .341, as well as providing steady infield defense complimented by his rocket arm. This performance earned the "Rooster" a starting berth on the American League All-Star team.

The 38-year-old Carl Yastrzemski (.296 BA), was as good as ever. He played left field with brilliance, not making an error, had a .372 OBP and .505 slg pct, while hitting 28 homers. With 102 RBIs, he was one of the five oldest players in MLB history, to drive in 100 runs in a season. He also stole 11 bases and got caught only once.

Jim Rice led the way, with a .320 BA, going deep 39 times to lead the American League. He led the league in total bases (382) and slugging percentage (.593). He drove in 114 runs and also led the team with 15 triples.

Rightfield was split between Bernie Carbo and Dwight Evans. Carbo contributed 15 of the team’s then-record total and hit .289 with a .409 OBP in 86 games. Three of his homers came in pinch-hitting roles, further solidifying his reputation in the clutch.

Evans battled a knee injury all year, spending much of the season on the disabled list. He batted .287 with 14 homers in 73 games, and perhaps had the best throwing arm in the game.

Fred Lynn, had a down year. He missed the first five weeks on the disabled list, from March 24th through May 6th, with torn ligaments in his left ankle. In 129 games he batted .260 with 18 homers. He made the All-Star team for the third time.

Carlton Fisk (.315 BA) drove in 100 runs, hit 26 home runs and scored 100 runs, being only the third catcher (Yogi Berra and Roy Campanella) to ever do so. He finished with a .402 OBP/.521 slugging percentage. He finished the year with a 16 game hitting streak and had 35 RBIs down the stretch. He was named the Red Sox MVP.

Rick Miller broke his left thumb when he was hit by a pitch, and was on the disabled list from May 3rd to May 30th. He hit .254 and made only one error in 79 games in the outfield. He played without a contract because he planned to become a free agent after the season, later becoming the first player to leave the Red Sox as a free agent.

Firstbaseman Jack Baker got into two games, flying out to center while pinch-hitting in Texas on June 2nd, and on June 8th, pinch-running. He stayed in and got two at-bats, striking out and then popping out to second base. Those were his final two major-league games. He finished with an overall .115 batting average and a .143 on-base percentage. He had two errors in 59 chances in the field, for a .966 fielding percentage.

When the Sox were hitting, they were unbelievable. But the pitching staff was a patchwork of rookies and injured veterans. They were overall eighth in the American League in pitching stats. It became a killer problem to see strong pitching staffs from their key rivals, the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles.

Faced with an incredible amount of pressure because of the amount of money he had signed for, Bill Campbell, a Viet Nam veteran, handled the pressure very well. His performance ultimately showed he was worth every dollar, after he got off to a rough start.

Campbell commented. “If I was going to be making so much more money, I felt I had to be so much better." Fans threw things at him while he was warming up in the bullpen and one fan tossed a beer at this wife in the stands. “It was brutal,” Campbell remembers. He was pressing too much. “It took me a while just to forget the money,” Campbell said. “To just go out there and pitch."

He finished by leading the Sox with 13 wins and saved 31 games, having a 2.96 ERA. He won the "Rolaids Relief Award" for the second straight year. But he began to feel pain in his shoulder at the end of the season because Don Zimmer had just used him too often. Campbell pitched 140 innings, averaging two innings per game.

Ferguson Jenkins became the ace of the Sox staff with a 3.68 ERA, but the 34-year-old former "Cy Young" winner only had 10 wins.

36-year-old, Luis Tiant (4.53 ERA) was 12-8. After watching several of his teammates reap the rewards of the new free-agency era, Luis had a protracted holdout in the spring. He also was forced to pitch every fifth day rather than every fourth and was not happy about it.

Bill Lee only had nine wins because his arm was still not completely healed from the year before. He admitted that he used the drug, THC to mask the pain, and it seemed to work. He posted another winning record, but it was just 9-5 (4.43 ERA) in 128 innings of work, a far cry from the totals of 1973 through 1975, when he pitched more than twice as many innings each year.

Rookie Don Aase joined the team in July and was impressive. He struck out 11 in his debut and threw four complete games, finishing the season with a 3.12 ERA.

Reggie Cleveland (4.26 ERA) and Rick Wise (4.77 ERA) managed to get 11 wins each. Wise felt that since he did not know when he was going to pitch, he could not get into a routine and find his rhythm. When he complained to Zimmer about it, he was buried in the bullpen. “We had our differences,” Wise acknowledged diplomatically. “A lot of times it was Zimmer’s way or no way.”

Those who didn't like Zimmer were known as the "Buffalo Heads". It included Bill Lee, Jim Willoughby, Bernie Carbo, Rick Wise and Ferguson Jenkins. When a reporter asked why the name "Buffalo Heads", Jenkins responded that it was a tribute to Zimmer. Like the buffalo, he was the dumbest animal on earth.

Cleveland volunteered to go to the bullpen to allow the Sox the flexibility of getting more starts for the three young rookies. It was a selfless thing to do. It was neither the first nor the last time that Cleveland, whom Zimmer called “a real pro,” put the team first.

Bob Stanley and Mike Paxton were competent out of the bullpen. Ray Fitzgerald wrote a piece for the Boston Globe, with a subhead reading, “Paxton is 24 Going on 40.” His point was how calm and unflappable Mike Paxton appeared on the mound. For his part, Paxton confessed, it was partly due to a determination not to appear to let things bother him. He finished the season with a 10-5 record and an ERA of 3.83.

In his first year in a Red Sox uniform, Bob Stanley set the pattern that would forever make him such an asset to the team. He was a starter. He was a long reliever. He was a short reliever. And he did it all well. His numbers included 13 starts, 28 relief appearances, and an 8-7 record, with a sub-4.00 ERA (3.99).

Jim Willoughby slipped on the outfield grass during pregame drills and broke his right ankle in May. He returned in August, but was not as effective, posting a 4.94 ERA, his highest ever in the majors.

The crew of veteran pitchers was unhappy with Don Zimmer. The key to being a good manager is to keep his players in a winning frame of mind and Zim's hard-nosed 1950s approach to ballplayers was out of touch with this group. He kept tinkering with the rotation and only Jenkins and Tiant avoided time in the bullpen.

Zimmer read everything Bill Lee said in the newspaper and listened to every sports talk show, and Lee couldn't keep his mouth shut. It got so bad that Lee kept taunting him with the nickname "the Gerbil". Zimmer and Lee never talked, disliked each other, and everyone knew it. By mid-season, none of his pitchers were talking to him.