Petrocelli was a September call-up with Boston in 1963,playing a single MLB game,on September 21 against the Minnesota Twins. He was the starting shortstop and was 1-for-4 at the plate,with his first major league hit being a double off of Lee Stange.[6] In 1964,Petrocelli played 134 games for the Triple-ASeattle Rainiers,batting .231 with 10 home runs and 48 RBIs.
Petrocelli spent all of the 1965 season with Boston,playing in 103 games and making 93 starts at shortstop. Early in his rookie campaign,he experimented with switch hitting,but after batting only .174 with no home runs through 20 games,he returned to his exclusively right-handed stroke on June 6. For the season,he batted .232 with 13 home runs and 33 RBIs. In 1966,Petrocelli batted .238 with 18 home runs and 59 RBIs in 139 games played.
In 1967,Boston's "Impossible Dream" year,Petrocelli was selected to the All-Star game;he was the starting shortstop for the American League team,and went hitless in his one at bat.[7] Petrocelli played in 142 regular season games,with 17 home runs,66 RBIs,and a .259 average. In the 1967 World Series,he started all seven games,batting 4-for-20 (.200) with two home runs and three RBIs. Both of his home runs came in Game 6,off of Dick Hughes of the St. Louis Cardinals.[8] Boston ultimately lost the series,four games to three.
In 1968,Petrocelli played 123 games while batting .234 with 12 home runs and 46 RBIs. In 1969,he set a record (since broken) for home runs by a shortstop with 40;he had 97 RBIs and a career-high .297 average while playing 154 games. He also played in his second All-Star game,starting at shortstop for the American League squad and going 1-for-3 at the plate,with a double off of Jerry Koosman.[9] Petrocelli led American League shortstops in fielding percentage in both 1968 and 1969,at .978 and .981,respectively.[10]
Petrocelli hit 29 home runs and had a career-high 103 RBIs in 1970,while batting .261 in 157 games. In 1971,the Red Sox acquired shortstop Luis Aparicio and Petrocelli moved to third base.[11] He led American League third basemen in fielding percentage (.976),making only 11 errors in 463 total chances. He batted .251 in a career-high 158 games,with 28 home runs and 89 RBIs.
Petrocelli in 1976
In 1972,Petrocelli batted .240 with 15 home runs and 75 RBIs,while playing in 147 games. In 1973,Petrocelli did not play after August 11 due to a calcium deposit in his right elbow,which required surgery.[12] For the season,he appeared in 100 games,batting .244 with 13 home runs and 45 RBIs. He returned in 1974 to play 129 games with 15 home runs,76 RBIs,and a .267 average. He did not play after September 15,when he was hit in the head by a pitch from Jim Slaton of the Milwaukee Brewers.[13]
During the 1975 regular season,Petrocelli batted .239 in 115 games,with seven home runs and 59 RBIs. He missed the second half of August due to an inner ear problem,likely related to his 1974 beaning.[14] Boston won the American League East,and faced the Oakland Athletics in the American League Championship Series. Petrocelli started all three games at third base,as the Red Sox swept the A's,while batting 2-for-12 (.167) with a home run and two RBIs. In the 1975 World Series,which Boston lost to the Cincinnati Reds,Petrocelli hit .308 (8-for-26) with four RBIs,starting all seven games at third base. He did not commit an error during the 1975 postseason.
In 1976,Petrocelli was placed on the disabled list on August 20,due to further inner ear problems;[15] he played in only three more games that year. For the season,he batted a career-low .213 with three home runs and 24 RBIs in 85 games played. Supplanted by Butch Hobson as the team's regular third baseman,Petrocelli was released by the Red Sox during spring training on March 26,1977.[16]
During his career with the Red Sox,Petrocelli hit 210 home runs with 773 RBIs and 653 runs scored in 1553 games played,with a .251 average. As of 2018,Petrocelli holds MLB's eighth-best all-time fielding percentage for third basemen (.970).[17] He was inducted to the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 1997.[2]
Petrocelli, Rico; Scroggins, Chaz (2007). Rico Petrocelli's Tales from the Impossible Dream Red Sox. Sports Publishing LLC. ISBN978-1596701915.
Petrocelli, Rico; Scroggins, Chaz (2017). Tales from the 1967 Red Sox: A Collection of the Greatest Stories Ever Told. Sports Publishing LLC. ISBN978-1683580508.
Fredric Michael Lynn is an American former professional baseball center fielder who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), mostly with the Boston Red Sox and the California Angels. He was the first player to win MLB's Rookie of the Year Award and Most Valuable Player Award in the same year, which he accomplished in 1975 with the Red Sox.
The 1975 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1975 season. The 72nd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion Boston Red Sox and the National League (NL) champion Cincinnati Reds. The Reds won the series, four games to three. In 2003, ESPN ranked it the second-greatest World Series ever played, trailing only the 1991 series, while in 2020, Sam Miller of ESPN named it the best World Series ever.
The 1967 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1967 season. The 64th 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. In a rematch of the 1946 World Series, the Cardinals won in seven games for their second championship in four years and their eighth overall. The Series was played from October 4 to 12 at Fenway Park and Busch Memorial Stadium. It was the first World Series since 1948 that did not feature the Yankees, Dodgers, or Giants.
The 1975 American League Championship Series pitted the Boston Red Sox against the three-time defending World Series champion Oakland Athletics for the right to advance to the World Series. The Red Sox swept the series in three games to win their first AL pennant in eight years, which ended Oakland's pursuit of a fourth consecutive World Series title.
Jose Alexander Cora is a Puerto Rican baseball manager and former infielder who is the manager of the Boston Red Sox in Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for 14 seasons with the Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Cleveland Indians, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, and Washington Nationals. After retiring as a player, Cora served as the bench coach for the Houston Astros when they won their first World Series title in 2017. Cora was named Boston's manager the following season, winning a franchise-best 108 games and leading the team to victory in the 2018 World Series. He is the fifth MLB manager to win the World Series in his first season and the first Puerto Rican manager of a World Series-winning team.
Hanley Ramírez is a Dominican-American former professional baseball shortstop. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Florida / Miami Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Cleveland Indians. Ramírez is a three-time MLB All-Star and received the 2006 National League Rookie of the Year Award. While he played the majority of his career at shortstop, he also played first base, third base and left field.
Roy Frederick Smalley Jr. was a shortstop in Major League Baseball. From 1948 through 1958, Smalley played for the Chicago Cubs (1948–1953), Milwaukee Braves (1954) and Philadelphia Phillies (1955–1958). He batted and threw right-handed. In an 11-season career, Smalley was a .227 hitter with 61 home runs and 305 RBI in 872 games played. Smalley was the father of major league shortstop Roy Smalley III.
Frank Michael Verdi was an American professional baseball infielder and longtime manager. He spent his career in minor league baseball, except for a single playing appearance in the Major Leagues for the 1953 New York Yankees. As a player, he was listed at 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) and 170 pounds (77 kg); he both batted and threw right-handed. He was selected to the Syracuse Baseball Wall of Fame in 1999 and the International League Hall of Fame in 2008.
Julius Joseph "Moose" Solters was an American professional baseball outfielder who played in Major League Baseball between 1934 and 1943.
Robert Dennis Doyle was an American professional baseball second baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, California Angels, and Boston Red Sox. Listed at 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m) and 175 pounds (79 kg), he batted left-handed and threw right-handed.
Robert Lowell Heise is an American former professional baseball infielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for seven teams, from 1967 to 1977.
The 1967 Boston Red Sox season was the 67th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished first in the American League (AL) with a record of 92 wins and 70 losses. The team then faced the National League champion St. Louis Cardinals in the 1967 World Series, which the Red Sox lost in seven games.
The 1992 Boston Red Sox season was the 92nd season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished last in the seven-team American League East with a record of 73 wins and 89 losses, 23 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays, who went on to win the 1992 World Series. It was the last time the Red Sox finished last in their division until 2012. From 1933-2011, this was the only season the Red Sox finished last in the division.
John Russell Gibson was an American professional baseball catcher who played for the Boston Red Sox and San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1967 and 1972. Listed at 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) and 195 pounds (88 kg), he batted and threw right-handed.
Julio Cesar Lugo was a Dominican professional baseball shortstop. He played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Baltimore Orioles, and Atlanta Braves. He was the elder brother of pitcher Ruddy Lugo.
Luis Antonio Rodríguez is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) shortstop and manager. He played for the Boston Red Sox during the 1996 season.
Xander Jan Bogaerts is an Aruban professional baseball shortstop and second baseman for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Boston Red Sox. He represents the Netherlands national baseball team in international competition.
Christian Rafael Vázquez is a Puerto Rican professional baseball catcher for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros.
Enrique José Hernández González, nicknamed Kike, is a Puerto Rican professional baseball utility player who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Miami Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox.
Jack Henry López is a Puerto Rican professional baseball infielder in the Los Angeles Angels organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox. Listed at 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) and 160 pounds (73 kg), he bats and throws right-handed.
The 1967 Impossible Dream Red Sox: Pandemonium on the Field. Edited by Bill Nowlin and Dan Desrochers. Rounder Books. 2007. ISBN978-1579401412.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
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