All-Time One-Year Wonder: Center Field

I'm going to do something a little different with the One-Year Wonder posts. I have decided to go position-by-position and see if I can determine who the best player at each position would be who only spent one year with the Red Sox. This requires a lot of time and research. I am not naming every single player who spent just one season with the Red Sox at each position, but just the better-known players. At the end of the post, I will pick the single best player for each position.

CENTER FIELD

BRAGGO ROTH - 1919

Braggo Roth is one hell of a baseball name.  Roth did not have a long career, just eight years, but he played for six different teams and has some success from time to time.  He split the 1915 season between the White Sox and Indians and ended up leading the league in home runs (7).  He had a decent run with the Indians in the late 1910's, hitting .286/.366/408 with Cleveland over parts of four seasons.  He started the 1919 season with the Athletics before being traded to Boston with Red Shannon for Amos Strunk and Jack Barry.  Roth played in 63 games the rest of the season, his only one with Boston, and hit .256/.337/.330 while stealing nine bases.  After the season, he and Shannon were again on the move, this time to Washington, for a package led by Mike Menosky.  Roth had one more decent season with Washington, then played for the Yankees before hanging it up.

TOM UMPHLETT - 1953

There is not much to say about Tom Umphlett really.  He played just three seasons in the Majors, one with Boston and two with Washington.  So, why is he here?  Well, because his one season in Boston saw him finish second in the Rookie of the Year vote, and I have a hard time ignoring that, even for a player who had a very limited career.  Umphlett hit .283/.331/.376 with three home runs and 59 RBIs as the Red Sox center fielder in 1953.  Not great numbers, but for a rookie, they were pretty solid.  Boston then packaged him along with Mickey McDermott to go to Washington in exchange for Jackie Jensen, which was a great deal for Boston.  Umphlett's numbers tanked and he was out of baseball after two dismal season.  Meanwhile, Jensen was a huge star in Boston.  Umphlett does have the distinction of being the all-time Red Sox leader in home runs for a player whose last name starts with "U" though.  So, there is that.

WILLIE TASBY - 1960

At the very least, Willie Tasby is the answer to an interesting piece of trivia.  He was the first black player the Red Sox acquired in a trade, and the third black player overall to play for the Red Sox.  Tasby came up with the Orioles and was a decent player for a few years, mostly due to his athleticism in center field.  The Red Sox shipped Gene Stephens to the Orioles in June of 1960 to acquire Tasby to shore up their outfield.  He turned in a decent season the rest of the way with the Red Sox, hitting .281/.371/.384 with seven home runs and 37 RBIs.  After the season though, he was selected by the new Washington Senators in the expansion draft in December.  He was decent in 1961, but struggled for a couple of seasons afterwards.  

BOBBY THOMSON - 1960

Thomson is mostly known for the "Shot Heard 'Round the World", the home run he hit off of Ralph Branca to propel the New York Giants to the NL Pennant over the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1951.  He played for the Giants for several years and had a lot of success, named to three All Star teams and receiving MVP votes in three seasons.  He drove in over 100 runs four times and typically hit 25-30 home runs for the Giants.  He later played a few seasons for the Braves and Cubs.  Thomson was traded to the Red Sox for Al Schroll prior to his final Major League season and played in 40 games, hitting .263/.323/.439 and hit the final five home runs of his career.  He was released by Boston early in July and caught on with the Orioles, for whom he finished his career.  Thomson barely qualifies at center field, he played 13 games in center and 12 in left for Boston.

OTIS NIXON - 1994

The Red Sox throughout the years have typically been a team bereft of speed.  That was certainly true throughout the 1980's and 1990's.  For one season, in 1994, the team made a conscious effort to change all of that, bringing in speedster Otis Nixon on a free agent contract from the Braves.  Nixon was just three years removed from a season in which he stole 72 bases and he had not stolen fewer than 35 since 1987.  He was definitely as advertized, stealing 42 bases, and likely would have stolen more had the season not been shortened due to the players' strike.  He could have broken the team record of 54 stolen bases.  Nixon was never much of a hitter and had very little power, relying on his speed to get on base.  He hit .274/.360/.317 with Boston with no home runs, 15 doubles, and one triple.  He drove in 25 and scored 60 runs.  Despite his reasonable success, Nixon was traded to Texas after the season in exchange for Jose Canseco.

MILT CUYLER - 1996

The mid 1990's saw the Red Sox experiment with a lot of low-risk acquisitions.  Some worked out, others definitely did not.  Milt Cuyler was one of a number of such players to be brought to the Red Sox for the 1996 season.  Cuyler had once been a bright prospect in the Detroit Tigers system and arrived in the Majors with much fanfare, finishing third in the Rookie of the Year vote in 1991 when he stole 41 bases.  Unfortunately, he was never again able to replicate that success.  He stayed with Detroit through the 1995 season, then Boston took a flyer on him.  He played in only 50 games with Boston and hit just .200/.299/.300 with two home runs, 12 RBIs, and seven stolen bases.  He was sent back to the minors and did not appear again the Majors until seven games with Texas in 1998.

ALEX COLE - 1996

Another speedster from the early 1990's that had fallen on hard times, Alex Cole finished ninth in the Rookie of the Year vote in 1990 when he was with the Indians.  That year, despite playing in just 63 games, Cole stole 40 bases.  He had a pretty good sophomore season, though his stolen base total dropped to 27.  After a rough start to the 1992 season, he was traded to the Pirates in July and also played for the Rockies and Twins, with varying amounts of success, and quite a few stolen bases.  Like Cuyler, Cole signed a low-risk deal with the Red Sox, and like Cuyler, he did not succeed.  Cole played just 24 games for the Red Sox with a line of .222/.296/.319 with five stolen bases.  Cole was just 30, but this was his last appearance in the Majors.

SHANE MACK - 1997

After two seasons in Japan, former Twins outfielder Shane Mack returned to the Major Leagues with the Red Sox on another low-risk signing.  The move was largely praised, and Mack, who once hit 18 home runs on the World Champion Twins, was predicted to have a big season.  He generally played pretty well, but he was not healthy enough and ended up only playing in 60 games for the Red Sox.  He hit an impressive .315/.368/.438 with three home runs and seven doubles in his short, injury-plagued stint with Boston.  He just did not quite work out as hoped, but it was a low risk.  After the season with Boston, Mack spent one more year in the Majors with Oakland and Kansas City.  

MARLON BYRD - 2012

Marlon Byrd has played 15 seasons with ten different Major League teams.  He came up with the Phillies and was a highly-touted prospect, finishing fourth in the Rookie of the Year vote in 2003.  He bounced from team to team, but managed to make an All Star team in 2010 while with the Cubs and had a 20 home run season in 2009 with the Rangers.  In 2012, Boston was having injury issues in the outfield and swung a deal with the Cubs to bring Byrd to Fenway.  Byrd did not really improve the outfield picture.  He played in 34 games with the Red Sox and hit just .270/.286/.320 with just one home run and seven RBIs.  Boston cut ties with him in June and he was suspended for failing a PED test.  He was able to resurrect his career the next season and continued his odyssey through the Major Leagues, until failing another test in 2016.    

THE BEST ONE-YEAR CENTER FIELDER

It was pretty slim pickings for center field.  Very few of the players here had good years.  And those that did, oftentimes did not play an entire season.  Ultimately, I decided on Nixon on the basis of the 42 stolen bases.  Despite his complete lack of power, he had a decent season with the bat, got on base at a decent clip, and of course, stole a lot of bases.  Only Tom Umphlett really came close, and he was generally better at the plate, but his numbers did not really catch the eye.  So Nixon's extreme speed gets him the nod.

1991-2016: All-Underrated Team: Right Field

I have been watching baseball for 26 years now. In that time, I have been obsessed with under-the-radar players. These are my picks for an All-Underrated Team. I have picked one player for each position and their best season.

I still do not understand how Trot Nixon was never an All Star.  For a three-year period from 2001 through 2003, Nixon was a terrific player with a 128 OPS+ and hit 79 home runs.  His best season though was undoubtedly 2003.  He was not an All Star and did not even receive any MVP votes despite a fantastic season. 

In 2003, Nixon hit .306/.396/.578 for a .975 OPS.  Those are MVP type numbers.  He was seventh in on-base percentage, fifth in slugging percentage, and fourth in OPS.  He was third in OPS+, actually higher than the MVP winner Alex Rodriguez.  He hit 28 home runs and drove in 87 runs for a team that won the Wild Card.  It was a 5.1 WAR season.  He was a decent right-fielder with good range as well.  It was the best season of Nixon's career.

What worked against Nixon was his inability to hit against left-handers and the fact that he played for a team that was so loaded with powerful hitters that Nixon was almost an afterthought.  Nixon's slash line was just .219/.296/.375 against lefties.  Nixon also was on the same team as Nomar Garciaparra, Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Kevin Millar, Jason Varitek, Bill Mueller, and Johnny Damon.  Despite all of that thunder, Nixon was tied for third in home runs, fifth in RBIs, and third in average, OBP, and slugging. 

In the postseason, Nixon was a difference maker.  He hit a walk-off home run to win Game 3 of the ALDS against the Athletics which shifted momentum to the Red Sox after the team was down two games to none.  Boston went on to win the ALDS series and play the Yankees in the ALCS.  Nixon hit .333 with three home runs and five RBIs in the ALCS loss to the Yankees.

Unfortunately, 2003 was Nixon's last great season.  Injuries took their toll on his career from then on, but he still had some good moments.  He played with Boston through 2006 before bouncing around a little after that.

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.

Season in Review: 1994

1994 was the year of the strike.  There was no postseason and no World Series.  As a young fan this was devastating.  I was only 13 years old at the time.  I did not really understand what was going on and I kept hoping they would come back and finish the season.  But they did not.  Boston was fairly underwhelming that year, going 54-61 under Butch Hobson.  It was Hobson's last season as manager.

FIVE FAVORITE PLAYERS:
Mo Vaughn
Vaughn was on the verge of an even better year than his 1993 season.  At the time of the strike he was hitting .310/.408/.576 with 26 home runs and 82 RBIs.  He could have easily broken his career marks with a full season.  He was becoming an offensive force for the Red Sox by this point.  And the best was yet to come.

John Valentin
By this point, Valentin was one of the most underrated players in baseball.  Valentin was hitting .316/.400/.505 with nine home runs and 49 RBIs.  His biggest moment of the 1994 season was turning an unassisted triple play.

Roger Clemens
He did not have a great record, but for the most part Clemens was back to his usual form.  He only finished 9-7 but Boston was not terribly good that year.  He did finish second in the league with a 2.85 ERA and 168 strikeouts.  So for the most part it was back to being a dominant pitcher for Clemens.

Scott Cooper
Cooper had his second straight All Star selection in 1994 and his numbers for the most part were better.  He was hitting .282/.333/.453 with 13 home runs and 53 RBIs.  He also hit for the cycle against the Royals.  I remember listening to that game on the radio, I lived close enough to Kansas City to hear the games on the radio.

Andre Dawson
Dawson was definitely on his last legs as a Major Leaguer by this point, but I still enjoyed watching him because I knew he would be in the Hall of Fame some day.  His batting line was a less than impressive .240/.271/.466, but he did hit 16 home runs.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Aaron Sele
Following up his successful rookie season, Sele emerged as a decent number two starter for Boston.  His record was only 8-7 but he did pitch to a 3.83 ERA and 105 strikeouts.

Tom Brunansky
Bruno was re-acquired in a trade with the Brewers early in the season for Dave Valle after right-fielder Billy Hatcher was traded to the Phillies.  Bruno helped to add some offense, something that was lacking for the team that season.  He finished the season hitting .237/.319/.475 with ten home runs.  He was done as a Major Leaguer after 1994.

Mike Greenwell
Greenwell was hurt often in 1994, playing only 95 games.  His numbers were down to .269/.348/.453 but he did hit 11 home runs.

FAVORITE ACQUISITION
Otis Nixon
I had been watching the Red Sox for only four years as of 1994, and the most stolen bases in one season I had seen was Scott Fletcher's 16 in 1993.  So I was excited to see Otis Nixon acquired by the Red Sox.  Finally they had someone who could steal a lot of bases.  Nixon hit .274/.360/.317 in 1994.  His OBP and average were actually better than his career numbers, so it was a successful season for him.  He stole 42 bases and would have easily broken the team record if not for the strike.

FAVORITE ROOKIE
Rich Rowland
Acquired in a trade prior to the season for catcher John Flaherty.  Rowland had played in September in each of the prior four seasons and finally got a chance to play in 1994.  He became the backup to Damon Berryhill but showed some impressive power, hitting nine home runs with a .483 slugging percentage in 46 games.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS
Dave Valle
Valle was acquired as part of a complete catcher overall in 1994.  Gone were Tony Pena, Bob Melvin, and John Flaherty.  Valle, Berryhill, and Rowland were all new to the organization.  Valle was expected to be the starter, but only hit .158/.256/.250 and was shipped to the Brewers for Brunansky.

Greg Harris
One year after a great season out of the bullpen, Harris's ERA ballooned to 8.28.  The amount of work the season prior must have taken a toll on the 38 year old.

Unknown Heroes Pt. 24: Trot Nixon

Trot Nixon was not a completely unknown player. He was the seventh overall pick in the 1993 draft and of course he was a big player on the 2004 World Champion Red Sox. But Nixon did not develop into the player he was expected to be when he was drafted and he was never an All Star. Nixon never received a single MVP vote. He played well, but he mostly played under the radar.

Nixon had a couple of brief stints with the Red Sox in 1996 and 1998 before making the big leagues for good in 1999. He immediately showed the kind of player he would become with a high on-base percentage, some power, and strong defense. Nixon emerged as a very good player in 2001 when he hit .280/.376/.505 with 27 home runs and 88 RBIs. He was one of the most consistent offensive players on the team that year.

He had a similar power year in 2002, but his batting average and on-base percentage dropped. Then in 2003, he had his best season, hitting .306/.396/.578 with 28 home runs and 87 RBIs. He finished in the top ten that year in on-base percentage and slugging percentage. Yet he was not an All Star or received an MVP vote, even though the Red Sox were in contention that year.

Injuries started to take their toll in 2004, though he was healthy by the time the World Series came around and he hit .357/.400/.507 in the Series. He was back to being a regular in 2005, but his numbers were not as impressive and they declined even more in 2006. The Red Sox let him go to Cleveland after the season signing the similar J.D. Drew instead. Nixon was done as a regular though and did not play much with the Indians. He ended his career with 11 games with the Mets in 2008.

Nixon is the original Boston Dirt Dog and he will always be remembered fondly.

Boxscore: May 26, 2006 Red Sox 8 vs. Devil Rays 4

This is the only game so far that I have attended at Fenway Park.

My parents took me to Boston as a gift for graduating from law school. We spent a long weekend there doing a bunch of tourist stuff. The main reason for going though was to see this game. We were lucky to see a game at all as it was raining pretty hard immediately before the game.

David Wells started the game and pitched pretty well for 4.1 innings until being taken out after a line drive caught him in the knee. He gave up five hits and one earned run on a home run to Carl Crawford. Julian Tavarez came in to pitch 2.1 innings to pick up the win. He gave up two more runs. Keith Foulke pitched .1 innings and gave up another run. Rudy Seanez then came in to pitch 1.2 innings and handed it off to Jonathan Papelbon, the rookie closer who saved the game, getting the last out. The Red Sox bullpen got the job done, but it was pretty ugly. That was not a good year for the bullpen other than Papelbon.

The offensive star was Mike Lowell who had three hits, including a home run and a double. He drove in two runs. David Ortiz also added a double and single, driving in four. The other two runs were driven in by Mark Loretta and Trot Nixon. Kevin Youkilis, Jason Varitek, and Wily Mo Pena each had a single and a run. Alex Gonzalez had three hits and a run. Manny Ramirez also had a single and Willie Harris appeared as a defensive replacement for Pena.

All in all, this was a great game and is still the only time I have been to Fenway Park.

Underrated Seasons: Trot Nixon 2003

Trot Nixon put up some big years, which were not really noticed. I think a lot of this had to do with the fact that he was often replaced in the lineup due to having some problems with left-handed pitching. Nevertheless, he really had some great years and 2003 was the best of them.

In 2003, Nixon put up a slash line of .306/.396/.578/.975, all of which were career highs, by a significant margin. Nixon also 28 home runs, a career high, and drove in 87 runs. He also walked 65 times. Nixon's OPS+ was 149 and his WAR was 3.7, those are big-time numbers. Yet, Nixon was neither an All Star, nor a Silver Slugger, and he did not garner a single MVP vote, despite playing for a playoff-bound Red Sox team.

Defensively, Nixon struggled a bit in 2003, despite being otherwise a great defensive player. Still, Nixon had a big year at the plate and was not really noticed much for it.

Boxscore: May 20, 2001 Red Sox 10 Royals 3

This one ranks as my personal favorite Red Sox game I attended. A couple of friends and I decided after our sophomore years of college were over to do a road trip down to Kansas City to see the Royals take on the Red Sox on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. My friends were huge Royals fan so there was some good-natured banter going on during the drive down there.

Well, the Red Sox absolutely beat the Royals into submission that day. The final score was 10-3, and the Red Sox hit five home runs.

Jason Varitek was the star of the day, hitting three home runs himself and driving in seven of the Red Sox runs. He also had a run-scoring single to go 4-4 with three runs scored. He came into the game with only two home runs on the year. Varitek looked to be a breakout star that year, but he broke his elbow making a sliding catch before the All Star game and was out the rest of the year. This though, was one of his best games.

The game also featured home runs from Carl Everett and Manny Ramirez, in addition to doubles by Ramirez, Dante Bichette, and Brian Daubach. Trot Nixon drove in the other Red Sox run. Shea Hillenbrand also had two hits in the game and scored three times. Jose Offerman also had a hit and Mike Lansing, Darren Lewis, and Scott Hatteberg all appeared in the game. Offerman had a terrible day on defense committing two errors, and Bichette also had one in the outfield.

Frank Castillo started the game and had a great performance, pitching six innings and giving up one unearned run. He struck out three. Rich Garces and former Royal Hipolito Pichardo also appeared in the game, each surrendering a run.

One Year Wonder Pt. 2: Otis Nixon

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.

OTIS NIXON
Otis Nixon was never a star player. His skill set was not one that was built to last for a long time in the major leagues. He never hit for particularly high batting averages, he had little to no power, and he did not walk a lot. However, Nixon was fast. Very fast.

Otis Nixon was often put out in center field and batted leadoff, because that's just what you did with fast players. However, he was not a particularly gifted defensive outfielder, and he really did not get on base quite often enough to be an effective leadoff hitter. He was just fast, and that was it.

Nixon was signed by the Red Sox as a free agent prior to the 1994 season. I was very interested in this signing because in the three years that I had been following the Red Sox, the player with the most stolen bases in one season was Scott Fletcher, who stole 16 in 1993. The Red Sox have not historically been big on stolen bases. Their team season record was 54, a modestly high number, but not a great number. So, having a player who stole 72 bases a couple of seasons earlier presented an interesting possibility.

Otis Nixon performed exactly as he was expected to in 1994. He batted .274, a decent, but not particularly good batting average, with 55 walks to make a .360 on-base percentage, one of just a few years where he had a little better than average OBP. He did not hit a single home run, had only one triple, and 15 doubles, so his slugging percentage was a painfully low .317. But, he stole 42 bases in 52 attempts. And, he would have easily taken the season record for stolen bases, had the 1994 season not been shortened by the strike. Nixon was on pace to steal 59 bases that year.

Unfortunately, Nixon would not be given another chance at breaking the Red Sox single season stolen base record. He was packaged along with Luis Ortiz in a trade to the Texas Rangers for another unusual veteran to play for the Red Sox, Jose Canseco. Nixon stole 54 bases for Texas in 1996 and 59 for Toronto and Los Angeles in 1997. He could have easily broken the team record. Instead, I had to wait until 2009 when Jacoby Ellsbury stole 70 bases to finally see that record fall. It could have been much earlier.

Boxscore: August 9, 1999 Red Sox vs. Royals

August 9, 1999.

This was the third Red Sox game I attended and, like the previous two, this was also in Kansas City. The Royals seemed to have Boston's number at times, and they won this game as well, 5-2. The Red Sox apparently could not do anything against former Sox prospect Jeff Suppan. It did not really help that they had Mark Portugal on the mound who was suffering through a terrible season. Portugal did pitch six decent innings this time out though, giving up all five runs, four were earned and struck out one and walked one. Jermaine Dye hit two home runs off of Portugal in the game.

Well, le's start with the good things that happened in this game, and there were not very many. Trot Nixon and Troy O'Leary each hit home runs, of course no one was on base when they did. Brian Daubach and Reggie Jefferson both hit triples. And that was all the hits Boston had. Pretty weird when a team only has four hits, two of which were triples, and two were home runs. Jose Offerman, Darren Lewis, and Nomar Garciaparra each reached base on walks. Lewis threw out a runner at second. Bryce Florie only gave up two hits in two innings of relief and struck out one.

Other than that, Jason Varitek and Donnie Sadler were the other players to play in the game, neither of whom did much. Most of the Royals offense was supplied by Dye, but Johnny Damon had three hits and drove in a run, and Mike Sweeney drove in the other run. Just another failed Red Sox/Royals game.