Red Sox Hall of Fame & Fenway Honors
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2020 RED SOX HALL OF FAME & FENWAY HONORS 2020 RED SOX HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES DAVID ORTIZ I MANNY RAMIREZ I RICH GEDMAN I PRE-1960: BILL DINNEEN NON-UNIFORM: DAN DUQUETTE HONORS RECIPIENTS: PHILL & LIZ GROSS AND THE BOSTON BEER COMPANY MEMORABLE MOMENT: OCTOBER 27, 2004 DEAR FRIENDS, FANS, & FAMILY, I hope this finds you all healthy and happy as we come to the end of this historic year. During these challenging times, it’s an honor to know we have your continued support and encouragement. While 2020 has thrown us quite the curve ball, we have adjusted and pivoted to continue our investments in and support of the New England community. More specifically, we are proud to have augmented our RBI & Red Sox Scholars programs with innovative virtual content and curriculum that ensured consistent support of our young participants. This was only possible through your generosity. Thank you! We have made every effort to continue our traditional events that fuel our ability to provide programming and grants to the community. While we would have preferred to celebrate in person, we are thrilled to announce this years’ class of Hall of Fame members as David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, Rich Gedman, Bill Dinneen and Dan Duquette. We are also excited to award both Phill & Liz Gross and The Boston Beer Company with the Fenway Honors distinction for their ongoing commitment to the community through philanthropic initiatives, gifts and programming. What an amazing and accomplished list of recipients and inductees! While this Hall of Fame and Fenway Honors event salutes the personal success, commitment, and passion of our award winners, it is also an opportunity to recognize the impact of the Red Sox Foundation. In addition to continuing our RBI and Red Sox Scholars programming to hundreds of Boston’s youth, the Foundation made multiple, significant gifts to the Boston Resiliency Fund and the MA COVID-19 Relief Fund in support of distance learning and coronavirus testing access. We also launched the Emergency Hardship Fund, which provided grocery store gift cards to families across New England and Southwest Florida to address food insecurity. Again, this was only possible through your support! This year, more than ever, we are grateful that you have remained a part of our team. We would not be able to make an impact and difference in the community without your commitment to our success. And for that, we are grateful. With appreciation, Tom and Bekah RED SOX HALL OF FAME & FENWAY HONORS PAGE 2 OUR 2020 RED SOX HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES WILLIAM HENRY DINNEEN BOSTON, 1902-1907 Bill Dinneen was the pitching star of the first World Series ever played in 1903, winning three games, including the clincher at Boston’s Huntington Avenue Grounds, as the Boston Americans defeated the Pirates, 5 games to 3. A right-handed pitcher, Dinneen pitched the first shutouts in Series history, a three-hitter in Game 2, and a four-hitter in the Series finale. A native of Syracuse, N.Y., Dinneen won 20 games or more in his first three seasons with the Americans, averaging more than 300 innings per season, and posted a 2.49 ERA. In 1904, he set an American League record for consecutive complete games (37). Pitching on one day’s rest, he beat 41-game winner Jack Chesbro on the last day of the ’04 season to clinch Boston’s second consecutive pennant. He also pitched a no-hitter on Sept. 27, 1905 against the Chicago White Sox. RED SOX HALL OF FAME & FENWAY HONORS PAGE 4 On April 29, 1986, Leandro stood in the international terminal at Logan Airport, waiting to welcome his family to their new home. On a nearby TV, he watched Rich Gedman catch a record 20 strikeouts in one game. On October 17, 2004, his wife cheered with everyone else in his packed restaurant as David Ortiz clinched Game Four of the ALCS with a walk-off home run. On May 31, 2008, Leandro sat with his granddaughter in the family home and watched Manny Ramirez hit his 500th career home run. In 2020, Leandro remembers none of it. Alzheimer’s disease takes away the memories which connect us to our families and our shared history. With your help, we can find a cure. We are incredibly grateful to the Boston Red Sox for having hosted Cure Alzheimer’s Fund Night at Fenway Park, bringing awareness of the need for research to Red Sox Nation. CUREALZ.ORG RED SOX HALL OF FAME & FENWAY HONORS PAGE 5 DANIEL FRANCIS DUQUETTE BOSTON, 1994-2002 During his tenure as Red Sox executive vice president and general manager, Dan Duquette took the team to an American League division title in 1995 and wild-card spots in both 1998 and 1999, the Sox advancing to the ALCS in ‘99. Duquette also helped lay the groundwork for the 2004 Red Sox team that ended an 86-year World Series title drought, drafting Nomar Garciaparra, trading for Pedro Martinez, Jason Varitek and Derek Lowe, signing free agents Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon, and resurrecting the career of Tim Wakefield after he was released. He also drafted future Red Sox star Kevin Youkilis. A native of Dalton, Mass., and graduate of Amherst College, Duquette succeeded Lou Gorman as Sox GM on Jan. 27, 1994. In his eight seasons as GM, the Red Sox compiled a record of 656-574, a .533 winning percentage. RED SOX HALL OF FAME & FENWAY HONORS PAGE 6 Together We Go Further Suffolk Cares is proud to support the Red Sox Foundation and the Fenway Honors Red Sox Hall of Fame Gala. RED SOX HALL OF FAME & FENWAY HONORS PAGE 7 RICHARD LEO GEDMAN BOSTON, 1980-90 An undrafted free agent signed in 1977 out of St. Peter-Marian High School in nearby Worcester, Mass., native son Rich Gedman was converted from an outfielder-first baseman to catcher on the advice of Red Sox scout Bill Enos. Gedman made his major-league debut in 1980, finished second in AL Rookie of the Year balloting in 1981, and was named to the All-Star team in consecutive seasons (1985-86). A left-handed batter who hit 24 home runs in 1984, his first season as the team’s everyday catcher, Gedman the following season set career highs in batting average (.295), doubles (30), and RBIs (80) while throwing out 43 percent of base runners attempting to steal. Hailed for his ability to handle a pitching staff that included Roger Clemens, Bruce Hurst and Dennis Boyd, Gedman was behind the plate for the first of Clemens’s record-setting 20-strikeout games on April 29, 1986. RED SOX HALL OF FAME & FENWAY HONORS PAGE 8 RED SOX HALL OF FAME & FENWAY HONORS PAGE 9 DAVID AMERICO ORTIZ BOSTON, 2003-2016 Pronounced the greatest clutch hitter in Red Sox history, “Big Papi” lived up to that accolade repeatedly in his 14 seasons in Boston, where he was a 10-time All-Star and became one of the most beloved athletes in the city’s history. A native of the Dominican Republic, Ortiz led the Red Sox to three World Series titles, in 2004, 2007, and 2013, hitting an astounding .688 (11 for 16) with 8 walks in Boston’s six-game triumph over St. Louis in ’13. Ortiz’s walkoff hits against the New York Yankees in Games 4 and 5 of the ALCS on Oct. 18, 2004, served as catalyst to the greatest postseason comeback in history, the Sox becoming the first team to rally from a 3-games-to-none deficit. Ortiz broke Jimmie Foxx’s franchise record with 54 home runs in 2006, and had 10 seasons of 30-plus home runs and 100-plus RBIs, a club record. In his final season, he shattered records for players 40 years or older in a host of categories, including home runs (38), doubles (48) and RBIs (127). RED SOX HALL OF FAME & FENWAY HONORS PAGE 10 The Boston Bruins and Boston Bruins Foundation proudly support the Red Sox Hall of Fame and congratulate all of this year’s inductees. The Boston Bruins Foundation is a non-profit that collaborates with charitable organizations that demonstrate a commitment to health and wellness, education and athletics. The Foundation strongly believes that advocating for children and families across these areas will create a strong support system that will ultimately lead to the betterment of our community. THE SHAH FAMILY FOUNDATION CONGRATULATES DAVID ORTIZ MANNY RAMIREZ RICH GEDMAN ON THEIR INDUCTION INTO THE RED SOX HALL OF FAME. WE ALSO CELEBRATE THE IMPORTANT WORK THE RED SOX FOUNDATION DOES FOR OUR COMMUNITY. RED SOX HALL OF FAME & FENWAY HONORS PAGE 11 MANUEL ARISTIDES RAMIREZ BOSTON, 2001-2008 One of the greatest right-handed hitters in club history, the often inscrutable Ramirez made “Manny being Manny” a popular catchphrase in his eight seasons with the Red Sox. Born in the Dominican Republic, Ramirez moved to New York City at age 13 and made his big-league debut with Cleveland in 1993. Signed by the Red Sox as a free agent prior to the 2001 season, Ramirez led the team in home runs, batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage in his first year with the club, presaging an extraordinary stretch of offensive dominance by the team’s left fielder. Ramirez won the American League batting title in 2002 with a .349 average, and in each of his first four seasons in Boston had an OPS of 1.000 or higher. The 2004 World Series MVP after batting .412 in the team’s four-game sweep of St.