# 1972 Boston Red Sox season

The 1972 Boston Red Sox season was the 72nd season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished second in the American League East with a record of 85 wins and 70 losses, one-half game behind the Detroit Tigers. Due to the cancellation of games missed during the 1972 Major League Baseball strike, Detroit played (and won) one more game than Boston, allowing them to finish with a record of 86–70, winning the division by a half-game.

## Offseason

* October 10, 1971: Jim Lonborg, Ken Brett, Billy Conigliaro, Joe Lahoud, Don Pavletich, and George Scott were traded by the Red Sox to the Milwaukee Brewers for Marty Pattin, Lew Krausse Jr., Tommy Harper, and Pat Skrable (minors).
* March 22, 1972: Sparky Lyle was traded by the Red Sox to the New York Yankees for Danny Cater and a player to be named later. The Yankees completed the deal by sending Mario Guerrero to the Red Sox on June 30.

### A bad trade

After the 1971 season, the Red Sox management decided on drastic changes. First there was a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers. George Scott, who had fallen out of favor with the Red Sox management, was packaged with Billy Conigliaro (younger brother of former Red Sox star Tony Conigliaro), outfielders Joe Lahoud and Don Pavletich, pitchers Ken Brett (George Brett's older brother) and Jim Lonborg and exchanged for pitchers Marty Pattin and Lew Krausse Jr. and outfielders Tommy Harper and Pat Skrable. It was a big deal and, as it turned out, a bad one for Boston. Lonborg won 14 games for Milwaukee in 1972, with a 2.83 ERA, and later was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies, where he won 13, 17, 18, 8 and 11 games during five seasons. Scott batted .263, .266, .306, .281 and .285 in his five seasons with the Brewers, driving in 88, 107, 82, 109, and 77 runs during those same years and clouting an average of 23 homers a season, with 36 in 1975 alone. Meanwhile, although Pattin was 17–13 for Boston in 1972 a 15–15 in 1973, he was then traded away. Harper batted .254 and .281 in his two years with the Sox before being traded. Skrable, a Triple-A player, did not play professionally after the 1971 season. He refused to report to Boston, and the Red Sox received infielder Bobby Pfeil as compensation; Pfeil finished his career with Boston's Triple-A affiliate in 1972.

## Regular season

Record by month :
| Month | Record | Record | Cumulative | Cumulative | AL East | AL East | Ref. |
| Month | Won | Lost | Won | Lost | Position | GB | Ref. |
| April | 4 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 4th | 3 | |
| May | 11 | 12 | 15 | 19 | 5th | 4+1⁄2 | |
| June | 12 | 15 | 27 | 34 | 4th | 7+1⁄2 | |
| July | 20 | 12 | 47 | 46 | 4th | 7 | |
| August | 17 | 12 | 64 | 58 | 4th | 2 | |
| September | 20 | 9 | 84 | 67 | 1st | +1+1⁄2 | |
| October | 1 | 3 | 85 | 70 | 2nd | 1⁄2 | |
Following the 1972 Major League Baseball strike, Commissioner of Baseball Bowie Kuhn ruled that no games cancelled due to the April strike would be made up. The Red Sox played a total of 155 games of their original 162-game schedule, and finished with a record of 85–70. Meanwhile, the Detroit Tigers played 156 games, and finished with a record of 86–70. Thus, the Tigers were winners of the AL East, by a half-game over the Red Sox.
Boston and Detroit finished their regular-season schedules with a three-game series against each other, played at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Entering the series, Boston held a half-game lead over Detroit, but Detroit won two of the three games, and the AL East title.
Final series, Boston at Detroit :
| Date | Game result | Boston record | Detroit record | AL East leader (GA) |
| Entering the series | Entering the series | 84–68 (.553) | 84–69 (.549) | Boston (+0.5) |
| October 2 | Detroit 4–1 | 84–69 (.549) | 85–69 (.552) | Detroit (+0.5) |
| October 3 | Detroit 3–1 | 84–70 (.545) | 86–69 (.555) | Detroit (+1.5) |
| October 4 | Boston 4–1 | 85–70 (.548) | 86–70 (.551) | Detroit (+0.5) |
The first game of the series included a notable play. In the top of the third inning, Boston trailed, 1–0, and had one out with Tommy Harper at third base and Luis Aparicio at first base. Carl Yastrzemski hit a ball that looked to be a triple; Harper scored, but Aparicio fell as he rounded third base. Aparicio got up and retreated to third, but Yastrzemski was already there, causing Yastrzemski to try to return to second, resulting in Yastrzemski being tagged out. Thus, instead of having a 2–1 lead with one out and a runner at third, Boston had only tied the game and had two outs (albeit still with a runner at third). The next batter, Reggie Smith, struck out to end the inning. Boston was unable to score again, and Detroit went on to win the game, 4–1. Aparicio falling as he rounded third base is looked back upon as a key play that could have made a difference.

### Season standings

vteAL East :
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
| Detroit Tigers | 86 | 70 | .551 | — | 44‍–‍34 | 42‍–‍36 |
| Boston Red Sox | 85 | 70 | .548 | ½ | 52‍–‍26 | 33‍–‍44 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 80 | 74 | .519 | 5 | 38‍–‍39 | 42‍–‍35 |
| New York Yankees | 79 | 76 | .510 | 6½ | 46‍–‍31 | 33‍–‍45 |
| Cleveland Indians | 72 | 84 | .462 | 14 | 43‍–‍34 | 29‍–‍50 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 65 | 91 | .417 | 21 | 37‍–‍42 | 28‍–‍49 |

### Record vs. opponents

1972 American League recordvte Sources: :
| Team | BAL | BOS | CAL | CWS | CLE | DET | KC | MIL | MIN | NYY | OAK | TEX |
| Baltimore | — | 7–11 | 6–6 | 8–4 | 8–10 | 10–8 | 6–6 | 10–5 | 6–6 | 7–6 | 6–6 | 6–6 |
| Boston | 11–7 | — | 8–4 | 6–6 | 8–7 | 5–9 | 6–6 | 11–7 | 4–8 | 9–9 | 9–3 | 8–4 |
| California | 6–6 | 4–8 | — | 7–11 | 8–4 | 5–7 | 9–6 | 7–5 | 7–8 | 4–8 | 8–10 | 10–7 |
| Chicago | 4–8 | 6–6 | 11–7 | — | 8–4 | 5–7 | 8–9 | 9–3 | 8–6 | 7–5 | 7–8 | 14–4 |
| Cleveland | 10–8 | 7–8 | 4–8 | 4–8 | — | 10–8 | 6–6 | 5–10 | 8–4 | 7–11 | 2–10 | 9–3 |
| Detroit | 8–10 | 9–5 | 7–5 | 7–5 | 8–10 | — | 7–5 | 10–8 | 9–3 | 7–9 | 4–8 | 10–2 |
| Kansas City | 6–6 | 6–6 | 6–9 | 9–8 | 6–6 | 5–7 | — | 7–5 | 9–9 | 7–5 | 7–11 | 8–6 |
| Milwaukee | 5–10 | 7–11 | 5–7 | 3–9 | 10–5 | 8–10 | 5–7 | — | 4–8 | 9–9 | 4–8 | 5–7 |
| Minnesota | 6–6 | 8–4 | 8–7 | 6–8 | 4–8 | 3–9 | 9–9 | 8–4 | — | 6–6 | 8–9 | 11–7 |
| New York | 6–7 | 9–9 | 8–4 | 5–7 | 11–7 | 9–7 | 5–7 | 9–9 | 6–6 | — | 3–9 | 8–4 |
| Oakland | 6–6 | 3–9 | 10–8 | 8–7 | 10–2 | 8–4 | 11–7 | 8–4 | 9–8 | 9–3 | — | 11–4 |
| Texas | 6–6 | 4–8 | 7–10 | 4–14 | 3–9 | 2–10 | 6–8 | 7–5 | 7–11 | 4–8 | 4–11 | — |

### Notable transactions

* June 6, 1972: Don Aase was drafted by the Red Sox in the 6th round of the 1972 Major League Baseball Draft.
* August 15, 1972: Chris Coletta was traded by the Red Sox to the California Angels for Andy Kosco.

### Opening Day lineup

| 4 | Tommy Harper | CF |
| 11 | Luis Aparicio | SS |
| 8 | Carl Yastrzemski | LF |
| 7 | Reggie Smith | RF |
| 6 | Rico Petrocelli | 3B |
| 5 | Danny Cater | 1B |
| 2 | Doug Griffin | 2B |
| 24 | Duane Josephson | C |
| 33 | Marty Pattin | P |
Source:

### Roster
## Player stats
### Batting

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases; BB = Walks; AVG = Batting average; SLG = Slugging average
| Player | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | AVG | SLG |
| Tommy Harper | 144 | 556 | 92 | 141 | 29 | 2 | 14 | 49 | 25 | 67 | .254 | .388 |
| Rico Petrocelli | 147 | 521 | 62 | 125 | 15 | 2 | 15 | 75 | 0 | 78 | .240 | .363 |
| Doug Griffin | 129 | 470 | 43 | 122 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 35 | 9 | 45 | .260 | .302 |
| Reggie Smith | 131 | 467 | 75 | 126 | 25 | 4 | 21 | 74 | 15 | 68 | .270 | .475 |
| Carlton Fisk | 131 | 457 | 74 | 134 | 28 | 9 | 22 | 61 | 5 | 52 | .293 | .538 |
| Carl Yastrzemski | 125 | 455 | 70 | 120 | 18 | 2 | 12 | 68 | 5 | 67 | .264 | .391 |
| Luis Aparicio | 110 | 436 | 47 | 112 | 26 | 3 | 3 | 39 | 3 | 26 | .257 | .351 |
| Danny Cater | 92 | 317 | 32 | 75 | 17 | 1 | 8 | 39 | 0 | 15 | .237 | .372 |
| Ben Oglivie | 94 | 253 | 27 | 61 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 30 | 1 | 18 | .241 | .391 |
| John Kennedy | 71 | 212 | 22 | 52 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 22 | 0 | 18 | .245 | .335 |
| Juan Beníquez | 33 | 99 | 10 | 24 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 7 | .242 | .333 |
| Rick Miller | 89 | 98 | 13 | 21 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 0 | 11 | .214 | .367 |
| Phil Gagliano | 52 | 82 | 9 | 21 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 10 | .256 | .329 |
| Duane Josephson | 26 | 82 | 11 | 22 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 4 | .268 | .378 |
| Bob Montgomery | 24 | 77 | 7 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 3 | .286 | .377 |
| Bob Burda | 45 | 73 | 4 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 8 | .164 | .260 |
| Dwight Evans | 18 | 57 | 2 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 7 | .263 | .404 |
| Andy Kosco | 17 | 47 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 2 | .213 | .489 |
| Cecil Cooper | 12 | 17 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .235 | .294 |
| Bob Gallagher | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 |
| Vic Correll | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .500 | .500 |
| Pitcher Totals | 155 | 423 | 34 | 68 | 14 | 1 | 4 | 31 | 0 | 14 | .161 | .227 |
| Team Totals | 155 | 5208 | 640 | 1289 | 229 | 34 | 124 | 594 | 66 | 522 | .248 | .376 |
Source:

### Pitching

Note: W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; H = Hits allowed; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | W | L | ERA | G | GS | SV | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
| Marty Pattin | 17 | 13 | 3.24 | 38 | 35 | 0 | 253.0 | 232 | 102 | 91 | 65 | 168 |
| Sonny Siebert | 12 | 12 | 3.80 | 32 | 30 | 0 | 196.1 | 204 | 105 | 83 | 59 | 123 |
| Luis Tiant | 15 | 6 | 1.91 | 43 | 19 | 3 | 179.0 | 128 | 45 | 38 | 65 | 123 |
| John Curtis | 11 | 8 | 3.73 | 26 | 21 | 0 | 154.1 | 161 | 69 | 64 | 50 | 106 |
| Lynn McGlothen | 8 | 7 | 3.41 | 22 | 22 | 0 | 145.0 | 135 | 66 | 55 | 59 | 112 |
| Ray Culp | 5 | 8 | 4.46 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 105.0 | 104 | 60 | 52 | 53 | 52 |
| Gary Peters | 3 | 3 | 4.32 | 33 | 4 | 1 | 85.1 | 91 | 48 | 41 | 38 | 67 |
| Bill Lee | 7 | 4 | 3.20 | 47 | 0 | 5 | 84.1 | 75 | 31 | 30 | 32 | 43 |
| Lew Krausse Jr. | 1 | 3 | 6.38 | 24 | 7 | 1 | 60.2 | 74 | 48 | 43 | 28 | 35 |
| Don Newhauser | 4 | 2 | 2.43 | 31 | 0 | 4 | 37.0 | 30 | 11 | 10 | 25 | 27 |
| Bobby Bolin | 0 | 1 | 2.93 | 21 | 0 | 5 | 30.2 | 24 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 27 |
| Ken Tatum | 0 | 2 | 3.07 | 22 | 0 | 4 | 29.1 | 32 | 12 | 10 | 15 | 15 |
| Bob Veale | 2 | 0 | 0.00 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 8.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| Roger Moret | 0 | 0 | 3.60 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 4 |
| Stan Williams | 0 | 0 | 6.23 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4.1 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Mike Garman | 0 | 1 | 10.80 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3.1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Mike Nagy | 0 | 0 | 9.00 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Team Totals | 85 | 70 | 3.47 | 155 | 155 | 25 | 1382.2 | 1309 | 620 | 533 | 512 | 918 |
Source:

## Statistical leaders

| Category | Player | Statistic |
| Youngest player | Dwight Evans | 20 |
| Oldest player | Luis Aparicio | 38 |
| Wins Above Replacement | Carlton Fisk | 7.3 |
Source:

### Batting

| Abbr. | Category | Player | Statistic |
| G | Games played | Rico Petrocelli | 147 |
| PA | Plate appearances | Tommy Harper | 641 |
| AB | At bats | Tommy Harper | 556 |
| R | Runs scored | Tommy Harper | 92 |
| H | Hits | Tommy Harper | 141 |
| 2B | Doubles | Tommy Harper | 29 |
| 3B | Triples | Carlton Fisk | 9 |
| HR | Home runs | Carlton Fisk | 22 |
| RBI | Runs batted in | Rico Petrocelli | 75 |
| SB | Stolen bases | Tommy Harper | 25 |
| CS | Caught stealing | Tommy Harper | 7 |
| BB | Base on balls | Rico Petrocelli | 78 |
| SO | Strikeouts | Tommy Harper | 104 |
| BA | Batting average | Carlton Fisk | .293 |
| OBP | On-base percentage | Carlton Fisk | .370 |
| SLG | Slugging percentage | Carlton Fisk | .538 |
| OPS | On-base plus slugging | Carlton Fisk | .909 |
| OPS+ | Adjusted OPS | Carlton Fisk | 162 |
| TB | Total bases | Carlton Fisk | 246 |
| GIDP | Grounded into double play | Danny Cater | 16 |
| HBP | Hit by pitch | Tommy Harper | 9 |
| SH | Sacrifice hits | Doug Griffin | 15 |
| SF | Sacrifice flies | Carl Yastrzemski | 9 |
| IBB | Intentional base on balls | Reggie Smith | 12 |
Source:

### Pitching

| Abbr. | Category | Player | Statistic |
| W | Wins | Marty Pattin | 17 |
| L | Losses | Marty Pattin | 13 |
| W-L % | Winning percentage | Luis Tiant | .714 (15–6) |
| ERA | Earned run average | Luis Tiant | 1.91 |
| G | Games pitched | Bill Lee | 47 |
| GS | Games started | Marty Pattin | 35 |
| GF | Games finished | Don Newhauser | 17 |
| GF | Games finished | Gary Peters | 17 |
| CG | Complete games | Marty Pattin | 13 |
| SHO | Shutouts | Luis Tiant | 6 |
| SV | Saves | Bob Bolin | 5 |
| SV | Saves | Bill Lee | 5 |
| IP | Innings pitched | Marty Pattin | 253 |
| SO | Strikeouts | Marty Pattin | 168 |
| WHIP | Walks plus hits per inning pitched | Luis Tiant | 1.078 |
Source:

## Awards and honors

* Carlton Fisk, Gold Glove Award (C)

## Farm system

| Level | Team | League | Manager |
| AAA | Louisville Colonels | International League | Darrell Johnson |
| AA | Pawtucket Red Sox | Eastern League | Don Lock |
| A | Winston-Salem Red Sox | Carolina League | Rac Slider |
| A | Winter Haven Red Sox | Florida State League | John Butler |
| A-Short Season | Williamsport Red Sox | New York–Penn League | Dick Berardino |
Source: