The only Red Sox pitcher to capture a Gold Glove Award
With pitchers, a Gold Glove often stays with them as a yearly event. Greg Maddux, Jim Kaat, Bob Gibson, and Bobby Shantz. Shantz is interesting since he won the award four times in both leagues. The Red Sox history has just one and that is Mike Boddicker who won in 1990. Boddicker made 29 putouts that season and holds the AL record of 49 while with the O’s. Maddux – for comparison – led the NL eight times in putouts. Maddux also holds the NL record of most in a game with seven.
Another rating is assists which is a category dominated by Dead Ball Era pitchers with Walter Johnson holding the career AL record and Christy Mathewson holding the NL record. Back in that era, it was small ball with bunting and moving the runner over always in play. Poor glovework was costly and the career records date back over 100 years.
I will go with Boddicker since he did win the award, but I have several pitchers with the Red Sox that I thought fielded the position with excellence and intelligence. I always admired the quickness of Pedro Martinez off the mound and his positioning post pitch in a good defensive position. Bill Monboquette was excellent as he rarely made an error and would rank high in assists and putouts.
Ike Delock is best remembered as being a lousy hitter – just a career .086, but Delock – a versatile hurler – was not the most gifted of fielders. Jon Lester could be counted upon for a few errors each season and you would hold your breath on a chopper to the mound and Lester whirling towards second to throw. That to me has always been the most frightening defensive play for a pitcher. I’ll leave the pitchers at that.