The Boston Red Sox baseball team has built a solid background in there more than 100 years of active play. One of the players to make the team history was Cy Young. Young was the only pitcher, in baseball’s first century, to win 500 games. Three of these included no-hit shutouts. He also pitched a perfect game on May 5, 1904. Then there was Smokey Joe Wood. He joined the team near the end of the 1908 season. His talented right arm almost made him the successor to Cy Young.
A few years later the famed Fenway Park opened. The team was moved from the Huntington Avenue Grounds to the new park. Fenway was built specifically for the Red Sox. Then, in 1914, one of the greatest of all baseball players joined the Sox. George Herman went on the field offering his legendary swing. Most people, of course, remember him at “Babe” Ruth. The following year the club defeated the Philadelphia Phillies and won the 1915 World Series. Babe Ruth was a great asset to the Sox; unfortunately, in 1920 he was sold to the New york Yankees.
In 1933 Tom Yawkey took over the Boston franchise – a team that seemed to be struggling to survive. He spent the next 40 years
building the club into a success story. He brought in one of the greatest Red Sox of all time, Bobby Doerr. He became one of the most consistent second basemen during this time. Two years later a man by the name of Ted Williams joined the team. He is considered by some to be one of the greatest hitters in the game of baseball. He was able to hit 521 home runs. The last one was hit on his last time at bat in 1960.
In 1947 one of the winningest left-hand pitchers in their history joined the team. His name was Mel Parnell. He stood second on the Red Sox all time wins list – second to Cy Young. June 18, 1953 the Red Sox scored 17 runs in one inning against the Detroit Tigers. In 1964 Tony Conigliaro, known as “Tony C” became a hometown hero along with a home-run swing. During his first season he batted .290 with 24 homers. In 1979 “The Yaz” hit number 3,000. In 1983 Carl “The Yaz” Yastrzemski played his last game. In 1986 the Red Sox met the New York Mets in the 1986 World Series.
Tom Brunansky, in 1990 made a diving catch in right field which clinched the AL East for the Sox. It game them their third division title in five years. The following year Roger Clemens won his third Cy Young Award. The Sox started a new era in 2002 when the ownership changed. The Red Sox had a 98-win regular season in 2004. In 2007 the Red Sox played a four game sweep against the Rockies earning them their seventh title as winners of the World Series. The team continues to remain competitive and determined; 2011 will most likely offer proof of this.