# 2011 Boston Red Sox season

The 2011 Boston Red Sox season was the 111th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. Before the season, the Red Sox were favored to win the American League East and reach the World Series, with some comparing the team to the 1927 New York Yankees. With a record of 90–72, the Red Sox finished third in their division, seven games behind the Yankees.
The club led the Tampa Bay Rays by nine games in the AL wild card race on September 3. Boston’s odds of reaching the postseason peaked at 99.6%, but the Red Sox lost 18 of their final 24 games. On the last day of the season, September 28, a ninth-inning Red Sox loss to the Baltimore Orioles via a blown save, coupled with an improbable late comeback from a 7–0 deficit in 12 innings by the Rays over the Yankees, made the Rays the AL wild card winners and eliminated the Red Sox from playoff contention.

## Offseason
### November

* 11/04/10-Detroit Tigers traded Brent Dlugach to Boston Red Sox.
* 11/07/10-3B Adrián Beltré elected to free agency.
* LF Bill Hall elected to free agency.
* 2B Felipe López elected to free agent.
* C Víctor Martínez elected to free agency.
* C Jason Varitek elected to free agency.
* 11/08/10-Activated RHP Junichi Tazawa from the 60-day disabled list.
* Activated CF Mike Cameron from the 60-day disabled list.
* Activated 1B Kevin Youkilis from the 60-day disabled list.
* Activated LF Jacoby Ellsbury from the 60-day disabled list.
* 11/12/10-Traded LHP Dustin Richardson to the Florida Marlins for LHP Andrew Miller.
* 11/15/10-Claimed RHP Taylor Buchholz off waivers from Toronto Blue Jays.
* 11/19/10-Called up Luis Exposito from Portland Sea Dogs.
* Called up Stolmy Pimentel from Salem Red Sox.
* Called up Óscar Tejeda from Salem Red Sox.
* 11/24/10-Claimed Jordan Parraz off waivers from Kansas City Royals.

### December

* 12/03/10-2B Nate Spears assigned to Boston Red Sox.
* RHP Santo Luis assigned to Boston Red Sox.
* LHP Hideki Okajima elected free agency.
* RHP Taylor Buchholz elected free agency.
* LHP Andrew Miller elected free agency.
* Signed free agent RHP Jason Bergmann.
* Signed free agent RHP Brandon Duckworth.
* Signed free agent 2B Drew Sutton.
* 12/06/10-Portland Sea Dogs traded 1B Anthony Rizzo and RHP Casey Kelly to San Antonio Missions; San Diego Padres traded 1B Adrián González to Boston Red Sox and Greenville Drive traded CF Reymond Fuentes to Fort Wayne TinCaps.
* 12/10/10-Signed free agent C Jason Varitek.
* 12/11/10-Signed free agent LF Carl Crawford.
* 12/16/10-Traded CF Eric Patterson to San Diego Padres.
* Signed free agent LHP Andrew Miller.
* Signed free agent RHP Clevelan Santeliz.
* Signed free agent LHP Randy Williams.
* Signed free agent LHP Rich Hill.
* Signed free agent LHP Lenny DiNardo.
* Signed free agent LHP Matt Albers.
* 12/18/10-Signed free agent RHP Dan Wheeler.
* 12/21/10-Designated SS Brent Dlugach for assignment.
* Signed free agent RHP Bobby Jenks.
* 12/23/10-Outrighted Brent Dlugach to Pawtucket Red Sox.

### January

* 1/05/11-Designated Matt Fox for assignment.
* Claimed Max Ramírez off waivers from Texas Rangers.
* 1/06/11-Signed free agent RHP Tony Peña Jr.
* 1/10/11-Signed free agent LHP Hideki Okajima.
* 1/13/11-Released RHP Matt Fox.

## 2011 spring training

Fans gathered at Fenway Park on February 8, 2011 in order to kick off the Red Sox preseason by celebrating Truck Day. The first full team workout of the preseason took place on February 19. Playing other teams in the Grapefruit League the Red Sox finished with 14 wins and 19 losses.

## 2011 season

The Red Sox made several high profile roster moves hoping to return to postseason success after missing the playoffs in 2010. During the offseason the Red Sox traded for first baseman Adrián González, and they followed that move up by signing star outfielder Carl Crawford.

### Opening day

The Red Sox kicked off the year against the defending AL Pennant Winners, the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas, on Friday, April 1.

#### Lineup

| 2 | Jacoby Ellsbury | CF |
| 15 | Dustin Pedroia | 2B |
| 13 | Carl Crawford | LF |
| 20 | Kevin Youkilis | 3B |
| 28 | Adrián González | 1B |
| 34 | David Ortiz | DH |
| 23 | Mike Cameron | RF |
| 39 | Jarrod Saltalamacchia | C |
| 10 | Marco Scutaro | SS |
| 31 | Jon Lester | P |
Source:
The Red Sox home opener was Friday, April 8, against the rival New York Yankees.

### Pitching woes

On May 15, John Lackey and Daisuke Matsuzaka were placed on the disabled list. On June 10, Matsuzaka underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery. Clay Buchholz was afflicted with what would be diagnosed as a stress fracture in his back and was also put on the disabled list on June 17, where he would remain for the rest of the season. Other pitchers including Rich Hill and Bobby Jenks spent significant time on the disabled list. The Red Sox obtained Érik Bédard from the Seattle Mariners seconds before the trading deadline, after Kyle Weiland (who was highlighted by his ejection on his MLB debut) proved ineffective. Starting pitchers John Lackey and ace Jon Lester were ineffective down the stretch, as the Red Sox crashed down to a 7-20 finish, blowing a 9-game wild card lead that they held entering September. Josh Beckett missed a start early in the month after spraining his ankle in a previous start, and was ineffective in most of his September starts after that point.

### Collapse

The Red Sox became the first team in the history of Major League Baseball to have a nine-game lead in September and fail to make the playoffs that season, thanks to their 7-20 record in the final month of the regular season. In the days following this historic collapse, the front office and manager Terry Francona decided to part ways, and not exercise either of the additional year options on Francona's contract.
After the regular season ended, General Manager Theo Epstein entered talks with the Chicago Cubs to interview for the National League club's vacant General Manager position. The Cubs offered Epstein the position of President of Baseball Operations, and he accepted. After five months of negotiations, the Red Sox and Cubs agreed to the compensation the Red Sox would receive for Epstein. The Cubs acquired minor-league first baseman Jair Bogaerts (twin brother of Xander Bogaerts) from the Red Sox, and the Red Sox received pitchers Chris Carpenter and Aaron Kurcz.
Soon after the season ended, stories broke in the local media about several of Boston's starting pitchers, including Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, and John Lackey, had been playing video games, eating fried chicken, and drinking beer in the clubhouse and dugout during games when they were not pitching. Jon Lester was the first to speak publicly about the allegations, and admitted to eating and drinking in the clubhouse during games, though infrequently, but denied that these actions ever took place in the dugout.

### Season standings
#### American League East

vteAL East :
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
| New York Yankees | 97 | 65 | .599 | — | 52‍–‍29 | 45‍–‍36 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 91 | 71 | .562 | 6 | 47‍–‍34 | 44‍–‍37 |
| Boston Red Sox | 90 | 72 | .556 | 7 | 45‍–‍36 | 45‍–‍36 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 81 | 81 | .500 | 16 | 42‍–‍39 | 39‍–‍42 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 69 | 93 | .426 | 28 | 39‍–‍42 | 30‍–‍51 |

#### American League Wild Card

vteDivision Winners :
| Team | W | L | Pct. |
| New York Yankees | 97 | 65 | .599 |
| Texas Rangers | 96 | 66 | .593 |
| Detroit Tigers | 95 | 67 | .586 |
vteWild Card team (Top team qualifies for postseason) :
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 91 | 71 | .562 | — |
| Boston Red Sox | 90 | 72 | .556 | 1 |
| Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | 86 | 76 | .531 | 5 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 81 | 81 | .500 | 10 |
| Cleveland Indians | 80 | 82 | .494 | 11 |
| Chicago White Sox | 79 | 83 | .488 | 12 |
| Oakland Athletics | 74 | 88 | .457 | 17 |
| Kansas City Royals | 71 | 91 | .438 | 20 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 69 | 93 | .426 | 22 |
| Seattle Mariners | 67 | 95 | .414 | 24 |
| Minnesota Twins | 63 | 99 | .389 | 28 |

### Record vs. opponents

| Team | BAL | BOS | CWS | CLE | DET | KC | LAA | MIN | NYY | OAK | SEA | TB | TEX | TOR | NL |
| Baltimore | – | 8–10 | 4–4 | 2–5 | 5–5 | 5–4 | 3–6 | 6–2 | 5–13 | 4–5 | 4–2 | 9–9 | 1–5 | 6–12 | 7–11 |
| Boston | 10–8 | – | 2–4 | 4–6 | 5–1 | 5–3 | 6–2 | 5–2 | 12–6 | 6–2 | 5–4 | 6–12 | 4–6 | 10–8 | 10–8 |
| Chicago | 4–4 | 4–2 | – | 11–7 | 5–13 | 7–11 | 2–6 | 9–9 | 2–6 | 6–4 | 7–2 | 4–4 | 4–4 | 3–4 | 11–7 |
| Cleveland | 5–2 | 6–4 | 7–11 | – | 6–12 | 12–6 | 3–6 | 11–7 | 3–4 | 5–2 | 5–4 | 2–4 | 1–9 | 3–4 | 11–7 |
| Detroit | 5–5 | 1–5 | 13–5 | 12–6 | – | 11–7 | 3–4 | 14–4 | 4–3 | 5–5 | 4–6 | 6–1 | 6–3 | 4–2 | 7–11 |
| Kansas City | 4–5 | 3–5 | 11–7 | 6–12 | 7–11 | – | 7–3 | 8–10 | 3–3 | 4–5 | 5–3 | 2–5 | 2–6 | 4–3 | 5–13 |
| Los Angeles | 6–3 | 2–6 | 6–2 | 6–3 | 4–3 | 3–7 | – | 6–3 | 4–5 | 8–11 | 12–7 | 4–4 | 7–12 | 5–5 | 13–5 |
| Minnesota | 2–6 | 2–5 | 9–9 | 7–11 | 4–14 | 10–8 | 3–6 | – | 2–6 | 4–4 | 3–5 | 3–7 | 5–3 | 1–5 | 8–10 |
| New York | 13–5 | 6–12 | 6–2 | 4–3 | 3–4 | 3–3 | 5–4 | 6–2 | – | 6–3 | 5–4 | 9–9 | 7–2 | 11–7 | 13–5 |
| Oakland | 5–4 | 2–6 | 4–6 | 2–5 | 5–5 | 5–4 | 11–8 | 4–4 | 3–6 | – | 9–10 | 5–2 | 6–13 | 5–5 | 8–10 |
| Seattle | 2–4 | 4–5 | 2–7 | 4–5 | 6–4 | 3–5 | 7–12 | 5–3 | 4–5 | 10–9 | – | 4–6 | 4–15 | 3–6 | 9–9 |
| Tampa Bay | 9–9 | 12–6 | 4–4 | 4–2 | 1–6 | 5–2 | 4–4 | 7–3 | 9–9 | 2–5 | 6–4 | – | 4–5 | 12–6 | 12–6 |
| Texas | 5–1 | 6–4 | 4–4 | 9–1 | 3–6 | 6–2 | 12–7 | 3–5 | 2–7 | 13–6 | 15–4 | 5–4 | – | 4–6 | 9–9 |
| Toronto | 12–6 | 8–10 | 4–3 | 4–3 | 2–4 | 3–4 | 5–5 | 5–1 | 7–11 | 5–5 | 6–3 | 6–12 | 6–4 | – | 8–10 |
* view
* talk
* Source: MLB Standings Grid – 2011
Red Sox vs. National League :
| Team | NL Central | NL Central | NL Central | NL Central | NL Central | NL Central | | |
| Team | CHC | CIN | HOU | MIL | PIT | STL | PHI | SDP |
| Boston | 2–1 | — | 3–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | — | 1–2 | 1–2 |

### Game log

Legend :
| Red Sox Win | Red Sox Loss | Game Postponed | Eliminated from Playoff Contention |
| Boldface text denotes a Red Sox pitcher |||||
2011 Game Log (90–72) :
April (11–15)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceStadiumRecordBoxscore / Streak
1April 1@ Rangers9–5Oliver (1–0)Bard (0–1)50,146Rangers Ballpark0–1L1
2April 2@ Rangers12–5Lewis (1–0)Lackey (0–1)48,356Rangers Ballpark0–2L2
3April 3@ Rangers5–1Harrison (1–0)Buchholz (0–1)46,326Rangers Ballpark0–3L3
4April 5@ Indians3–1Tomlin (1–0)Beckett (0–1)Perez (1)9,025Progressive Field0–4L4
5April 6@ Indians8–4Perez (1–0)Matsuzaka (0–1)9,523Progressive Field0–5L5
6April 7@ Indians1–0Perez (2–0)Bard (0–2)Perez (2)10,594Progressive Field0–6L6
7April 8Yankees9–6Lackey (1–1)Colón (0–1)Papelbon (1)37,178Fenway Park1–6W1
8April 9Yankees9–4Robertson (2–0)Buchholz (0–2)37,488Fenway Park1–7L1
9April 10Yankees4–0Beckett (1–1)Sabathia (0–1)37,861Fenway Park2–7W1
10April 11Rays16–5Hellickson (1–1)Matsuzaka (0–2)37,568Fenway Park2–8L1
11April 12Rays3–2Price (1–2)Lester (0–1)37,015Fenway Park2–9L2
12April 13RaysPostponed (rain); Makeup: August 16Rain1
12April 15Blue Jays7–6Cecil (1–1)Jenks (0–1)Rauch (3)37,467Fenway Park2–10L3
13April 16Blue Jays4–1Beckett (2–1)Reyes (0–2)Papelbon (2)37,310Fenway Park3–10W1
14April 17Blue Jays8–1Lester (1–1)Litsch (1–1)37,802Fenway Park4–10W2
15April 18Blue Jays9–1Matsuzaka (1–2)Romero (1–2)37,916Fenway Park5–10W3
16April 19@ Athletics5–0Anderson (1–1)Lackey (1–2)25,230McAfee Coliseum5–11L1
17April 20@ Athletics5–3Buchholz (1–2)González (2–1)Papelbon (3)29,045McAfee Coliseum6–11W1
18April 21@ Angels4–2 (11)Jenks (1–1)Thompson (0–1)Papelbon (4)37,003Angel Stadium7–11W2
19April 22@ Angels4–3Lester (2–1)Haren (4–1)Papelbon (5)39,005Angel Stadium8–11W3
20April 23@ Angels5–0Matsuzaka (2–2)Santana (0–3)40,025Angel Stadium9–11W4
21April 24@ Angels7–0Lackey (2–2)Palmer (1–1)35,107Angel Stadium10–11W5
22April 26@ Orioles4–1Britton (4–1)Buchholz (1–3)Gregg (3)18,938Camden Yards10–12L1
23April 27@ Orioles5–4Uehara (1–0)Bard (0–3)Gregg (4)15,514Camden Yards10–13L2
24April 28@ Orioles6–2Lester (3–1)Johnson (1–1)21,209Camden Yards11–13W1
25April 29Mariners5–4Vargas (1–2)Jenks (1–2)League (6)37,845Fenway Park11–14L1
26April 30Mariners2–0Fister (2–3)
Lackey (2–3)League (7)37,901Fenway Park11–15L2 :
May (19–10)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceStadiumRecordBoxscore / Streak
27May 1Mariners3–2Papelbon (1–0)Wright (0–1)37,079Fenway Park12–15W1
28May 2Angels9–5Buchholz (2–3)Weaver (6–1)37,017Fenway Park13–15W2
29May 3Angels7–3Lester (4–1)Haren (4–2)37,043Fenway Park14–15W3
30May 4Angels5–3 (13)Bell (1–0)Matsuzaka (2–3)37,037Fenway Park14–16L1
31May 5Angels11–0Piñeiro (1–0)Lackey (2–4)37,013Fenway Park14–17L2
32May 6Twins9–2Baker (2–2)Wakefield (0–1)37,798Fenway Park14–18L3
33May 7Twins4–0Buchholz (3–3)Duensing (2–2)37,234Fenway Park15–18W1
34May 8Twins9–5Matsuzaka (3–3)Pavano (2–4)37,526Fenway Park16–18W2
35May 9Twins2–1Okajima (1–0)Hoey (0–1)37,276Fenway Park17–18W3
36May 10@ Blue Jays7–6 (10)Villanueva (1–0)Albers (0–1)17,820Rogers Centre17–19L1
37May 11@ Blue Jays9–3Litsch (4–2)Lackey (2–5)19,163Rogers Centre17–20L2
38May 13@ Yankees5–4Buchholz (4–3)Colón (2–2)Papelbon (6)48,254Yankee Stadium18–20W1
39May 14@ Yankees6–0Beckett (3–1)Sabathia (3–3)48,790Yankee Stadium19–20W2
40May 15@ Yankees7–5Lester (5–1)García (2–3)Papelbon (7)46,945Yankee Stadium20–20W3
41May 16Orioles8–7Aceves (1–0)Gregg (0–1)37,138Fenway Park21–20W4
42May 17OriolesPostponed (rain); Makeup: September 19Rain2
42May 18Tigers1–0Bard (1–3)Schlereth (0–1)Papelbon (8)37,311Fenway Park22–20W5
43May 19Tigers4–3Papelbon (2–0)Alburquerque (0–1)37,660Fenway Park23–20W6
44May 20Cubs15–5Lester (6–1)Davis (0–2)Atchison (1)37,140Fenway Park24–20W7
45May 21Cubs9–3Marshall (2–0)Albers (0–2)37,798Fenway Park24–21L1
46May 22Cubs5–1Wakefield (1–1)Russell (1–5)37,688Fenway Park25–21W1
47May 23@ Indians3–2Smith (2–1)Bard (1–4)Perez (13)19,225Progressive Field25–22L1
48May 24@ Indians4–2Beckett (4–1)Carmona (3–5)Papelbon (9)23,752Progressive Field26–22W1
49May 25@ Indians14–2Lester (7–1)Talbot (1–1)26,408Progressive Field27–22W2
50May 26@ Tigers14–1 (8)Aceves (2–0)Scherzer (6–2)24,213Comerica Park28–22W3
51May 27@ Tigers9–3Wakefield (2–1)Porcello (4–3)34,046Comerica Park29–22W4
52May 28@ TigersPostponed (rain); Makeup: May 29Rain3 Archived October 7, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
52May 29 (Game 1)@ Tigers4–3Albers (1–2)Valverde (2–2)Papelbon (10)36,285Comerica Park30–22W5
53May 29 (Game 2)@ Tigers3–0Verlander (5–3)Beckett (4–2)Valverde (12)39,873Comerica Park30–23L1
54May 30White Sox7–3Peavy (2–0)Lester (7–2)37,463Fenway Park30–24L2
55May 31White Sox10–7Humber (4–3)Aceves (2–1)Sale (2)37,269Fenway Park30–25L3 :
June (16–9)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceStadiumRecordBoxscore / Streak
56June 1White Sox7–4Floyd (6–5)Albers (1–3)Santos (9)37,321Fenway Park30–26L4
57June 3Athletics8–6Jenks (2–2)Devine (0–1)37,808Fenway Park31–26W1
58June 4Athletics9–8 (14)Aceves (3–1)Moscoso (2–1)37,485Fenway Park32–26W2
59June 5Athletics6–3Lackey (3–5)Anderson (3–6)Bard (1)37,796Fenway Park33–26W3
60June 7@ Yankees6–4Lester (8–2)García (4–5)Papelbon (12)48,450Yankee Stadium34–26W4
61June 8@ Yankees11–6Wakefield (3–1)Burnett (6–4)Aceves (1)47,863Yankee Stadium35–26W5
62June 9@ Yankees8–3Beckett (5–2)Sabathia (7–4)48,845Yankee Stadium36–26W6
63June 10@ Blue Jays5–1Buchholz (5–3)Reyes (2–5)28,588Rogers Centre37–26W7
64June 11@ Blue Jays16–4Lackey (4–5)Morrow (2–4)39,437Rogers Centre38–26W8
65June 12@ Blue Jays14–1Lester (9–2)Drabek (4–5)30,364Rogers Centre39–26W9
66June 14@ Rays4–0Shields (6–4)Wakefield (3–2)20,972Tropicana Field39–27L1
67June 15@ Rays3–0Beckett (6–2)Hellickson (7–5)
19,388Tropicana Field40–27W1
68June 16@ Rays4–2Buchholz (6–3)Price (7–6)Papelbon (13)23,495Tropicana Field41–27W2
69June 17Brewers10–4Lackey (5–5)Estrada (1–4)37,833Fenway Park42–27W3
70June 18Brewers4–2Wolf (5–4)Lester (9–3)Axford (19)38,175Fenway Park42–28L1
71June 19Brewers12–3Wakefield (4–2)Gallardo (8–4)37,903Fenway Park43–28W1
72June 20Padres14–5Albers (2–3)Luebke (1–2)38,020Fenway Park44–28W2
73June 21Padres5–4Qualls (4–3)Wheeler (0–1)Bell (19)38,422Fenway Park44–29L1
74June 22Padres5–1 (8)Richard (3–9)Lackey (5–6)37,419Fenway Park44–30L2
75June 24@ Pirates3–1Malholm (4–8)Lester (9–4)Hanrahan (21)39,330PNC Park44–31L3
76June 25@ Pirates6–4Karstens (5–4)Wakefield (4–3)Hanrahan (22)39,483PNC Park44–32L4
77June 26@ Pirates4–2Miller (1–0)Wood (0–2)Papelbon (14)39,511PNC Park45–32W1
78June 28@ Phillies5–0Lee (9–5)Beckett (6–3)45,714Citizens Bank Park45–33L1
79June 29@ Phillies2–1Worley (3–1)Lackey (5–7)Bastardo (3)45,612Citizens Bank Park45–34L2
80June 30@ Phillies5–2Lester (10–4)Herndon (0–2)Papelbon (15)45,810Citizens Bank Park46–34W1 :
July (20–6)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceStadiumRecordBoxscore / Streak
81July 1@ Astros7–5Wheeler (1–1)Escalona (1–1)Papelbon (16)36,279Minute Maid Park47–34W2
82July 2@ Astros10–4Miller (2–0)Happ (3–10)39,021Minute Maid Park48–34W3
83July 3@ Astros2–1Beckett (7–3)Melancon (5–2)Papelbon (17)38,035Minute Maid Park49–34W4
84July 4Blue Jays9–7Morrow (5–4)Lackey (5–8)Francisco (10)38,072Fenway Park49–35L1
85July 5Blue Jays3–2Albers (3–3)Cecil (1–4)Papelbon (18)37,745Fenway Park50–35W1
86July 6Blue Jays6–4Wakefield (5–3)Romero (7–8)Papelbon (19)37,404Fenway Park51–35W2
87July 7Orioles10–4Miller (3–0)Arrieta (9–6)37,981Fenway Park52–35W3
88July 8Orioles10–3 (brawl)Beckett (8–3)Britton (6–7)37,729Fenway Park53–35W4
89July 9Orioles4–0Lackey (6–8)Simón (1–2)38,205Fenway Park54–35W5
90July 10Orioles8–6Aceves (4–1)Guthrie (3–12)Papelbon (20)37,688Fenway Park55–35W6
91July 15@ Rays9–6Price (9–7)Miller (3–1)Farnsworth (18)25,729Tropicana Field55–36L1
92July 16@ Rays9–5Lackey (7–8)Shields (8–8)32,487Tropicana Field56–36W1
93July 17@ Rays1–0 (16)Aceves (5–1)Russell (1–2)Papelbon (21)21,504Tropicana Field57–36W2
94July 18@ Orioles15–10Wheeler (2–1)González (1–2)27,924Camden Yards58–36W3
95July 19@ Orioles6–2Guthrie (4–13)Weiland (0–1)Johnson (1)32,314Camden Yards58–37L1
96July 20@ Orioles4–0Miller (4–1)Arrieta (9–7)35,174Camden Yards59–37W1
97July 22Mariners7–4Lackey (8–8)Hernández (8–9)Papelbon (22)38,048Fenway Park60–37W2
98July 23Mariners3–1Beckett (9–3)Beavan (1–2)Papelbon (23)38,115Fenway Park61–37W3
99July 24Mariners12–8Wakefield (6–3)Pineda (8–7)37,650Fenway Park62–37W4
100July 25Royals3–1 (14)Coleman (1–2)Williams (0–1)Soria (18)37,727Fenway Park62–38L1
101July 26Royals13–9Aceves (6–1)Adcock (1–1)37,460Fenway Park63–38W1
102July 27Royals12–5Lackey (9–8)Chen (5–4)38,329Fenway Park64–38W2
103July 28Royals4–3Hochevar (7–8)Beckett (9–4)Soria (19)37,822Fenway Park64–39L1
104July 29@ White Sox3–1Floyd (9–9)Wakefield (6–4)Santos (22)27,513U.S. Cellular Field64–40L2
105July 30@ White Sox10–2Lester (10–4)Humber (8–7)33,919U.S. Cellular Field65–40W1
106July 31@ White Sox5–3Aceves (7–1)Crain (5–3)Papelbon (24)28,278U.S. Cellular Field66–40W2 :
August (17–12)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceStadiumRecordBoxscore / Streak
107August 1Indians9–6Pérez (4–1)Bard (1–5)37,943Fenway Park66–41L1
108August 2Indians3–2Papelbon (3–0)Pestano (1–1)38,101Fenway Park67–41W1
109August 3Indians4–3Papelbon (4–0)Smith (2–2)38,172Fenway Park68–41W2
110August 4Indians7–3Masterson (9–7)Morales (0–2)38,477Fenway Park68–42L1
111August 5Yankees3–2Logan (3–2)Lester (11–5)Rivera (29)38,006Fenway Park68–43L2
112August 6Yankees10–4Lackey (10–8)Sabathia (16–6)37,416Fenway Park69–43W1
113August 7Yankees3–2 (10)Bard (2–5)Hughes (2–4)38,189Fenway Park70–43W2
114August 8@ Twins8–6Aceves (8–1)Perkins (3–2)Papelbon (25)40,080Target Field71–43W3
115August 9@ Twins4–3Albers (4–3)Capps (3–6)Papelbon (26)39,974Target Field72–43W4
116August 10@ Twins5–2Perkins (4–2)Lester (11–6)Nathan (9)40,491Target Field72–44L1
117August 12@ Mariners6–4Lackey (11–8)Beavan (3–3)Papelbon (27)40,682Safeco Field73–44W1
118August 13@ Mariners5–4Hernández (11–10)Beckett (9–5)League (28)41,326Safeco Field73–45L1
119August 14@ Mariners5–3Furbush (3–4)Wakefield (6–5)League (29)43,777Safeco Field73–46L2
120August 16Rays3–1Lester (12–6)Shields (11–10)Papelbon (28)38,525Fenway Park74–46W1
121August 16Rays6–2Niemann (8–4)Bédard (4–8)38,278Fenway Park74–47L1
122August 17Rays4–0Price (11–10)Lackey (11–9)37,747Fenway Park74–48L2
123August 18@ Royals4–3Beckett (10–5)Hochevar (8–10)Papelbon (29)20,547Kauffman Stadium75–48W1
124August 19@ Royals7–1Miller (5–1)Francis (4–14)Aceves (2)21,262Kauffman Stadium76–48W2
125August 20@ Royals9–4Paulino (2–9)Albers (4–4)28,588Kauffman Stadium76–49L1
126August 21@ Royals6–1Lester (13–6)Duffy (3–8)25,723Kauffman Stadium77–49W1
127August 22@ Rangers4–0Wilson (13–5)Bédard (4–9)33,920Rangers Ballpark77–50L1
128August 23@ Rangers11–5Lackey (12–9)Lewis (11–9)25,705Rangers Ballpark78–50W1
129August 24@ Rangers13–2Beckett (11–5)Harrison (10–9)30,724Rangers Ballpark79–50W2
130August 25@ Rangers6–0Miller (6–1)Ogando (12–6)29,729Rangers Ballpark80–50W3
131August 26Athletics15–5González (11–11)Wakefield (6–6)38,239Fenway Park80–51L1
August 27: Hurricane Irene forced Saturday doubleheader vs. OAK (link)
132August 27Athletics9–3Lester (14–6)Moscoso (6–8)37,314Fenway Park81–51W1
133August 27Athletics4–0Aceves (9–1)Godfrey (1–2)37,039Fenway Park82–51W2
Normal schedule resumes
134August 30Yankees5–2Sabathia (18–7)Lackey (12–10)Rivera (35)37,773Fenway Park82–52L1
135August 31Yankees9–5Beckett (12–5)Hughes (4–5)38,021Fenway Park83–52W1 :
September (7–20)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceStadiumRecordBoxscore / Streak
136September 1Yankees4–2Wade (3–0)Aceves (9–2)Rivera (36)38,074Fenway Park83–53L1
137September 2Rangers10–0Holland (13–5)Miller (6–2)38,083Fenway Park83–54L2
138September 3Rangers12–7Bédard (5–9)Lewis (11–10)37,806Fenway Park84–54W1
139September 4Rangers11–4Harrison (11–9)Lackey (12–11)37,744Fenway Park84–55L1
140September 5@ Blue Jays1–0 (11)Camp (3–3)Wheeler (2–2)27,573Rogers Centre84–56L2
141September 6@ Blue Jays14–0Lester (15–6)Perez (3–3)17,565Rogers Centre85–56W1
142September 7@ Blue Jays11–10Camp (4–3)Bard (2–6)Francisco (13)16,154Rogers Centre85–57L1
143September 8@ Blue Jays7–4Romero (14–10)Miller (6–3)17,189Rogers Centre85–58L2
144September 9@ Rays7–2Davis (10–8)Lackey (12–12)18,482Tropicana Field85–59L3
145September 10@ Rays5–6 (11)Gomes (2–1)Bard (2–7)24,566Tropicana Field85–60L4
146September 11@ Rays1–9Shields (15–10)Lester (15–7)25,220Tropicana Field85–61L5
147September 13Blue Jays18–6Wakefield (7–6)Morrow (9–11)38,020Fenway Park86–61W1
148September 14Blue Jays4–5Romero (15–10)Bard (2–8)Francisco (15)37,087Fenway Park86–62L1
149September 15Rays9–2Hellickson (13–10)Weiland (0–2)38,071Fenway Park86–63L2
150September 16Rays4–3Beckett (13–5)Shields (15–11)Papelbon (30)38,019Fenway Park87–63W1
151September 17Rays4–3Niemann (11–7)Lester (15–8)Peralta (4)37,682Fenway Park87–64L1
152September 18Rays8–5McGee (3–1)Wakefield (7–7)Peralta (5)37,613Fenway Park87–65L2
153September 19Orioles6–5Guthrie (9–17)Weiland (0–3)Johnson (7)37,885Fenway Park87–66L3
154September 19Orioles18–9Atchison (1–0)Matusz (1–8)37,261Fenway Park88–66W1
155September 20Orioles7–5Eyre (2–1)Bard (2–9)Johnson (8)37,414Fenway Park88–67L1
156September 21Orioles6–4Rapada (2–0)Beckett (13–6)Johnson (9)38,004Fenway Park88–68L2
157September 23@ YankeesPostponed (rain); Makeup: September 25 as part of a DoubleheaderRain4
158September 24@ Yankees9–1García (12–8)Lester (15–9)49,556Yankee Stadium88–69L3
159September 25@ Yankees6–2Burnett (11–11)Wakefield (7–8)49,541Yankee Stadium88–70L4
159September 25@ Yankees7–4 (14)Morales (1–2)Proctor (2–5)Doubront (1)49,072Yankee Stadium89–70W1
160September 26@ Orioles6–3Patton (2–1)Beckett (13–7)21,786Camden Yards89–71L1
161September 27@ Orioles7–6Aceves (10–2)Britton (11–11)Papelbon (31)22,123Camden Yards90–71W1
162September 28@ Orioles4–3Johnson (6–5)Papelbon (4–1)29,749Camden Yards90–72L1 :

### Players stats
#### Batting

Note: ## = Player number; G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; BB = Base on balls; SO = Strikeouts; SB = Stolen bases; AVG = Batting average
| ## | Player | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | AVG |
| 62 | Lars Anderson | 6 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .000 |
| 3 | Mike Avilés | 38 | 101 | 17 | 32 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 17 | 4 | .317 |
| 23 | Mike Cameron | 33 | 94 | 9 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 8 | 25 | 0 | .149 |
| 13 | Carl Crawford | 130 | 506 | 65 | 129 | 29 | 7 | 11 | 56 | 23 | 104 | 18 | .255 |
| 7 | J.D. Drew | 81 | 248 | 23 | 55 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 22 | 33 | 58 | 0 | .222 |
| 2 | Jacoby Ellsbury | 158 | 660 | 119 | 212 | 46 | 5 | 32 | 105 | 52 | 98 | 39 | .321 |
| 55 | Joey Gathright | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ---- |
| 28 | Adrián González | 159 | 630 | 108 | 213 | 45 | 3 | 27 | 117 | 74 | 119 | 1 | .338 |
| 28 | José Iglesias | 10 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .333 |
| 36 | Conor Jackson | 12 | 19 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | .158 |
| 60 | Ryan Lavarnway | 17 | 39 | 5 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 0 | .231 |
| 12 | Jed Lowrie | 88 | 309 | 40 | 78 | 14 | 4 | 6 | 36 | 23 | 60 | 1 | .252 |
| 54 | Darnell McDonald | 79 | 157 | 26 | 37 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 24 | 14 | 33 | 2 | .236 |
| 56 | Yamaico Navarro | 16 | 37 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 0 | .216 |
| 34 | David Ortiz | 146 | 525 | 84 | 162 | 40 | 1 | 29 | 96 | 78 | 83 | 1 | .309 |
| 15 | Dustin Pedroia | 159 | 635 | 102 | 195 | 37 | 3 | 21 | 91 | 86 | 85 | 26 | .307 |
| 16 | Josh Reddick | 87 | 254 | 41 | 71 | 18 | 3 | 7 | 28 | 19 | 50 | 1 | .280 |
| 39 | Jarrod Saltalamacchia | 103 | 358 | 52 | 84 | 23 | 3 | 16 | 56 | 24 | 119 | 1 | .235 |
| 10 | Marco Scutaro | 113 | 395 | 59 | 118 | 26 | 1 | 7 | 54 | 38 | 36 | 4 | .299 |
| 71 | Nate Spears | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 |
| 44 | Drew Sutton | 31 | 54 | 11 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 13 | 0 | .315 |
| 33 | Jason Varitek | 68 | 222 | 32 | 49 | 10 | 1 | 11 | 36 | 21 | 67 | 0 | .221 |
| 20 | Kevin Youkilis | 120 | 431 | 68 | 111 | 32 | 2 | 17 | 80 | 68 | 100 | 3 | .258 |
| | Pitcher Totals | 162 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 | .048 |
| | Team Totals | 162 | 5710 | 875 | 1600 | 352 | 35 | 203 | 842 | 578 | 1108 | 102 | .280 |
* Source: « Boston Red Sox Batting Stats »

#### Pitching

Note: ## = Player number; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; SVO = Saves opportunities; IP = Innings pitched; H = Hits allowed; R= Runs; ER = Earned runs allowed; HR = Home runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; SO = Strikeouts
| ## | Player | W | L | ERA | G | GS | SV | SVO | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO |
| 91 | Alfredo Aceves | 10 | 2 | 2.61 | 55 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 114.0 | 84 | 37 | 33 | 8 | 42 | 80 |
| 32 | Matt Albers | 4 | 4 | 4.73 | 56 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 64.2 | 62 | 35 | 34 | 7 | 31 | 68 |
| 48 | Scott Atchison | 1 | 0 | 3.26 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 30.1 | 31 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 6 | 17 |
| 51 | Daniel Bard | 2 | 9 | 3.33 | 70 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 73.0 | 46 | 29 | 27 | 5 | 24 | 74 |
| 23 | Érik Bédard | 1 | 2 | 4.03 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 38.0 | 41 | 22 | 17 | 3 | 18 | 38 |
| 19 | Josh Beckett | 13 | 7 | 2.89 | 30 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 193.0 | 146 | 65 | 62 | 21 | 52 | 175 |
| 64 | Mickael Bowden | 0 | 0 | 4.05 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20.0 | 19 | 9 | 9 | 3 | 11 | 17 |
| 11 | Clay Buchholz | 6 | 3 | 3.48 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 82.2 | 76 | 34 | 32 | 10 | 31 | 60 |
| 61 | Félix Doubront | 0 | 0 | 6.10 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10.1 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 6 |
| 53 | Rich Hill | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 12 |
| 68 | Tommy Hottovy | 0 | 0 | 6.75 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| 52 | Bobby Jenks | 2 | 2 | 6.32 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 15.2 | 22 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 13 | 17 |
| 41 | John Lackey | 12 | 12 | 6.41 | 28 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 160.0 | 203 | 119 | 114 | 20 | 56 | 108 |
| 31 | Jon Lester | 15 | 9 | 3.47 | 31 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 191.2 | 166 | 77 | 74 | 20 | 75 | 182 |
| 18 | Daisuke Matsuzaka | 3 | 3 | 5.30 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 37.1 | 32 | 24 | 22 | 4 | 23 | 26 |
| 54 | Darnell McDonald | 0 | 0 | 18.00 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 30 | Andrew Miller | 6 | 3 | 5.54 | 17 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 65.0 | 77 | 43 | 40 | 8 | 41 | 50 |
| 56 | Trever Miller | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 46 | Franklin Morales | 1 | 1 | 3.62 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32.1 | 30 | 15 | 13 | 4 | 11 | 31 |
| 37 | Hideki Okajima | 1 | 0 | 4.32 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8.1 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 6 |
| 58 | Jonathan Papelbon | 4 | 1 | 2.94 | 63 | 0 | 31 | 34 | 64.1 | 50 | 22 | 21 | 3 | 10 | 87 |
| 59 | Dennys Reyes | 0 | 0 | 16.20 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 63 | Junichi Tazawa | 0 | 0 | 6.00 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 49 | Tim Wakefield | 7 | 8 | 5.12 | 33 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 154.2 | 163 | 110 | 88 | 25 | 47 | 93 |
| 70 | Kyle Weiland | 0 | 3 | 7.66 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 24.2 | 29 | 22 | 21 | 5 | 12 | 13 |
| 35 | Dan Wheeler | 2 | 2 | 4.38 | 47 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 49.1 | 47 | 24 | 24 | 7 | 8 | 39 |
| 43 | Randy Williams | 0 | 1 | 6.48 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8.1 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 6 |
| | Team Totals | 90 | 72 | 4.20 | 162 | 162 | 36 | 52 | 1457.1 | 1366 | 737 | 680 | 156 | 540 | 1213 |
* Source: « Boston Red Sox Pitching Stats »

## Awards and honors

* Carl Crawford – AL Player of the Week (May 23–29)
* Jacoby Ellsbury – Silver Slugger Award (OF), Gold Glove Award (OF), AL Player of the Week (June 6–12)
* Adrián González – Silver Slugger Award (1B), Gold Glove Award (1B), AL Player of the Month (June), AL Player of the Week (August 22–28)
* David Ortiz – Silver Slugger Award (DH), AL Player of the Week (May 30–June 5)
* Dustin Pedroia – Gold Glove Award (2B), AL Player of the Month (July)
All-Star Game
* Josh Beckett, reserve P
* Jacoby Ellsbury, reserve OF
* Adrián González, starting 1B
* Jon Lester, reserve P (roster replacement)
* David Ortiz, starting DH
* Kevin Youkilis, reserve 3B (roster replacement)

## Farm system

| Level | Team | League | Manager |
| AAA | Pawtucket Red Sox | International League | Arnie Beyeler |
| AA | Portland Sea Dogs | Eastern League | Kevin Boles |
| A-Advanced | Salem Red Sox | Carolina League | Bruce Crabbe |
| A | Greenville Drive | South Atlantic League | Billy McMillon |
| A-Short Season | Lowell Spinners | New York–Penn League | Carlos Febles |
| Rookie | GCL Red Sox | Gulf Coast League | George Lombard |
| Rookie | DSL Red Sox | Dominican Summer League | José Zapata |
Source:

### Amateur draft

Boston's selections during the first five rounds of the 2011 MLB draft were as follows:
| Round | Pick | Player | Pos. | School (sorts by state) |
| 1 | 19 | Matt Barnes | P | University of Connecticut |
| 1 | 26 | Blake Swihart | C | V. Sue Cleveland High School (NM) |
| 1 | 36 | Henry Owens | P | Edison High School (CA) |
| 1 | 40 | Jackie Bradley Jr. | OF | University of South Carolina |
| 2 | 81 | Williams Jerez | P | Grand Street High School (NY) |
| 3 | 111 | Jordan Weems | C | Columbus High School (GA) |
| 4 | 142 | Noé Ramirez | P | Cal State Fullerton |
| 5 | 172 | Mookie Betts | SS | John Overton High School (TN) |
Additionally, the team selected Travis Shaw in the 9th round, Daniel Gossett in the 16th round, and Mac Williamson in the 46th round.
Each of the above listed draftees went on to play in MLB, with Barnes being the last to leave the Red Sox organization, in January 2023.