1908 Boston Red Sox

1908 Boston Red Sox / Franchise: Boston Red Sox / BR Team Page

Record: 75-79, Finished 5th in American League (1908 AL)

Managed by Deacon McGuire and Fred Lake

Ballpark: Huntington Avenue Grounds

History, Comments, Contributions

The 1908 Boston Red Sox struggled to a 75-79-1 record and a 5th-place finish, but still had the second-best team batting average in the American League that year with an anemic mark of .245. Their offensive star was outfielder Doc Gessler, who slashed. 308/.394/.423 with a 162 OPS+; he was the team's top slugger, pacing it in home runs with 3, and also led in triples (14), RBI (63), total bases (184) and walks (51). The team's best base thief was second baseman Amby McConnell, who swiped 31 bags, while third baseman Harry Lord managed 23 steals. 41-year-old Cy Young was again the best pitcher on the club, going 21-11 with a 1.26 ERA in 299 innings pitched; he completed 30 of his 33 starts. Elmer Steele contributed a 1.83 ERA in 118 innings, while Cy Morgan won 14 games in 205 frames. The team was one of transition, as the old stars—Young, 44-year-old catcher Deacon McGuire (also the team's manager for part of the year) and 36-year-old catcher Lou Criger—were beginning to wind down their careers, while the new stars—20-year-old future Hall of Fame outfielder Tris Speaker, 18-year-old pitcher Smoky Joe Wood, 24-year-old starter Eddie Cicotte and 27-year-old outfielder Gavvy Cravath—were just beginning theirs. Wood and Cravath debuted that year, while 1908 marked Speaker's second cup of coffee and Cicotte's first full season.

Standings

American League	W	L	Pct.	GB
Detroit Tigers	90	63	.588	--
Cleveland Naps	90	64	.584	½
Chicago White Sox	88	64	.579	1½
St. Louis Browns	83	69	.546	6½
Boston Red Sox	75	79	.487	15½
Philadelphia Athletics	68	85	.444	22
Washington Senators	67	85	.441	22½
New York Highlanders	51	103	.331	39½