Books and articles about Wade Boggs

To get the clearest picture of the magnitude of Wade Boggs's production, consider this: in his 18-year career, Boggs reached base safely in an incredible 80% of his games and was the only batter in the twentieth century to have seven consecutive 200-hit seasons. (Wee Willie Keeler pulled off eight straight from 1894 to 1901.) He appeared in twelve All-Star games as a third baseman, second only to Brooks Robinson. In the seven years between 1982 and 1988 he batted .349 or higher six times. In his off-year he hit .325.

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Boggs' methodical, perfection-driven approach to hitting was an extension of his methodical personality. The quirky Boggs was one of the most superstitious players baseball has ever seen: he awoke at the same time every morning, ate chicken before every game (Jim Rice nicknamed him "Chicken Man"), and took exactly 150 ground balls during infield practice.

For night games, Boggs stepped into the batting cage at 5:17 and ran wind sprints at 7:17. (Trying to hex him, a scoreboard operator in Toronto once flipped the stadium clock directly from 7:16 to 7:18.) Before each at-bat Boggs would draw the Hebrew word "Chai" in the batter's box, and his route to and from the playing field was so precise that by late summer his footprints were often clearly visible in the grass in front of his home dugouts.

All these automatic routines were the cogs and springs that powered the precise mechanism of his hitting. After getting his first major-league hit against the White Sox' Richard Dotson on April 26th, Boggs set the AL rookie standard with a .349 average in 1982. In '83, the Red Sox traded away Carney Lansford, his chief rival for the third base slot, and Boggs responded with a league-leading .361 average.

That marked the beginning of his seven consecutive 200-hit seasons. His easy left-handed stroke sprayed line drives to all fields, and while he was not known for his power -- in 1985 he set the AL record with 187 singles -- he stroked 24 home runs in 1987 and finished third in the league in slugging percentage. Don Mattingly nearly won the batting crown from him in 1986, but Boggs sat out of the Red Sox' final two games to preserve his .357 average and emerge victorious.

The embarrassing furor that arose after Boggs admitted in 1988 that he had committed adultery never seemed to distract him at the plate -- even when thousands of cutout masks of his mistress were distributed at Royals Stadium in Kansas City. But various injuries (wrist, toe, back, hip) slowed Boggs in his second decade. From 1990 to 1997 Boggs "only" averaged .307, and his low point came in '92 when the Sox finished last for the first time since 1939. Neither Boggs nor his .259 average helped much. A change of scene was the ticket, and Boggs signed with the Yankees after that season.

Boggs was back to his old .300 self in 1993 for the contending Yanks, and made his first of four consecutive All-Star starts in pinstripes. At the age of 36, Boggs won his first Gold Glove in 1994 and repeated the following year. The oldest first-time winner since the award was introduced in 1957, Boggs proved that his persistence and hard work weren't just limited to his magic with the bat. He had come a long way from his rookie year, when he booted the first two grounders hit to him.

But 1996 was the real feather in his cap. Ten years after Boston's agonizing loss to the Mets in the World Series, Boggs found himself back in the Fall Classic. This time his sharp eye and patience at the plate reaped the ultimate dividend. Batting against Steve Avery in the tenth inning of Game 4, Boggs drew a bases-loaded walk to win the game and tie

the series. Momentum suddenly belonged to New York, and when the Yankees clinched after Game 6, Boggs led the team in its victory lap -- on horseback, courtesy of the NYPD -- with his fist aloft.

But it was Charlie Hayes, and not Boggs, who made the series-ending catch at third base. In retrospect, it was a telling omen. Boggs only started 88 games in '97 after enduring the worst month of his career, a .143 May. (He did appear in one game as a pitcher against Anaheim, retiring three of four Angels with a knuckler inspired by his childhood hero, Phil Niekro.)

While Boggs heated up to .417 for September, it was too little, too late. The Yanks similarly sputtered, bowing to the Indians in the Division Series, and in the off-season Boggs signed with the expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Boggs made a splash by socking the first home run in Devil Rays history, and in the relatively low-key environment of his hometown -- he was an all-state kicker on the football team for Tampa's Plant High School -- Boggs seemed virtually assured of reaching the 3,000-hit plateau. He reached the historic milestone on August 7, 1999 with a home run to right field against Chris Haney of the Indians. Boggs kissed home plate after circling the bases.

It was the first time in baseball a player's 3,000th hit was a round-tripper. "I love to hit home runs," Boggs had told the New York Times earlier that season. "I was a home run hitter in high school, but then something happened. The parks just got bigger."

Shortly after collecting his 3,000th hit, a knee injury put Boggs on the DL for just the third time in his long career. Satisfied with his achievements, the legendary hit machine decided it was time to retire.

Boggs was not considered much of a prospect in the minors, but was well reviewed very early in his career by one Hall of Fame scout. Aged eighteen months, his photo was shown to Ted Williams during a Game of the Week telecast, and Williams called the infant's swing "perfect." (WAG/JGR)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » June 23, 1981: Dave Koza scores Marty Barrett with a bases-loaded single in the bottom of the 33rd inning, giving Pawtucket a 3–2 win over Rochester and ending the longest game in professional baseball history. The game had been suspended April 19th after 32 innings and eight hours, seven minutes of play, but the continuation took only 18 minutes to complete. Bob Ojeda pitches one inning to earn the win. Future ML stars Wade Boggs and Cal Ripken go a combined 6-for-25. » June 22, 1982: Red Sox rookie Wade Boggs hits his first ML home run in the bottom of the 11th inning to give Boston a 5–4 win over Detroit. Boggs will finally crack the starting lineup for good after tomorrow's game, in which regular 3B Carney Lansford severely sprains his ankle while unsuccessfully trying to stretch a triple into an inside-the-park home run. Boggs hits .390 in Lansford's absence and .349 for the season. » December 6, 1982: The Red Sox trade 3B Carney Lansford, OF Garry Hancock, and minor leaguer Jerry King to Oakland for OF Tony Armas and C Jeff Newman. Lansford, who led the AL in hitting in '81, is expendable with the emergence of Wade Boggs at 3B. » July 27, 1984: The Red Sox and Tigers almost match shutouts, as the Tigers win 9–1 and the Red Sox come back, 4–0. Rich Gedman's 9th inning homer in the opener off Dan Petry is the only Sox score. Wade Boggs lines four hits and Bob Ojeda allows just three hits in the nitecap to win. » August 6, 1984: The Tigers and Red Sox split, with Detroit outslugging Boston in the opener, 9–7, and Boston replying, 10–2. Aurelio Lopez (8–0) wins Game One in relief as Chet Lemon and Lance Parrish each hit homers and drive in three runs. Marty Barrett has four hits for the Sox in the opener and Wade Boggs does the same in the nitecap. Two of his hits are homers to fuel Roger Clemens to his 6th win. » July 26, 1985: Wade Boggs goes 0-for-3 in Boston's 6–2 win over Seattle to halt his hitting streak at 28 games, the longest in the major leagues since 1980. » September 5, 1985: Boston's first two batters -- Dwight Evans and Wade Boggs -- crack homers off Cleveland's Neal Heaton in Boston's 13–6 win in game 1. Evans adds another home run to back Oil Can Boyd's first win in seven weeks. Cleveland wins the nitecap, 9–5. » September 21, 1985: In a Boston 7–6 win over Detroit, Wade Boggs ties Speaker's club mark of 222 hits in the 2nd inning with a single. His 5th inning single, his 185th, sets a new American League record for singles breaking the mark set by Willie Wilson in 1980. Wade will end with 187, a mark that will stand until 2001. » February 23, 1986: Despite losing his arbitration case, Boston's Wade Boggs receives the largest salary ever awarded through that process, $1.35 million. » May 31, 1986: Wade Boggs raises his average to .402 with a 5-for-5 game as Boston beats Minnesota 7–2. Boggs will hit .357 this year to win his 3rd American League batting title. » January 29, 1987: Red Sox Wade Boggs avoids going to salary arbitration for the 3rd consecutive year by signing a 3-year contract worth over $5 million. » June 26, 1987: Wade Boggs has his hitting streak snapped at 25 consecutive games and the Rocket sputters as Roger Clemens fails to hold a 9–0, 2nd-inning lead. Boston loses to New York 12–11 in 10 innings. The 9-run comeback ties a Yankee team record: Boston, alas, has blown bigger leads. » September 22, 1987: Wade Boggs goes 2-for-4 in Boston's 8–5 loss to Detroit, reaching the 200-hit plateau for an American League-record tying 5th consecutive year. Al Simmons and Charlie Gehringer are the only other AL players to do so. » September 20, 1988: Wade Boggs goes 3-for-3 with two walks in Boston's 13–2 rout of Toronto to become the first player this century to collect 200 hits in six consecutive seasons. Willie Keeler had eight straight 200-hit seasons from 1894-1901. Boggs also joins Lou Gehrig as the only players to collect 200 hits and 100 walks in three consecutive seasons. » October 2, 1988: In Cleveland, Boston's Wade Boggs collects his 200th hit for the 6th straight season. Wade's mark breaks the record of five he shared with Chuck Klein (1929-33) and Charlie Gehringer (1933-37). » February 26, 1989: A California court throws out a major part of Margo Adams' $12 million breach-of-contract suit against Red Sox 3B Wade Boggs. Adams claimed that Boggs had promised her a salary and expenses during a 4-year affair. » July 11, 1989: Bo Jackson and Wade Boggs lead off the bottom of the first inning with back-to-back home runs off Rick Reuschel to spark the American League to a 5–3 win in the All-Star Game at Anaheim Stadium. Jackson earns MVP honors. » September 25, 1989: Boston's Wade Boggs goes 4-for-5 in a 7–4 win over the Yankees to become the first player in ML history to achieve both 200 hits and 100 walks in four consecutive seasons. It is Boggs's 7th straight 200-hit season overall, extending his own modern ML record. Dwight Evans also puts his name in the record books by belting his 20th homer. He is the only current player with 20 or more homers in each of the last nine years, » April 10, 1990: Wade Boggs is intentionally walked three times in Boston's 4–2 win over Detroit, tying the major-league record for a 9-inning game. » July 29, 1990: At Detroit, the Red Sox bang out 12 doubles, setting an American League record, in a 13–3 win over the Tigers. Wade Boggs has 3, while Tim Naehring, Jody Reed, and Ellis Burks each have 2. Greg Harris wins easily. The previous AL record was 11, set on July 14, 1934 by Detroit against New York. The 12 two-baggers will be tied in 1996 by Cleveland. » October 1, 1991: At Fenway, the Tigers outhit the Red Sox to win, 8–5. Frank Tanana (12–12) evens his record. Wade Boggs has a pair of doubles to top the 40 mark for the 7th straight year. Only Joe Medwick has done this in ML history. » May 17, 1992: In Boston's 3–1 loss to California, Wade Boggs has hit #2,000, the 6th Red Sox to reach the mark (after Yaz, Williams, Rice, Evans, and Doerr). Mark Langston is the winner. » December 15, 1992: The Yankees sign free agent 3B Wade Boggs to a 3-year contract. » September 18, 1993: The Yankees defeat the Red Sox, 4-3, because of a fan who runs out on the field. With NY trailing, 3-1, with two outs and a man on 1st in the 9th inning, Mike Stanley hits a fly ball to left that apparently ends the game. Umpire Tim Welke, however, had called time when the fan bolted onto the field, giving Stanley a second chance. He singled on the next pitch. That was followed by a hit by Wade Boggs, a walk to Dion James, and a single by Don Mattingly which drove home the tying and winning runs. » August 30, 1996: Adding their 8th new player this month, the Yankees reacquire 3B Charlie Hayes from the Pirates in exchange for a player to be named. This makes Wade Boggs a platoon player and he angrily states, "I'll get my 3,000 hits somewhere." » December 8, 1997: The Devil Rays sign free agent 1B Paul Sorrento to a 2-year contract. Tomorrow, they agree to terms with free agent 3B Wade Boggs. » March 31, 1998: The Tampa Bay Devil Rays lose to the Tigers, 11–6, in their first game ever. Wilson Alvarez takes the loss for Tampa while 3B Wade Boggs slugs the 1st home run in team history and drives in three runs. » April 25, 1999: The A's Tony Phillips celebrates his 40th birthday by hitting a game-winning home run to beat the Baltimore Orioles, 11–10. Phillips becomes just the fifth major-leaguer to crank one out on his 40th or later birthday: the last two were Darrell Evans and Wade Boggs, in 1988. The big-leaguer who hit the most birthday blasts over his career was Al Simmons with five. » August 7, 1999: Just one day after Tony Gwynn reaches the historic milestone, Devil Rays' 3B Wade Boggs also gets the 3000th hit of his career in Tampa Bay's 15-10 loss to Cleveland. Boggs goes 3-for-4 in the contest, reaching the 3000 mark with a 6th inning home run off Chris Haney. » April 7, 2000: The Indians defeat the Devil Rays, 14-5, in Tampa Bay's home opener, scoring nine runs in the 2nd inning. Wade Boggs' uniform #12 is retired by the Devil Rays prior to the game. » September 29, 2001: The A's defeat the Mariners, 8–4, as SS Miguel Tejada hits for the cycle, capping his night with a 7th–inning grand slam. Seattle OF Ichiro Suzuki gets his 234th hit of the season to set a new ML rookie record. The previous mark had been set by Shoeless Joe Jackson in 1911. Suzuki also ties the AL record for singles in a season (187) with the hit. Wade Boggs performed the feat in 1985.