Page 80 - 1975 BoSox

’75—THE RED SOX TEAM THAT SAVED BASEBALL 73
Early on, Lee started feeding zingers to the press. When he rst came to Boston in 1969 and was given a tour of Fenway Park, he stared wide-eyed at the Green Monster and inquired, “Do they leave it there during the games?” Sports journalists throughout New England may have given silent thanks. e team could use a little color, and before too long Lee became the darling of the dailies. Over the years, reporters came to know that regardless of the on- eld prospects of the Red Sox, this refreshing newcomer could provide them with lots of colorful copy. Lee rarely disap- pointed. He always seemed good for an original quote, not just a canned cliché.
In 1970 Bill opened the season with the big-league ballclub and started ve games, appeared in six others, and through the end of May ran up a record of 2-2, with a 4.62 ERA. His best game was a 2-1 win over Oakland on April 28 at Fenway Park. en he had to switch uniforms. Bill served in the US Army Reserve, and was stationed at the Boston Army Base in South Boston. ough he dismissed the nature of the work (“ e job was to get the doughnuts and free seats for the o cers”), it is worth noting that the man so often portrayed as a rebel appeared not to have any apparent con ict with duly constituted authority. He rose to the rank of Spec. 5.
His duty done, Lee played his rst full season of major- league ball in 1971. All but three of his 47 appearances came in a relief role. He gave up 102 hits in 102 innings, posting an excellent 2.74 ERA with a 9-2 won-lost record. In 1972 Lee did not start a game, again ap- pearing 47 times and helping keep the Sox in the hunt right up to the nal day when the team fell just a half-game short of capturing the pennant. Lee’s record was 7-4, with a 3.20 ERA. He hit his only American League home run on September 11 o Ray Lamb in Cleveland Stadium.
e 1973 campaign was Bill Lee’s breakout season. After four quality long-relief stints in April (totaling 182⁄3 innings), and after several Red Sox starters struggled, Lee got his rst start on May 1, and never left the rotation. He started 33 games, and won 17 while losing 11. Only Luis Tiant won more (El Tiante
was 20-13) but Lee led the team’s starters in ERA with a stellar 2.75. Lee was honored by being named to the American League All-Star squad, but did not appear in the game itself.
e year was notable in another way, too. In 1973 Carlton Fisk became the team’s player representative, with Lee as the alternate. is was remarkable for such young players, but both men arrived on the scene immediately willing to speak out for themselves and their teammates. is marked the start of a strong relationship between Fisk and Lee. e young take- charge catcher would often come out to the mound and get in Lee’s face to get him to focus, or throw the right pitch. It was a very successful partnership for several years.
Lee won 17 games again in 1974 (17-15, with a 3.51 ERA), still the number-2 man on the mound, behind 22-game-winner Tiant. Both pitchers threw one-run games — but lost — in a frustrating Labor Day double- header at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore. Orioles pitchers Ross Grimsley and Mike Cuellar both tossed 1-0 shutouts. e Red Sox nished the season seven games out of rst place, behind the pennant-win- ning Orioles.
en came 1975. For the third year in a row, Lee won 17 games. His record was 17-9 (3.95 ERA), providing the team with an e ective front three: Rick Wise won 19 and Tiant won 18. Lee remained a workhorse, tying for the team lead, throwing 260 innings (albeit down some 20 innings from ’73 and ’74) and was a major part of the pennant-winning Red Sox team.
Lee did not appear in the League Championship Series, which the Red Sox swept in three games behind starts by Tiant, Reggie Cleveland, and Wise. Bill started Game Two of the 1975 World Series, and held Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine to just ve hits and two runs over eight-plus innings. He departed the game after Johnny Bench led o the ninth with a double. Dick Drago, on in relief, gave up two hits, giving the Reds a 3-2 lead. Red Sox batters went down 1-2-3 in the ninth, and Lee’s great performance was wasted.