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.
John Andrew Smoltz, nicknamed "Smoltzie" and "Marmaduke", is an American former baseball pitcher who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1988 to 2009, all but the last year with the Atlanta Braves. An eight-time All-Star, Smoltz was part of a celebrated trio of starting pitchers, along with Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, who propelled Atlanta to perennial pennant contention in the 1990s, highlighted by a championship in the 1995 World Series. He won the National League (NL) Cy Young Award in 1996 after posting a record of 24–8, equaling the most victories by an NL pitcher since 1972.
Lee Arthur Smith is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 18 years in Major League Baseball (MLB) for eight teams. Serving mostly as a relief pitcher during his career, he was a dominant closer, was the first pitcher to reach 400 saves, and held the major league record for career saves from 1993 until 2006, when Trevor Hoffman passed his total of 478. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2019 by the Today's Game Era Committee.
Gerald Peter Remy was an American professional baseball player and sports broadcaster. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a second baseman for ten seasons—three with the California Angels (1975–1977) and seven with the Boston Red Sox (1978–1984). After retiring from professional play, Remy was a color commentator for televised Red Sox games for 33 years until his death.
Robert William Stanley is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher who spent his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Boston Red Sox. He was later the pitching coach for the Buffalo Bisons, Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, through the 2018 season.
Don Orsillo is an American sportscaster who is the play-by-play announcer for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He is also an announcer for MLB on TBS and MLB on Fox. Orsillo was the play-by-play announcer for the Boston Red Sox on NESN from 2001 to 2015; he was hired by the Padres to replace Dick Enberg upon his retirement at the end of the 2016 season.
William Charles Monbouquette was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a right-handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox (1958–65), Detroit Tigers (1966–67), New York Yankees (1967–68), and the San Francisco Giants (1968). A four-time All-Star player, Monbouquette was notable for pitching a no-hitter in 1962 as a member of the Red Sox. He was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2000.
James Bernard Corsi was an American baseball pitcher who played ten seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Oakland Athletics, Houston Astros, Florida Marlins, Boston Red Sox, and Baltimore Orioles from 1988 to 1999.
Dennis Patrick Lamp is an American former professional baseball pitcher in Major League Baseball. From 1977 through 1992, the breaking ball specialist played for the Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland Athletics, Boston Red Sox, and Pittsburgh Pirates.
Michael De Wayne Paxton is a former Major League Baseball starting pitcher. He batted and threw right-handed.
David Taylor Price is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Price was selected first overall in the 2007 Major League Baseball draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in September 2008. He also played for the Detroit Tigers, Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, and Los Angeles Dodgers.
The 1988 Major League Baseball season ended with the underdog Los Angeles Dodgers shocking the Oakland Athletics, who had won 104 games during the regular season, in the World Series. The most memorable moment of the series came in Game 1, when injured Dodger Kirk Gibson hit a dramatic pinch-hit walk-off home run off Athletics closer Dennis Eckersley to win the game for Los Angeles. The Dodgers went on to win the Series in five games.
In baseball, a closing pitcher, more frequently referred to as a closer, is a relief pitcher who specializes in getting the final outs in a close game when his team is leading. The role is often assigned to a team's best reliever. Before the 1990s, pitchers in similar roles were referred to as a fireman, short reliever, and stopper. A small number of closers have won the Cy Young Award. Eight closers have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame: Dennis Eckersley, Rollie Fingers, Goose Gossage, Trevor Hoffman, Mariano Rivera, Lee Smith, Bruce Sutter and Hoyt Wilhelm.
Justin Daniel Masterson is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher. Drafted by the Red Sox in the second round of the 2006 MLB draft from San Diego State University, he made his MLB debut two years later. Masterson also played in MLB for the Cleveland Indians and St. Louis Cardinals. Known for primarily throwing a sinking fastball, the right-hander stands 6' 6" (198 cm) tall, and weighs 250 lb (113 kg).
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.
Brandon Carlin Workman is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 2013 and played in MLB for the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, and Chicago Cubs. He throws and bats right-handed, and is listed at 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) and 235 pounds (107 kg).
Ryan David Brasier is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Angels and Boston Red Sox and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. Listed at 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m) and 225 pounds (102 kg), he both throws and bats right-handed. Brasier won the World Series with the Red Sox in 2018 and with the Dodgers in 2024.
Tanner Lee Houck is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was drafted by the Red Sox with the 24th overall pick in the 2017 MLB draft. Listed at 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) and 230 pounds (100 kg), he throws and bats right-handed.
The 2022 Boston Red Sox season was the 122nd season in Boston Red Sox franchise history, and their 111th season at Fenway Park. The team was led by Alex Cora, in the second season of his second stint as the team's manager. The team finished with a record of 78–84, in fifth and last place of the American League East division. Total attendance was 2,625,089, an average of 32,409 per game.
