Jim Rice

David Hegler
4 minutes ago
4 min read

For nearly half a century, three great outfielders patrolled Fenway Park's left-field, snagging balls at a furious rate while crushing home runs and pacing their Red Sox teammates in virtually every offensive category. But while Ted Williams and Carl Yastrzemski brought their own unique talents to the ballpark, Jim Rice just might have been the best of the trio when it came to defense. He just seemed to have a feel for the way the ball would bounce off of the Green Monster. This is his story.

The Early Years

Jim Rice was born on March 8, 1953 in Anderson, South Carolina. From an early age, he showed a precociousness at the plate and in the outfield that proved to be a mirror into his adult life. After leading his American Legion team to the state finals, he attended Westside High School where his hero, George Webster, had once starred before becoming a star in the AFL's Houston Oilers.

Rice proved a natural on the gridiron, on the hardwood and on the diamond while in high school. He was an All-State kick returner/defensive back/wide receiver and led South Carolina to victory in the North Carolina-South Carolina Shrine Bowl. However, his best sport was always baseball and he was taken right out of high school in the first round of the 1971 Major League Draft by the Boston Red Sox.

He played 60 games for Single-A Williamsport that first summer, averaging .256 and crushing five home runs. The following year, he spent time in Winter Haven of the Florida State League, crushing 17 home runs in 130 games. He continued to prove himself in AA Bristol in the summer of 1973, earning the league batting title after averaging .317.

After collecting a gamut of honors with the AAA Pawtucket Red Sox in 1974 such as the Rookie of the Year and the league MVP while earning the International League Triple Crown with a .337 average, 25 home runs and 93 RBI, the Red Sox had no more excuses to keeping him away from the big club. They needed his services.

Boston

Jim Rice only played 60 games for the 1974 Boston Red Sox, but he did show promise in his limited appearances. He hit 18 times for a .269 average, drove in 13 runs and crushed his first big league home run, crushing one off of Cleveland's Steve Kline in a 7-4 win late in the year. The following year, he took over for Carl Yastrzemski at left-field. While "Yaz" would dabble in front of the Green Monster at times for the rest of the decade, the job was Jim Rice's to lose as Yastrzemski moved on to first-base and designated hitter.

Rice played well that first year as a full-time starter, averaging .309, crushing 22 homers, driving in 102 runs, recording an impressive .840 OPS and throwing out 161 base runners from left-field. Unfortunately, he broke his wrist in the last week of the season, costing him the opportunity to play in the World Series. He watched from the dugout as his teammates lost in seven games to the Cincinnati Reds.

Determined to lead his teammates back to the Fall Classic, Jim Rice returned to the starting lineup with a vengeance in 1976, bashing 25 home runs and recording a .797 OPS. The following year, he earned the first of four straight All-Star selections after averaging .320 and leading the AL with 39 home runs.

He topped that number in 1978 when he led the majors with 213 hits, 46 home runs and 139 RBI while leading the AL with a sizzling .970 OPS, all the while being named the AL MVP. That same year, he began a streak of nine straight seasons where he recorded no less than 212 putouts and committed no less than nine errors. Over that stretch, Jim Rice proved to be in tune with the many balls that constantly bounced off of the massive Green Monster.

The following year he recorded a career-best .325 average and crushed 39 home runs. In an incredible three-year span, Jim Rice bashed 124 home runs, pacing his teams to victory after victory.

Having failed to make the All-Star game in 1981 and 1982, Jim Rice resumed his All-Star ways in 1983, averaging and again leading the AL in home runs (39) and RBI (126) while recording a career best 339 putouts. He would be named an All-Star three more times over the next three years.

In 1986, Jim Rice stayed healthy all year and was in the lineup as his red Sox made the world Series. Having missed his big opportunity earlier in his career, Jim Rice was thrilled that he could actually contribute this time around.

Not wanting to waste this rare opportunity, Rice hit thrice for a .231 average in a 9-3 Game 2 win over the Mets. He hit twice more in Game 5 and 7 and his heart was more crushed than any of his home runs when the Red Sox lost 8-5 to close out the World Series at Shea Stadium. He would never again get so close to becoming a champion.

Legacy

Jim Rice retired following the 1989 season with a slew of accomplishments. his 350 home runs from 1975 through 1986 was only behind Mike Schmidt and Dave Kingman over that period. While his 2,452 hits and .298 lifetime batting average was impressive, that wasn't what made him a Fenway Park legacy.

Eleven times he was ranked as one of the top five left-fielders in the AL for assists and seven times he was in the top five for putouts. In a nutshell, he was the vacuum beneath the Green Monster's feet. Jim Rice was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009.

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