Books and articles about Boo Ferriss

RELATED LINKS » 1946: Slaughter’s Race for the Roses

Just out of the military, in 1945 Ferriss was the sensation of the American League. The 6'2" 208-lb rookie went 21-10 and defeated all seven opponent clubs the first time he faced them. Supported by a powerful Red Sox lineup, he went 25-6, for a league-high .806 winning percentage, on the way to the 1946 pennant, and shut out St. Louis in World Series Game Three. A .250 lifetime hitter, he had 19 RBI in both 1945 and 1947, and was used 41 times as a lefthanded pinch hitter. Ferriss's career was cut short by asthma and arm trouble. He served as a coach for the Red Sox and at Delta State in Mississippi. (EW)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » August 21, 1908: Pittsburgh regains first place as Nick Maddox (15-5) beats Brooklyn, 2-1 for his 8th win in a row. Maddox drives in both runs as well. Maddox, who won his last five games of 1907, has now won 20 games in 30 appearances, the quickest twenty-game winner ever (This mark will be tied by Russ Ford, in 1910; Boo Ferriss in 1945; and Cal Eldred in 1993). » April 29, 1945: In his first ML appearance, Boo Ferriss of the Red Sox survives a first inning. in which he throws 17 balls and loads the bases, to blank the A's 2–0. At bat, he is 3-for-3. The Sox also take the nitecap in 13 innings, winning 6–3. » May 6, 1945: Boston's Boo Ferriss pitches his 2nd straight shutout, blanking the Yankees 5–0, matching a mark last accomplished by Johnny Marcum in 1933. » May 13, 1945: Rookie phenom Boo Ferriss reaches 22 shutout innings before allowing a run versus the Tigers in a 6–2 Red Sox win. This sets an American League record for scoreless innings at the start of a ML career. Ferriss strikes out 1B Rudy York four times, all on called 3rd strikes. » May 27, 1945: The White Sox get only three hits total in a doubleheader loss to the Red Sox. Boo Ferriss allows only a single —by Tony Cuccinello in the 2nd—in the opener to win, 7–0, for his 6th straight victory and 4th shutout. Emmett O'Neill gives up two singles in the nitecap to win, 2–1. » June 16, 1945: Boo Ferriss loses to the Yankees 3-2 after starting his career with eight victories -- 4 of them shutouts -- for the Red Sox. » August 26, 1945: Red Sox pitcher Boo Ferriss wins his 20th game, beating the A's 4–3 and doubling home the game winner in the 10th inning. » August 30, 1945: Yankees rookie Floyd Bevans, 28, retires the first 18 Red Sox batters before giving up a walk and a double to Bob Johnson, the only hit for the Sox. Bevans wins 7–1, defeating Boo Ferriss who was trying for his 21st win. » May 1, 1946: Boo Ferriss benefits from 13 runs and the Red Sox tame the Tigers, 13–1. » May 6, 1946: The Red Sox sweep two games from the Browns in a postponed twinbill, with Boo Ferriss winning the opener 7–5 behind Ted Williams three RBIs. In the 8th inning of the opener, with George Metkovich on first, Johnny Pesky grounds out on a hit-and-run. He had hit safely 11 times up, one shy of Pinky Higgins major-league record hitting streak. Manager Joe Cronin said Pesky had called the play on his own, and he would have had him hitting away. In the nitecap, Williams scores the winning run in the 9th on Dom DiMaggio's RBI single, and the Sox Joe Dobson comes away with a 5–4 win. Dom will drive in a record-tying 84 runs hitting in the leadoff spot (87 altogether). The Sox have now won 11 in a row and are three games in front of the Yankees. » May 8, 1946: Hot-hitting Boston 2B Johnny Pesky becomes the first player in American League history to score six runs in one game, as the Red Sox beats the White Sox 14–10. Mickey Harris is the winner, despite giving up 17 hits in eight 2/3 innings. Boo Ferriss retires Taffy Wright for the last out and the Sox have now won 13 straight. » May 11, 1946: The Red Sox lose their first game after 15 straight wins, as Tiny Bonham beats Tex Hughson and Boo Ferriss 2–0 before 52,011 at Yankee Stadium. Tommy Henrich hits a homer and accounts for both runs. The Red Sox are 21-4, four 1/2 games ahead of the Yanks. The 15-game streak is still a Red Sox record. » May 26, 1946: The Red Sox turn stingy as Boo Ferriss holds the White Sox to one hit in the opener of two. In the nitecap, Emmett O'Neill allows just two Chicago hits. The three hits allowed in a doubleheader equals the 1934 record set by the Dean brothers, when Paul Dean tossed a no-hitter in game 2. » May 29, 1946: Boo Ferriss shuts out the A's, 2–0, as the Boston Red Sox start another win streak. » October 9, 1946: Boo Ferriss records the 50th shutout in World Series history. He holds the opposition to only six hits, as the Boston Red Sox blank the St. Louis Cardinals 4–0. Rudy York's 3-run home run in the first is the big blow. » April 23, 1947: Rudy York's two hits are it for Boston as the Yankees Allie Reynolds shuts out the Hubmen, 3–0. Boo Ferriss is the loser. » April 18, 1950: At Fenway, Happy Chandler gives Ted Williams his MVP Award, and then Governor Paul Dever tosses out the first ball. To the delight of 31,822 fans, Boston rips starter Allie Reynolds with a five-run 4th inning to drive the Chief from the game and take a 9–0 over the Yankees. But the Yanks score four in the 6th off Mel Parnell and then, down 10–4, New York unloads for nine runs in the 8th. 2B Billy Martin (2-for-2) becomes the first player in history to get two base hits in one inning in his first ML game. He doubles against Mel Parnell on his first at bat in the 8th inning, and singles off Al Papai. Walt Masterson gives up Tommy Henrich's 2nd triple of the game before giving way to four more Sox hurlers. Boo Ferriss, pitching in his last game, allows the last two runs in the 9th inning as the Yanks chalk up a 15–10 win, the biggest blown lead the Sox have ever had at Fenway (June 4, 1989, they'll blow a 10-run lad at home). DiMaggio, Berra, Vern Stephens, and Doerr each have three hits. Don Johnson is the winner, his last one for New York, with Joe Page pitching a perfect 8th and 9th in relief. » April 28, 1950: The Red Sox option P Boo Ferriss to Birmingham. The former ace pitched one inning, allowing two runs in his last ML appearance. » July 11, 1953: In his second major-league start, Al Worthington shuts out Brooklyn 6-0 for his 2nd shutout. This ties a ML record, last accomplished by Boo Ferriss of the Red Sox in 1945. Worthington stops the Dodgers' consecutive-game HR streak. During the streak Brooklyn smacked 39 HRs, another major-league record. » April 13, 1963: Red Sox rookie Dave Morehead shuts out the Senators, 3–0, in his first ML start. He's the first Red Sox pitcher to debut with a shutout since Boo Ferriss in 1945. » June 7, 1993: Milwaukee P Cal Eldred defeats the Mariners, 5-3, for his 7th win of the year. This gives him 20 victories in his 1st 30 career appearances in the majors, tying him for the "quickest" 20 wins in history with three other hurlers—Boo Ferriss (1945), Russ Ford (1910), and Nick Maddox (1908).