1919 Boston Red Sox season
The 1919 Boston Red Sox season was the 19th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished sixth in the American League with a record of 66 wins and 71 losses, games behind the Chicago White Sox. The team played its home games at Fenway Park.
While World War I had ended in November 1918, players who had been drafted returned gradually during 1919. The season was shortened from 154 to 140 games and did not begin until mid-April, with the Red Sox playing their first game on April 23.
Regular season
In his last year playing for the Red Sox, Babe Ruth had his breakout offensive season having been converted into an outfielder. He set a major league record with 29 home runs and also led the league in runs batted in and runs scored. Ruth also made 15 pitching starts, going 9–5 with a 2.97 earned run average.
On July 31, Waite Hoyt made his first start for the Boston Red Sox, beating the Detroit Tigers 2–1 in twelve innings for his first major league victory.
Trades and Transactions
In July, the Red Sox traded pitcher Carl Mays to the Yankees for pitchers Allen Russell and Bob McGraw, as well as $40,000.
In late July, pitcher Waite Hoyt of the independent Baltimore Dry Docks signed a contract to play for the Red Sox for $600 a month.
Player stats
Batting
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
| C | | 113 | 330 | 101 | .306 | 0 | 55 |
| 1B | | 120 | 440 | 134 | .305 | 1 | 58 |
| 2B | | 80 | 290 | 75 | .259 | 0 | 17 |
| 3B | | 133 | 469 | 114 | .243 | 0 | 40 |
| SS | | 138 | 507 | 141 | .278 | 0 | 38 |
| LF | | 130 | 432 | 139 | .322 | 29 | 114 |
| CF | | 63 | 227 | 58 | .256 | 0 | 23 |
| RF | | 128 | 491 | 131 | .267 | 3 | 49 |
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
Pitching
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
| 35 | 245.0 | 12 | 20 | 3.75 | 67 |
| 32 | 219.0 | 16 | 8 | 2.71 | 70 |
| 21 | 146.0 | 5 | 11 | 2.47 | 53 |
| 17 | 133.1 | 9 | 5 | 2.97 | 30 |
| Waite Hoyt | 13 | 105.1 | 4 | 6 | 3.25 | 28 |
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
| 13 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4.33 | 12 |
| Bob McGraw | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6.75 | 6 |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.71 | 0 |
Awards and honors
League top five finishers
Sam Jones
Babe Ruth
Wally Schang