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Red Sox History: Ranking the biggest ‘What Ifs’ in franchise history

By Daniel Fox

BRONX, NY - OCTOBER 16: Pedro Martinez #45 of the Boston Red Sox pitches against the New York Yankees in the first inning during game 7 of the American League Championship Series on October 16, 2003 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
BRONX, NY - OCTOBER 16: Pedro Martinez #45 of the Boston Red Sox pitches against the New York Yankees in the first inning during game 7 of the American League Championship Series on October 16, 2003 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /
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CLEVELAND, OH – APRIL 20: Shortstop Luis Aparicio of the Boston Red Sox, can’t complete the double play as Oscar Gamble of the Cleveland Indians slides into second base during a game at Municipal Stadium on April 20, 1973 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Ron Kuntz Collection/Diamond Images/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH – APRIL 20: Shortstop Luis Aparicio of the Boston Red Sox, can’t complete the double play as Oscar Gamble of the Cleveland Indians slides into second base during a game at Municipal Stadium on April 20, 1973 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Ron Kuntz Collection/Diamond Images/Getty Images) /

10: What if Luis Aparicio didn’t trip around third base?

The 1972 season was one of the most bizarre in baseball history, as a strike resulted in the cancelation of the first week of the season. Because of a glitch in the schedule, the Red Sox had seven games canceled while the Tigers only had six. This one game made all the difference as the two teams met in a three-game set on the seasons’ last week to decide the AL East.

Needing two out of three to win the division, the Red Sox found themselves in a quick 1-0 deficit in the first game. With two runners on in the top of the third, future Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski stepped to the plate.

Yastrzemski ripped what looked like a sure, two-run triple, but the speedy Luis Aparicio tripped around third base before he could score the second run. Aparicio had to retreat to third, causing Yastrzemski to scramble back to second when he was easily tagged out.

Instead of taking a 2-1 lead and having a chance for more, the Red Sox would not score again that inning. The Tigers would go on to win the game 4-1 and the division by half a game. The Red Sox had all the momentum before Aparicio’s fateful fall, a miscue that would go down as one of the costliest in team history

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