Unknown Heroes Before My Time Pt 3: Dave Henderson

I started watching baseball in 1991.  By that time Dave Henderson was a big part of the Oakland Athletics outfield playing in between Jose Canseco and Rickey Henderson.  Hendu was a great player.  So when I started paying close attention to the backs of baseball cards and discovered that Hendu was once a Red Sox outfielder, I was surprised.  I also knew I had to get cards of him.

Henderson was never quite as good with Boston though.  He played parts of two seasons with Boston.  In 1986 he was acquired along with Spike Owen from the Mariners to take over for the aging Tony Armas in center field.  He did not hit particularly well during the season finishing with a line of .196/.226/.314 with one home run and three RBIs in 36 games.  But in the ALCS against the Angels, Henderson hit a home run that gave Boston a massive win and got the team back into the series.  It is one of the biggest home runs in Red Sox history.  And he built on that with a terrific World Series performance in which he hit .400/.448/.760 with two home runs and five RBIs.

He hit better in 1987 with a final line of .234/.313/.418 and eight home runs.  It was not a terrific season and he was starting to get squeezed by the appearance of Ellis Burks in the majors.  Henderson was traded in September to the Giants for Randy Kutcher.

Henderson had one card in 2004 Upper Deck Timeless Teams and an autograph parallel.  I am still trying to get that auto.

Grand Old Game 04/22: Red Sox (13-6) 9 Athletics 6

The two teams with the best records in the American League clashed in Boston tonight.  Felix Doubront took the hill for Boston and was wild once again but managed to pitch nearly six innings.  He struck out eight and walked five and took the victory.  Boston was behind until Will Middlebrooks drilled a three run home run to take the lead.  They never relinquished and Andrew Bailey got the save against his old team.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

MIKE NAPOLI: (2 for 4, 2 runs, 5 RBI, double, grand slam)

Unknown Heroes Pt. 28: Vaughn Eshelman

Boston has not had a lot of success in the Rule V Draft.  That is not uncommon.  There have only been a handful of players who have truly performed well for a new team in the Major Leagues after being taken in the Rule V Draft.  Most players are simply not ready for the jump straight to the Major Leagues.  Often times there is a reason a player has not been promoted to the 40 man roster.

Vaughn Eshelman is one of the most successful Rule V Draft players that Boston has picked.  Adam Stern and Lenny DiNardo are the only other two that have played for the Red Sox after being drafted and they managed to stay because they were injured and were stashed on the disabled list.  Eshelman though put in a significant amount of service time right away.

Eshelman was plucked from the Orioles system in the 1994 draft.  The left-hander then made his Major League debut for the Red Sox in 1995 and won his first three starts.  He turned in a decent 1995 season, going 6-3 in 23 games with 14 starts.  His ERA was an average 4.85.  He tended to walk almost as many as he struck out, but Boston did need a southpaw so he managed to stick around.

He came back in 1996 and had an identical record but a significantly worse 7.08 ERA.  Once again the walks were the big problem.  He played again in 1997, but it was pretty clear that he was not going to last in the Majors as he had a 3-3 record and a 6.33 ERA.

Eshelman was picked up by the Athletics off waivers after the 1997 season and was picked by the Devil Rays in the expansion draft.  But he never made it back to the Major Leagues.

I do not know why I liked Eshelman so much.  He was not really that good, but I loved getting cards of him. The card shown was only available as a mail-in offer from 1995 Ultra.  I did not get the mail-in but I found the card years later.  It was one that I sought out for quite awhile.

One-Card Wonder Pt 21: David Riske

For whatever reason, sometimes I am only able to find one card of certain players. To be considered a One-Card Wonder, a player must have been active since 1991 (when I started paying attention).

DAVID RISKE
There are actually parallels of this card and there is also an earlier card in the 2006 Upper Deck set that has a Red Sox logo, but Riske is shown in an Indians uniform.  This is the only card I have so far of Riske in my Red Sox collections though.

David Riske was acquired in the same trade with the Indians that brought Coco Crisp to Boston.  He was a right-handed middle reliever with some decent stuff.  He made it into eight games with the Red Sox and was 0-1 with a 3.72 ERA in 9.2 innings with five strikeouts and three walks.  Okay numbers for a middle reliever.

In June Riske was sent to the White Sox for side-arm-throwing southpaw Javier Lopez, who was a big part of Boston's bullpen for a few years.  Riske continued to pitch well for the White Sox in 2006 and followed that up with a very good season for the Royals in 2007.  He then went to Milwaukee for a few years.

EDIT:  I have recently added another Riske card.  He no longer qualifies as a one-card wonder.

Doubleheader Blues 04/21: Royals 4 Red Sox (12-5) 2; Royals 5 Red Sox (12-6) 4

Well this was embarrassing.  There really should be no excuse to lose both ends of a doubleheader, but that is what happened.

In the opening game, Ryan Dempster took the loss with one bad inning where he allowed three runs.  Unfortunately the offense could never really get going and that was enough to lose.  David Ortiz had three hits and Daniel Nava had two, but that was pretty much it for the offense.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

DAVID ORTIZ (3 for 4, double, RBI)

In the second game Allen Webster, the big prize in last year's Dodger deal, made his Major League debut.  He pitched well, pitching six innings, striking out five, walking one, and allowing three runs.  He left the game with the lead, but Koji Uehara gave up a tying home run and Andrew Miller walked in the lead run in the 10th.  Boston had several opportunities but could not come up with a big hit.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

MIKE NAPOLI: (3 for 5, home run, double, two RBIs)

One Year Wonder Pt. 17: Dave Roberts

Every once in awhile, the Red Sox pick up a veteran player for a year, or just the stretch run that was a star at one point that I become fascinated with. It's a player that is basically only a role player at that point in their career, but may show flashes of their old brilliance. It's so unusual to see them as a member of the Red Sox, that I try to find as many of their cards as possible. This series will be about some of those players.

It was such a minor thing.  But it led to something huge.  Big things sometimes have small beginnings.  I am of course referring to the stolen base that led to the Red Sox coming all the way back from being down three games to none in the ALCS to go to the World Series in 2004.  

Roberts entered the game as a pinch runner after Kevin Millar worked a walk off of Mariano Rivera with the Red Sox down by a run.  He stole second base even though everyone in the park knew it was coming.  He then scored on a base hit from Bill Mueller to tie the game.  And it all built from there.

Roberts was picked up from the Dodgers at the trading deadline for Henri Stanley.  He was acquired to do one thing.  And he did it at the biggest possible moment.  He did not play a lot down the stretch, making it into 45 games but with only 101 plate appearances.  He hit .256/.330/.442 with two home runs.  He stole five bases.  He was used exclusively as a pinch hitter in the postseason, scoring twice and stealing just the one base.  He did not play in the World Series.

Roberts was traded after the season to the Padres for Ramon Vazquez, Jay Payton, and David Pauley.  Despite such a short stint, he remains a big hero.  And it is all due to such a small event.  Which led to big things.

Boston Strong 04/20: Red Sox (12-4) 4 Royals 3

Today was a very emotional day.  It was the first game back in Fenway Park after the horrific bombing at the Boston Marathon on Monday.  Luckily I get Royals broadcasts here in Nebraska so I got to watch the incredible opening ceremonies honoring the victims and survivors of that event.  David Ortiz capped things off with an emotional speech, including an expletive.  That probably was not the most appropriate thing to do but it did capture the emotion of the moment.

The game was entertaining.  It started as a pitcher's duel between Clay Buchholz and former Ray James Shields.  Boston fell behind a couple of times but managed to come back.  David Ortiz returned to the lineup today with Jackie Bradley Jr. being sent down to Pawtucket for some more seasoning.  Ortiz drove in a run on a base hit up the middle that tied the game at one point.  The big blast came from Daniel Nava and Andrew Bailey saved the game.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

DANIEL NAVA (1 for 2, 3 run home run)

So I Saw This on Twitter

Yep, I am going to have to buy some Archives again this year...

Season in Review: 1999

FIVE FAVORITE PLAYERS
Nomar Garciaparra
Nomar had a huge year in 1999.  He won his first batting title after hitting .357/.418/.603 for a 1.022 OPS and was voted the starting shortstop in the All Star game.  He also hit 27 home runs, drove in 104, and stole 14 bases.  He was a terrific all-around player and finished seventh in the MVP vote.

Pedro Martinez
As good as Nomar was, Pedro was better.  Martinez finished second in the MVP vote and probably deserved to win.  He did win the Cy Young unanimously as he had one of the best pitching seasons of all time, winning the pitching Triple Crown with a 23-4 record, 2.07 ERA, and 313 strikeouts in 213.1 innings.  Amazing.

Troy O'Leary
O'Leary was the big power hitter for the Red Sox in 1999.  He lead the team with 28 home runs and finished second to Nomar with 103 RBIs.  His line was .280/.343/.495.  He also had 36 doubles and four triples.

Jason Varitek
Tek became the starting catcher in 1999 and had a big season.  The switch-hitting catcher hit .269/.330/.482 with 20 home runs and 76 RBIs.  He also hit 39 doubles.  Not bad for a catcher.

Tim Wakefield
1999 was one of Wakefield's most versatile seasons.  He started 17 games and finished 28.  He actually was one of two pitchers on the Red Sox staff to save 15 games and spent a chunk of the season as a knuckleballing closer.  He finished at 6-11 with 15 saves and a 5.08 ERA.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
Mike Stanley
Stanley did not slow down at all at 36 years old.  He hit .281/.393/.466 while splitting time between first base and designated hitter.  He also crushed 19 home runs and drove in 72.  Stanley also provided veteran leadership.

Rich Garces
El Guapo had a terrific season in 1999 and showed that he belonged in the Major Leagues for good.  In 30 games as a middle reliever Garces had an ERA of 1.55 and struck out 33 while walking 18 in 40.2 innings.  His record was an impressive 5-1 and he picked up two saves.

Bret Saberhagen
Saberhagen followed up his Comeback Player of the Year 1998 season by spending a chunk of 1999 on the disabled list.  When he was healthy though, he was good.  He finished the year at 10-6 with a 2.95 ERA with 81 strikeouts and an incredible 11 walks in 119 innings pitched.

FAVORITE ACQUISITION
Jose Offerman
After Mo Vaughn departed as a free agent, there was some question of what Boston would do to make up for the loss of his offensive production.  Boston signed Offerman in a move that was widely mocked.  However, Offerman had a decent All Star season hitting .294/.391/.435 with eight home runs, 69 RBIs, 11 triples, 37 doubles, and 18 stolen bases.  He struggled late or his numbers may have been better.

FAVORITE MIDSEASON ACQUISITION
Butch Huskey
With a name like that, you expect a power hitter.  And Huskey was a power hitter.  The designated hitter was acquired to add some extra offense and he did well enough, hitting .266/.305/.484 with seven home runs and 28 RBIs in 45 games down the stretch after being acquired from Seattle.

Rod Beck
Boston had some bullpen problems so they engineered a trade for former closer Beck late in the season.  Beck pitched in just 12 games for the Red Sox but had a 1.93 ERA and three saves.

FAVORITE ROOKIES
Brian Daubach
Daubach was a scrap-heap pickup, but he finished the year fourth in the Rookie of the Year vote.  Daubach hit .294/.360/.562 with 21 home runs and 73 RBIs.  He showed a strong ability to deliver clutch hits but was pretty streaky.  The 27 year old rookie helped the team move on from Vaughn.

Trot Nixon
Nixon was one of Boston's top prospects and finally got the chance to play every day.  The results were decent but not eye-popping.  He hit .270/.357/.472 with 15 home runs.  Decent, but not exceptional numbers.  But the best was yet to come.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS
Mark Portugal
Pitching was a big problem for Boston in 1999.  Mark Portugal was signed to help the rotation but he was pretty brutal.  He finished the year 7-12 with a 5.51 ERA.

Ramon Martinez
Pedro's older brother was once a terrific starter for the Dodgers.  Those years were long over by the time he showed up in Boston.  Ramon was injured most of the season and only made it into four games at the end of the season.  He pitched well though, going 2-1 with a 3.05 ERA.

Tom Gordon
Coming off his remarkable 1998 season, Gordon struggled in 1999.  He saved 11 games but had an awful 5.60 ERA and was 0-2.

PLAYOFF HEROES
Pedro Martinez
After pitching just four innings in Game 1 of the ALDS, Martinez had to leave the game with an injury and Boston's playoff hopes diminished.  However, he returned in Game 5 with the Red Sox tied with the Indians at two games apiece and pitched six hitless innings, striking out eight to help the team win the ALDS.  He followed that up by outdueling Roger Clemens in the ALCS, striking out 12 in seven innings.

Troy O'Leary
My clearest memories of the 1999 postseason are of Martinez and O'Leary in Game 5 of the ALDS.  O'Leary came to the plate twice after the Indians intentionally walked Nomar.  One time, the bases were loaded, the other time, there were two runners on base.  Both times O'Leary homered.  He had seven RBIs in that decisive game.  He also hit well in the ALCS.

1991 Topps #206 Carlos Quintana

In this series, I look at my first team set: 1991 Topps.  This was the set I started my baseball card collection with.

This was my first Carlos Quintana card.  I have mentioned before on this blog that I have always been a big fan of Quintana and this was the beginning of that.  

Quintana had been a top prospect for the Red Sox for a couple of years coming in to the 1990 season.  He had been an outfielder in the minors but he soon became the starting first-baseman in 1990.  The team began the season with Billy Jo Robidoux and Bill Buckner in the fold, but Quintana quickly played his way in to the first base mix and eventually took over.

This was his first full season in the Major Leagues at the age of 24.  He played in 149 games with a batting line of .287/.354/.383 with seven home runs and 67 RBIs.  He was not the prototypical power-hitting first-baseman, but Quintana was a decent contact hitter and he got on base at a decent clip.  

In addition, Quintana was a decent defensive player, ranking in the top five in multiple defensive categories, including leading the league in assists.

04/18 Mailday: Mini Mail

Just one card again today, but it is this 2013 Gypsy Queen Mini of Felix Doubront, one of my current favorite players.

So, not much to say about this one.  I now have 54 Felix Doubront cards.  

04/18: Red Sox (11-4) 6 Indians 3

Boston has now won six in a row.  Jon Lester had another strong start and is 3-0 on the season thus far.  Andrew Bailey picked up the save as they swept the Indians.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

MIKE NAPOLI: (2 for 5, triple, 2 runs, RBI)

Underrated Player of the Year: 2011

In this series, I look at one player per year from 1991-the present who came out of nowhere or had a great year that no one really noticed or expected.

It is not very often that a player jumps from the Yankees to the Red Sox and have more success than they did with the Yankees.  It did happen with Alfredo Aceves though.  After a terrific 2009 season, Aceves was hurt most of the year in 2010.  He was non-tendered in December due to the injuries and some perceived behavioral problems.  He signed with the Red Sox as a free agent about two months later.

Aceves made the 25 man roster with a good Spring Training and was one of the most versatile pitchers on the team.  Aceves started four games and finished fifteen.  He pitched in 55 games total.  His 114 innings were a testament to his versatility.  

His final numbers were impressive.  Aceves went 10-2 with a 2.61 ERA and 80 strikeouts with 42 walks.  His WHIP was a solid 1.105.  Not only was he versatile, he pitched quite well.

Pack Break 04/17: 2 Rack Packs of Gypsy Queen and Some Tradebait

I picked up a couple of rack packs of Gypsy Queen yesterday since I am not making much progress on the Red Sox team set.  Thus far I have picked up a bunch of Hall of Famers and one big Jonny Gomes buy (that is probably the only time you will see the words "big Jonny Gomes buy" in succession) on Ebay.  But I don't have much in the way of current players.  It only changed a little:

So now I have the base card of Gomes.  I also got the mini of Jim Rice.  Here is what I have overall for the Red Sox:

BASE

Wade Boggs

Carlton Fisk

Jonny Gomes

Jim Rice

MINI

Wade Boggs

Jim Rice

COLLISIONS

Carlton Fisk

HOMETOWN CURRENCY

Jonny Gomes

I have a lot of holes to fill.

Now for the tradebait.  This was a surprisingly successful couple of packs from retail.  I got some big White Sox pulls as you can see:

If anybody wants any of that, comment or email me.  I am looking for Red Sox in return of course.  I have a Want List on the right and my collection page as well so you can see if I don't have something.

04/17: Red Sox (10-4) 6 Indians 3

Alfredo Aceves made his second start in place of John Lackey and looked sharp for five innings until unraveling in the sixth.  He still got his first win of the season.  Mike Napoli is on a tear lately, driving in two more runs with another double.  Those doubles are going to start leaving the field soon.  Junichi Tazawa and Koji Uehara continued to be a bullpen force and Andrew Bailey notched his first save of the season.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

NO CARD YET

MIKE CARP: (3 for 3, RBI, 2 doubles, triple)

Red Sox With No Cards Pt. 2: Benny Agbayani

In this series I take a look at players who played for the Boston Red Sox but, for some reason, never had a card produced of them with the team.

BENNY AGBAYANI
Before Shane Victorino, another long-time National League Hawaiian played for the Red Sox. Agbayani had become a fan favorite for the New York Mets for a few years but had slowed down and was no longer a regular player. He played for the Rockies to start the season in 2002 and then was placed on waivers. Boston claimed him to shore up their outfield depth.

Agbayani only played in 13 games with the Red Sox, so there is a good reason why there are no cards of him. He hit .297/.395/.324 for the Red Sox with eight RBIs. Not bad numbers, but an extremely small sample size.

Randon Awesome Photo: 1991 Score #617 Mike Marshall

Really there is not that much going on in that photo.  It's just former slugger Mike Marshall standing somewhere in the outfield getting ready for a play.  But what makes it interesting is the position.  Marshall is listed as the designated hitter.  The company has one job when they make a designated hitter card.  That is to show him with a bat in his hand.  They went the complete opposite direction here showing Marshall in the field.  It is just the kind of weird anomaly that captures attention.

Mailday 04/16: Ace

Just one card today.  This is from a small trade that I made on the forums.  This is the Toys 'R Us/Kmart purple parallel of 2012 closer Alfredo Aceves.  I like the shot with Aceves flexing his muscles after a save and Kelly Shoppach doing the same.  This is my first purple parallel this year, they are tougher to come by.  Not as many people shopping there apparently.  If anyone has any more, I need them, particularly if you have Breslow or Saltalamacchia.

The Closers

The closer each year has almost always been a favorite player of mine.  I have no idea why.  Closers are just fun.  They often have an outrageous personality.  You almost have to be arrogant to be a closer.  It's only annoying when they do not perform well or you like the other team.  So yeah, ever since I got into baseball, I have been a very big fan of closers.

The below are a year by year look at the Red Sox closers since I was fan:

1991

JEFF REARDON:  Reardon was the first Red Sox closer I was aware of and he had a terrific 1991 season.  Reardon was an All Star in 1991 and set a new Red Sox record for saves in a season with 40.

Others recording saves: Greg Harris (2), Jeff Gray (1), Tony Fossas (1), Dan Petry (1)

1992

JEFF REARDON:  Reardon was 36 in 1992 and was starting to show his age.  He did break the career saves record and had 27 saves before being traded to the Braves.  They went with a committee after the trade.

Others recording saves: Greg Harris (4), Danny Darwin (3), Tony Fossas (2), Joe Hesketh (1), Paul Quantrill (1), Ken Ryan (1)

1993

JEFF RUSSELL:  After trading Reardon in 1992, Boston was on the lookout for a closer for the 1993 season.  Russell was signed after the team nearly signed Tom Henke.  Russell racked up 33 saves and a 2.70 ERA in a very good season.

Others recording saves: Greg Harris (8), Paul Quantrill (1), Ken Ryan (1), Joe Hesketh (1)

1994

KEN RYAN:  Russell started the season as the closer but had a rough time and was eventually traded to Cleveland.  Ken Ryan took over and lead the team with 13 saves with a 2.44 ERA.

Others recording saves: Jeff Russell (12), Greg Harris (2), Chris Howard (1), Tony Fossas (1), Todd Frohwirth (1)

1995

RICK AGUILERA:  The Red Sox started the season with Ryan as the closer but he struggled.  They then went with Stan Belinda for a little while but eventually decided to pick up Aguilera at the trade deadline in order to have a shot at the playoffs.  Aguilera was great down the stretch notching 20 saves and a 2.67 ERA.

Others recording saves:  Stan Belinda (10), Ken Ryan (7), Mike Maddux (1), Joe Hudson (1)

1996

HEATHCLIFF SLOCUMB:  Aguilera returned to the Twins as a free agent after the 1995 season so Boston acquired Slocumb in a trade with the Phillies.  Slocumb had a great season in 1996 picking up 31 saves and 88 strikeouts in 83.1 innings.  He had a 3.1 WAR as a closer, which is impressive.

Others recording saves: Stan Belinda (2), Pat Mahomes (2), Mike Stanton (1), Joe Hudson (1)

1997

HEATHCLIFF SLOCUMB:  1997 was not nearly as good for Slocumb.  He only had 17 saves for Boston and blew some big ones.  He was eventually traded to the Mariners in what would be a terrific trade for Boston.  Tom Gordon took over after the trade.

Others recording saves: Tom Gordon (11), Butch Henry (6), Kerry Lacy (3), Jim Corsi (2), Chris Hammond (1)

1998

TOM GORDON:  In what was easily one of the greatest seasons by a Red Sox closer, Gordon set a new single season saves record for the team with 46 and was an All Star.  He even received votes for MVP.

Others recording saves: Derek Lowe (4), Dennis Eckersley (1), Rich Garces (1), Ron Mahay (1)

1999

DEREK LOWE:  Gordon started off the season as closer but had some injury problems.  Lowe and Tim 

Wakefield actually tied with 15 saves, but Lowe finished more games.  

Others recording saves: Tim Wakefield (15), Tom Gordon (11), Rod Beck (3), John Wasdin (2), Mark Guthrie (2), Rich Garces (2)

2000

DEREK LOWE:  The sinkerballer was terrific in 2000, saving 42 games with a 2.56 ERA, and an All Star berth.

Others recording saves: Rich Garces (1), Hipolito Pichardo (1), Bryce Florie (1), John Wasdin (1)

2001

DEREK LOWE:  Lowe started to falter as closer in 2001, but still recorded 24 saves.  He was moved to the rotation later in the season and Ugueth Urbina was acquired to serve as closer.

Others recording saves: Ugueth Urbina (9), Rod Beck (6), Rolando Arrojo (5), Tim Wakefield (3), Rich Garces (1)

2002

UGUETH URBINA:  Urbina was an All Star in 2002 with 40 saves and a 3.00 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 60 innings.

Others recording saves: Tim Wakefield (3), Alan Embree (2), Frank Castillo (1), Casey Fossum (1), Rolando Arrojo (1), Willie Banks (1), Chris Haney (1), Wayne Gomes (1)

2003

BYUNG-HYUN KIM:  2003 was the year of the ill-fated closer-by-committee approach.  It did not work. Boston eventually traded Shea Hillenbrand to the Diamondbacks for Kim, who saved 16 games in 2003 with a 3.18 ERA.  Scott Williamson did some great work as closer in the postseason.

Others recording saves: Brandon Lyon (9), Chad Fox (3), Mike Timlin (2), Tim Wakefield (1), Casey Fossum (1), Alan Embree (1), Jason Shiell (1), Bronson Arroyo (1), Robert Person (1)

2004

KEITH FOULKE:  After having trouble with the closer-by-committee in 2003, Boston signed the best closer available on the free agent market in Foulke.  He saved 32 games with a terrific 2.17 ERA and was lights-out in the postseason.

Others recording saves: Curtis Leskanic (2), Mike Timlin (1), Scott Williamson (1)

2005

KEITH FOULKE:  Foulke struggled in 2005, leading to an infamous comment about Burger King.  He only picked up 15 saves and Boston had to resort to some desperate measures as will be seen by some of the other pitchers who saved games in '05.  Foulke's ERA was an ugly 5.91

Others recording saves: Mike Timlin (13), Curt Schilling (9), Alan Embree (1)

2006

JONATHAN PAPELBON:  Rookie Papelbon solved the closer problem for the long term.  He had a fantastic season and came in second in the Rookie of the Year vote, and might have won it had he not been injured the final month of the season.  He saved 35 games with a remarkable 0.92 ERA and 75 strikeouts in 69.1 innings.  He was also an All Star.

Others recording saves: Mike Timlin (9), Julian Tavarez (1), Javier Lopez (1)

2007

JONATHAN PAPELBON:  Papelbon had another strong All Star season, saving 37 with a 1.85 ERA and 84 strikeouts in only 58.1 innings.

Others recording saves: Hideki Okajima (5), Mike Timlin (1), Manny Delcarmen (1), J.C. Romero (1)

2008

JONATHAN PAPELBON:  Another terrific All Star season for Papelbon (41 saves, 2.34 ERA, 77 strikeouts), but his mouth was starting to be a problem.

Others recording saves: Manny Delcarmen (2), Craig Hansen (2), Hideki Okajima (1), Mike Timlin (1)

2009

JONATHAN PAPELBON:  Ho hum, another All Star season for Paps (38 saves, 1.85 ERA, 76 strikeouts).

Others recording saves: Takashi Saito (2), Daniel Bard (1)

2010

JONATHAN PAPELBON:  Papelbon actually had a rough year.  He still picked up 37 saves, but his ERA ballooned to 3.90.  His strikeout rate was in line with his averages.  He missed the All Star game for the first time in his career.

Others recording saves: Daniel Bard (3), Ramon Ramirez (2), Felix Doubront (2)

2011

JONATHAN PAPELBON:  He blew the save on the last game of the season, but Papelbon actually had a decent season.  He had 31 saves and a 2.94 ERA with 87 strikeouts.

Others recording saves: Alfredo Aceves (2), Daniel Bard (1), Scott Atchison (1), Felix Doubront (1)

2012

ALFREDO ACEVES:  Papelbon bolted as a free agent to Philadelphia before even being offered arbitration.  The Red Sox made two trades to acquire closers in Andrew Bailey and Mark Melancon.  Injuries or ineffectiveness limited both of them, so they turned to Aceves who struggled at times.  He finished with 25 saves, a 2-10 record, and a 5.36 ERA.

Others recording saves: Andrew Bailey (6), Vicente Padilla (1), Mark Melancon (1), Franklin Morales (1), Junichi Tazawa (1)

2013

JOEL HANRAHAN:  Boston attempted another trade to bring over a closer.  Hanrahan has been a little rough so far this year, but he has notched three saves.  He blew a big one and is currently on the disabled list.

Others recording saves: NONE

04/16 Red Sox (9-4) 7 Indians 2

The big story of the day was the meeting between the Red Sox and their old manager Terry Francona who now manages the Indians.  Felix Doubront took the win even though he continues to throw way too many pitches.  He needs to harness that a little bit in order to be a more productive pitcher.  He does strike out a lot of batters but I think he is probably a little too focused on trying to blow hitters away and his control suffers.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

MIKE NAPOLI (2 for 5, run, 3 RBIs, 2 doubles)