The 1977 Boston Red Sox season was the 77th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished tied for second in the American League East with a record of 97 wins and 64 losses, 2+1⁄2 games behind the New York Yankees.
| 1977 Boston Red Sox | ||
|---|---|---|
| League | American League | |
| Division | East | |
| Ballpark | Fenway Park | |
| City | Boston, Massachusetts | |
| Record | 97–64 (.602) | |
| Divisional place | 2nd (tied; 2+1⁄2 GB) | |
| Owner | Jean Yawkey | |
| President | Jean Yawkey | |
| General manager | Dick O'Connell | |
| Manager | Don Zimmer | |
| Television | WSBK-TV, Ch. 38 (Dick Stockton, Ken Harrelson) | |
| Radio | WMEX-AM 1510 (Ned Martin, Jim Woods) | |
| Stats | ESPN.com BB-reference | |
| ||
Offseason
- November 22, 1976: Darryl Cias was signed as a free agent by the Red Sox.[1]
- December 6, 1976: Cecil Cooper is traded by the Red Sox to the Milwaukee Brewers for Bernie Carbo and George Scott.[2]
Regular season
| Month | Record | Cumulative | AL East | Ref. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Won | Lost | Position | GB | ||
| April | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 4th | 2+1⁄2 | [4] |
| May | 15 | 12 | 24 | 21 | 3rd | 2+1⁄2 | [5] |
| June | 17 | 10 | 41 | 31 | 1st | +1⁄2 | [6] |
| July | 17 | 12 | 58 | 43 | 1st | — | [7] |
| August | 17 | 12 | 75 | 55 | 2nd (tie) | 4 | [8] |
| September | 22 | 8 | 97 | 63 | 2nd | 2 | [9] |
| October | 0 | 1 | 97 | 64 | 2nd (tie) | 2+1⁄2 | [10] |
Boston's final game of the season, scheduled for October 2 at home against the Baltimore Orioles, was rained out and not rescheduled.[11]
Highlights
Lack of pitching depth might have been a hindrance, but the team was helped by a league-leading offense,[12] which during one ten-game span hit 33 home runs.[12] With that kind of scoring, Boston managed to compete with the Yankees and Orioles—leading the division as late as August 22[13]—but at season's end, not even 97 wins would be enough.
On June 18, during a nationally televised game against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park in Boston, Jim Rice, a powerful hitter but a slow runner, hit a ball into right field. Yankees outfielder Reggie Jackson seemed to approach the ball indifferently, and Rice reached second base. Furious, Yankees manager Billy Martin removed Jackson from the game without even waiting for the end of the inning, sending Paul Blair out to replace him. When Jackson arrived at the dugout, Martin yelled that Jackson had shown him up. They argued, and Jackson said that Martin's heavy drinking had impaired his judgment. Despite Jackson being 18 years younger, about 4 inches (10 cm) taller and maybe 40 pounds (18 kg) heavier, Martin lunged at him, and had to be restrained by coaches Yogi Berra and Elston Howard. Red Sox fans could see this in the dugout and began cheering wildly, and the NBC television cameras showed the confrontation to the entire country. The Red Sox went on to win the game, 10–4.[14]
Season standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees | 100 | 62 | .617 | — | 55–26 | 45–36 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 97 | 64 | .602 | 2½ | 54–27 | 43–37 |
| Boston Red Sox | 97 | 64 | .602 | 2½ | 51–29 | 46–35 |
| Detroit Tigers | 74 | 88 | .457 | 26 | 39–42 | 35–46 |
| Cleveland Indians | 71 | 90 | .441 | 28½ | 37–44 | 34–46 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 67 | 95 | .414 | 33 | 37–44 | 30–51 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 54 | 107 | .335 | 45½ | 25–55 | 29–52 |
Record vs. opponents
Sources: [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | BAL | BOS | CAL | CWS | CLE | DET | KC | MIL | MIN | NYY | OAK | SEA | TEX | TOR |
| Baltimore | — | 6–8 | 5–6 | 5–5 | 11–4 | 12–3 | 4–7 | 11–4 | 6–4 | 8–7 | 8–2 | 7–3 | 4–6 | 10–5 |
| Boston | 8–6 | — | 7–3 | 3–7 | 8–7 | 9–6 | 5–5 | 9–6 | 4–6 | 8–7 | 8–3 | 10–1 | 6–4 | 12–3 |
| California | 6–5 | 3–7 | — | 8–7 | 6–4 | 4–6 | 6–9 | 5–5 | 7–8 | 4–7 | 5–10 | 9–6 | 5–10 | 6–4 |
| Chicago | 5–5 | 7–3 | 7–8 | — | 6–4 | 4–6 | 8–7 | 6–5 | 10–5 | 3–7 | 10–5 | 10–5 | 6–9 | 8–3 |
| Cleveland | 4–11 | 7–8 | 4–6 | 4–6 | — | 8–7 | 3–7 | 11–4 | 2–9 | 3–12 | 7–3 | 7–3 | 2–9 | 9–5 |
| Detroit | 3–12 | 6–9 | 6–4 | 6–4 | 7–8 | — | 3–8 | 10–5 | 5–5 | 6–9 | 5–5 | 5–6 | 2–8 | 10–5 |
| Kansas City | 7–4 | 5–5 | 9–6 | 7–8 | 7–3 | 8–3 | — | 8–2 | 10–5 | 5–5 | 9–6 | 11–4 | 8–7 | 8–2 |
| Milwaukee | 4–11 | 6–9 | 5–5 | 5–6 | 4–11 | 5–10 | 2–8 | — | 3–8 | 8–7 | 5–5 | 7–3 | 5–5 | 8–7 |
| Minnesota | 4–6 | 6–4 | 8–7 | 5–10 | 9–2 | 5–5 | 5–10 | 8–3 | — | 2–8 | 8–6 | 7–8 | 8–7 | 9–1 |
| New York | 7–8 | 7–8 | 7–4 | 7–3 | 12–3 | 9–6 | 5–5 | 7–8 | 8–2 | — | 9–2 | 6–4 | 7–3 | 9–6 |
| Oakland | 2–8 | 3–8 | 10–5 | 5–10 | 3–7 | 5–5 | 6–9 | 5–5 | 6–8 | 2–9 | — | 7–8 | 2–13 | 7–3 |
| Seattle | 3–7 | 1–10 | 6–9 | 5–10 | 3–7 | 6–5 | 4–11 | 3–7 | 8–7 | 4–6 | 8–7 | — | 9–6 | 4–6 |
| Texas | 6–4 | 4–6 | 10–5 | 9–6 | 9–2 | 8–2 | 7–8 | 5–5 | 7–8 | 3–7 | 13–2 | 6–9 | — | 7–4 |
| Toronto | 5–10 | 3–12 | 4–6 | 3–8 | 5–9 | 5–10 | 2–8 | 7–8 | 1–9 | 6–9 | 3–7 | 6–4 | 4–7 | — |
Notable transactions
- April 5, 1977: Darryl Cias was released by the Red Sox.[1]
- May 28, 1977: Bobby Darwin was traded by the Red Sox to the Chicago Cubs for Ramón Hernández.[15]
- June 7, 1977: Pete Ladd was drafted by the Red Sox in the 25th round of the 1977 Major League Baseball Draft.[16]
- August 20, 1977: Ramón Hernández was released by the Red Sox.[15]
Opening Day lineup
| 7 | Rick Burleson | SS |
| 5 | Denny Doyle | 2B |
| 14 | Jim Rice | LF |
| 8 | Carl Yastrzemski | RF |
| 15 | George Scott | 1B |
| 1 | Bernie Carbo | DH |
| 24 | Dwight Evans | CF |
| 27 | Carlton Fisk | C |
| 4 | Butch Hobson | 3B |
| 31 | Ferguson Jenkins | P |
Source:[17]
Roster
| 1977 Boston Red Sox | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
| Catchers
Infielders
| Outfielders
Other batters
| Manager
Coaches
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Game log
Regular season
| 1977 regular season game log: 97–64 (Home: 55–26; Away: 45–36) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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May: 15–12 (Home: 10–8; Away: 5–4)
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June: 17–10 (Home: 9–1; Away: 8–9)
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August: 17–12 (Home: 10–6; Away: 7–6)
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September: 22–8 (Home: 11–1; Away: 11–7)
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| Legend: = Win = Loss = Postponement Bold = Red Sox team member | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Player stats
Batting
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Carlton Fisk | 152 | 536 | 169 | .315 | 26 | 102 |
| 1B | George Scott | 157 | 584 | 157 | .269 | 33 | 95 |
| 2B | Denny Doyle | 137 | 455 | 109 | .240 | 2 | 49 |
| SS | Rick Burleson | 154 | 663 | 194 | .293 | 3 | 52 |
| 3B | Butch Hobson | 159 | 593 | 157 | .265 | 30 | 112 |
| LF | Carl Yastrzemski | 150 | 558 | 165 | .296 | 28 | 102 |
| CF | Fred Lynn | 129 | 497 | 129 | .260 | 18 | 76 |
| RF | Bernie Carbo | 86 | 228 | 66 | .289 | 15 | 34 |
| DH | Jim Rice | 160 | 644 | 206 | .320 | 39 | 114 |
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dwight Evans | 73 | 230 | 66 | .287 | 14 | 36 |
| Rick Miller | 86 | 189 | 48 | .254 | 0 | 24 |
| Steve Dillard | 66 | 141 | 34 | .241 | 1 | 13 |
| Tommy Helms | 21 | 59 | 16 | .271 | 1 | 5 |
| Ted Cox | 13 | 58 | 21 | .362 | 1 | 6 |
| Bob Montgomery | 17 | 40 | 12 | .300 | 2 | 7 |
| Dave Coleman | 11 | 12 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
| Bobby Darwin | 4 | 9 | 2 | .222 | 0 | 1 |
| Doug Griffin | 5 | 6 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
| Jack Baker | 2 | 3 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
| Bob Bailey | 2 | 2 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
| Sam Bowen | 3 | 2 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
| Bo Diaz | 2 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
| Ramón Avilés | 1 | 0 | 0 | ---- | 0 | 0 |
Pitching
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ferguson Jenkins | 28 | 193.0 | 10 | 10 | 3.68 | 105 |
| Reggie Cleveland | 36 | 190.1 | 11 | 8 | 4.26 | 85 |
| Luis Tiant | 32 | 188.2 | 12 | 8 | 4.53 | 124 |
| Rick Wise | 26 | 128.1 | 11 | 5 | 4.77 | 85 |
| Bill Lee | 27 | 128.0 | 9 | 5 | 4.43 | 31 |
| Don Aase | 13 | 92.1 | 6 | 2 | 3.12 | 49 |
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Stanley | 41 | 151.0 | 8 | 7 | 3.99 | 44 |
| Mike Paxton | 29 | 108.0 | 10 | 5 | 3.83 | 58 |
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Campbell | 69 | 13 | 9 | 31 | 2.96 | 114 |
| Jim Willoughby | 31 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4.94 | 33 |
| Tom Murphy | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6.75 | 13 |
| Ramón Hernández | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5.68 | 8 |
| Tom House | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12.91 | 6 |
| Jim Burton | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 3 |
| Rick Kreuger | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | inf | 0 |
Awards and honors
- Jim Rice – AL Player of the Month (July)
- Carl Yastrzemski, Gold Glove Award (OF)
- Rick Burleson, starting SS
- Bill Campbell, reserve P
- Carlton Fisk, starting C
- Fred Lynn, reserve OF
- Jim Rice, reserve OF
- George Scott, reserve 1B
- Carl Yastrzemski, starting CF
Farm system
References
Further reading
- Fitzgerald, Ray (October 10, 2020). "1977 Red Sox season ended in frustration". The Boston Globe. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
Editor's note: The Globe is reaching into its archives to bring you "Replay," articles from the past that highlight something interesting, timely, or revealing. This column by Ray Fitzgerald on troubles facing the Red Sox as they concluded the 1977 season appeared on Sunday, Sept. 25, 1977, under the headline "5 frustrations hindered Sox."