Page 207 - 1975 BoSox

200 ’75—THE RED SOX TEAM THAT SAVED BASEBALL
(just three errors, while being credited with 143 putouts and 13 assists), though hitting a little anemically at .179. He threw out 47 percent of baserunners in stolen- base attempts. He enjoyed the winter months, with 14 major-league hits in the record books and what looked to be a steady job in the majors in 1971.
Duane Josephson was acquired over the winter to be the regular catcher, but a series of nagging injuries provided plenty of opportunities for a backup to play, so Montgomery shared catching duties in 1971. Josephson appeared in 91 games and hit .245 with ten homers while Montgomery got into 67 games, hitting .239 with a couple of homers. Carlton Fisk was called up in September and made himself a catcher who would not be denied. His .313 batting average and great defense ensured that he would take center stage starting in 1972.
Montgomery understandably played the backup to Fisk, and appeared in just 24 games. He upped his average appreciably to .286, however, taking full ad- vantage of the at-bats he had. e Red Sox missed winning the pennant by just a half a game in a season that opened late due to a player strike that was not resolved until several days into the regular season schedule.
Montgomery saw a little more action in 1973—34 games, 128 at-bats, and again a signi cantly improved batting average. He hit .320 in 1973. To work as a backup catcher isn’t the easiest of tasks, he told Herb Crehan. You have to be ready to step in and perform at any minute. “I focused on every single pitch, even if I hadn’t played in a week.” e attention to detail is key in a catcher, as re ected in Montgomery’s climb- ing batting average, and probably served him well in his later career as a broadcaster with the Red Sox.
When Carlton Fisk su ered a season-ending injury on June 28, 1974, Montgomery stepped in and appeared in 88 games, with Tim Blackwell serving as his backup. Monty’s average dropped to .252 but he lled in capably and the team continued to contend, remaining in rst place until shortly after Labor Day.
Fisk was still unable to return as the 1975 season opened, due to a second injury — a broken arm su ered in spring training — and Montgomery was the main man strapping on the mask and chest protector and calling pitches for the 1975 team until Fisk was able to come back on June 23. ough his average slipped yet again, to .226, Monty played in 62 games and did his share to keep the Sox in the hunt. At the season’s start, Montgomery was responsible for the game- winning RBI in four of the rst 11 wins. Fisk hurt his nger in August and Monty got quite a bit of playing time in September. He also started a couple of games at rst base, lling in there six times before season’s end.
In postseason play, Montgomery saw no action at all in the three-game ALCS victory over Oakland, and almost missed out on any action in the World Series. He nally got his chance at almost the last possible moment, appearing as a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the ninth inning in Game Seven. Will McEnaney was in for Cincinnati to protect a slim 4-3 lead, and there was one out, after Juan Beniquez ied out to right. Monty could have become an instant hero with a home run over everything to left, tying the game and setting the stage for Yaz to come up with a winning back-to-back blow. Alas, it was not to be. Monty grounded out to the shortstop. Yastrzemski ied out to center eld and the Series was over.
ere was every hope that the Red Sox could come back and contend again in 1976, but they never got on track. Ownership even red manager Darrell Johnson in the middle of the season, handing the reins to Don Zimmer. With Fisk healthy the full year, Monty got into only 31 games but did boost his average to a more respectable .247.
Montgomery got even less playing time in ’77, but batted an even .300 in 40 at-bats, with a couple of homers in the mix.
e year 1978 was another exceptional Red Sox season. Fisk played in almost every game in 1977 and 1978, and Monty saw action in only 10 games; he hit .241 in 1978 on the strength of just seven hits in 29 at-bats—and more than half of those hits all came