Today in OTM History
2021: Red Sox 2, Athletics 3: Still looking for offense; Buddy, don’t I know it. (Last night notwithstanding, of course.)
2020: Negotiations coming to a head; This was one of the most frustrating periods I’ve had in this job, and that’s saying something.
2017: Rafael Devers and Jay Groome all that remains on the top 100 list; One of those guys turned out to be pretty good. The other is still something of a mystery.
2016: Red Sox under investigation for international amateur malfeasance; They did end up getting a penalty for this.
Today in Red Sox History
2005: For a second straight day, the Red Sox won on a walk-off homer, and did so against the same pitcher. It was the sixth time in league history that happened.
2004: Manny Ramirez returned to the field after a one-day absence due to his becoming a US citizen, entering the field holding an American flag.
1950: After misplaying a ball in the outfield, Red Sox fans showed their displeasure with Ted Williams, who turned around and flashed an inappropriate gesture to the fans, which I can only assume means he flipped them off. In his next at bat, he also stepped out of the box and spit in crowd’s direction. Trying to imagine what would happen if that took place today.
1904: Cy Young’s ridiculous 23-inning hitless streak finally comes to an end.
Today in Red Sox Birthdays
Happy 58th birthday to Jeff Sellers, who had a short career for the Red Sox in the mid and late 80s as a back-end starter. He was eventually traded for Nick Esasky, who received MVP votes in 1988, his one season in Boston.
Many thanks to Baseball-Reference, NationalPastime.com and Today in Baseball History for assistance here, and thanks to Battery Power for the inspiration for these posts.