Page 27 - 1975 BoSox

20 ’75—THE RED SOX TEAM THAT SAVED BASEBALL
always enjoyed playing behind Bill Lee. He worked fast and he always had an idea of what he was trying to do.
“And we had a whole lineup of great hitters. We had quiet leaders like Yaz and Rico, and a not-so-quiet leader in Pudge Fisk. And Rick Burleson was one of the most competitive guys I ever played with. He and Larry Bowa [Phillies shortstop] were in a league of their own when it came to intensity.”
But Doyle ranked the Red Sox fans right up there along with his memories of his teammates. “I remem- beronegamewhentherewasalongraindelay.When they started to play again, there were only a few thou- sand fans left. ey made an announcement inviting the remaining fans to move down to the front row.
“Well, there were these three fans in the front row down the right- eld line who were really giving it to me. ey just wouldn’t let up. ere was a pop y beyond rst base and I caught it on the run. But I didn’t stop; I kept running straight at them. When I got there, I took the ball, gave it to the loudest one, and said, ‘You guys are great.’ Years later I got a note in the mail from the guy. He said, ‘About 12 years ago you gave me a ball and I just want you to know that it is still sitting up on my mantle.’”
One memory of Red Sox fans particularly stood out. “It was during the World Series and my whole family was in town. We went out to dinner together to a nice
restaurant on Newbury Street after the game. When we got there the place was packed and I wasn’t sure if we could get seated. But I knew the maître d’ and he took us right away.When he was leading us to our table everyone in the room got up and gave us a standing ovation. at’s something I’ll never forget.”
Re ecting on his years with the Red Sox, Doyle o ered, “You know, when I joined the Red Sox I was in my 10th year of professional baseball. I had played in the National League and the American League. But I never felt like I had played in the major leagues until I played for the Red Sox in front of those fans in Fenway Park. Red Sox fans are in a class all by themselves.”
Sources
Interview with Denny Doyle on July 15, 2005.
1976 Red Sox Press-Radio-TV Guide.
Stout, Glenn, and Richard A. Johnson, Red Sox Century
(Boston: Houghton Mi in, 2000).
Portions of this article originally appeared in Red Sox Magazine and the permission of the Boston Red Sox to use this material is gratefully acknowledged.
Notes
1 Unless otherwise indicated, all quotations attributed to Doyle come from an in-person interview conducted on July 15, 2005.