Red Sox History: Ranking every squad of the 21st century

17 of 23

BOSTON – APRIL 26: Jacoby Ellsbury #46 of the Boston Red Sox steals home by Jorge Posada #20 of the New York Yankees at Fenway Park April 26, 2009 in Boston, Massachusetts. Jacoby Ellsbury recorded the first steal of home by a Red Sox player in 10 years. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images) /

No. 7: 2009 Red Sox (95-69)

The big story surrounding the 2009 Red Sox was the struggles of David Ortiz. Through June 5, he was hitting just .188 with one home run, and while he eventually started hitting for power, he hit a career-low .238.

Though Ortiz was in the midst of the worst season of his career, the rest of the offense was spectacular. Jason Bay hit 36 home runs and knocked in 119 runs, Kevin Youkilis finished in the top five of the MVP race, Jacoby Ellsbury hit .301 and stole 70 bases, and mid-season acquisition Victor Martinez hit .336.

The bullpen also excelled, led by another great Jonathan Papelbon season (1.85, 38 SV) and the emergence of Takashi Saito (2.43 ERA) and Ramon Ramirez (2.84 ERA).

However, the fatal flaw for the 2009 Red Sox was the lack of starting rotation depth. Daisuke Matsuzaka (5.76 ERA), Brad Penny (5.61), and John Smoltz (8.33) were downright terrible, and the Red Sox finished eight games behind the high-powered Yankees despite winning their first nine matchups of the season. They also had the misfortune of playing the 97-win Angels in the division series, and they were swiftly disposed of in three games.

Home/Red Sox History