2009 Boston Red Sox season

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2009 Boston Red Sox
American League Wild Card
Bosb.png
Major League affiliations
Location
Results
Record95–67 (.586)
Divisional place2nd (8 GB)
Other information
Owner(s)John W. Henry (New England Sports Ventures)
General manager(s)Theo Epstein
Manager(s)Terry Francona[1]
Local televisionNew England Sports Network
(Don Orsillo, Jerry Remy, Dennis Eckersley, Dave Roberts, Buck Martinez, Tony Massarotti, Rance Mulliniks, Rex Hudler, Ron Coomer, Ken Rosenthal, Kevin Kennedy, Dwight Evans, Sean Casey, Jim Kaat, Gordon Edes, Bob Montgomery, Frank Viola, Sean McAdam, Brian Daubach, Rick Dempsey )
Local radioWRKO/WEEI (English) (Joe Castiglione, Dave O'Brien, Jon Rish, Dale Arnold)
StatsESPN.com
BB-reference
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The 2009 Boston Red Sox season was the 109th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished second in the American League East with a record of 95 wins and 67 losses, eight games behind the New York Yankees, who went on to win the 2009 World Series. The Red Sox qualified for the postseason as the AL wild card, but were swept by the American League West champion Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the ALDS.

Roster[]

2009 Boston Red Sox
Roster
Pitchers Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Other batters

  • 34 David Ortiz
Manager
  • 47 Terry Francona

Coaches

  • 10 Tim Bogar (first base)
  • 52 John Farrell (pitching)
  • 35 DeMarlo Hale (third base)
  • 29 Dave Magadan (hitting)
  •  2 Brad Mills (bench)
  • 57 Gary Tuck (bullpen)

Regular season[]

RedSox 14.png
Jim Rice's number 14 was retired by the Boston Red Sox in 2009.

The Red Sox opened the season with a postponement due to rain. However, on April 7, the season began at Fenway with the first pitch being thrown by Edward Kennedy, who later died in August.[2] The Red Sox got off to a slow start, going 2–6 in the first eight games. However, the Sox won 11 straight games beginning on April 15. The win streak was Boston's longest since 2006 when they had a 12-game win streak.[3] A highlight of the streak was Jacoby Ellsbury's steal of home on April 26 to cap off a three-game sweep of the New York Yankees.[4] They finished April with a record of 14–8 and tied with the Toronto Blue Jays for the division lead. Also, Jerry Remy, NESN color commentator, had surgery to remove a small area of cancer on his lung. While recovering he also got pneumonia. He also was suffering from fatigue and depression. These are the people who filled in for him: Dennis Eckersley, Dave Roberts, Buck Martinez, Tony Massarotti, Rance Mulliniks, Rex Hudler, Ron Coomer, Ken Rosenthal, Kevin Kennedy, Dwight Evans, Sean Casey, Jim Kaat, Gordon Edes, Bob Montgomery, Frank Viola, Sean McAdam, Brian Daubach, and Rick Dempsey.

The team flattened out in May, going 15–14 in the month and falling to third in the division behind the Yankees and the Blue Jays. Through the first two months of the season, slugger David Ortiz struggled, batting .185 with one home run. Additionally, pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka was placed on the disabled list after just two starts with an injury that manager Terry Francona attributed to his participation in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.[citation needed] Off the field, announcer Jerry Remy, of NESN television, was replaced by Dennis Eckersley beginning on May 6 as Remy began undergoing cancer treatment.[citation needed] Despite these struggles, the Red Sox set an American League record, tying the Major League record, on May 7 by scoring 12 runs without recording an out during the 6th inning of a game against the Cleveland Indians.[5]

The Red Sox took the division lead, and improved to the second-best record in MLB, during June. Through the first half of the month, the Sox played four division leaders, the Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, and Philadelphia Phillies, winning three of the four series and sweeping both the Tigers and Yankees. By sweeping the Yankees, the Sox improved to 8–0 against the team, the best record against them since sweeping the 14-game season series against them in 1912.[6] At the All-Star break, the Red Sox had the second best record in Major League Baseball and held a three-game lead in the division.

The Red Sox faltered after the All-Star break, losing five of six on the road to the Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers and batting .192 and scoring 13 runs. In response to the poor offensive performance and to make room for Jed Lowrie's return from injury, Julio Lugo was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for cash and two minor-league players were traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Adam LaRoche on July 22, and on July 25 Mark Kotsay was designated for assignment.[7] The Red Sox made a move at the trade deadline, July 31, to acquire catcher Victor Martinez from the Cleveland Indians for pitchers Justin Masterson, Nick Hagadone, and Bryan Price.[8] They also traded Adam LaRoche to the Atlanta Braves for Casey Kotchman.[8] After winning the first eight games of the season against their rival Yankees in the first half of the season, the Red Sox lost nine of the next ten to finish the season 9–9 against them.

One of the stranger victories for the Sox came on August 14 against the Texas Rangers.[9] Going into the top of the 9th inning, the home Rangers were leading 4–2. Jacoby Ellsbury drove in David Ortiz to pull within one run and Jason Varitek was left on second base with no outs. Pitcher, Clay Buchholz came in to pinch run for Varitek with no outs. Dustin Pedroia doubled, but the inexperienced, and potentially tying run, Buchholz, was thrown out at the plate as he hesitated between second and third before attempting to score. All was shortly forgotten when the team scored five more runs to win 8–4. On August 21, Jacoby Ellsbury tied the record for the Red Sox single season record for stolen bases (54), in a game against the New York Yankees, a record previously held by Tommy Harper. Ellsbury then broke the record with his 55th steal on August 25, against the Chicago White Sox.

Opening Day lineup[]

Gold Glove first baseman Kevin Youkilis
46 Jacoby Ellsbury CF
15 Dustin Pedroia 2B
34 David Ortiz DH
20 Kevin Youkilis 1B
7 J. D. Drew RF
44 Jason Bay LF
25 Mike Lowell 3B
12 Jed Lowrie SS
33 Jason Varitek C
19 Josh Beckett P

Season standings[]

AL East W L Pct. GB Home Road
New York Yankees 103 59 0.636 57–24 46–35
Boston Red Sox 95 67 0.586 8 56–25 39–42
Tampa Bay Rays 84 78 0.519 19 52–29 32–49
Toronto Blue Jays 75 87 0.463 28 44–37 31–50
Baltimore Orioles 64 98 0.395 39 39–42 25–56
AL Wild Card
W L Pct. GB Strk. E#
Boston Red Sox 95 67 .586 W4
Texas Rangers 87 75 .537 8 L2 E

Record vs. opponents[]

Team BAL BOS CWS CLE DET KC LAA MIN NYY OAK SEA TB TEX TOR NL
Baltimore 2–16 5–4 2–5 3–5 4–4 2–8 3–2 5–13 1–5 4–5 8–10 5–5 9–9 11–7
Boston 16–2 4–4 7–2 6–1 5–3 4–5 4–2 9–9 5–5 2–4 9–9 2–7 11–7 11–7
Chicago 4–5 4−4 10–8 9–9 9–9 5–4 6−12 3–4 4–5 4–5 6–2 2–4 1–6 12–6
Cleveland 5–2 2–7 8–10 4–14 10–8 2–4 8–10 3–5 2–5 6–4 5–3 1–8 4–4 5–13
Detroit 5–3 1–6 9–9 14–4 9–9 5–4 7–12 1–5 5–4 5–4 5–2 7–2 3–5 10–8
Kansas City 4–4 3–5 9–9 8–10 9–9 1–9 6–12 2–4 2–6 5–4 1–9 3–3 4–3 8–10
Los Angeles 8–2 5–4 4–5 4–2 4–5 9–1 6–4 5–5 12–7 10–9 4–2 8–11 4–4 14–4
Minnesota 2–3 2–4 12–6 10–8 12–7 12–6 4–6 0–7 4–6 5–5 3–3 6–4 3–5 12–6
New York 13–5 9–9 4–3 5–3 5–1 4–2 5–5 7–0 7–2 6–4 11–7 5–4 12–6 10–8
Oakland 5–1 5–5 5–4 5–2 4–5 6–2 7–12 6–4 2–7 5–14 6–4 11–8 3–6 5–13
Seattle 5–4 4–2 5–4 4–6 4–5 4–5 9–10 5–5 4–6 14–5 5–3 8–11 3–4 11–7
Tampa Bay 10–8 9–9 2–6 3–5 2–5 9–1 2–4 3–3 7–11 4–6 3–5 3–6 14–4 13–5
Texas 5–5 7–2 4–2 8–1 2–7 3–3 11–8 4–6 4–5 8–11 11–8 6–3 5–5 9–9
Toronto 9–9 7–11 6–1 4–4 5–3 3–4 4–4 5–3 6–12 6–3 4–3 4–14 5–5 7–11
Red Sox vs. National League East
Team ATL FLA NYM PHI WSH
Boston 4–2 2–1 1–2 2–1 2–1

Notable transactions[]

  • November 19, 2008: Ramón Ramírez was acquired by the Red Sox from the Royals in exchange for Coco Crisp.[10]
  • December 28, 2008: Brad Penny signed as a free agent with the Red Sox.[11]
  • January 5, 2009: Nick Green signed as a free agent with the Red Sox.[12]
  • January 8, 2009: Rocco Baldelli signed as a free agent with the Red Sox.[13]
  • January 9, 2009: Mark Kotsay signed as a free agent with the Red Sox.[14]
  • January 10, 2009: Takashi Saito signed as a free agent with the Red Sox.[15]
  • January 12, 2009: John Smoltz signed as a free agent with the Red Sox.[16]
  • July 8, 2009: Jonathan Van Every was released by the Red Sox.[17]
  • July 22, 2009: Adam LaRoche was acquired by the Red Sox from the Pirates in exchange for Argenis Díaz and Hunter Strickland.[18] In a separate trade, Chris Duncan was acquired by the Red Sox from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for Julio Lugo.[19]
  • July 28, 2009: Brian Anderson was acquired by the Red Sox from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for Mark Kotsay.[20]
  • July 31, 2009: Casey Kotchman was acquired by the Red Sox from the Braves in exchange for Adam LaRoche.[21] In a separate trade, Víctor Martínez was acquired by the Red Sox from the Indians in exchange for Nick Hagadone, Justin Masterson, and Bryan Price.[22]
  • August 5, 2009: Paul Byrd signed as a free agent with the Red Sox.[23]
  • August 7, 2009: Chris Woodward was selected off waivers by the Red Sox from the Mariners.[24]
  • August 14, 2009: Álex González was acquired by the Red Sox from the Reds in exchange for Kristopher Negrón.[25]
  • August 17, 2009: John Smoltz was released by the Red Sox.[26]
  • August 21, 2009: Chris Duncan was released by the Red Sox.[27]
  • August 25, 2009: Billy Wagner was acquired by the Red Sox from the Mets in exchange players to be named later.[28]
  • August 27, 2009: Brad Penny was released by the Red Sox.[29]
  • August 29, 2009: Joey Gathright was purchased by the Red Sox from the Orioles.[30]

Detailed record[]

Game log[]

Legend
Red Sox win Red Sox loss Game postponed
2009 game log
April (14–8)
May (15–14)
June (18–8)
July (13–12)
August (16–12)
September (15–13)
October (4–0)
2009 postseason game log
ALDS vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (0–3)

Player stats[]

Batting[]

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; AVG = Batting average; SB = Stolen bases

Player G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI AVG SB
Brian Anderson 86 202 32 49 9 0 4 18 .243 3
Jeff Bailey 26 77 14 16 3 2 3 9 .208 0
Rocco Baldelli 62 150 23 38 4 1 7 23 .253 1
Daniel Bard 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0
Aaron Bates 5 11 2 4 2 0 0 2 .364 0
Jason Bay 151 531 103 142 29 3 36 119 .267 13
Josh Beckett 2 5 1 1 0 0 1 1 .200 0
Dusty Brown 6 3 1 1 0 0 1 1 .333 0
Clay Buchholz 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0
Chris Carter 4 5 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 0
Manny Delcarmen 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0
J. D. Drew 137 452 84 126 30 4 24 68 .279 2
Jacoby Ellsbury 153 624 94 188 27 10 8 60 .301 70
Álex González 44 148 26 42 10 0 5 15 .284 1
Nick Green 103 276 35 65 18 0 6 35 .236 1
Casey Kotchman 39 87 9 19 3 0 1 7 .218 1
George Kottaras 45 93 15 22 11 0 1 10 .237 0
Adam LaRoche 6 19 2 5 2 0 1 3 .263 0
Jon Lester 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0
Javier López 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0
Mike Lowell 119 445 54 129 29 1 17 75 .290 2
Jed Lowrie 32 68 5 10 2 0 2 11 .147 0
Julio Lugo 37 109 16 31 4 1 1 8 .284 3
Víctor Martínez 56 211 32 71 12 0 8 41 .336 1
Justin Masterson 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0
Daisuke Matsuzaka 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0
Hideki Okajima 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0
David Ortiz 150 541 77 129 35 1 28 99 .238 0
Jonathan Papelbon 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0
Dustin Pedroia 154 626 115 185 48 1 15 72 .298 20
Brad Penny 2 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0
Ramón Ramírez 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0
Josh Reddick 27 59 5 10 4 0 2 4 .169 0
Takashi Saito 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0
John Smoltz 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0
Jonathan Van Every 7 11 1 4 0 0 1 3 .364 0
Jason Varitek 109 364 41 76 24 0 14 51 .209 0
Gil Velazquez 6 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0
Tim Wakefield 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 .500 0
Kevin Youkilis 136 491 99 150 36 1 27 94 .305 7
Totals 129 4984 768 1328 309 22 184 728 .266 102

Pitching[]

Note: W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; HR = Home Run Allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts

Player W L ERA G GS SV IP R ER HR BB K
Daniel Bard 2 2 3.65 49 0 1 49.1 24 20 5 22 63
Josh Beckett 17 6 3.86 32 32 0 212.1 99 91 25 55 199
Michael Bowden 1 1 9.56 8 1 0 16.0 17 17 3 6 12
Clay Buchholz 7 4 4.21 16 16 0 92.0 44 43 13 36 68
Fernando Cabrera 0 0 8.44 6 0 0 5.1 5 5 0 4 8
Manny Delcarmen 5 2 4.53 64 0 0 59.2 34 30 5 34 44
Enrique González 0 0 4.91 2 0 0 3.2 2 2 1 2 1
Nick Green 0 0 0.00 1 0 0 2.0 0 0 0 3 0
Hunter Jones 0 0 9.24 11 0 0 12.2 13 13 3 7 9
Jon Lester 15 8 3.41 32 32 0 203.1 80 77 20 64 225
Javier López 0 2 9.26 14 0 0 11.2 13 12 1 9 5
Justin Masterson 3 3 4.50 31 6 0 72.0 38 36 7 25 67
Daisuke Matsuzaka 4 6 5.76 12 12 0 59.1 38 38 10 30 54
Hideki Okajima 6 0 3.39 68 0 0 61.1 23 23 8 21 53
Jonathan Papelbon 1 1 1.85 66 0 38 68.0 15 14 5 24 76
Brad Penny 7 8 5.61 24 24 0 131.2 89 82 17 42 89
Ramón Ramírez 7 4 2.84 70 0 0 69.2 26 22 7 32 52
Takashi Saito 3 3 2.43 56 0 2 55.2 16 15 6 25 52
John Smoltz 2 5 8.33 8 8 0 40.0 37 37 8 9 33
Junichi Tazawa 2 3 7.46 6 4 0 25.1 23 21 4 9 13
Billy Traber 0 0 12.27 1 0 0 3.2 5 5 2 1 1
Jonathan Van Every 0 0 0.00 1 0 0 0.2 0 0 0 1 0
Tim Wakefield 11 5 4.58 21 21 0 129.2 67 66 12 50 72
Totals 75 54 5.16 129 129 35 1154.1 585 553 129 422 995

Awards and honors[]

Awards
All-Star Game[31]
Starters
  • Dustin Pedroia 2B (did not attend)
  • Jason Bay OF
Reserves
  • Josh Beckett SP
  • Jonathan Papelbon RP
  • Tim Wakefield SP
  • Kevin Youkilis 1B

Other

Recognition
  • On December 22, 2009, Sports Illustrated named general manager Theo Epstein as No. 3 on its list of the Top 10 GMs/Executives of the Decade. The list's only other MLB general managers were Seattle and Philadelphia's Pat Gillick (at No. 7) and Oakland's Billy Beane (at No. 10).[32]

Farm system[]

The Class A-Advanced affiliate changed from the Lancaster JetHawks to the Salem Red Sox.

Level Team League Manager
AAA Pawtucket Red Sox International League Ron Johnson
AA Portland Sea Dogs Eastern League Arnie Beyeler
A-Advanced Salem Red Sox Carolina League Chad Epperson
A Greenville Drive South Atlantic League Kevin Boles
A-Short Season Lowell Spinners New York–Penn League Gary DiSarcina
Rookie GCL Red Sox Gulf Coast League Dave Tomlin
Rookie DSL Red Sox Dominican Summer League

Source:[33][34]

References[]

  1. ^ "Boston Red Sox Managers (1908–2009) by Baseball Almanac". Archived from the original on August 17, 2009. Retrieved August 13, 2009.
  2. ^ Tampa Bay Rays vs. Boston Red Sox – Recap – April 07, 2009 – ESPN
  3. ^ Bay's 3-run HR helps Red Sox beat Indians, win 11th straight
  4. ^ Red Sox run off with three-game sweep of Yankees to win 10th straight
  5. ^ Bay's three-run homer part of offensive outburst by BoSox
  6. ^ Drew keys Red Sox's decisive rally in eighth
  7. ^ Boston Red Sox Transactions
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b Red Sox deal three for Victor Martinez
  9. ^ Boston Red Sox vs. Texas Rangers – Play By Play – August 14, 2009 – ESPN
  10. ^ Ramon Ramirez Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
  11. ^ Brad Penny Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
  12. ^ Nick Green Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
  13. ^ Rocco Baldelli Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
  14. ^ Mark Kotsay Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
  15. ^ Takashi Saito Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
  16. ^ John Smoltz Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
  17. ^ Jonathan Van Every Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
  18. ^ Adam LaRoche Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
  19. ^ Chris Duncan Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
  20. ^ Brian Anderson Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
  21. ^ Casey Kotchman Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
  22. ^ Victor Martinez Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
  23. ^ Paul Byrd Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
  24. ^ Chris Woodward Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
  25. ^ Álex González Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
  26. ^ John Smoltz Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
  27. ^ Chris Duncan Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
  28. ^ Billy Wagner Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
  29. ^ Brad Penny Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
  30. ^ Joey Gathright Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
  31. ^ 2009 All-Star Game | MLB.com: Events
  32. ^ Friedman, Dick (December 22, 2009). "2000s: Top 10 GMs/Executives". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
  33. ^ Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 3rd edition. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 2007
  34. ^ Boston Red Sox Media Guide. 2009. pp. 529–549. Retrieved March 14, 2021 – via Wayback Machine.

External links[]

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