2009 Boston Red Sox season

The 2009 Boston Red Sox season was the 109th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished second in the American League East with a record of 95 wins and 67 losses, eight games behind the New York Yankees, who went on to win the 2009 World Series. The Red Sox qualified for the postseason as the AL wild card, but were swept by the American League West champion Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the ALDS.

2009 Boston Red Sox
American League Wild Card Winners
League	American League
Division	East
Ballpark	Fenway Park
City	Boston, Massachusetts
Record	95–67 (.586)
Divisional place	2nd
Owners	John W. Henry (New England Sports Ventures)
President	Larry Lucchino
General manager	Theo Epstein
Manager	Terry Francona[1]
Television	New England Sports Network (Don Orsillo, Jerry Remy, Dennis Eckersley, Dave Roberts, Buck Martinez, Tony Massarotti, Rance Mulliniks, Rex Hudler, Ron Coomer, Ken Rosenthal, Kevin Kennedy, Dwight Evans, Sean Casey, Jim Kaat, Gordon Edes, Bob Montgomery, Frank Viola, Sean McAdam, Brian Daubach, Rick Dempsey)
Radio	WRKO/WEEI (English) (Joe Castiglione, Dave O'Brien, Jon Rish, Dale Arnold)
Stats	ESPN.com Baseball Reference
← 2008 Seasons 2010 →

Roster

2009 Boston Red Sox
Roster
Pitchers 60 Daniel Bard 19 Josh Beckett 64 Michael Bowden 61 Clay Buchholz 36 Paul Byrd 53 Fernando Cabrera 17 Manny Delcarmen 51 Enrique González 62 Hunter Jones 31 Jon Lester 48 Javier López 63 Justin Masterson 18 Daisuke Matsuzaka 37 Hideki Okajima 58 Jonathan Papelbon 36 Brad Penny 56 Ramón Ramírez 54 Dustin Richardson 24 Takashi Saito 29 John Smoltz 63 Junichi Tazawa 40 Billy Traber 13 Billy Wagner 49 Tim Wakefield		Catchers 50 Dusty Brown 16 George Kottaras 41 Víctor Martínez 33 Jason Varitek Infielders 55 Jeff Bailey 50 Aaron Bates 13,3 Álex González 22 Nick Green 11 Casey Kotchman 11 Mark Kotsay 23 Adam LaRoche 25 Mike Lowell 12 Jed Lowrie 23 Julio Lugo 15 Dustin Pedroia 51 Gil Velazquez 30 Chris Woodward 20 Kevin Youkilis		Outfielders 32 Brian Anderson  5 Rocco Baldelli 44 Jason Bay 54 Chris Carter  7 J. D. Drew 46 Jacoby Ellsbury 23 Joey Gathright 68 Josh Reddick 30 Jonathan Van Every Other batters 34 David Ortiz		Manager 47 Terry Francona Coaches 10 Tim Bogar (first base) 52 John Farrell (pitching) 35 DeMarlo Hale (third base) 29 Dave Magadan (hitting)  2 Brad Mills (bench) 57 Gary Tuck (bullpen)

Regular season

Jim Rice's number 14 was retired by the Boston Red Sox in 2009.

The team introduced blue alternate jerseys, worn on some road games in place of their traditional gray tops.^[2]

The Red Sox opened the season with a postponement due to rain. However, on April 7, the season began at Fenway with the first pitch being thrown by Edward Kennedy, who later died in August.^[3] The Red Sox got off to a slow start, going 2–6 in the first eight games. However, the Sox won 11 straight games beginning on April 15. The win streak was Boston's longest since 2006 when they had a 12-game win streak.^[4] A highlight of the streak was Jacoby Ellsbury's steal of home on April 26 to cap off a three-game sweep of the New York Yankees.^[5] They finished April with a record of 14–8 and tied with the Toronto Blue Jays for the division lead. Also, Jerry Remy, NESN color commentator, had surgery to remove a small area of cancer on his lung. While recovering he also got pneumonia. He also was suffering from fatigue and depression. These are the people who filled in for him: Dennis Eckersley, Dave Roberts, Buck Martinez, Tony Massarotti, Rance Mulliniks, Rex Hudler, Ron Coomer, Ken Rosenthal, Kevin Kennedy, Dwight Evans, Sean Casey, Jim Kaat, Gordon Edes, Bob Montgomery, Frank Viola, Sean McAdam, Brian Daubach, and Rick Dempsey.

The team flattened out in May, going 15–14 in the month and falling to third in the division behind the Yankees and the Blue Jays. Through the first two months of the season, slugger David Ortiz struggled, batting .185 with one home run. Additionally, pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka was placed on the disabled list after just two starts with an injury that manager Terry Francona attributed to his participation in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.^{[citation needed]} Off the field, announcer Jerry Remy, of NESN television, was replaced by Dennis Eckersley beginning on May 6 as Remy began undergoing cancer treatment.^{[citation needed]} Despite these struggles, the Red Sox set an American League record, tying the Major League record, on May 7 by scoring 12 runs without recording an out during the 6th inning of a game against the Cleveland Indians.^[6]

The Red Sox took the division lead, and improved to the second-best record in MLB, during June. Through the first half of the month, the Sox played four division leaders, the Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, and Philadelphia Phillies, winning three of the four series and sweeping both the Tigers and Yankees. By sweeping the Yankees, the Sox improved to 8–0 against the team, the best record against them since sweeping the 14-game season series against them in 1912.^[7] At the All-Star break, the Red Sox had the second best record in Major League Baseball and held a three-game lead in the division.

The Red Sox faltered after the All-Star break, losing five of six on the road to the Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers and batting .192 and scoring 13 runs. In response to the poor offensive performance and to make room for Jed Lowrie's return from injury, Julio Lugo was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for cash and two minor-league players were traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Adam LaRoche on July 22, and on July 25 Mark Kotsay was designated for assignment.^[8] The Red Sox made a move at the trade deadline, July 31, to acquire catcher Victor Martinez from the Cleveland Indians for pitchers Justin Masterson, Nick Hagadone, and Bryan Price.^[9] They also traded Adam LaRoche to the Atlanta Braves for Casey Kotchman.^[9] After winning the first eight games of the season against their rival Yankees in the first half of the season, the Red Sox lost nine of the next ten to finish the season 9–9 against them.

One of the stranger victories for the Sox came on August 14 against the Texas Rangers.^[10] Going into the top of the 9th inning, the home Rangers were leading 4–2. Jacoby Ellsbury drove in David Ortiz to pull within one run and Jason Varitek was left on second base with no outs. Pitcher, Clay Buchholz came in to pinch run for Varitek with no outs. Dustin Pedroia doubled, but the inexperienced, and potentially tying run, Buchholz, was thrown out at the plate as he hesitated between second and third before attempting to score. All was shortly forgotten when the team scored five more runs to win 8–4. On August 21, Jacoby Ellsbury tied the record for the Red Sox single season record for stolen bases (54), in a game against the New York Yankees, a record previously held by Tommy Harper. Ellsbury then broke the record with his 55th steal on August 25, against the Chicago White Sox.

Opening Day lineup

Gold Glove first baseman Kevin Youkilis

46	Jacoby Ellsbury	CF
15	Dustin Pedroia	2B
34	David Ortiz	DH
20	Kevin Youkilis	1B
7	J. D. Drew	RF
44	Jason Bay	LF
25	Mike Lowell	3B
12	Jed Lowrie	SS
33	Jason Varitek	C
19	Josh Beckett	P

Season standings

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AL East

Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
New York Yankees	103	59	.636	—	57‍–‍24	46‍–‍35
Boston Red Sox	95	67	.586	8	56‍–‍25	39‍–‍42
Tampa Bay Rays	84	78	.519	19	52‍–‍29	32‍–‍49
Toronto Blue Jays	75	87	.463	28	44‍–‍37	31‍–‍50
Baltimore Orioles	64	98	.395	39	39‍–‍42	25‍–‍56

v t e AL Wild Card	W	L	Pct.	GB	Strk.	E#
Boston Red Sox	95	67	.586	—	W4	—
Texas Rangers	87	75	.537	8	L2	E

Record vs. opponents

Team	BAL	BOS	CWS	CLE	DET	KC	LAA	MIN	NYY	OAK	SEA	TB	TEX	TOR	NL
Baltimore	–	2–16	5–4	2–5	3–5	4–4	2–8	3–2	5–13	1–5	4–5	8–10	5–5	9–9	11–7
Boston	16–2	–	4–4	7–2	6–1	5–3	4–5	4–2	9–9	5–5	2–4	9–9	2–7	11–7	11–7
Chicago	4–5	4−4	–	10–8	9–9	9–9	5–4	6−12	3–4	4–5	4–5	6–2	2–4	1–6	12–6
Cleveland	5–2	2–7	8–10	–	4–14	10–8	2–4	8–10	3–5	2–5	6–4	5–3	1–8	4–4	5–13
Detroit	5–3	1–6	9–9	14–4	–	9–9	5–4	7–12	1–5	5–4	5–4	5–2	7–2	3–5	10–8
Kansas City	4–4	3–5	9–9	8–10	9–9	–	1–9	6–12	2–4	2–6	5–4	1–9	3–3	4–3	8–10
Los Angeles	8–2	5–4	4–5	4–2	4–5	9–1	–	6–4	5–5	12–7	10–9	4–2	8–11	4–4	14–4
Minnesota	2–3	2–4	12–6	10–8	12–7	12–6	4–6	–	0–7	4–6	5–5	3–3	6–4	3–5	12–6
New York	13–5	9–9	4–3	5–3	5–1	4–2	5–5	7–0	–	7–2	6–4	11–7	5–4	12–6	10–8
Oakland	5–1	5–5	5–4	5–2	4–5	6–2	7–12	6–4	2–7	–	5–14	6–4	11–8	3–6	5–13
Seattle	5–4	4–2	5–4	4–6	4–5	4–5	9–10	5–5	4–6	14–5	–	5–3	8–11	3–4	11–7
Tampa Bay	10–8	9–9	2–6	3–5	2–5	9–1	2–4	3–3	7–11	4–6	3–5	–	3–6	14–4	13–5
Texas	5–5	7–2	4–2	8–1	2–7	3–3	11–8	4–6	4–5	8–11	11–8	6–3	–	5–5	9–9
Toronto	9–9	7–11	6–1	4–4	5–3	3–4	4–4	5–3	6–12	6–3	4–3	4–14	5–5	–	7–11

This box:

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• Source: MLB Standings Grid – 2009

Red Sox vs. National League East

Team	ATL	FLA	NYM	PHI	WSH
Boston	4–2	2–1	1–2	2–1	2–1

Notable transactions

• November 19, 2008: Ramón Ramírez was acquired by the Red Sox from the Royals in exchange for Coco Crisp.^[11]
• December 28, 2008: Brad Penny signed as a free agent with the Red Sox.^[12]
• January 5, 2009: Nick Green signed as a free agent with the Red Sox.^[13]
• January 8, 2009: Rocco Baldelli signed as a free agent with the Red Sox.^[14]
• January 9, 2009: Mark Kotsay signed as a free agent with the Red Sox.^[15]
• January 10, 2009: Takashi Saito signed as a free agent with the Red Sox.^[16]
• January 12, 2009: John Smoltz signed as a free agent with the Red Sox.^[17]
• July 8, 2009: Jonathan Van Every was released by the Red Sox.^[18]
• July 22, 2009: Adam LaRoche was acquired by the Red Sox from the Pirates in exchange for Argenis Díaz and Hunter Strickland.^[19] In a separate trade, Chris Duncan was acquired by the Red Sox from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for Julio Lugo.^[20]
• July 28, 2009: Brian Anderson was acquired by the Red Sox from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for Mark Kotsay.^[21]
• July 31, 2009: Casey Kotchman was acquired by the Red Sox from the Braves in exchange for Adam LaRoche.^[22] In a separate trade, Víctor Martínez was acquired by the Red Sox from the Indians in exchange for Nick Hagadone, Justin Masterson, and Bryan Price.^[23]
• August 5, 2009: Paul Byrd signed as a free agent with the Red Sox.^[24]
• August 7, 2009: Chris Woodward was selected off waivers by the Red Sox from the Mariners.^[25]
• August 14, 2009: Álex González was acquired by the Red Sox from the Reds in exchange for Kristopher Negrón.^[26]
• August 17, 2009: John Smoltz was released by the Red Sox.^[17]
• August 21, 2009: Chris Duncan was released by the Red Sox.^[27]
• August 25, 2009: Billy Wagner was acquired by the Red Sox from the Mets in exchange players to be named later.^[28]
• August 27, 2009: Brad Penny was released by the Red Sox.^[12]
• August 29, 2009: Joey Gathright was purchased by the Red Sox from the Orioles.^[29]

Detailed record

Team Home Away Total Pct. Gms Left AL East Baltimore Orioles 8–1 8–1 16–2 0.889 – New York Yankees 7–2 2–7 9–9 0.500 – Tampa Bay Rays 6–3 3–6 9–9 0.500 – Toronto Blue Jays 6–3 5–4 11–7 0.611 – 26–9 18–18 44–27 0.620 – AL Central Chicago White Sox 3–1 1–3 4–4 0.500 – Cleveland Indians 5–1 2–1 7–2 0.750 – Detroit Tigers 3–1 3–0 6–1 0.857 – Kansas City Royals 3–1 2–2 5–3 0.625 – Minnesota Twins 2–0 2–2 4–2 0.667 – 16–4 10–8 26–12 0.684 – AL West Los Angeles Angels 2–1 2–4 4–5 0.444 – Oakland Athletics 4–3 1–2 5–5 0.500 – Seattle Mariners 1–2 1–2 2–4 0.333 – Texas Rangers 1–2 1–5 2–7 0.222 – 8–8 5–13 13–21 0.382 – National League Atlanta Braves 2–1 2–1 4–2 0.667 – Florida Marlins 2–1 N/A 2–1 0.667 – New York Mets 1–2 N/A 1–2 0.333 – Philadelphia Phillies N/A 2–1 2–1 0.667 - Washington Nationals N/A 2–1 2–1 0.667 - 5–4 6–3 11–7 0.611 –

Month Games Won Lost Pct. April 22 14 8 0.636 May 29 15 14 0.517 June 26 18 8 0.692 July 25 13 12 0.520 August 28 16 12 0.571 September 28 15 13 0.536 October 4 4 0 1.000 162 95 67 0.586

Game log

Legend
Red Sox win	Red Sox loss	Game postponed

2009 game log
April (14–8) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record April 6 Rays Postponed 1 April 7 Rays 5–3 Beckett (1–0) Shields (0–1) Papelbon (1) 37,057 1–0 2 April 8 Rays 7–2 Kazmir (1–0) Lester (0–1) Balfour (1) 37,552 1–1 3 April 9 Rays 4–3 Garza (1–0) Matsuzaka (0–1) Percival (1) 37,784 1–2 4 April 10 @ Angels 6–3 Weaver (1–0) Wakefield (0–1) Shields (1) 41,385 1–3 5 April 11 @ Angels 5–4 Penny (1–0) Saunders (1–1) Papelbon (2) 40,163 2–3 6 April 12 @ Angels 5–4 Moseley (1–0) Beckett (1–1) Fuentes (2) 38,076 2–4 7 April 13 @ Athletics 8–2 Braden (1–1) Lester (0–2) 21,331 2–5 8 April 14 @ Athletics 6–5 (12) Gallagher (1–0) López (0–1) 22,132 2–6 9 April 15 @ Athletics 8–2 Wakefield (1–1) Anderson (0–2) 35,067 3–6 10 April 17 Orioles 10–8 Ramírez (1–0) Báez (0–1) Papelbon (3) 38,266 4–6 11 April 18 Orioles 6–4 Beckett (2–1) Eaton (0–2) Papelbon (4) 37,559 5–6 12 April 19 Orioles 2–1 Lester (1–2) Uehara (2–1) Saito (1) 37,869 6–6 13 April 20 Orioles 12–1 Masterson (1–0) Hendrickson (1–2) 37,865 7–6 April 21 Twins Postponed 14 April 22 Twins 10–1 (8) Wakefield (2–1) Baker (0–2) 8–6 15 April 22 Twins 7–3 Penny (2–0) Liriano (0–4) 37,494 9–6 16 April 24 Yankees 5–4 (11) Ramírez (2–0) Marte (0–1) 38,163 10–6 17 April 25 Yankees 16–11 Okajima (1–0) Albaladejo (1–1) 37,699 11–6 18 April 26 Yankees 4–1 Masterson (2–0) Pettitte (2–1) Saito (2) 38,154 12–6 19 April 27 @ Indians 3–1 Delcarmen (1–0) Wood (0–1) Papelbon (5) 18,652 13–6 20 April 28 @ Indians 9–8 Wood (1–1) López (0–2) 19,613 13–7 21 April 29 @ Indians 6–5 (10) Okajima (2–0) Lewis (2–3) Papelbon (6) 19,137 14–7 22 April 30 @ Rays 13–0 Garza (2–2) Beckett (2–2) 20,341 14–8
May (15–14) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 23 May 1 @ Rays 6–2 Sonnanstine (1–3) Masterson (2–1) 27,045 14–9 24 May 2 @ Rays 10–6 Wakefield (3–1) Niemann (2–3) 34,910 15–9 25 May 3 @ Rays 5–3 Shields (3–2) Penny (2–1) Percival (3) 32,332 15–10 26 May 4 @ Yankees 6–4 Lester (2–2) Hughes (1–1) Papelbon (7) 46,426 16–10 27 May 5 @ Yankees 7–3 Beckett (3–2) Chamberlain (1–1) 46,810 17–10 28 May 6 Indians 9–2 Pavano (2–3) Masterson (2–2) Laffey (1) 37,888 17–11 29 May 7 Indians 13–3 Wakefield (4–1) Sowers (0–1) 37,541 18–11 30 May 8 Rays 7–3 Penny (3–1) Shields (3–3) 37,745 19–11 31 May 9 Rays 14–5 Kazmir (4–3) Lester (2–3) Cormier (1) 37,773 19–12 32 May 10 Rays 4–3 Ramírez (3–0) Shouse (1–1) Papelbon (8) 37,759 20–12 33 May 12 @ Angels 4–3 Ramírez (4–0) Shields (1–3) Papelbon (9) 33,411 21–12 34 May 13 @ Angels 8–4 Palmer (4–0) Wakefield (4–2) 35,666 21–13 35 May 14 @ Angels 5–4 (12) Bulger (1–1) Delcarmen (1–1) 35,124 21–14 36 May 15 @ Mariners 5–4 Jakubauskas (2–4) Lester (2–4) Aardsma (4) 34,952 21–15 37 May 16 @ Mariners 5–3 Beckett (4–2) Olson (0–1) Papelbon (10) 42,589 22–15 38 May 17 @ Mariners 3–2 Aardsma (1–1) Ramírez (4–1) 40,833 22–16 39 May 19 Blue Jays 2–1 Wakefield (5–2) Tallet (2–2) Papelbon (11) 37,830 23–16 40 May 20 Blue Jays 8–3 Penny (4–1) Cecil (2–1) 38,099 24–16 41 May 21 Blue Jays 5–1 Lester (3–4) Ray (1–2) 38,347 25–16 42 May 22 Mets 5–3 Santana (6–2) Matsuzaka (0–2) Rodríguez (12) 38,092 25–17 43 May 23 Mets 3–2 Feliciano (1–1) Papelbon (0–1) Putz (2) 37,871 25–18 44 May 24 Mets 12–5 Wakefield (6–2) Redding (0–1) 37,446 26–18 45 May 25 @ Twins 6–5 Penny (5–1) Liriano (2–6) Papelbon (12) 27,636 27–18 46 May 26 @ Twins 5–2 Blackburn (4–2) Lester (3–5) Nathan (7) 20,019 27–19 47 May 27 @ Twins 4–2 Slowey (7–1) Matsuzaka (0–3) Nathan (8) 28,221 27–20 48 May 28 @ Twins 3–1 Beckett (5–2) Swarzak (1–1) Papelbon (13) 23,958 28–20 49 May 29 @ Blue Jays 6–3 Janssen (1–1) Wakefield (6–3) Downs (6) 32,026 28–21 50 May 30 @ Blue Jays 5–3 Tallet (3–3) Ramírez (4–2) Downs (7) 35,484 28–22 51 May 31 @ Blue Jays 8–2 Lester (4–5) Romero (2–2) 30,496 29–22
June (18–8) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 52 June 2 @ Tigers 5–1 Matsuzaka (1–3) Porcello (6–4) 25,914 30–22 53 June 3 @ Tigers 10–5 Beckett (6–2) Galarraga (3–6) 29,240 31–22 54 June 4 @ Tigers 6–3 Wakefield (7–3) Willis (1–3) Papelbon (14) 31,353 32–22 55 June 5 Rangers 5–1 Millwood (5–4) Penny (5–2) 37,519 32–23 56 June 6 Rangers 8–1 Lester (5–5) Holland (1–3) 37,828 33–23 57 June 7 Rangers 6–3 Padilla (4–3) Matsuzaka (1–4) Wilson (5) 37,537 33–24 58 June 9 Yankees 7–0 Beckett (7–2) Burnett (4–3) 37,883 34–24 59 June 10 Yankees 6–5 Wakefield (8–3) Wang (0–4) Papelbon (15) 38,121 35–24 60 June 11 Yankees 4–3 Saito (1–0) Sabathia (5–4) Papelbon (16) 38,153 36–24 61 June 12 @ Phillies 5–2 (13) Saito (2–0) Kendrick (0–1) Bard (1) 45,321 37–24 62 June 13 @ Phillies 11–6 Okajima (3–0) Bastardo (2–1) 45,202 38–24 63 June 14 @ Phillies 11–6 Park (3–1) Beckett (7–3) 45,141 38–25 64 June 16 Marlins 8–2 Wakefield (9–3) Volstad (4–7) 38,149 39–25 65 June 17 Marlins 6–1 Penny (6–2) Miller (2–3) 38,196 40–25 66 June 18 Marlins 2–1 (6) Nolasco (3–6) Lester (5–6) 37,577 40–26 67 June 19 Braves 8–2 Kawakami (4–6) Matsuzaka (1–5) 37,703 40–27 68 June 20 Braves 3–0 Beckett (8–3) Lowe (7–5) 38,029 41–27 69 June 21 Braves 6–5 Papelbon (1–1) Bennett (2–4) 37,243 42–27 70 June 23 @ Nationals 11–3 Delcarmen (2–1) Tavárez (3–5) 41,517 43–27 71 June 24 @ Nationals 6–4 Lester (6–6) Stammen (1–3) Papelbon (17) 41,530 44–27 72 June 25 @ Nationals 9–3 Zimmermann (3–3) Smoltz (0–1) 41,985 44–28 73 June 26 @ Braves 4–1 Beckett (9–3) Jurrjens (5–6) 48,418 45–28 74 June 27 @ Braves 1–0 Wakefield (10–3) Vázquez (5–7) Papelbon (18) 48,151 46–28 75 June 28 @ Braves 2–1 Hanson (4–0) Penny (6–3) González (9) 41,463 46–29 76 June 29 @ Orioles 4–0 Lester (7–6) Berken (1–5) Papelbon (19) 36,548 47–29 77 June 30 @ Orioles 11–10 Hendrickson (3–4) Saito (2–1) Sherrill (17) 31,969 47–30
July (13–12) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 78 July 1 @ Orioles 6–5 (11) Ramírez (5–2) Báez (4–2) Papelbon (20) 29,391 48–30 79 July 3 Mariners 7–6 (11) Jakubauskas (5–5) Ramírez (5–3) Lowe (1) 38,078 48–31 80 July 4 Mariners 3–2 Corcoran (2–0) Saito (2–2) Aardsma (17) 37,656 48–32 81 July 5 Mariners 8–4 Masterson (3–2) Batista (5–3) 37,691 49–32 82 July 6 Athletics 6–0 Anderson (5–7) Smoltz (0–2) 38,294 49–33 83 July 7 Athletics 5–2 Beckett (10–3) Eveland (1–3) Papelbon (21) 37,676 50–33 84 July 8 Athletics 5–4 Wakefield (11–3) Cahill (5–8) Papelbon (22) 37,981 51–33 85 July 9 Royals 8–6 Hochevar (5–3) Masterson (3–3) Soria (14) 38,189 51–34 86 July 10 Royals 1–0 Lester (8–6) Bannister (6–7) Papelbon (23) 38,116 52–34 87 July 11 Royals 15–9 Smoltz (1–2) Meche (4–9) 37,825 53–34 88 July 12 Royals 6–0 Beckett (11–3) Chen (0–4) 37,612 54–34 All-Star Break: AL def. NL at Busch Stadium, 4–3 89 July 17 @ Blue Jays 4–1 Buchholz (1–0) Romero (7–4) Papelbon (24) 32,928 55–34 90 July 18 @ Blue Jays 6–2 Rzepczynski (1–1) Penny (6–4) 36,926 55–35 91 July 19 @ Blue Jays 3–1 Halladay (11–3) Lester (8–7) 36,534 55–36 92 July 20 @ Rangers 6–3 Millwood (9–7) Smoltz (1–3) Wilson (8) 28,916 55–37 93 July 21 @ Rangers 4–2 Hunter (9–7) Beckett (11–4) Wilson (9) 28,555 55–38 94 July 22 @ Rangers 3–1 Nippert (2–0) Buchholz (1–1) Mathis (1) 39,778 55–39 95 July 24 Orioles 3–1 Penny (7–4) Bergesen (6–5) Papelbon (25) 38,058 56–39 96 July 25 Orioles 7–2 Lester (9–7) Guthrie (7–9) 38,063 57–39 97 July 26 Orioles 6–2 Hernandez (3–2) Smoltz (1–4) 37,606 57–40 98 July 27 Athletics 8–2 Beckett (12–4) Cahill (6–9) 37,955 58–40 99 July 28 Athletics 9–8 (11) Berslow (4–4) Delcarmen (2–2) Bailey (12) 38,084 58–41 100 July 29 Athletics 8–6 Anderson (6–8) Penny (7–5) Bailey (13) 38,193 58–42 101 July 30 Athletics 8–5 Delcarmen (3–2) Breslow (4–5) Papelbon (26) 37,919 59–42 102 July 31 @ Orioles 6–5 Smoltz (2–4) Guthrie (7–10) Papelbon (27) 44,091 60–42
August (16–12) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 103 August 1 @ Orioles 4–0 Beckett (13–4) Hernandez (3–3) 49,384 61–42 104 August 2 @ Orioles 18–10 Delcarmen (4–2) Berken (1–9) 43,115 62–42 105 August 4 @ Rays 4–2 (13) Cormier (2–1) Saito (2–3) 29,873 62–43 106 August 5 @ Rays 6–4 Price (5–4) Penny (7–6) Howell (12) 31,517 62–44 107 August 6 @ Yankees 13–6 Chamberlain (8–2) Smoltz (2–5) 49,005 62–45 108 August 7 @ Yankees 2–0 (15) Coke (3–3) Tazawa (0–1) 48,262 62–46 109 August 8 @ Yankees 5–0 Sabathia (12–7) Buchholz (1–2) 48,796 62–47 110 August 9 @ Yankees 5–2 Coke (4–3) Bard (0–1) Rivera (32) 48,190 62–48 111 August 10 Tigers 6–5 Ramírez (6–3) Miner (5–2) Papelbon (28) 37,960 63–48 112 August 11 Tigers 7–5 Tazawa (1–1) Lambert (0–1) 38,013 64–48 113 August 12 Tigers 8–2 Beckett (14–4) Miner (5–3) 38,124 65–48 114 August 13 Tigers 2–0 Verlander (13–6) Buchholz (1–3) Rodney (24) 37,556 65–49 115 August 14 @ Rangers 8–4 Saito (3–3) Francisco (2–2) 40,311 66–49 116 August 15 @ Rangers 7–2 Holland (6–7) Penny (7–7) Feliz (1) 48,201 66–50 117 August 16 @ Rangers 4–3 Nippert (4–1) Tazawa (1–2) Francisco (17) 27,155 66–51 118 August 18 @ Blue Jays 10–9 Okajima (4–0) Janssen (2–4) Papelbon (29) 25,472 67–51 119 August 19 @ Blue Jays 6–1 Buchholz (2–3) Halladay (13–6) 25,925 68–51 120 August 20 @ Blue Jays 8–1 Lester (10–7) Cecil (5–2) 22,817 69–51 121 August 21 Yankees 20–11 Pettitte (10–6) Penny (7–8) 37,869 69–52 122 August 22 Yankees 14–1 Tazawa (2–2) Burnett (10–7) 37,277 70–52 123 August 23 Yankees 8–4 Sabathia (15–7) Beckett (14–5) 38,008 70–53 124 August 24 White Sox 12–8 Ramírez (6–3) Contreras (5–7) 37,812 71–53 125 August 25 White Sox 6–3 Delcarmen (5–2) Linebrink (3–6) Papelbon (30) 38,059 72–53 126 August 26 White Sox 3–2 Bard (1–1) Peña (6–5) 37,839 73–53 127 August 27 White Sox 9–5 Danks (12–8) Tazawa (2–3) 38,003 73–54 128 August 28 Blue Jays 6–5 Okajima (5–0) Tallet (5–8) Papelbon (31) 37,844 74–54 129 August 29 Blue Jays 3–2 Buchholz (3–3) Romero (11–6) Papelbon (32) 37,452 75–54 130 August 30 Blue Jays 7–0 Byrd (1–0) Halladay (13–8) 37,560 76–54
September (15–13) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 131 September 1 @ Rays 8–4 Lester (11–7) Sonnanstine (6–8) Papelbon (33) 17,692 77–54 132 September 2 @ Rays 8–5 Howell (7–4) Ramírez (7–4) Wheeler (2) 19,148 77–55 133 September 3 @ Rays 6–3 Buchholz (4–3) Price (7–7) Papelbon (34) 20,823 78–55 134 September 4 @ White Sox 12–2 García (1–2) Byrd (1–1) 28,839 78–56 135 September 5 @ White Sox 5–1 Floyd (11–9) Wakefield (11–4) 33,239 76–57 136 September 6 @ White Sox 6–1 Lester (12–7) Danks (12–9) 32,134 79–57 137 September 7 @ White Sox 5–1 Buehrle (12–7) Beckett (14–6) 22,511 79–58 138 September 8 Orioles 10–0 Buchholz (5–3) Hernandez (4–7) 37,647 80–58 139 September 9 Orioles 7–5 Wagner (1–0) Albers (2–5) Papelbon (35) 37,712 81–58 September 11 Rays Postponed 140 September 12 Rays 9–1 (6) Beckett (15–6) Davis (0–1) 37,755 82–58 141 September 13 Rays 3–1 Okajima (6–0) Garza (7–10) Papelbon (36) 38,228 83–58 142 September 13 Rays 4–0 Lester (13–7) Shields (9–11) 37,271 84–58 143 September 15 Angels 4–1 Matsuzaka (2–5) Lackey (10–8) 37,942 85–58 144 September 16 Angels 9–8 Bard (2–1) Fuentes (1–5) 37,706 86–58 145 September 17 Angels 4–3 Jepsen (6–3) Wagner (1–1) Fuentes (42) 38,157 86–59 146 September 18 @ Orioles 3–1 Buchholz (6–3) Guthrie (10–15) Papelbon (37) 26,812 87–59 147 September 19 @ Orioles 11–5 Lester (14–7) Albers (2–6) 39,285 88–59 148 September 20 @ Orioles 9–3 Matsuzaka (3–5) Berken (5–12) 27,546 89–59 149 September 21 @ Royals 12–9 Yabuta (2–1) Bard (2–2) Soria (27) 16,770 89–60 150 September 22 @ Royals 5–1 Greinke (15–8) Byrd (1–2) Soria (28) 21,228 89–61 151 September 23 @ Royals 9–2 Beckett (16–6) Hochevar (7–11) 18,989 90–61 152 September 24 @ Royals 10–3 Buchholz (7–3) Lerew (0–1) 20,807 91–61 153 September 25 @ Yankees 9–5 Chamberlain (9–6) Lester (14–8) 48,449 91–62 154 September 26 @ Yankees 3–0 Sabathia (19–7) Matsuzaka (3–6) Rivera (43) 48,809 91–63 155 September 27 @ Yankees 4–2 Pettitte (14–7) Byrd (1–3) Rivera (44) 47,576 91–64 156 September 28 Blue Jays 11–5 (7) Richmond (8–10) Bowden (0–1) 37,591 91–65 157 September 29 Blue Jays 8–7 Romero (13–9) Buchholz (7–4) Frasor (11) 37,618 91–66 158 September 30 Blue Jays 12–0 Halladay (17–10) Wakefield (11–5) 37,246 91–67
October (4–0) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 159 October 1 Indians 3–0 Lester (15–8) Carrasco (0–4) Papelbon (38) 37,459 92–67 160 October 2 Indians 6–2 Matsuzaka (4–6) Sowers (6–11) 37,787 93–67 161 October 3 Indians 11–6 Beckett (17–6) Laffey (7–9) 37,562 94–67 162 October 4 Indians 12–7 Bowden (1–1) Ohka (1–5) 37,247 95–67

2009 postseason game log
ALDS vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (0–3) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Stadium Attendance Record Box 1 October 8 @ Angels 5–0 Lackey (1–0) Lester (0–1) Angel Stadium of Anaheim 45,070 0–1 2 October 9 @ Angels 4–1 Weaver (1–0) Beckett (0–1) Fuentes (1) Angel Stadium of Anaheim 45,223 0–2 3 October 11 Angels 7–6 Oliver (1–0) Papelbon (0–1) Fuentes (2) Fenway Park 38,704 0–3

Player stats

Batting

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; AVG = Batting average; SB = Stolen bases

Player	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	AVG	SB
Brian Anderson	21	17	7	5	0	0	2	5	.294	0
Jeff Bailey	26	77	14	16	3	2	3	9	.208	0
Rocco Baldelli	62	150	23	38	4	1	7	23	.253	1
Daniel Bard	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.---	0
Aaron Bates	5	11	2	4	2	0	0	2	.364	0
Jason Bay	151	531	103	142	29	3	36	119	.267	13
Josh Beckett	2	5	1	1	0	0	1	1	.200	0
Dusty Brown	6	3	1	1	0	0	1	1	.333	0
Clay Buchholz	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.---	0
Chris Carter	4	5	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	0
Manny Delcarmen	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.---	0
J. D. Drew	137	452	84	126	30	4	24	68	.279	2
Jacoby Ellsbury	153	624	94	188	27	10	8	60	.301	70
Joey Gathright	17	16	7	5	0	0	0	0	.313	1
Álex González	44	148	26	42	10	0	5	15	.284	2
Nick Green	103	276	35	65	18	0	6	35	.236	1
Casey Kotchman	39	87	9	19	3	0	1	7	.218	1
Mark Kotsay	27	74	4	19	2	0	1	5	.257	1
George Kottaras	45	93	15	22	11	0	1	10	.237	0
Adam LaRoche	6	19	2	5	2	0	1	3	.263	0
Jon Lester	2	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	0
Javier López	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.---	0
Mike Lowell	119	445	54	129	29	1	17	75	.290	2
Jed Lowrie	32	68	5	10	2	0	2	11	.147	0
Julio Lugo	37	109	16	31	4	1	1	8	.284	3
Víctor Martínez	56	211	32	71	12	0	8	41	.336	1
Justin Masterson	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.---	0
Daisuke Matsuzaka	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	0
Hideki Okajima	5	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	0
David Ortiz	150	541	77	129	35	1	28	99	.238	0
Jonathan Papelbon	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.---	0
Dustin Pedroia	154	626	115	185	48	1	15	72	.298	20
Brad Penny	2	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	0
Ramón Ramírez	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	0
Josh Reddick	27	59	5	10	4	0	2	4	.169	0
Takashi Saito	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.---	0
John Smoltz	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	0
Jonathan Van Every	7	11	1	4	0	0	1	3	.364	0
Jason Varitek	109	364	41	76	24	0	14	51	.209	0
Gil Velazquez	6	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	0
Tim Wakefield	1	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	.500	0
Chris Woodward	13	12	0	1	0	0	0	0	.083	0
Kevin Youkilis	136	491	99	150	36	1	27	94	.305	7
Team Totals	162	5543	872	1495	335	25	212	822	.270	126

• Source: Boston Red Sox batting stats

Pitching

Note: W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; HR = Home Run Allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts

Player	W	L	ERA	G	GS	SV	IP	R	ER	HR	BB	K
Daniel Bard	2	2	3.65	49	0	1	49.1	24	20	5	22	63
Josh Beckett	17	6	3.86	32	32	0	212.1	99	91	25	55	199
Michael Bowden	1	1	9.56	8	1	0	16.0	17	17	3	6	12
Dusty Brown	0	0	9.00	1	0	0	1.0	1	1	0	0	1
Clay Buchholz	7	4	4.21	16	16	0	92.0	44	43	13	36	68
Paul Byrd	1	3	5.82	7	6	0	34.0	22	22	4	11	11
Fernando Cabrera	0	0	8.44	6	0	0	5.1	5	5	0	4	8
Manny Delcarmen	5	2	4.53	64	0	0	59.2	34	30	5	34	44
Enrique González	0	0	4.91	2	0	0	3.2	2	2	1	2	1
Nick Green	0	0	0.00	1	0	0	2.0	0	0	0	3	0
Hunter Jones	0	0	9.24	11	0	0	12.2	13	13	3	7	9
Jon Lester	15	8	3.41	32	32	0	203.1	80	77	20	64	225
Javier López	0	2	9.26	14	0	0	11.2	13	12	1	9	5
Justin Masterson	3	3	4.50	31	6	0	72.0	38	36	7	25	67
Daisuke Matsuzaka	4	6	5.76	12	12	0	59.1	38	38	10	30	54
Hideki Okajima	6	0	3.39	68	0	0	61.1	23	23	8	21	53
Jonathan Papelbon	1	1	1.85	66	0	38	68.0	15	14	5	24	76
Brad Penny	7	8	5.61	24	24	0	131.2	89	82	17	42	89
Ramón Ramírez	7	4	2.84	70	0	0	69.2	26	22	7	32	52
Dustin Richardson	0	0	0.00	3	0	0	3.1	0	0	0	1	1
Takashi Saito	3	3	2.43	56	0	2	55.2	16	15	6	25	52
John Smoltz	2	5	8.33	8	8	0	40.0	37	37	8	9	33
Junichi Tazawa	2	3	7.46	6	4	0	25.1	23	21	4	9	13
Billy Traber	0	0	12.27	1	0	0	3.2	5	5	2	1	1
Jonathan Van Every	0	0	0.00	1	0	0	0.2	0	0	0	1	0
Billy Wagner	1	1	1.98	15	0	0	13.2	5	3	1	7	22
Tim Wakefield	11	5	4.58	21	21	0	129.2	67	66	12	50	72
Team Totals	95	67	4.35	162	162	41	1436.2	736	695	167	530	1230

• Source: Boston Red Sox pitching stats

Awards and honors

Awards

• Jason Bay – Silver Slugger Award (OF)
• Josh Beckett – AL Player of the Week (July 6–12)
• Mike Lowell – AL Player of the Week (April 20–26)

All-Star Game^[30]

Starters Dustin Pedroia 2B (did not attend) Jason Bay OF

Reserves Josh Beckett SP Jonathan Papelbon RP Tim Wakefield SP Kevin Youkilis 1B Other Victor Martinez C/1B (acquired after all-star break)

Recognition

• On December 22, 2009, Sports Illustrated named general manager Theo Epstein as No. 3 on its list of the Top 10 GMs/Executives of the Decade. The list's only other MLB general managers were Seattle and Philadelphia's Pat Gillick (at No. 7) and Oakland's Billy Beane (at No. 10).^[31]

Farm system

See also: Minor League Baseball

The Class A-Advanced affiliate changed from the Lancaster JetHawks to the Salem Red Sox.

Level	Team	League	Manager
AAA	Pawtucket Red Sox	International League	Ron Johnson
AA	Portland Sea Dogs	Eastern League	Arnie Beyeler
A-Advanced	Salem Red Sox	Carolina League	Chad Epperson
A	Greenville Drive	South Atlantic League	Kevin Boles
A-Short Season	Lowell Spinners	New York–Penn League	Gary DiSarcina
Rookie	GCL Red Sox	Gulf Coast League	Dave Tomlin
Rookie	DSL Red Sox	Dominican Summer League	José Zapata

Source:^[32][33]

References

1. "Boston Red Sox Managers (1908–2009) by Baseball Almanac". Archived from the original on May 10, 2009. Retrieved August 13, 2009.
2. Cerullo, Mac (September 24, 2024). "Red Sox to retire blue alternate uniforms, introduce new City Connect in 2025". Boston Herald. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
3. Tampa Bay Rays vs. Boston Red Sox – Recap – April 07, 2009 – ESPN
4. Bay's 3-run HR helps Red Sox beat Indians, win 11th straight
5. Red Sox run off with three-game sweep of Yankees to win 10th straight
6. Bay's three-run homer part of offensive outburst by BoSox
7. Drew keys Red Sox's decisive rally in eighth
8. Boston Red Sox Transactions
9. Red Sox deal three for Victor Martinez
10. Boston Red Sox vs. Texas Rangers – Play By Play – August 14, 2009 – ESPN
11. Ramon Ramirez Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
12. Brad Penny Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
13. Nick Green Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
14. Rocco Baldelli Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
15. Mark Kotsay Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
16. Takashi Saito Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
17. John Smoltz Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
18. Jonathan Van Every Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
19. Adam LaRoche Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
20. Chris Duncan Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
21. Brian Anderson Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
22. Casey Kotchman Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
23. Victor Martinez Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
24. Paul Byrd Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
25. Chris Woodward Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
26. Álex González Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
27. Chris Duncan Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
28. Billy Wagner Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
29. Joey Gathright Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
30. 2009 All-Star Game | MLB.com: Events
31. Friedman, Dick (December 22, 2009). "2000s: Top 10 GMs/Executives". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on January 17, 2010. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
32. Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 3rd edition. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 2007
33. Boston Red Sox Media Guide. 2009. pp. 529–549. Retrieved March 14, 2021 – via Wayback Machine.

External links

• 2009 Boston Red Sox season at Baseball Reference
• 2009 Boston Red Sox official site Archived July 7, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
• 2009 Boston Red Sox Draft Selections