The Boston Red Sox, a professional baseball franchise in Major League Baseball (MLB), has given the title of captain to select players since the team's inaugural season as a member of the American League in 1901 (the team was known as the Boston Americans through the 1907 season). For various seasons during the team's history, the position has been vacant; while in early baseball a captain was responsible for many of the functions now assumed by managers and coaches, [1] the title is purely honorary in modern professional baseball. Since the end of World War II, only three players have served as captain of the Red Sox. The most recent was catcher Jason Varitek, who was captain during the 2005–2011 seasons, and wore a distinctive "C" on the left side of his jersey, similar to captains in the National Hockey League. [2]
The history of Red Sox captains was researched by baseball historian Howard W. Rosenberg in 2004. The Red Sox front office contacted Rosenberg in advance of Jason Varitek being named captain, after learning that Rosenberg, author of a 2003 book featuring captains in 19th-century baseball, had disputed the official count of captains in New York Yankees franchise history. [3] [4]
‡ | Elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame |
Player | Position | Years active | Years as captain | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Boston Americans (through 1907) | ||||
Jimmy Collins ‡ | 3B | 1895–1908 | 1901–1905 | |
Chick Stahl | OF | 1897–1906 | 1906 | |
Bob Unglaub | 1B | 1904–1910 | 1907 | |
Boston Red Sox (1908 to present) | ||||
Deacon McGuire | C | 1884–1912 | 1908 | |
Doc Gessler | RF | 1903–1911 | 1909 | |
Harry Lord | 3B | 1903–1911 | 1910 | |
Heinie Wagner | SS | 1902–1918 | 1911 | |
Jake Stahl | 1B | 1903–1912 | 1912 | |
Heinie Wagner | SS | 1902–1918 | 1913–1914 | |
Jack Barry | 2B | 1908–1919 | 1915–1917 | |
Dick Hoblitzell | 1B | 1908–1918 | 1918 | |
Harry Hooper ‡ | OF | 1908–1925 | 1919–1920 | |
Everett Scott | SS | 1914–1926 | 1921 | |
Del Pratt | 2B | 1914–1926 | 1922 | |
George Burns | 1B | 1914–1929 | 1923 | |
Mike Menosky | LF | 1914–1923 | 1923 [a] | |
No captain 1924–1939 [7] | ||||
Jimmie Foxx ‡ | 1B | 1925–1945 | 1940–1942 | |
No captain 1943–1965 [7] | ||||
Carl Yastrzemski ‡ | OF | 1961–1983 | 1966 | |
No captain 1967–1968 [7] | ||||
Carl Yastrzemski ‡ | OF | 1961–1983 | 1969–1983 | |
No captain 1984 [7] | ||||
Jim Rice ‡ | OF | 1974–1989 | 1985–1989 | |
No captain 1990–2004 | ||||
Jason Varitek | C | 1997–2011 | 2005–2011 | |
No captain 2012–present |
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. Founded in 1901 as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the team's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since 1912. The "Red Sox" name was chosen by the team owner, John I. Taylor, c. 1908, following the lead of previous teams that had been known as the "Boston Red Stockings", including the Boston Braves. The team has won nine World Series championships, tied for the third-most of any MLB team, and has played in 13 World Series. Their most recent World Series appearance and win was in 2018. In addition, they won the 1904 American League pennant, but were not able to defend their 1903 World Series championship when the New York Giants refused to participate in the 1904 World Series.
Timothy Stephen Wakefield was an American professional baseball knuckleball pitcher. Wakefield began his Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but is most remembered for his 17-year tenure with the Boston Red Sox, from 1995 until his retirement in 2012 as the longest-serving player on the team, earning a total of $55 million. When he retired at age 45 after 19 seasons in MLB, Wakefield was the oldest active player in the major leagues.
The 2003 American League Championship Series (ALCS) was played between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees from October 8 to 16, 2003. The Yankees won the series four games to three to advance to the World Series, where they lost in six games to the National League champion Florida Marlins.
Jason Andrew Varitek, nicknamed "Tek", is an American professional baseball coach and former catcher. He is the game planning coordinator, a uniformed coaching position, for the Boston Red Sox. After being traded as a minor league prospect by the Seattle Mariners, Varitek played his entire 15-year career in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Red Sox. A three-time All-Star and Gold Glove Award winner at catcher, as well as a Silver Slugger Award winner, Varitek was part of both the 2004 World Series and 2007 World Series Championship teams, and was viewed widely as one of the team's leaders. In December 2004 he was named the captain of the Red Sox, only their fourth captain since 1923. He was a switch-hitter.
The 2004 American League Championship Series was the Major League Baseball playoff series deciding the 2004 season American League champion earning the privilege to play in the 2004 World Series. A rematch of the 2003 American League Championship Series, it was played between the Boston Red Sox, who had won the AL wild card and defeated the Anaheim Angels in the American League Division Series, and the New York Yankees, who had won the AL East with the best record in the AL and defeated the Minnesota Twins. The Red Sox became the first team in MLB history to come back from a 3–0 series deficit to win a best-of-seven series. Prior to the 2004 ALCS, no MLB team had so much as forced a Game 7 under those circumstances – and only one team since 2004 has been able to do so.
The 2004 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2004 season. The 100th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion Boston Red Sox and the National League (NL) champion St. Louis Cardinals; the Red Sox beat the Cardinals in four games. The series was played from October 23 to 27, 2004, at Fenway Park and Busch Memorial Stadium, broadcast on Fox, and watched by an average of just under 25.5 million viewers. The Red Sox's World Series championship was their first since 1918, ending the Curse of the Bambino.
The Yankees–Red Sox rivalry is a Major League Baseball (MLB) rivalry between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. Both teams have competed in MLB's American League (AL) for over 120 seasons and have since developed what is arguably the fiercest rivalry in all of American sports. In 1919, Red Sox owner Harry Frazee sold star player Babe Ruth to the Yankees, which was followed by an 86-year period in which the Red Sox did not win a World Series. This led to the popularization of a superstition known as the "Curse of the Bambino," which was one of the most well-known aspects of the rivalry.
The 2005 Boston Red Sox season was the 105th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished second in the American League East with a record of 95–67, the same record as the New York Yankees. The Yankees were deemed the division winner, due to their 10–9 head-to-head record against the Red Sox during the regular season. The Red Sox qualified for the postseason as the AL wild card, but were swept by the American League Central champion Chicago White Sox in the ALDS.
The history of the Boston Red Sox begins in 1901, as one of the original franchises of the American League.
Jacoby McCabe Ellsbury is an American former professional baseball center fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox from 2007 through 2013 and then played for the New York Yankees from 2014 to 2017. An enrolled member of the Colorado River Indian Tribes, Ellsbury is the first Native American of Navajo descent to play Major League Baseball.
The 2004 Boston Red Sox season was the 104th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. Managed by Terry Francona, the Red Sox finished with a 98–64 record, three games behind the New York Yankees in the American League East. The Red Sox qualified for the postseason as the AL wild card, swept the Anaheim Angels in the ALDS, and faced the Yankees in the ALCS for the second straight year. After losing the first three games to the Yankees and trailing in the ninth inning of the fourth game, the Red Sox became the first team in major league history to come back from a three-game postseason deficit, defeating the Yankees in seven games. The Red Sox then swept the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series, capturing their first championship since 1918.
The 2003 Boston Red Sox season was the 103rd 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, six games behind the New York Yankees, who went on to win the AL championship. The Red Sox qualified for the postseason as the AL wild card, and defeated the American League West champion Oakland Athletics in the ALDS. The Red Sox then lost to the Yankees in the ALCS.
The 1912 Boston Red Sox season was the 12th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. This was the first year that the team played its home games at Fenway Park. The Red Sox finished first in the American League (AL) with a record of 105 wins and 47 losses. The team set the franchise record for highest winning percentage (.691) in a season, which still stands; tied the franchise record for fewest losses in a season, originally set by the 1903 team; and set a franchise record for most wins, which was not surpassed until the 2018 club.
In baseball, a captain is an honorary title sometimes given to a member of the team to acknowledge his leadership. In the early days of baseball, a captain was a player who was responsible for many of the functions now assumed by managers and coaches, such as preparing lineups, making decisions about strategy, and encouraging teamwork. In amateur or youth baseball, a manager or coach may appoint a team captain to assist in communicating with the players and to encourage teamwork and improvement.
The 2008 American League Championship Series (ALCS), the second round of the 2008 American League playoffs, was a best-of-seven series matching the two winners of the American League Division Series. The AL East Division champion Tampa Bay Rays, who had defeated the Chicago White Sox in the ALDS, were paired with the wild-card and defending world champion Boston Red Sox, who had defeated the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, in the ALDS. Tampa Bay held the home field advantage.
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.
The 2011 Boston Red Sox season was the 111th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. Before the season, the Red Sox were favored to win the American League East and reach the World Series, with some comparing the team to the 1927 New York Yankees. With a record of 90 wins and 72 losses, the Red Sox finished third in their division, seven games behind the Yankees.
The 1961 Major League Baseball expansion resulted in the formation of two new Major League Baseball (MLB) franchises in the American League (AL). A new club was started in Washington, D.C., and took the existing name of the Senators, as the previous team of the same name moved to Minnesota for the start of the 1961 season and became the Twins. The second new franchise was granted to an ownership group led by Gene Autry for a team in Los Angeles who named themselves the Angels. The two new teams each paid a fee of $2.1 million and became the 17th and 18th franchises in MLB.