| 1966 Boston Red Sox | ||
|---|---|---|
| League | American League | |
| Ballpark | Fenway Park | |
| City | Boston, Massachusetts | |
| Record | 72–90 (.444) | |
| League place | 9th | |
| Owners | Tom Yawkey | |
| President | Tom Yawkey | |
| General managers | Dick O'Connell | |
| Managers |
| |
| Television | WHDH-TV, Ch. 5 | |
| Radio | WHDH-AM 850 (Ken Coleman, Ned Martin, Mel Parnell) | |
| Stats | ESPN.com Baseball Reference | |
| ||
The 1966 Boston Red Sox season was the 66th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished ninth in the American League (AL) with a record of 72 wins and 90 losses, 26 games behind the AL and World Series champion Baltimore Orioles. After this season, the Red Sox would not lose 90 games again until 2012.
The Red Sox drew 811,172 fans to Fenway Park, eighth in the ten-team Junior Circuit and 16th among the 20 MLB franchises.[1] The team's home schedule ended September 18 so that Fenway Park could be converted for use by the Boston Patriots of the American Football League, whose first home game was September 25. The Red Sox' full 162-game season also concluded early, on Tuesday, September 27, five days before the other 19 MLB clubs.[2]
The 1966 season saw the debut of two rookies, first baseman George Scott, 22, who had captured the Triple Crown of the Double-A Eastern League in 1965, and third baseman Joe Foy, 23, who the previous year had won The Sporting News Minor League Player of the Year Award as a member of the Triple-A Toronto Maple Leafs. Both won regular jobs and Scott was selected to the 1966 AL All-Star squad. Fellow rookies Mike Andrews, 23, and Reggie Smith, 21, got their first taste of MLB action as September call-ups from Toronto.
The Red Sox were also active in the trade market, acquiring players such as John Wyatt, Lee Stange and José Tartabull who, with Scott, Foy, Smith and Andrews, will play key roles on their 1967 team.[3]
After a terrible three months (27–47, .365) from April through June, the club was able to win 45 of its final 88 games (.511).[4] Eventual Hall of Fame second baseman Billy Herman did not survive a second full season as the Red Sox' manager. He was fired September 8 with his 64–82 team in ninth place. Coach Pete Runnels filled in as interim manager for Boston's final 16 games, winning half of them. Then, on September 28, the day after their season ended, the Red Sox promoted Dick Williams, 37, from two-time Governors Cup champion Toronto and signed him to a one-year contract as their skipper for 1967.