Then
in 1933 Tom Yawkey took over a struggling Boston franchise
and spent the following four decades building a successful
ballclub that mirrored the passion of its owner. In 1934 Lefty
Grove came to the Red Sox with a resumŽ that was as impressive
as the fastball his left arm uncorked. Next year Joe Cronin
stepped up to the plate. If ever there was a man who deserved
to be called "Mr. Baseball," it was Joe Cronin. His playing
career as a shortstop began in 1926 in Pittsburgh. In 1928,
Cronin joined the Washington Senators and was appointed player/manager
in 1933, capturing his first pennant that year. Soon in 1936
Jimmy Foxx became one of baseball's greats. At first glance
it would appear Jimmie Foxx and Fenway Park were made for
each other. In fact, on his arrival in Boston after owner
Tom Yawkey purchased the big first baseman from Philadelphia,
Foxx said, "My dream has come true." In 1937, although he
played in the shadow of players like Ted Williams and Jimmie
Foxx, Bobby Doerr has to be considered one of the greatest
Red Sox players ever. During his 14 year Hall of Fame career,
Doerr established himself as one of the most productive and
consistent second basemen of his era. Ted Williams, considered
by many to be the greatest hitter to ever play the game of
baseball, Ted Williams is a true personification of the Red
Sox mystique. He amassed 521 home runs, including a dramatic
farewell homer on his last at bat in 1960. In 1941 "Teddy
Ballgame" goes .406. In just his third year, at only 23 years
of age, Ted Williams went into the last day of the 1941 season
hitting .3996, an average that officially rounds up to .400.
In 1969 Carlton Fisk was in control from the start. He was
a big, rugged, powerful presence both behind the plate and
over it, in a Red Sox career that lasted a decade.
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