In
1961, a highly touted rookie from Long Island, NY stepped into
the hallowed shadow of Fenway's left field wall to guard an
area just vacated by a legend, his name was Yaz. In 1960, never
has an athlete finished in such style. In his last at bat of
a Hall of Fame career, Ted Williams sent 10,454 fans into a
frenzy when he launched a 1-1 pitch from Baltimore Orioles'
pitcher Jack Fisher high into the damp gray sky and into the
Red Sox bullpen for a home run. In 1963 Rico Petrocelli joined
the Boston Red Sox in 1965 as a shortstop that would develop
a powerful stroke at the plate. His bat guided him into numerous
categories of the club's record books but it was his family
that guided him as a person. Then in 1964, Tony Conigliaro came
to the scene. He was a hometown hero with a home-run swing and
a Hollywood-handsome face. "Tony C," as he became known to fans,
burst onto the baseball scene in Fenway Park in 1964, taking
24 homers over the "Green Monster" in 111 games while batting
.290. Then the famous 1967 season, Yaz and "The Impossible Dream."
Has there ever been a better example of the cream rising to
the top? With the Sox fighting for their first pennant in 21
years, Carl Yastrzemski picked up his team, placed it squarely
on his back and carried them to "The Impossible Dream", that
was 1967.Then Luis Tiant was snatched from the minors during
the 1971 season.
