1997 Boston Red Sox season
The 1997 Boston Red Sox season was the 97th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished fourth in the American League East with a record of 78 wins and 84 losses, 20 games behind the Baltimore Orioles season|Baltimore Orioles]. It was the last time the Red Sox had a losing record until Red Sox season|2012]. The Red Sox had 5,781 at bats, a single-season major league record. They also hit 373 doubles, which tied a single-season major league record set by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1930, which they later tied during their World Series championship curse-breaking season in 2004 and later surpassed by the 2008 [Texas Rangers season|Texas Rangers in 2008] with 376.Offseason
- December 9, 1996: Bret Saberhagen was signed as a free agent with the Boston Red Sox.
- January 22, 1997: Steve Avery was signed as a free agent with the Boston Red Sox.
- January 27, 1997: José Canseco was traded by the Boston Red Sox to the Oakland Athletics for John Wasdin and cash.
- January 31, 1997: Mike Benjamin was signed as a free agent with the Boston Red Sox.
Prior to the season, three large Coca-Cola bottles were placed on the left light tower of the Green Monster as an advertisement.Regular season
Season standings
Record vs. opponents
| Team | ATL | FLA | MON | NYM | PHI |
| Boston | 0–3 | 1–2 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 3–0 |
Notable Transactions
Roster
Wally the Green Monster is the official mascot for the Boston Red Sox. His name is derived from the Green Monster nickname of the 37-foot wall in left field at Fenway Park. Wally debuted in 1997 to the chagrin of many older Red Sox fans. Although he was a hit with children, the older fans did not immediately adopt him as part of the franchise.
According to the Red Sox promotions department, Wally was a huge Red Sox fan who decided to move inside the left field wall of Fenway Park since it "eats up" hits that would easily be home runs at other parks in 1947. Apparently, he was very shy and lived the life of a hermit for 50 years. On the 50th anniversary of the Green Monster in 1997, he came out of the manual scoreboard and has been interacting with players and fans ever since. Thanks to former Red Sox second baseman and broadcaster Jerry Remy, those older fans have adored him.Player stats
Batting
Starters by position
Note: Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI | SB |
| C | | 114 | 350 | 97 | .277 | 10 | 44 | 0 |
| 1B | | 141 | 527 | 166 | .315 | 35 | 96 | 2 |
| 2B | | 143 | 575 | 176 | .306 | 18 | 77 | 7 |
| SS | | 153 | 684 | 209 | .306 | 30 | 98 | 22 |
| 3B | | 70 | 259 | 74 | .286 | 9 | 40 | 1 |
| LF | | 140 | 570 | 160 | .281 | 18 | 72 | 1 |
| CF | | 153 | 513 | 132 | .257 | 9 | 57 | 10 |
| RF | | 146 | 499 | 154 | .309 | 15 | 80 | 0 |
| DH | | 136 | 489 | 156 | .319 | 13 | 67 | 1 |
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases
Pitching
''Note: G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''Starting pitchers
Main relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | GS | IP | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
| 49 | 0 | 46.2 | 0 | 5 | 17 | 5.79 | 36 |
| 53 | 7 | 124.2 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 4.40 | 84 |
| 36 | 5 | 84.1 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 3.52 | 51 |
| 52 | 0 | 57.2 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3.43 | 40 |
| 33 | 0 | 45.2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6.11 | 18 |
Other pitchers and secondary relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Game log
Awards and honors
;1997 [Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star Game]
This was the first season that the Red Sox fielded their own team in the Dominican Summer League.
Source: