The Boston Red Sox are a Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise based in Boston, Massachusetts. They have played in the American League since it was founded in 1901, and the American League East since divisions were introduced in 1969. The first game of each baseball season for a team is played on Opening Day, for which being named the starting pitcher is an honor. That honor is often given to the player who is expected to lead the pitching staff that season, [1] although there are various strategic reasons why a team's best pitcher might not start on Opening Day. [2]
Including the team's first 2023 game, the team has had 123 Opening Days. In those Opening Day games:
Decade | Team W–L–T | Pitchers' W–L (ND) | New starters† |
---|---|---|---|
1900s‡ | 4–5 | 4–5 | 4 (Kellum, Young, Winter, Arellanes) |
1910s | 5–4–1 | 5–4 (1) | 6 (Cicotte, Wood, Collins, Shore, Ruth, Mays) |
1920s | 3–7 | 3–6 (1) | 8 (Russell, Jones, Quinn, Ehmke, Ferguson, Harriss, Harriss, Ruffing) |
1930s | 5–5 | 4–4 (2) | 6 (Moore, Andrews, Rhodes, Ferrell, Bagby, Grove) |
1940s | 6–4 | 4–4 (2) | 6 (Wilson, Newsome, Hughson, Terry, Cecil, Dobson) |
1950s | 5–5 | 4–4 (2) | 4 (Parnell, Wight, Sullivan, Brewer) |
1960s | 5–5 | 3–4 (3) | 6 (Sturdivant, Monbouquette, Schwall, Wilson, Lonborg, Ellsworth) |
1970s | 6–4 | 5–2 (3) | 7 (Peters, Culp, Pattin, Tiant, Jenkins, Torrez, Eckersley) |
1980s | 2–8 | 2–3 (5) | 4 (Hurst, Boyd, Stanley, Clemens) |
1990s | 8–2 | 6–2 (2) | 3 (Sele, Gordon, Martinez) |
2000s | 4–6 | 3–3 (4) | 4 (Wells, Schilling, Matsuzaka, Beckett) |
2010s | 5–5 | 4–2 (4) | 5 (Lester, Buchholz, Price, Porcello, Sale) |
2020s | 1–3 | 1–2 (1) | 2 (Eovaldi, Kluber) |
TOTALS | 59–63–1 | 48–45 (30) | 65 |
‡ 1900s spans nine seasons, as 1901 was the team's first season.
† Number (and names) of pitchers making their first Opening Day start for the Red Sox franchise.
Season | Each year is linked to an article about that particular Red Sox season. |
W | Win |
L | Loss |
T | Tie |
ND (X) | No decision by starting pitcher; (X) indicates game outcome for Red Sox |
Pitcher (#) | Number of Opening Day starts for the Red Sox, if more than one |
* | Team advanced to the post-season |
** | American League (AL) Champions |
*** | World Series Champions |
† Announced starter—game date March 28, 2024
The Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame was instituted in 1995 to recognize the careers of selected former Boston Red Sox players, coaches and managers, and non-uniformed personnel. A 15-member selection committee of Red Sox broadcasters and executives, past and present media personnel, and representatives from The Sports Museum of New England and the BoSox Club are responsible for nominating candidates.
The following are the baseball events of the year 2003 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 2001 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1939 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1952 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1927 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1943 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1937 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1936 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 1934 throughout the world.
The following are the baseball events of the year 2007 throughout the world.
The 1901 Boston Americans season was the first season for the professional baseball franchise that later became known as the Boston Red Sox, and the first season of play for the American League (AL). It resulted in the Americans finishing second in the AL with a record of 79 wins and 57 losses, four games behind the Chicago White Stockings. The team was managed by Jimmy Collins and played its home games at Huntington Avenue Grounds.
The 1902 Boston Americans season was the second season for the professional baseball franchise that later became known as the Boston Red Sox. The Americans finished third in the American League (AL) with a record of 77 wins and 60 losses, 6+1⁄2 games behind the Philadelphia Athletics. The team was managed by Jimmy Collins and played its home games at Huntington Avenue Grounds.
The 1983 Major League Baseball season ended with the Baltimore Orioles defeating the Philadelphia Phillies in the fifth game of the World Series. Rick Dempsey was named MVP of the Series. The All-Star Game was held on July 6 at Comiskey Park; the American League won by a score of 13–3, with California Angels outfielder Fred Lynn being named MVP.
The 1960 Major League Baseball season was played from April 12 to October 13, 1960. It was the final season contested by 16 clubs and the final season that a 154-game schedule was played in both the American League and the National League. The AL began using the 162-game schedule the following season, with the NL following suit in 1962.
The 2012 Major League Baseball postseason was the playoff tournament of Major League Baseball for the 2012 season. The winners of the League Division Series moved on to the League Championship Series to determine the pennant winners that face each other in the World Series. A new Wild Card Game was introduced as the opening round of the postseason, which features the #4 and #5 seeds of each league, and the winner faced the top seed in the Division Series, marking the first expansion of the postseason since 1995. As a result of this new format, two teams from the same division can now meet in the Division Series. In the past, if the team with the best record in their league and the wild card resided in the same division, the wild card would instead be assigned to face the second-seeded division champion while the team with the best record in their league to face the third-seeded division champion. Meaning that the only way two teams in the same division could meet in the postseason would be the League Championship Series, provided both teams won their respective Division Series.