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The 2023 Red Sox: By the numbers

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The 2023 Red Sox: By the numbers


Baseball is a numbers game. It has always been a numbers game.

Number of games played, homers hit, runs driven in, strikeouts, walks. Wins and losses. Averages and percentages. Single-season and career statistics. Record highs and personal worsts.

That’s not even getting into the advanced metrics of the modern era.

One stat alone won’t tell the full story. In 2023, the Red Sox finished 78-84, in last place for the third time in four seasons. But their record belies how great they were at times, on both individual and collective levels.

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To truly understand this team, why they flourished, faltered, and how they ultimately failed, one must examine the numbers behind the numbers. So, one last time before the calendar page mercifully flips to a new year and clean slate, here are the 2023 Red Sox by the numbers:

Record and records

Here’s an odd bit of trivia: this was the ninth season in which the Red Sox won exactly 78 games, but only the sixth time they also finished with exactly 84 losses. The 1905, 1911, and 1935 teams each compiled 78 wins, but only 74 or 75 losses, making them three winning seasons.

Also hidden within their record were some unfortunate firsts. Among them, an early September contest which became the first 9-inning loss in franchise history in which the Red Sox collected at least 21 hits.

For the third year running, the Red Sox led all Major League teams in doubles (339). Excluding the shortened 2020 season, that streak goes back to 2018. They were second in the game in batting average on balls in play (BABIP), and ranked sixth in batting average (.258) and ninth in slugging percentage (.424). They were fourth in hits (1,437), 11th in runs (772) and RBI (734), but a lack of power left them 18th in homers (182). They were a respectable 13th in strikeouts (1,372), but didn’t draw nearly enough walks (24th, 486), and left 1,117 men on base, 12th-most in the Majors.

What really did them in, though, was starting pitching or lack thereof. With an all-too-familiar dearth of durability in the rotation, 17 different pitchers cobbled together starts for Boston in 2023. Quality starts – at least six innings, no more than three earned runs – were few and far between. There were 47 of them this year, an improvement of exactly one over last year’s mark. In fact, the last four seasons have yielded the club’s lowest quality-start counts of the Live Ball Era, which began in 1920.

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However, Kutter Crawford made franchise history as the first pitcher to record as many as four games of at least six innings pitched and one hit allowed in a single season. He and National League Cy Young winner Blake Snell led the Majors with four such outings apiece.

Speaking of Cy Young awards, relievers aren’t typically in the conversation – the last bullpen arm to take home the prestigious pitching accolade was Eric Gagne with the Dodgers in ‘03 – but Chris Martin received a fifth-place vote this year, and finished 12th overall for AL Cy Young. He posted a 1.05 ERA over 55 appearances for Boston this season, and consistently carried the later inning workload for almost the entire season.

Justin Turner spent his age-38 season doing things the David Ortiz way. He joined Ortiz and Bob Johnson as the only Red Sox players to drive in 96 or more runs in a single season at 38 or older.

And how many rookie-eligible players have drawn 70 or more walks in a single season? Triston Casas just became the sixth in franchise history. He did so in 132 games, second only to Billy Goodman’s 1948 season, when he walked 74 times in 127 contests. Casas also became the fifth Red Sox rookie under 24 years old to homer at least 24 times in a single season, and the first since Nomar Garciaparra in 1997.

Debuts

Thanks to a replenished farm system, when the Red Sox needed reinforcements, they were able to call up some high-caliber talent. Eight players made their major league debuts in the following order: Masataka Yoshida, Enmanuel Valdez, Chris Murphy, Joe Jacques, David Hamilton, Brandon Walter, Wilyer Abreu, and Ceddanne Rafaela.

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The farm system, meanwhile, improved to No. 5 in Baseball America’s organizational rankings, and No. 2 in FanGraphs’.

Memorable Milestones

In May, Kenley Jansen became the seventh pitcher in MLB history to convert 400 saves. Two weeks later, former Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel joined him in the club. Oddly enough, both picked up No. 400 in Atlanta, against a team they both played for previously.

Devers reached and promptly blew past 150 career home runs, 200 career doubles, and 500 career RBI. With his 400th career extra-base hit in mid-September, he became the first player in franchise history to reach the mark before turning 27. (Ted Williams would’ve done it, if not for his three years of military service in World War II.)

Adam Duvall passed the 400 career runs and 500 career RBI marks, and Justin Turner reached 300 doubles. Before getting traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Kiké Hernández picked up career home run No. 100.

Payroll

Last, but certainly not least, the bottom line.

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Last December, Chaim Bloom gave Masataka Yoshida a five-year contract for $90 million, the largest ever for a Japanese position player. Then, in January, Devers signed a franchise-record 10-year contract extension worth $313.5 million, far surpassing the previous record: the seven-year, $217M they gave David Price in 2015.

However, overall spending headed in the opposite direction. After finishing in last place with a payroll over the Competitive Balance Threshold in 2022, the Red Sox reset their penalties this year. Despite vocal pleas from their players to bring in reinforcements before the midsummer trade deadline, the brass stood pat. According to Spotrac, Boston finished the season with just under $222.5 million in luxury tax spending, leaving over $10 million in space. That put them 12th in the league in spending.

While the Red Sox came under fire for scrimping, it’s worth pointing out that the three top spenders this year, the Mets ($374.6M), Yankees ($296.3M), and Padres ($291.2M), all missed the postseason, too.



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Boston, MA

Boston Police Blotter: City snow slowly but surely getting removed

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Boston Police Blotter: City snow slowly but surely getting removed


The Boston Police Department reported a lower-than-usual number of incidents in the 24-hour period leading up to 10 a.m. Saturday, which could be attributed to temperatures in the single-digits and the massive amount of snow still on the ground.

But Boston Public Works says they’re on the second one.

“No rest for the weary! After another successful night of large-scale snow removal across #Boston, PWD district continue work today removing snow banks and clearing alleys, crosswalks & crub ramps to improve safety and accessibility,” the city department reported Friday.

They were at it again Saturday, when they reported they had cleared more than 2,667 loads of snow from city streets — totaling 41,168 cubic yards.

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Incident Summary

BPD responded to 178 incidents in the 24-hour period ending at 10 a.m. Saturday, according to the department’s incident log. Those included three aggravated assaults and 18 instances of miscellaneous larceny.

Arrests

All of the below-named defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

— Juan Martinez, 120 Southampton St., Boston. Shoplifting.

— Theodore Murray, 242 Highland Ave., Somerville. External warrant arrest.

— Keith Cunningham, 450 Boston Post Road, Marlboro. Assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

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— Arjan Vladi, 5337 Washington St., Boston. Possession of Class E drugs.

Courtesy/Boston BPW

Boston Public Works Department workers have been hard at work clearing the massive amount of snow covering Boston. (Courtesy/Boston BPW)



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‘ICE Out Everywhere’: Protesters to rally on Boston Common today

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‘ICE Out Everywhere’: Protesters to rally on Boston Common today


Protesters will gather in Boston today at a mass rally demanding an end to all state and local cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and calling for stronger protections for immigrant communities.

The 11:30 a.m. “ICE Out Everywhere” rally, organized by Mass 50501, UU Mass Action, Indivisible Mass Coalition, Boston PSL, MEJA, and allied groups, will feature speakers, signs, and collective action that is expected to focus on nonviolent resistance, mutual aid, and community protection, according to organizers.

Participants were encouraged to bring signs, friends and their voices as they collective call on state leaders to take concrete steps to stop collaboration with ICE.

Protesters gathered in cities across the country calling for an end to ICE’s crackdown, with participants saying it’s become an issue of human rights.

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This rally comes after the national day of action on Friday, where a call to action on social media said no work, no school, and no shopping all in support of a general strike against ICE and the immigration enforcement that’s been happening across the country.

Businesses across New England answered the call to close. Other local businesses shared messages of support for the strike, but many said they couldn’t afford to close, so they supported the effort through donations.

Crowds also gathered in the streets of Boston on Friday afternoon, calling for a stop to ICE activity, citing the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, as well as confrontations in other cities.



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Boston College Men’s hockey takes down Boston University ahead of Beanpot

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Boston College Men’s hockey takes down Boston University ahead of Beanpot


BOSTON – Boston College took care of business on Commonwealth Ave before taking the fight to Causeway Street.

The Eagles emerged victorious in the 299th Battle of Commonwealth Ave., beating rival Boston University 4-1 on Friday night at Agganis Arena.

The Hockey East blood feud served as a dress rehearsal for Monday night’s 73rd Annual Beanpot Hockey Tournament twin bill on Monday night at the TD Garden.

“You want to have momentum and positive energy,” said BC coach Greg Brown. “We are kind of trending in the right direction.”

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No. 13 BC improved to 14-8-1 overall, 10-5-0 in Hockey East and will face Harvard in the opener at 5 p.m. The defending Beanpot champion Terriers fell to 12-13-1, 8-10-0 in Hockey East, and will take on Northeastern in the nightcap (8). No. 9 BU beat No. 1 BC, 4-1, in last year’s Beanpot title game.

“There is not much you can do and you have to give yourself an opportunity Monday to try and get to that next Monday at the right time,” said BU coach Jay Pandolfo, who won two straight Beanpots as a BU player. “I think that is what we have to focus on and if you keep dwelling on what is happening now, that is not going to help us.

“We all know where we are at this point. This is a good opportunity to win a game on Monday and have a chance to play for a championship. But you have to get the job done Monday first and it comes quickly.”

BC freshman goaltender Louka Cloutier was the difference maker in the contest. The reigning Hockey East Rookie of the Week made 33 saves to record his 13th win.

“He’s been great and his mental attitude has been outstanding whether the momentum is on their side or our side,” said Brown. “When they made a real push Louka was excellent for us.”

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The Terriers peppered the BC cage from the opening faceoff with four quality shots, but it was the Eagles that netted the opener at3:28 of the first.

Freshman right wing Oscar Hemming crashed the BU zone and his wrister from the left circle was blocked by BU defenseman Charlie Trethewey. Senior center Andre Gasseau collected the rebound in the slot and flicked a wobbler past Terriers’ goalie Mikhail Yegorov for his fourth of the season. BC hasn’t won the Beanpot since 2016 and Gasseau enters his final tournament with a senior’s sense of urgency and a scorer’s sense of confidence.

“We’ve gone through with a different group every year and obviously this is my last year and I want to win it,” said Gasseau. “You take pride in winning those games and winning those tournaments and we are going to win it this year. I have no doubt.”

BC appeared to go up 2-0 on the power play with 49 seconds on the clock. Pandolfo issued a coach’s challenge on the grounds that the Eagles were offside and the goal was disallowed. Cloutier stymied two BU power plays and several even strength challenges and exited the frame with 15 saves.

BC went up 2-0 on a brilliantly executed 2-on-1 by a pair of Boston Bruins first round draft picks. Center Dean Letourneau forced a neutral zone turnover and broke in down the left side with left wing James Hagens in pursuit on the opposite flank. Letourneau feigned a shot and fed Hagens, who beat Yegorov with a wrist shot top shelf on the glove side for his 12th of the season.

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“They are very good players and they practice hard,” said Brown. “For years you work for those situations and to execute in those situations because you don’t get a ton of two-on-one’s in a college hockey game.

“The fact they got the opportunity and executed on it was huge and you see that in the NHL, that’s what those guys do.”

Letourneau put BC up 3-0 with his 14th of the season at 16:53 of the second. Bruins draft pick Will Moore collected a loose puck on the end boards and fed Letourneau, who was left unattended in the low slot. Letourneau made a quick flick of the wrist and beat Yegorov to the near post on the stick side. BU exited the middle frame with a 23-13 advantage in shots on goal.

BU averted the shutout on the power play at 37 seconds into the third period. Junior Jack Harvey flipped a wobbler that rolled over Cloutier’s shoulder and into the goal for his ninth of the season.



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