The Impossible Dream

I have not been very good about posting on this blog lately.  Previously I had been far too busy.  Now, things have kind of opened up due to the whole pandemic thing going on.  I am fairly insulated from that living in rural Nebraska.  There are a few cases around here, but not nearly as many as in other parts of the state.  I do find I have some more time on my hands.  I am still working, but not going to court quite as often and most of my clients have been laying low (though some are still out there committing crimes so I still have stuff coming in).  I miss baseball though.  I was kind of morbidly curious about how this season was going to go, losing Mookie Betts and all.  And now it looks unlikely that there will be a season at all.  

I guess in a way to make up for the loss of the sport I love for right now, I have been itching to write about one of my favorite subjects: Red Sox history.  And I also have a lot of cards to show off that I have been putting off.  So we will do both for a little while.

I recently bought a set I had no idea existed.  The Greater Boston Sports Collectors Club released a set commemorating the 1967 Impossible Dream Team, creating cards of almost everyone on that team.  Tony Horton, Jim Landis and Ken Poulsen somehow did not make the cut.  Horton is particularly surprising since he was in his fourth season with Boston and played pretty well in 21 games.  Landis had been a longtime star with the White Sox, but made it into just five games with Boston.  Poulsen only had five games in his entire Major League career.

With that out of the way, here are the cards:

1.  Carl Yastrzemski LF.  Yaz is synonymous with the 1967 season.  He had been good before, winning a batting title in 1963 and generally being the best player on a mostly bad team.  But he really broke through, having one of the best offensive seasons in Red Sox history on his way to the Triple Crown and the MVP.  He was at his best when the chips were down, having one of the greatest stretch runs in history.  His final numbers were .326/.418/.622 with 44 home runs and 121 RBIs.

2.  Tony Conigliaro RF.  One of the most tragic stories in Red Sox history, Conigliaro was on his way to greatness when he was beaned in the eye with a pitch during 1967.  He missed the rest of the season and all of 1968.  He did eventually make a comeback, but retired shortly afterwards.  In short work in 1967 he hit .287/.341/.519 with 20 home runs and 67 RBIs.

3.  Jim Lonborg SP.  Like Yaz, Lonborg also broke out in a big way.  His major change was to be much more aggressive on the mound and learning to pitch inside.  The result was a 22-9 record, 3.16 ERA and league-leading 246 strikeouts.  Oh, and the Cy Young Award.  Unfortunately, this was his peak season and he was never this effective again.

4.  Rico Petrocelli SS.  Another young star in the making, Petrocelli anchored the infield in 1967 with impressive defense.  He could also hit a little ending the season hitting .259/.330/.420 with 17 home runs and 66 RBIs.  Petro would get even better in the coming seasons.

5.  Reggie Smith CF.  Smith was easily one of the best all-around players on the team exhibiting all five tools.  Smith almost gave the Red Sox a sweep of the three major awards, finishing second in the Rookie of the Year vote after he hit .246/.315/.389 with 15 home runs, 61 RBIs and 16 stolen bases.  Rod Carew had him beat in the slash line, but Smith was better everywhere else (including WAR).

6.  Joe Foy 3B.  Foy was an underrated player on the team, providing some decent numbers from the hot corner.  He was not a great defensive third-baseman, but he made up for that with his bat, hitting .251/.325/.426 with 16 home runs and 49 RBIs.

7.  Ken Harrelson RF.  After Conigliaro went down with his injury, the Red Sox needed to replace his production in the lineup.  Harrelson had been cut loose by the Athletics and Boston swept him up.  He was slow to adapt to his new team, hitting just .200/.247/.388 with three home runs and 14 RBIs.  He was terrific in 1968 though.

8.  George Scott 1B.  I feel like if I had been alive to see him, Scott would have been one of my favorite players.  The surprisingly athletic first-baseman was terrific defensively, winning the first of his eight Gold Gloves in 1967.  He also had a great year with the bat, hitting .303/.373/.465 with 19 home runs and 82 RBIs.  He also stole ten bases and led the team with seven triples.

9.  Mike Andrews 2B.  Another underrated performer on the team, Andrews was a steady defensive second-baseman who had a decent year at the plate.  His numbers were not eye-popping but most second-basemen of the time period were not that impressive.  He did hit .263/.346/.352 with eight home runs and 40 RBIs.  Andrews would get even better in the next couple of years.

10.  Don Demeter OF.  Demeter was at the end of the line as a Major Leaguer in 1967.  He had been acquired as part of the trade that sent Earl Wilson to Detroit in 1966 (Boston could have used him back).  He played in just 20 games, hitting .279/.326/.465 with a home run and four RBIs.  He was traded along with Horton to Cleveland for Gary Bell in June.

11.  Dalton Jones IF.  Jones was the primary utility infielder for the Red Sox in 1967, making it into 89 games and playing first, second and third base.  He hit .289/.333/.409 with three home runs and 25 RBIs, meaning that the team was not really down much at the plate when he was in the lineup instead of one of the starters.

12.  Russ Gibson C.  Gibson was the primary backup catcher in his first season as a Major Leaguer at the age of 28.  He was not much of a hitter, hitting just .203/.263/.275 with a home run and 15 RBIs, but he was very good defensively, throwing out 50% of attempted base stealers and not making a single error.

13.  John Wyatt RP.  The Red Sox closer, Wyatt arrived in Boston in a deal with the Kansas City A's in 1966.  He had an impressive season, saving 20 games with a 10-7 record and a 2.60 ERA.  He struck out 68 and walked 39 in 93.1 innings.

14.  Elston Howard C.  Catcher was something of a black hole offensively for the Red Sox in 1967.  Neither Gibson nor Mike Ryan were cutting it, so Boston made a very rare trade with the Yankees (the Yankees were terrible, which is likely the only reason it happened) to acquire 1963 AL MVP Howard.  It did not help.  Howard played in 42 games down the stretch, but hit just .147/.211/.198 with one home run and eleven RBIs.

15.  Hank Fischer P.  Fischer had been a back-of-the-rotation starter for the Braves earlier in the decade and was picked up by Boston as a depth option.  1967 was his last season in the Majors and he appeared in nine games, going 1-2 with a 2.36 ERA, saving one game and pitching a complete game in another.

16.  Jose Santiago RP.  Primarily a reliever, Santiago was a very important member of the pitching staff in 1967.  He saved five games, but also started eleven.  His record was a sparkling 12-4 with a 3.59 ERA and notched 109 strikeouts in 145.1 innings.  Santiago also homered in his first at-bat in the World Series.

17.  Gary Bell SP.  As mentioned earlier, Bell was acquired from Cleveland for Demeter and Horton in June to solidify the pitching staff.  It was a trade that worked out well for Boston as Bell went 12-8 with a 3.16 ERA and 115 strikeouts the rest of the way.

18.  Sparky Lyle RP.  Lyle, who would later win the Cy Young Award with the Yankees, was a 22-year-old power-throwing lefty.  He made it into 27 games, saving five and putting together a 1-2 record with a terrific 2.28 ERA and struck out 42 batters in 43.1 innings.  Boston should never have traded him.

19.  Don McMahon RP.  McMahon was a journeyman veteran pitcher who landed in Boston the prior season and impressed.  He pitched in eleven games with a 1-2 record and 3.57 ERA, notching two saves, before he was traded in June to the White Sox for Jerry Adair.

20.  Dave Morehead SP.  Morehead never quite realized his talent, but had one major moment in the sun: throwing a no-hitter against the Indians in 1965.  1967 was a frustrating year for him as he pitched in just ten games, finishing with a 5-4 record and a 4.34 ERA.

21.  Dan Osinski RP.  A veteran reliever who spent time previously with the Athletics, Angels and Braves, Osinski notched a 3-1 record, two saves and a 2.54 ERA.  He struck out 38 and walked 14 in 63.1 innings.

22.  Dennis Bennett SP.  Bennett was acquired in a trade with the Phillies in exchange for troublesome but talented slugger Dick Stuart.  Bennett had a lot of potential, but never realized it fully.  In his final year in Boston, he went 4-3 with a 3.88 ERA.  He was traded to the Mets in June for a minor leaguer.

23.  Bob Tillman C.  Another catcher who did not provide much with the bat in 1967, Tillman once had a little bit of power.  He hit 14 home runs as a rookie in 1962 then hit 17 in 1964.  Unfortunately he was no longer a useful hitter in 1967, hitting .188/.224/.250 with one home run and four RBIs before being sold to the Yankees.

24.  Mike Ryan C.  Ryan appeared in the most games as a Boston catcher in 1967.  But that does not mean he was particularly good.  He hit just .199/.282/.261 with two home runs and 27 RBIs.  He did catch 44% of attempted base-stealers though, so at least he was decent behind the plate.

25.  Bill Landis RP.  Landis appeared in one game with the A's back in 1963 and finally made it back to the Majors in 1967.  He pitched in just 18 games with a 1-0 record and a 5.26 ERA, but would become an important member of the team's bullpen the next couple of seasons.

26.  Galen Cisco RP.  Cisco came up with the Red Sox early in the 1960's before spending some time with some really bad Mets teams.  He returned to Boston in June and pitched in eleven games with a 0-1 record and a 3.63 ERA.  He walked as many as he struck out in 22.1 innings.

27.  Jose Tartabull OF.  Danny's father was a decent Major Leaguer who was known primarily for his defense and speed.  Tartabull was not much of a hitter, but was versatile and made it into 115 games.  He hit just .223/.287/.243 with no homers, ten RBIs and six stolen bases.

28.  Darrell "Bucky" Brandon RP.  Brandon started 19 games and also relieved in another 20.  He was not terribly impressive however, accumulating a 5-11 record with a 4.17 ERA.  He struck out 96 and walked 59 in 157.2 innings.  He saved three games.

29.  Lee Stange SP.  Stange was part of the return when Boston traded former Monster Dick Radatz to the Indians in 1966.  Stange proved to be a useful member of the staff in 1967, starting and relieving and going 8-10 with a very impressive 2.27 ERA while striking out 101 and walking 39 in 181.2 innings.

30.  Jerry Stephenson SP.  Once a highly-touted prospect, Stephenson was never able to put it all together.  1967 was his fourth season with some time spent in Boston.  He made it into eight games with a 3-1 record and 3.86 ERA late in the season, even making it onto the postseason roster.  It looked like he had finally made it...until 1968.

31.  Norm Siebern 1B.  Siebern was once traded for Roger Maris.  He was a three-time All Star, but by 1967 he was mostly washed up.  Siebern was purchased from the Giants in July and played in 33 games for Boston, but hit just .205/.300/.295 with no home runs and seven RBIs.  1968 would be his last season.

32.  George Thomas U.  In 1967, Thomas appeared at all three outfield positions, first base, and oddly, catcher for a game.  Thomas's saving grace was his versatility, since he was not much of a hitter.  He hit just .213/.255/.270 with one home run and six RBIs.

33.  Billy Rohr SP.  Rohr nearly pitched a no-hitter in his Major League debut.  And it was against the Yankees.  Future Red Sox Elston Howard broke it up in the ninth.  It was an electrifying debut, but the rest of his sole season in Boston was not nearly as impressive.  He was 2-3 with a 5.10 ERA, striking out 16 versus 22 walks in 42.1 innings.

34.  Jerry Adair IF.  Longtime Orioles second-baseman Adair was acquired by Boston to solidify the infield in June.  Adair had an impressive stint with Boston, hitting .291/.321/.367 with three home runs and 26 RBIs.  Adair spent almost equal time at third and short and also spent some time at second. 

35.  Ken Brett RP.  George Brett's older brother was a highly-touted prospect as well, possibly even moreso.  Brett made his Major League debut in 1967 as an 18-year-old and pitched in one game in the regular season, striking out two in two innings, giving up a run.  It was impressive enough that he pitched in two scoreless games in the World Series.

36.  Dick Williams MGR.  Williams played with Boston a few years earlier and took over the managerial position in 1967.  He led the team to an unexpected pennant in his first season.  Unfortunately, his tough-as-nails style did not go over well with most of the players as time went by and he was out as manager in 1969.  He would eventually be elected to the Hall of Fame.