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Boston Red Sox

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The Boston Red Sox are a Major League Baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts.

Founded: 1893, as the Toledo, Ohio franchise in the minor Western League. Moved to Boston when that league became the American League in 1900.
Formerly known as: Boston Americans (1901), Boston Somersets (1902), Boston Pilgrims (1903-1906).
Current ownership: John Henry and Tom Werner, who paid $660 million and assumed $40 million in debt, in February 2002. The purchase includes Fenway Park and 80 percent of New England Sports Network. The purchase price set a record for a major league baseball franchise.
Home ballpark: Fenway Park
Uniform colors: Navy blue, Red, and White
Logo design: Two hanging red socks
Wild Card titles won (2): 1998, 1999
Division championships won (5): 1975, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1995
League pennants won (9): 1903, 1904, 1912, 1915, 1916, 1918, 1946, 1967, 1975, 1986
World Series championships won (5): 1903, 1912, 1915, 1916, 1918

Franchise history

The Boston Red Sox won the first World Series in 1903. In the following decade, the club won four World Series in a six-year span despite changing ownership several times.

The 1912 and 1915 clubs featured an outfield considered to be among the finest in the game: Tris Speaker, Harry Hooper and Duffy Lewis.

The Red Sox were owned by Joseph Lannin from 1913 to 1916 and he signed Babe Ruth, commonly seen as the best player in baseball history. In 1919, the team's new owner, Harry Frazee, sold Ruth to the New York Yankees so that he could finance his broadway play "No Nanette," which ultimately went bankrupt. Since then the Red Sox have never won a World Series, and Red Sox fans often speak of "The Curse of the Bambino" -- a play on one of Ruth's nicknames.

Around 1930, a wealthy, shy young man named Tom Yawkey bought the Red Sox, and began pumping money into the team. The Red Sox went to the World Series in 1946, 1967 and1975 but lost each time. The Yawkeys would own the Red Sox for a long time, and put a lot of care into the team. After Tom Yawkey died, his widow Jean ran the team.

Ted Williams began the era of the Red Sox called the Ted Sox. Williams was one of the rare players who hit for power and high average; he is also the last player to hit over .400 for a full season. He did this in 1941.

The 1986 Red Sox, led by a fireballing righthander from Texas, Roger Clemens, came within one strike of winning the World Series then lost Game Six on a stunning series of events. This included first baseman Bill Buckner having the winning run score on a ball hit right to him, which he let go through his legs. Buckner endured years of taunts and harassment as a result of the error.

The Red Sox won the American League East in both 1988 and 1990, only to get swept 4-0 by the Oakland Athletics both times. In the strike-shortened 1995 season, they won the newly-realigned American League East, finishing 7 games ahead of the rival Yankees. Once again, they were swept, this time 3-0 by the Cleveland Indians, running their postseason losing streak to 13 games, dating back to the 1986 World Series.

In 1998 the Red Sox signed the Montreal Expos star pitcher Pedro Martinez to a long-term contract. Martinez would have several spectacular seasons for the Red Sox. In 1998 they lost the Divisional Series to the Cleveland Indians, this time 3-1, after winning game 1 11-3 behind Martinez.

In 1999 they got revenge on the Indians, pulling off a miracle comeback, being down 2 games to 0. They won game 3, 9-3, behind the pitching of Ramon Martinez, Pedro's brother, and Derek Lowe. Game 4 was an incredible blowout, 23-7 for the Red Sox. Game 5 was a tense affair, with the the Indians taking a 5-2 lead after two innings, but Pedro Martinez came on in the fourth inning and pitched six innings of shutout ball to back the Red Sox to a 12-8 win, behind two home runs from Troy O'Leary. The Red Sox then met the hated New York Yankees and lost 4 games to 1. The sole win was a cathartic 13-1 demolition of former Red Sox Roger Clemens in Fenway Park.

When Dan Duquette was General manager, a more acrimonious franchise would have been hard to find. The fans and local media often turned on the players; general managers humiliated the manager; managers and players sniped at each other.

That era ended in 2002, when president and Yawkey trustee John Harrington sold the Red Sox to John Henry and Larry Luchino.

Postseason Series of note

Players of note

Baseball Hall of Famers:

Current stars:

Not to be forgotten:

Retired numbers:

Boston Red Sox official web site

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