Five Things About Boston Red Sox Pitching You May Not Know

When you initially think about the Boston Red Sox, their superb hitters over the years come to mind. However, with pitching greats such as Roger Clemens, Cy Young, Smokey Joe Wood, Luis Tiant, Pedro Martinez, and even Babe Ruth having toiled for the Boston Red Sox, they also have a deep tradition of fine hurlers. Red Sox Nation knows all about their Boston team nowadays, but perhaps the 5 nuggets I am about to reveal about their pitchers will catch even the most die-hard among them off guard.

1. Mel Parnell was pretty good, but nobody remembers him!

Parnell was a left-hander that was with the Boston Red Sox from 1947 through 1956, a 10 year span in which he won 123 games, all but 14 of them in a 6 year period from 1948 to '53. Parnell still holds Red Sox records for games started, innings, and wins for a lefty, and he was a 20 game winner twice. His 25-7 record in 1949 would have won him a Cy Young Award if it was given out back then, and his 21-8 mark in 1953 most likely would have done the same. Parnell tore a muscle in his pitching arm in 1954 and struggled to a 12-16 record in his last 3 years with the Red Sox, or his 123-75 career standard would have been considerably better. He retired at the age of 34 and is still with us today; the former Boston announcer is now 85.

2. Of all the great Boston pitchers, only one has struck out over 300 batters in a season!

Only Pedro Martinez, in 1999, was able to achieve this feat, with his 313 strikeouts in just 213 innings. Pedro had K'd 305 while with the Expos a couple years before doing it in a Red Sox uniform. Roger Clemens never turned the trick, falling short by 9 whiffs in 1988 and never again coming close. Smokey Joe Wood has 256 in 1912 during an era when batters did not strike out nearly as frequently as they do today.

3. Babe Ruth had more complete games than Roger Clemens!

Of his 143 starts for the Red Sox before they sent him to New York, Ruth finished 105 of them. Clemens started 382 times for Boston and had 100 complete games. The fact that pitchers often finished what they started in the days when Ruth played is a big reason why, but it is remarkable that he would have more than Roger in so many fewer opportunities. Cy Young's 275 is the Boston Red Sox record, not surprising since his career total of 749 is the all-time tops, a mark that will never be approached.

4. Jim Lonborg won 90 games after leaving the Red Sox!

After his "Impossible Dream" Cy Young Award winning season of 1967 when Lonborg went 22-9, he struggled to a 27-28 standard over the next 4 seasons. A skiing accident in the 1967 off-season injured his leg, but Lonborg came back in '68, only to go 6-10. Boston finally gave up on their former hero, who had thrown a one-hitter in the 1967 World Series, dealing him to the Brewers in 1971. Lonborg then went on to go 14-12 in 1972. Sent to the Phillies the next campaign, Jim won double-digit games for them 4 times, including 17 in 1974 and 18 in 1976 before retiring in 1979 with 157 lifetime victories.

5. It won't take long for Jonathan Papelbon to be the Boston career saves leader!

If he stays healthy, Papelbon will pass Bob Stanley some time next year, as he only needs 50 saves to grab the Red Sox lead in that category. Stanley's 132 are the most for any Boston pitcher, with only fire-balling Dick Radatz joining him in the over-100 club. Boston has had some of the all-time leaders in saves on their staff at one time or another- pitchers such as Sparky Lyle, Lee Smith, Tom Gordon, and Jeff Reardon- but none of them stayed long enough to accumulate big numbers with the Red Sox. Papelbon has the chance to put this Red Sox record way out of reach, as the right-hander is only 27 and has many years of closing ahead of him for one of baseball's premier squads.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BOS/leaders_pitch.shtml