Boston Red Sox - The New Millenium (2000-2009)

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2000

Decade

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Titles:

Top Red Sox Players of the Nineties

2003 (Lost ALCS to Yankees)

2004 (Won World Series Sweeping Cards)

Pitchers:

2005 (Lost LDS to Chicago)

Tim Wakefield (25.04) - 61

2007 (Won World Series Sweeping Colorado)

Pedro Martinez (36.8) - 53

2008 (Lost ALCS to Tampa Bay)

Derek Lowe (14.99) - 52

2009 (Lost LDS to Anaheim)

Josh Beckett (17.53) - 44

Jonathan Papelbon (14.53) - 44

BallPark:

Curt Schilling (17.67) - 32

Fenway Park

Jon Lester (14.73) - 24

Daisuke Matsuzaka (9.88) - 21

Team Name:

John Burkett (2.49) - 12

Red Sox

Bronson Arroyo (5.7) - 11

Hideo Nomo (3.11) - 10

Owner:

Keith Foulke (4.06) - 8

Tom Yawkey Trust (2000-2001)

Mike Timlin (7.49) - 3

Ownership Group with Majority Owner John Henry 2001-2009

Hideki Okajima (6.65) - 0

Larry Lucchino Minority Owner and Team President (2001-2009)

Catchers:

General Managers:

Jason Varitek (20.77) - 79

Dan Duquette (2000-2002)

Theo Epstein (2002-2009)

First Basemen:

David Ortiz (27.42) - 55

Managers:

Kevin Millar (5) - 23

Jimmy Williams (2000-2001)

Brian Daubach (4.16) - 18

Joe Kerrigan (2001)

Grady Little (2002-2003)

Second Basemen:

Terry Francona (2004-2009)

Dustin Pedroia (15.73) - 23

Mark Bellhorn (4.13) - 6

No Hitters:

Hideo Nomo (2001)

ShortStop:

Derek Lowe (2002)

Nomar Garciaparra (20.76) - 42

Clay Buchholz (2007)

Jon Lester (2008)

Third Base:

Kevin Youkilis (21.8) - 38

Hall of Famers:

Mike Lowell (10.68) - 30

Pedro Martinez

Bill Mueller (10.08) - 23

David Ortiz

Shea Hillenbrand (5.26) - 9

Curt Schilling (Pending)

Manny Ramirez (Pending)

Outfield:

Manny Ramirez (33.22) - 70

Rookie of the Year:

Johnny Damon (16.5) - 49

Dustin Pedroia (2007)

Trot Nixon (19.56) - 48

Jacoby Ellsbury (6.43) - 27

MVP:

JD Drew (9.17) - 21

Dustin Pedroia (2008)

Coco Crisp (4.84) - 20

Carl Everett (5.72) - 16

Cy Young:

Jason Bay (7.15) - 11

Pedro Martinez (2000)

Notable Events:

2004 - Tery Francona is now manager because Grady Little blew the

2000 - A phenomenal decade for Boston, their best in ninety years.

2003 ALCS by leaving Pedro Martinez in the final game too long. In

Seven ninety win seasons and two World titles. Not to mention a

a decade filled with good luck for Boston, this was the best thing

bunch of exciting star players, lots of drama, and the fireworks of

that could have ever happened as Francona was a fantastic manager

sports' biggest rivalry, Yankees - Red Sox.

for the Sox after taking over for the scape-goated Little.

2000 - The Sox have solid pitching coming into the decade with starting

2004 - Nomar Garciaparra, unhappy in Boston and in the final year of

pitchers Pedro Martinez, 28, Derek Lowe, 27, and Tim Wakefield, 33.

his contract, is traded by the Sox to the Cubs. The Sox picked just the

They also have catcher Jason Varitek, 28, shortstop Nomar Garciaparra, 26,

right time to unload him because injuries killed his productivity from

and OF Trot Nixon, 26, but it's not enough to make them more than

this point on to the premature end of his career.

just a bit above mediocre as a team

2004 - The Red Sox, after an eighty six year drought, win a world

2001 - The Sox splurge and sign free agent outfielder Manny Ramirez, 29,

championship. Just to make it even better, they come from being down

to a huge 160 million dollar contract. Seeing how the Yawkey trust

three games to none and behind with two outs in the ninth inning with

sold the club at the end of the year, you would think that they

Yankee ace reliever Mariano Rivera on the mound to beat New York

decided to invest in Manny to make the club more attractive to buyers

in the ALCS on the way to the title. They won their last eight games

in the postseason to do it.

2002 - John Henry, who had been the owner of the Florida Marlins

franchise, buys the Red Sox from the Yawkey Trust in a deal brokered

2005 - Pedro Martinez bolts for the Mets in Free Agency. He's not the

by Commissioner Bud Selig. For Boston fans, the deal turns out to be

pitcher he once was. There was a flirtation with signing with the

a great one for them as Henry's management team of president Larry Lucchino,

Yankees, but George Steinbrenner had been weakened due to illness

general manager Theo Epstein and field manager Terry Francona creates

and the Yankees didn't make the move. It just wouldn't have been right,

a mini dynasty in Boston during the decade.

anyway. Just as it wasn't right for Boggs, Damon and Ellsbury, but more so.

2002 - The Sox embark on an eight year run thru the end of the decade where

2005 - 24 year old rookie Jonathan Papelbon joins the Sox bullpen

they win at least 93 games (in seven of the years). The core was in place

He was a fourth round pick in the '03 draft.

when Henry got there, but his management team got the Sox to the next

level and kept them there - all the while bellyaching about how the rival

2006 - LHP Jon Lester, 22, is a rookie. He was a 2nd round pick in '02.

Yankees were the evil empire.The irony being that the Sox were pretty evil

themselves by matching the Yankees in going after high priced free agents, not to

2006 - Altho' they have their only down year in the run (86 wins), the

mention who they had to step over to get the Boston franchise in the first place.

Sox make some significant additions to the squad which will once

again make them dominant moving forward. They pick up 26 year old

2002 - OF Johnny Damon, 28, and RHP John Burkett are signed as free agents

ace Josh Beckett and former Yankee farmhand third baseman

Mike Lowell, 32, from Florda for two outstanding young prospects in

2003 - David Ortiz, 26, is signed as a free agent. His production goes up

Hanley Ramirez and Annibal Sanchez. Lots of big time talent going

from being an average player, at best, with the Twins, who released

in both directions in this one. Kevin Youklis emerges as a top player

him, to being a superstar hitter overnight with Boston. Oh, by the way,

after being a scrub his first two seasons with the Sox.

Ortiz was on a list of possible steroid users that had been compiled by

Federal Investigators. While others on the list were absolutely villified

2007 - Dice-K, 26, is purchased from the Seibu Lions. He is the premier free

by the press, Ortiz, for some reason, got a free pass on his possible

agent pitcher of the offseason. The Sox also pick up outfielder JD Drew

drug usage from everyone while others such as Bonds, Rodriguez,

in free agency. Somehow, all of this spending is not evil according

Sosa and McGwire were absolutely villified for it. Go figure. It wouldn't

to Red Sox brass. Only Yankee spending is.

surprise anyone if Big Sloppy gets into the Hall of Fame while the others

are left standing at the altar. Big Sloppy never even got a suspension.

2007 - Twenty three year old rookie Jacoby Ellsbury joins the club

Being on the list, coupled with the sudden and monumental increase in

Ellsbury was a first round pick in the '05 draft.

his production, were two huge smoking guns that all chose to completely

ignore in their opinion of him as opposed to how others were being evaluated.

2007 - Dustin Pedroia joins the Sox as a twenty three year old rookie

and is an immediate star. He is rookie of the year in 2007 and league

2004 - The Sox obtain ace Curt Schilling, 37, from Arizona for four

MVP in 2008. Pedroia was a second round pick in '04. The Sox farm

mediocrities in a salary dump. This move puts Boston at the next

system is producing at an incredibly high level with players like Hanley

level as they've now got two aces at the top of the rotaion

Ramirez, Annibal Sanchez, Jonathan Papelbon, Kevin Youklis,

Jon Lester, Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia rolling off of the

2004 - 3B Kevin Youklis, 25, is a rookie. He was an 8th round pick in '01 draft.

assembly line.

2007 - The Sox win the world series, sweeping the Rockies, and are

clearly the top team in baseball.

2008 - A pair of twenty three year old rookie pitchers join the club,

Clay Buchholz and Justin Masterson. Buchholz was a first round pick in

the '05 draft. Masterson was a second round pick in the '06 draft.