two time All Star Scott Cooper

Heh.

Game 45 - 2002 - Yankees 7 at Sox 10 - I remember this one. I was supposed to go but had to work very late (I left after the game ended). With my mother gleefully taking my tickets Bruce Chen put the Sox in a 6-3 hole

It was 2003. I think i went because it was supposed to be Pedro pitching but he was a game-day scratch.

Dammit you’re right, I mistyped that one. The funny thing is the job I was at I wasn’t at in 2002.

There was a sweet gamea 41-50 home win against the Yankees in 2002; Rickey scored the winning run.

Man does that list of names from 1987 take me back to my prime baseball-loving, little-league playing youth.

These are great trips down memory lane...

Reid Nichols! Was supposed to be the next Fred Lynn...
Ken Ryan! Our very own local Closer...

Tom Gordon notched his 11th save of the season extending his then record to 54 consecutive saves without blowing one.

Man, looking back, that whole Tom Gordon thing was some kind of amazing, wasn't it?

I mean, he was a MLB pitcher for like a decade before that, so it's not like they picked him up off the street. Still, his renaissance came from out of nowhere. In terms of out-of-nowhere stuff, what do we have?

1. Tim Wakefield, 1995+. Dude was struggling in the minors, and then released. Then he tied the record for career wins with the Red Sox.

2. Tom Gordon, 1998-99. Fifty-four consecutive saves.

3. Daniel Nava. He was once cut by the Chico Outlaws. The Outlaws eventually brought him back when they were desperate. He played like 8 seasons in the majors.

Are those the top three for Boston?

Off the top of my head I can’t think of too many others like that. Pitchers are weird beasts so there are a few odds ones in recent years (Hansack, Atchison, Velazquez) but to come up with that level of success I can’t think of too many more.

It still feels like I'm missing someone obvious.

Does Ortiz count?

A special game #50 for me was this one from 2001. It was part of a rare scheduled Monday and Wednesday 2-game series against New York. They lost the opener, and after the off day prevailed 3-0 to get back within a half game of first place. Pedro pitched 8 shutout, in what would be the middle of 3 consecutive starts for him facing the Yankees. He was still in his godly peak during the first 2 months of 2001 - he carried a 1.60 ERA into the day and lowered it. His outing ended with him striking out Jeter with a man on base to end the top of the 8th and he gave a twirling fist pump as he skipped off the mound afterwards.

There is a 3-minute highlight video on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak3T6BCmk-k