Page 13 - 1975 BoSox

6 ’75—THE RED SOX TEAM THAT SAVED BASEBALL
a two-run homer. In the third game, he had the game- winning hit, and in Games Four and Five, he played a key role o ensively.
By spring training of 1974, it was apparent that Burleson was ready to make his move up to the majors. Darrell Johnson, now the manager of the Boston Red Sox, termed him “one winnin’ sonavagun.”5 During the winter, Rick played in Venezuela for the veteran Luis Aparicio, who along with Mario Guerrero, represented his main competition to win the starting shortstop job. In a prophetic moment before spring training, Burleson said, “If they let me get the work in spring training, I’ll be the shortstop.”6 On March 26 Aparicio was released, reducing the competition to Burleson and Guerrero. It was announced that the two would alternate at shortstop and “get into 110 games apiece.”7 en Guerrero won the job outright, while Burleson was sent to Pawtucket so that he would able to play every day.8
While at Pawtucket, Burleson played well enough to earn a call-up to Boston. In his rst game, on May 4, the Rooster committed three errors in a 1-0 loss to Texas, tying an American League record for errors for a player in his major-league debut.9 Unfazed by his inauspicious debut, Burleson followed up by hitting a three-run homer in the second game of a double- header against the Rangers the next night. After second baseman Doug Gri n was injured, Burleson got more playing time, platooning with Dick McAuli e at second, and, by mid-July, when Gri n returned, Johnson felt con dent enough in the Rooster’s .306 batting average to play him full-time at shortstop.10 By August, in the middle of a pennant race, Burleson had earned the admiration of teammates and coaches. Coach Don Zimmer remarked, “He hits pretty well because he hits like he plays. He’s a little bulldog up there.”11
e 1974 season ended in disappointment for the Red Sox, as they collapsed during the September pennant race. However, Burleson hit .284 for the season, playing in 114 games, and earned the club’s rookie-of-the-year award. He nished second to Bucky Dent for the shortstop nod on the Topps major-league rookie all-
star team. Yet, despite his rookie success, it was felt by some people in the Boston organization that because of Burleson’s average range at shortstop, the Red Sox should deal for a veteran, established short- stop, such as Freddie Patek of the Kansas City Royals or Eddie Brinkman of the Detroit Tigers, so that Burleson could be moved to second.12
As spring training of 1975 approached, Burleson ex- pressed a desire to play shortstop, although he felt that as long as he played, he would be happy at short or second and batting anywhere in the lineup. By the end of May, though, Burleson was rmly in place as the Red Sox starting shortstop.13 His elding was consistently good, and he was learning how to play hitters better. As the 1975 season progressed, Burleson at shortstop, along with Denny Doyle, acquired from California, at second base, formed a slick- elding double-play combination. In addition, his hitting earned him the second spot in the batting order.
e Red Sox clinched the American League East title by 41⁄2 games over the Baltimore Orioles. In the ALCS, their opponents were the Oakland Athletics, the three- time defending World Series champions. e Athletics were the favorites and featured an all-star batting order including Reggie Jackson and Joe Rudi and a pitching sta led by Vida Blue and Ken Holtzman, with Rollie Fingers in the bullpen. e Red Sox swept the Athletics in three games.
If the series against the Athletics had loomed as dif- cult for the Red Sox, then the World Series looked to present insurmountable odds. e Cincinnati Reds, also known as the Big Red Machine, came into the 1975 World Series as the overwhelming favorite, based upon their powerful lineup, with 108 wins and only 54 losses. After an extremely competitive World Series, the Red Sox lost to the Reds in seven games. e nal batting line for Burleson in the Series was 7-for-24, a .292 average with a double and two runs batted in.
Good things seemed to be on the horizon for both Burleson and the Red Sox in 1976, as out elders Fred Lynn and Jim Rice had established themselves as young sluggers. Yastrzemski, Evans, and Petrocelli