1955 Boston Red Sox season

1955 Boston Red Sox
Major League affiliations
Location
Other information
Owner(s) Tom Yawkey
General manager(s) Joe Cronin
Manager(s) Pinky Higgins
Local television WBZ-TV, Ch. 4 and WNAC-TV, Ch. 7
Local radio WHDH-AM 850
(Curt Gowdy, Bob Murphy, Tom Hussey)
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The 1955 Boston Red Sox season was the 55th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished fourth in the American League (AL) with a record of 84 wins and 70 losses.

Offseason

Regular season

After finishing fourth — but 42 games behind the pennant-winning Cleveland Indians — in 1954, the 1955 Red Sox improved substantially, gaining 15 games in the win column (although again finishing fourth). The Red Sox played especially well throughout the early and middle parts of the season, seemingly in pennant contention for the first time since 1950. Much of the improvement was ascribed to rookie manager Pinky Higgins, promoted to Boston after eight years as a skipper in the team's farm system.

But the Red Sox' improvement on the field was overshadowed by the sudden illness and death, on June 27, of the team's sophomore first baseman, Harry Agganis. Perhaps the most celebrated Boston-area athlete of the 20th century, the Lynn, Massachusetts, native had starred in football as the quarterback of the Boston University Terriers before signing a professional baseball contract with the Red Sox. He was batting .313 in 83 at bats on June 2 when he was initially taken ill with pneumonia. He died less than four weeks later, at 26, of a massive pulmonary embolism.

Season standings

American League W L Pct. GB
New York Yankees9658.623--
Cleveland Indians9361.6043
Chicago White Sox9163.5915
Boston Red Sox8470.54512
Detroit Tigers7975.51317
Kansas City Athletics6391.40933
Baltimore Orioles5797.37039
Washington Senators53101.34443

Record vs. opponents

1955 American League Records

Sources:
Team BAL BOS CWS CLE DET KC NYY WSH
Baltimore —8–1410–12–13–199–1310–12–13–1914–8
Boston 14–8—9–1311–1113–914–88–1415–7
Chicago 12–10–113–9—10–1214–814–811–1117–5
Cleveland 19–311–1112–10—12–1017–513–99–13
Detroit 13–99–138–1410–12—12–1010–1217–5
Kansas City 12–10–18–148–145–1710–12—7–1513–9
New York 19–314–811–119–1312–1015–7—16–6
Washington 8–147–155–1713–95–179–136–16—

Opening Day lineup

10Billy Goodman2B
20Eddie JoostSS
26Faye Throneberry    LF
  4Jackie JensenRF
  8Sammy WhiteC
  3Norm Zauchin1B
12Ted Lepcio3B
37Jimmy PiersallCF
18Frank SullivanP

Notable transactions

Roster

1955 Boston Red Sox
Roster
Pitchers Catchers

Infielders

 Outfielders Manager

Coaches

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Pos Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI
2BBilly Goodman149599176.294052

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI
Harry Agganis258326.313010
Owen Friend144211.26202

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player G IP W L ERA SO
Tom Brewer31192.211104.2091

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player G IP W L ERA SO
Frank Baumann734210.001

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player G W L SV ERA SO
Dick Brodowski161005.6310
Bob Smith10000.001

Farm system

Level Team League Manager
AAA Louisville Colonels American Association Red Marion
A Montgomery Rebels Sally League Eddie Popowski and Fred Maguire
B Greensboro Patriots Carolina League Elmer Yoter
C San Jose Red Sox California League Sheriff Robinson
D Bluefield Blue-Grays Appalachian League Len Okrie
D Corning Red Sox PONY League Glenn Wright

[2]

Notes

  1. 1 2 Owen Friend page at Baseball Reference
  2. ↑ Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 2nd edition. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 2007

References

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