Page 14 - 1975 BoSox

’75—THE RED SOX TEAM THAT SAVED BASEBALL 7
were returning veterans, and Burleson, Carlton Fisk, and Doyle gave the Red Sox a hustling, aggressive presence up the middle. Lynn, Fisk, and Burleson all had contract disputes, however, heading into the season, which ended up as a disappointing one for the Red Sox, with manager Darrell Johnson being replaced in midseason by Don Zimmer, and the Yankees replac- ing them as AL East champions.
In 1977 the Red Sox presented a lineup that empha- sized hitting the long ball. During a 10-game home- stand in mid-June, the team hit 26 home runs. Burleson had a 13-game hitting streak in April and May and, by the beginning of June he was hitting .341 as well as providing steady in eld defense complemented by his rocket arm. is performance earned the Rooster a starting berth on the 1977 American League All-Star team, along with teammates Fisk and Yastrzemski.
e potent batting order returned for the 1978 season, but Burleson started slowly, and was hitting only .194 after 35 games. However, after getting untracked, he nished third in the shortstop voting for the American League All-Star team, and he was chosen as an alter- nate. An injury forced Burleson out of the Red Sox lineup until mid-August and a once seemingly insur- mountable Red Sox lead of nine games in the American League East had been reduced to 51⁄2 games by the beginning of August. Burleson’s worth to the team became apparent when he immediately went on a 14-game hitting streak upon his return.
Still, the Red Sox led the Yankees by four games enter- ing a September series at Fenway Park. In the four- game set, the Bronx Bombers destroyed the Red Sox in all phases of the game, sweeping a series that became known as the Boston Massacre. In typical Burleson fashion after the debacle, he made no excuses, saying that the Yankees were just better than the Red Sox and that it was now a 20-game race to the nish. e Red Sox and the Yankees nished in a tie for the divi- sion title to force a one-game playo on October 2. In Red Sox lore, it was a day of infamy, as the Yankees’ Bucky Dent, not normally a power hitter, hit a three- run homer that barely went over the left- eld wall to
put the Yankees ahead after the Red Sox had led early in the game.
Burleson was involved in a strange sequence in the ninth inning when, with the score 5-4 in favor of the Yankees and one out,he walked. e next batter,Jerry Remy, hit a line drive into right eld. e Yankees’ right elder, Lou Piniella, stabbed at the ball and guessed correctly, snaring it, which froze Burleson for a split-second and kept him at second base. e next batter, Jim Rice, advanced Burleson to third with a y ball, but he was stranded there when Carl Yastrzemski popped out to end the game. Burleson batted .248 for the season in 145 games, and it was clear that his absence during July and August was the di erence that swung the balance towards the Yankees in the tight battle for the division title.
After a vigorous o season training program with teammate Lynn, Burleson as well as the Red Sox began 1979 with high hopes. e ery side of Burleson’s personality was shown on May 16 when he was ejected and suspended for three games after he bumped an umpire while disputing a strike call. On June 4 Burleson hit his rst major-league grand slam in a Red Sox win over the Texas Rangers. Despite a season that was disappointing for the Red Sox because of injuries and lack of key run production, Burleson again made the American League All-Star team. After the season he was awarded a Gold Glove for his elding prowess and received the omas A. Yawkey Award as the team’s most valuable player.14
Burleson arrived early to spring training in 1980, but soon began to su er from a sore shoulder. Also, the contract he signed in 1976 after so much rancor was coming to an end. In May his frustrations with the team in his contract negotiations became apparent; as he told the club to trade him and said he would not play without a contract in 1981. At the end of May, Burleson had a torrid batting streak, raising his average from .203 to .277 in a six-week period, batting in both the leado and second spots in the lineup. He had played in every one of Boston’s games through August 26 and led the team in putouts, assists, chances, and double plays during that time.