DICK RADATZ·1964

The Monster’s last full summer in Boston, and he worked like a man putting out fires with his bare hands. Sixty-seven games finished, twenty-nine saves, 181 strikeouts in 157 innings—numbers that made hitters grip the bat like a hot stove handle. The TSN Fireman of the Year trophy was just official confirmation of what every American League dugout already knew. When Radatz rose from the pen at 6'6", the game was over; the only question was which pitch would end it. That summer, the answer was always the same: his.

29 SAVES

Twenty-nine doors slammed — every American League dugout already knew before the trophy arrived.

181 STRIKEOUTS

One hundred eighty-one K in 157 innings — bat handles felt like hot stove steel.

LAST FULL MONSTER SUMMER

Peak volume from the Boston pen — the last full summer before the later stops.

Dick Radatz, Boston Red Sox, 1965. Jay Publishing / Wikimedia Commons. Public domain (US).