1968 Boston Red Sox season
The 1968 Boston Red Sox season was the 68th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished fourth in the American League (AL) with a record of 86 wins and 76 losses, 17 games behind the AL and World Series champion Detroit Tigers.
1968 Boston Red Sox | |
---|---|
Major League affiliations | |
| |
Location | |
| |
Other information | |
Owner(s) | Tom Yawkey |
General manager(s) | Dick O'Connell |
Manager(s) | Dick Williams |
Local television | WHDH-TV, Ch, 5 |
Local radio | WHDH-AM 850 (Ken Coleman, Ned Martin, Mel Parnell) |
< Previous season Next season > |
Offseason
- October 29, 1968: Elston Howard was released by the Red Sox.[1]
Regular season
Carl Yastrzemski set an American League record by having the lowest batting average to win a batting title. Yaz hit .301 to claim the batting title.[2]
Season standings
American League | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Detroit Tigers | 103 | 59 | 0.636 | — | 56–25 | 47–34 |
Baltimore Orioles | 91 | 71 | 0.562 | 12 | 47–33 | 44–38 |
Cleveland Indians | 86 | 75 | 0.534 | 16½ | 43–37 | 43–38 |
Boston Red Sox | 86 | 76 | 0.531 | 17 | 46–35 | 40–41 |
New York Yankees | 83 | 79 | 0.512 | 20 | 39–42 | 44–37 |
Oakland Athletics | 82 | 80 | 0.506 | 21 | 44–38 | 38–42 |
Minnesota Twins | 79 | 83 | 0.488 | 24 | 41–40 | 38–43 |
California Angels | 67 | 95 | 0.414 | 36 | 32–49 | 35–46 |
Chicago White Sox | 67 | 95 | 0.414 | 36 | 36–45 | 31–50 |
Washington Senators | 65 | 96 | 0.404 | 37½ | 34–47 | 31–49 |
Record vs. opponents
1968 American League Records Sources: | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | BAL | BOS | CAL | CWS | CLE | DET | MIN | NYY | OAK | WSH | |||
Baltimore | — | 9–9 | 10–8 | 11–7 | 7–11 | 8–10 | 10–8 | 13–5 | 9–9 | 14–4 | |||
Boston | 9–9 | — | 9–9 | 14–4 | 10–8 | 6–12 | 9–9 | 10–8 | 8–10 | 11–7 | |||
California | 8–10 | 9–9 | — | 8–10 | 7–11 | 5–13 | 7–11 | 6–12 | 5–13 | 12–6 | |||
Chicago | 7–11 | 4–14 | 10–8 | — | 5–13 | 5–13 | 10–8 | 6–12 | 10–8 | 10–8 | |||
Cleveland | 11–7 | 8–10 | 11–7 | 13–5 | — | 6–12 | 14–4 | 10–8–1 | 6–12 | 7–10 | |||
Detroit | 10–8 | 12–6 | 13–5 | 13–5 | 12–6 | — | 10–8 | 10–8–1 | 13–5–1 | 10–8 | |||
Minnesota | 8–10 | 9–9 | 11–7 | 8–10 | 4–14 | 8–10 | — | 12–6 | 8–10 | 11–7 | |||
New York | 5–13 | 8–10 | 12–6 | 12–6 | 8–10–1 | 8–10–1 | 6–12 | — | 10–8 | 14–4 | |||
Oakland | 9–9 | 10–8 | 13–5 | 8–10 | 12–6 | 5–13–1 | 10–8 | 8–10 | — | 7–11 | |||
Washington | 4–14 | 7–11 | 6–12 | 8–10 | 10–7 | 8–10 | 7–11 | 4–14 | 11–7 | — |
Opening Day lineup
2 | Mike Andrews | 2B |
3 | Dalton Jones | 3B |
8 | Carl Yastrzemski | LF |
7 | Reggie Smith | CF |
5 | George Scott | 1B |
15 | Joe Lahoud | RF |
6 | Rico Petrocelli | SS |
18 | Elston Howard | C |
36 | Dick Ellsworth | P |
Notable transactions
- August 7, 1968: Norm Siebern was released by the Red Sox.[3]
- August 14, 1968: Galen Cisco was purchased from the Red Sox by the Kansas City Royals.[4]
Roster
1968 Boston Red Sox | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
|
Catchers
Infielders
|
Outfielders
|
Manager
Coaches
| ||||||
Player stats
Batting
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2B | Mike Andrews | 147 | 536 | 145 | .271 | 7 | 45 |
LF | Carl Yastrzemski | 157 | 539 | 162 | .301 | 23 | 74 |
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pitching
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gary Bell | 35 | 199.1 | 11 | 11 | 3.12 | 102 |
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bucky Brandon | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.39 | 10 |
John Wyatt | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4.22 | 11 |
Awards and honors
- George Scott, Gold Glove Award (1B)
- Reggie Smith, Gold Glove Award (OF)
- Carl Yastrzemski, Gold Glove Award (OF)
Farm system
Level | Team | League | Manager |
---|---|---|---|
AAA | Louisville Colonels | International League | Eddie Kasko |
AA | Pittsfield Red Sox | Eastern League | Billy Gardner |
A | Winston-Salem Red Sox | Carolina League | Bill Slack |
A | Waterloo Hawks | Midwest League | Rac Slider |
A | Greenville Red Sox | Western Carolinas League | Matt Sczesny |
A-Short Season | Jamestown Falcons | New York–Penn League | Jackie Moore |
Notes
- Elston Howard page at Baseball Reference
- Great Baseball Feats, Facts and Figures, 2008 Edition, p. 191, David Nemec and Scott Flatow, A Signet Book, Penguin Group, New York, ISBN 978-0-451-22363-0
- Norm Siebern page at Baseball Reference
- Galen Cisco page at Baseball Reference
References
- Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (1997). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (2nd ed.). Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America. ISBN 978-0-9637189-8-3.
- 1968 Boston Red Sox team page at Baseball Reference
- 1968 Boston Red Sox season at baseball-almanac.com