Boston Red Sox will induct four into team’s Hall of Fame
Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
Pedro Martinez, Roger Clemens, Nomar Garciaparra, and Joe Castiglione will all be inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame this summer, according to an announcement made by the team on Wednesday.
The group includes two of the best pitchers in team history, arguably the most productive shortstop Boston has ever seen, and the radio voice of the team for the past 30 seasons. Martinez and Clemens were selected from a group of 13 eligible pitchers, according to details shared by MLB.com’s Ian Browne. Garciaparra was one of 15 position players considered for induction.
They will be formally honored at a dinner in August.
Martinez spent six seasons with the Red Sox, from 1998 to 2004. He won 117 games while posting a 2.52 ERA, 0.978 WHIP, 10.9 K/9, and 2.0 BB/9 over 1382.2 IP. His two year stretch, covering 1999 and 2000, is one of the most dominant two year stretches by any pitcher in MLB history. Martinez went 41-10 with a 1.90 ERA, 0.830 WHIP, and 12.5 K/9 during those two years – running away with the AL Cy Young Award each year. His final start with the Red Sox was a win in Game 3 of the 2004 World Series.
He’d finish his career with 219 wins and a 2.93 ERA in over 2,800 innings – spending time with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Montreal Expos, New York Mets, and Philadelphia Phillies in addition to Boston. He’ll be appearing on the MLB Hall of Fame ballot next winter for the first time and is widely considered a favorite to gain election in his first year of eligibility.
Clemens spent the first 13 years of his 24 year career with the Red Sox, winning three Cy Young Awards. He’d win 192 games (tied with Young for the franchise record), while posting a 3.06 ERA and 1.158 WHIP in 2776.0 IP.
He’d go on to pitch for the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, and Houston Astros before calling it a career. With 354 wins and 4,672 strikeouts to go along with his seven total Cy Young Awards there’s no question that Clemens was one of the most dominant pitchers of his era. Too many questions remain about whether he did so cleanly for him to ever gain induction into the MLB HOF. It’s still nice to see him being honored by Boston.
Batting .306/.342/.534 with 30 HR and a league leading 209 hits won Garciaparra the AL Rookie of the Year Award in 1997. He’d go on to win a pair of batting titles (including hitting .372 in 2000) while hitting .323/.370/.553 in 4,345 PA during his Boston career. Garciaparra never won a championship in Boston, but trading him in 2004 brought in pieces (Orlando Cabrera, Doug Mientkiewicz) that played big roles in the team’s World Series winning run.
Garciaparra also played for the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Oakland A’s before ending his career following the 2009 season. With the Dodgers launching their own network, Garciaparra’s been brought in as part of their new broadcast team alongside Orel Hershiser.