Page 50 - 1975 BoSox

’75—THE RED SOX TEAM THAT SAVED BASEBALL 43
It’s a part of me and has been all my life. I’m happy that I came along when I did and am well paid. But with me, it’s a matter of pride, not money. I enjoy the game.”5
After Yawkey’s death, the team was managed by a trust made up of his widow, Jean Yawkey, James Curran, and Joseph LaCour. In August 1976 Lynn, Burleson, and Fisk each agreed to ve-year contracts. Owners and players signed a new Basic Agreement at the same time. Free agency for players was now possible.
Lynn began that season on the disabled list, from March 24 through May 6, with torn ligaments in his left ankle. He ended up hitting .260 with 18 home runs and 76 runs batted in over 129 games. He made the All-Star team for the third time. e Red Sox swatted 213 home runs and improved to 97 wins and 64 losses, tied for second with the Orioles in the American League East.
In 1978 Lynn’s ankle returned to health and he had a ne season. He played in 150 games, the most in his career, and hit .298 with 22 home runs and 82 RBIs. He made the All-Star team for the fourth time and won his second Gold Glove. e Red Sox had a memorable season, jumping out to a big lead, slumping in September, bouncing back to win 99 games and tie the Yankees for the American League East title. e Yankees edged the Red Sox 5-4 in a one-game playo in Fenway Park, a game in which Lynn singled and drove in a run.
Lynn spent the o season strengthening himself on Nautilus machines. In 1979 he enjoyed perhaps his best season. He led the American League in hitting at .333, on-base percentage at .423, and slugging at .637. He smashed a career-high 39 home runs, scored a career-high 116 runs, and had a career-high 122 runs batted in. He was named to the American League All-Star team for the fth time and earned his third Gold Glove. He nished fourth in American League MVP voting. ose interested in statistical analysis will note that in the 1980 Bill James Baseball Abstract, Lynn had the highest value approximation method
rating in the major leagues, earning 17 points. Under James’s more recent Win Shares method, Lynn also led the majors with 34.
e 1980 season would be Lynn’s last with the Red Sox. He hit .301 with a .383 on-base percentage and .480 slugging percentage. On May 13 he hit for the cycle against the Minnesota Twins. His season ended on August 28. He was batting against Oakland A’s starter Steve McCatty when he fouled a ball o his foot, fracturing his right toe. He was named an All- Star for the sixth time and won his fourth and last Gold Glove.
Lynn was very successful hitting in Fenway Park. Over his career, he hit .347 with a .420 on-base percentage and a .601 slugging percentage in 440 games and 1,581 at-bats.
e Red Sox were not willing to pay Lynn what he felt he was worth, so on January 23, 1981, they sent him and pitcher Steve Renko to Lynn’s hometown California Angels for out elder Joe Rudi and pitchers Frank Tanana, and Jim Dorsey. Lynn enjoyed playing for the Red Sox and loved hitting in Fenway Park. In talking about Red Sox fans, he later said, “ ey sup- ported you all the time. ey were always there and let you know what they were feeling in the good side and the bad side, which was OK. As a player it keeps you on your toes. You don’t ever come to Fenway with a complacent attitude. You come there to play, other- wise they will let you know you are not living up to their expectations and I liked that.”6
By 1981,neither Lynn, Burleson, nor Fisk were with the Red Sox.7 A baseball strike wiped out the middle portion of the season. Lynn had to adjust to a new ballpark and struggled with a .219 batting average in 256 at-bats, the lowest average in his career. He was, however, named to the American League All-Star team for the seventh consecutive time.
e next season was a much better one for both Lynn and the Angels. With a veteran roster of All-Stars like Rod Carew, Bobby Grich, Reggie Jackson, and Don Baylor, the 1982 Angels won the American