One team man....Boston’s Red stockings.....great wherever in the field....went on impressive consecutive error free game at both shortstop and then over to 3rd base.....conversion circa 1971.....occasionally exceptional at the bat....tailor-made his swing to compliment the Green Monster....Signed as a free agent in 1961 for 40K....MLB start in 1965....mixed results for the first two summers.... through patience Rico and other new Bostonian peers upped their game and propelled the team through a heated pennant race and unlikely 1967 World Series appearance.....Set a marks on the field and at the plate in 1969; set record for homers by a shortstop with 40 and tied for fewest errors by an AL shortstop .....was the AL all-star game as a starter.....Never regained that over the fence frequency but was able to put together reliable years.....as time wore on personal output sputtered.....weighted down by 6 weeks on the injury list 1973..... last season in the black offensively was 1974 by putting up a 15 hrs, 75 RBIs, and .276 BA.....A twenty-eight point drop in BA and halving of power numbers in 1975 were attributed to inner ear issues but more importantly spelled imminent turnover nevertheless.....a bright note did account well for himself with 8 hits his second fall classic.....alas Red Sox were denied again.....Swan song year of 1976, essential role was to groom a young Butch Hobson to the lime light......grand totals were 210 home runs, 134 taking place at the Fenway homestead.....Hobbies were playing the drums, basketball, drag racing, the later two most likely drove management crazy....Still held in high esteem in Massachusetts and New England....Not bad for Brooklyn native transplanted into rival Bean Town.
Surprising power for a shortstop back in those days.
ReplyDeleteYes but some of it was the short Fenway wall. 1969 was the exceptional year. Bert Campaneris had a year like that in 1970.
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