Page 51 - 1975 BoSox

44 ’75—THE RED SOX TEAM THAT SAVED BASEBALL
League West Division, winning 93 games. Lynn had a ne season, hitting .299 with a .374 on-base percent- age and a .517 slugging percentage. He was an American League All-Star for the eighth consecutive time.
In the ALCS the Angels took on the Milwaukee Brewers in a best-of- ve series. e Angels took the rst two games, but the Brewers stormed back to take the next three. It wasn’t due to any lack of productivity by Fred Lynn. He was the hottest hitter in the series for either team, hitting .611 with 11 hits in 18 at-bats, two doubles, a homer, and ve RBIs to earn series MVP honors.
In 1983 Lynn was named to the American League All-Star team for the ninth consecutive time. It was the 50th anniversary of the All-Star Game, and as in 1933, it was held in Comiskey Park in Chicago. Lynn enjoyed a memorable game. In the third inning with the bases loaded, Lynn stood in the batter’s box against San Francisco Giants left-hander Atlee Hammaker. Lynn worked the count to 2-and-2, then drove a hanging slider into the right- eld seats, the rst grand slam in the history of the All-Star Game. e American League won the game, 13-3, its rst win since 1971. Lynn was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
During the regular season, Lynn hit .272 with 22 home runs and 74 runs batted in, a .352 on-base percentage, and a .483 slugging percentage.
e next year, 1984, was Lynn’s last season with the Angels. Playing in 142 games, the most in his Angels career, he hit .271, with 23 home runs, 79 runs batted in, a .366 on-base percentage, and a .474 slugging percentage.
On November 8, 1984, Lynn opted for free agency, and he signed with the Baltimore Orioles. He played with the Orioles from 1985 to 1988. He hit 23 home runs in each of his rst three seasons in Baltimore (counting his nal year with Angels, he tallied exactly 23 home runs in four straight years from 1984-1987). He was a useful player, batting as high as .287 in 1986 with a .371 on-base percentage and a .499 slugging percentage. However, he continued to struggle with injuries throughout his tenure in Baltimore. e most games Lynn played in a season for the Orioles was 124 in 1985
In October 7, 1986, Lynn married for the second time, this time to Natalie Cole. e couple had become acquainted while she was working on TV commercials in New Bedford, Massachusetts and he was doing a Ford TV commercial at the same time.