Dave "Boo" Ferriss passed away on Thanksgiving Day. The former Red Sox pitcher was 94 years old. Ferriss had a short Major League career, but his first two seasons were incredible. He made his Major League debut in 1945 and was immediately one of the best pitchers in the league. Ferriss had a record of 21-10 with a 2.96 ERA in 1945. As it was a war season, there was some concern about whether Ferriss could repeat his success, but in 1946, Ferriss was 25-6 with a 3.06 ERA and was an All Star for the first time on a terrific Red Sox team that made it to the World Series. He was 1-0 with a 2.03 ERA in two games in the World Series that year. The next year however, Ferriss started his decline. He was just 12-11 with a 4.04 ERA in 1947, then 7-3 in 1948. He pitched in just five more games in 1949-1950. Injuries prematurely ended his career. Ferriss went on to become a pitching coach for the Red Sox for a few seasons and then coached college baseball at Delta State University. With Ferriss's death, Bobby Doerr is the last surviving member of the 1946 Boston Red Sox.
RIP Boo - with the losses of him, Ralph Branca and Bob Addis, it's been a bad week or so for old time players.
ReplyDelete