The Red Sox will retire Wade Boggs's #26 in a pre-game ceremony on May 26. It will be the 10th number retired by the team.
Boggs played 11 seasons with Boston (1982-92) and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2005. His .338 batting average with the Red Sox is second in team history (trailing only Ted Williams's .344). Boggs played more games at third base than any player in Red Sox history. He led the American League in Times On Base for eight consecutive seasons (1983-90).
(Brock Holt will switch to #12.)
Boggs is most certainly deserving of the honor. He was arguably the best player on the Red Sox in the 1980s: WAR of 59.9, dWAR of 9.4, OPS of .992. His play was so good that he forced the Sox to trade Carney Lansford a year after the latter won the AL batting crown. Being an oddball, i.e., a creature of habit, is what made him a success in baseball.
ReplyDeleteBack when batting average ruled the day, it was so exciting to see him put up these numbers year after year.
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