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Bearded Band of Brothers

Get to know the players (and the beards) who brought home a Championship

Details on every player on the Red Sox' 2013 postseason roster


It’s like "Fight Club". You’re either in or you’re out, and you don’t talk about it. We don’t vote ’em. If you have one, you win. If it’s thick, you win. If it’s a little 5 o’clock shadow, you win. If it’s patchy, you win.

-- Jonny Gomes

It fits us because we’re representing a blue collar approach. We’re a bunch of guys who go to work and do the best we can. We’re not clean shaven and we want to get our hands dirty.

-- Jarrod Saltalamacchia

Beards are like snowflakes. They’re all beautiful and unique in their own way. Rock what you’ve got.

-- David Ross


Coming soon: Click each player's name for additional stats and facts

Quintin Berry Quintin Berry
Berry was acquired in a trade with the Royals at the end of August. He came with the reputation of having never been caught stealing, and he continued that trend with the Red Sox. He swiped 3 bases during September, and one in each postseason round.
Xander Bogaerts Xander Bogaerts
One of the top prospects in the Red Sox organization, Bogaerts made his debut in August at the age of 20. A natural shortstop, he saw most of his time at third base, and handled it with a poise and patience beyond his years. The big stage of the postseason only served to highlight the budding star's ability, with two walks leading to two runs scored in the clinching game against Tampa Bay, and he started all six World Series games.
Craig Breslow Craig Breslow
More than just a situational lefty, Breslow often pitched more than one inning at a time. By the time the post-season arrived, he was one of the most dependable setup men. He pitched over an inning twice in the Division Series, earning the win in Game 4. In the ALCS, when three of the four Red Sox wins came by one run, he threw 3 1/3 innings without allowing a run.
Clay Buchholz Clay Buchholz • Beard name: "The Buck"
Buchholz got off to a fantastic start to the season, bringing a 9-0 record and a 1.74 ERA into June, before a neck injury sidelined him for nearly three months. He returned in September, and though still in pain, he pitched in four postseason games.
Mike Carp Mike Carp • Beard name: "The Freshwater"
Carp signed with the Red Sox in the middle of Spring Training and earned a spot on the roster as a first baseman and outfielder. He had a knack for picking up pinch hits in timely situations, none more so than his pinch-hit grand slam in the tenth inning in Tampa Bay on September 11.
Ryan Dempster Ryan Dempster • Beard name: "The Canuck"
Dempster was a reliable fixture in the Red Sox rotation, making 29 starts. His best month was June, when he picked up 3 wins. In the postseason, he worked out of the bullpen, and got to pitch in the World Series for the first time in his career.
Felix Doubront Felix Doubront
Doubront pitched the best game of his career in June when he went 8 scoreless, 3-hit innings against the Rays. In July, he won 3 straight starts. In the postseason, he pitched out of the 'pen, and recorded the win in World Series Game 4 after 2 2/3 shutdown innings in relief.
Stephen Drew Stephen Drew
On May 6, Drew homered to tie the game in the seventh, then hit a walk-off double to win it in the eleventh. He had another walk-off hit on July 31, a bases-loaded single in the fifteenth. He started every postseason game because of his excellent glove, and he finally broke through at the plate with a homer in World Series Game 6.
Jacoby Ellsbury Jacoby Ellsbury
Ellsbury had another productive year at the top of the Red Sox lineup, stealing 52 bases along the way. He hit a walk-off double against the Indians on May 26 and scored the winning run in a walk-off win on April 13. He batted .344 in the postseason, and had a stolen base in every game of the Division Series.
Jonny Gomes Jonny Gomes • Beard name: "The Ironsides"
Gomes made the most of his playing time, clubbing 4 pinch-hit home runs to tie a Red Sox record. He delivered in the clutch with walk-off homers on June 18 and July 3. His 3-run homer in Game 4 of the world Series turned the tide of not just the game but the entire series.
John Lackey John Lackey • Beard name: "The Sure Thing"
Lackey was a victim of low run support throughout the season, so his record is not indicative of how well he pitched. He was the ace of the staff through the first half. In the postseason, he outdueled David Price, Justin Verlander, and Michael Wacha to win three starts, including the clinching Game 6 victory, and even threw a shutout inning in relief in between.
Jon Lester Jon Lester
Lester got off to a fast start, going 6-0 to open the year, but his strongest month was September, when he won 3 games and his only outing shorter than 7 innings was a postseason tune-up in the final game. In October, he stepped it up another notch, dominating the Rays and Cardinals and winning 4 games, including 2 in the World Series.
Will Middlebrooks Will Middlebrooks
Middlebrooks started the year with a bang, with a 3-homer, 4-hit game in Toronto on the opening road trip. As Jose Iglesias excelled at the plate and in the field, Middlebrooks was sent to the minors in June to get more playing time. He returned in August and hit .322 for the month, then added a grand slam against Detroit in September.
Franklin Morales Franklin Morales
Back and pectoral injuries caused Morales to make two extended trips to the disabled list. His first appearance of the year was a spot start on May 30 against the Phillies, and he went 5 innings to pick up the win. His second win came on June 10, when he pitched 2 scoreless innings in relief as the Red Sox rallied to win a 14-inning game in Tampa Bay.
Mike Napoli Mike Napoli • Beard name: "The Siesta"
Napoli's season is full of big hits - including 2 walk-off hits and a dramatic game-tying grand slam in New York on September 6. He also played good defense at first base, a new position for him. His homer off Justin Verlander in Game 3 of the ALCS was all the offense the Sox would need to win that game 1-0.
Daniel Nava Daniel Nava
In Nava's first full season, he saw time at first base as well as both corner outfield positions, and his impact was felt right away. His 3-run homer was the difference in the home opener, and his 3-run homer in the eighth inning of the Sox' first game after the Marathon bombings gave the team an emotional win. On August 1, his walk-off single capped a 6-run ninth in the biggest comeback victory of the year.
David Ortiz David Ortiz • Beard name: "The Tease"
Big Papi started late because of a lingering injury from the prior year - his first game was the day of his memorable speech after the Marathon bombings - but he still had time to hit 30 home runs, including a walk-off dinger on June 6. In the postseason he put up even crazier numbers. His game-tying grand slam in ALCS Game 2 turned that series around, and he hit .688 in the World Series to gain MVP honors.
Jake Peavy Jake Peavy
Peavy was acquired from the White Sox at the trade deadline and went 4-1 down the stretch, including a complete game against the Dodgers in August. He pitched the clinching game of the Division Series and was so excited after winning the World Series that he bought the Duck Boat he rode on in the parade and shipped it to his Alabama ranch.
Dustin Pedroia Dustin Pedroia • Beard name: "The Sick Flow"
Pedroia played all season with a torn ligament in his thumb from a slide on Opening Day, but that didn't slow him down. He hit .301, and his superior defense won him his third Gold Glove. Always one to spark the offense, in ALCS Game 2 he hit a fly ball high off the Green Monster that ended up an RBI double and kicked off a 5-run comeback.
David Ross David Ross • Beard name: "The Wolf"
Ross hit two homers against Houston on April 26. After getting hit in the head by two foul tips, he missed two months due to concussions. He returned at the end of August, and had RBI doubles in both ALCS Game 5 and World Series Game 5.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia Jarrod SaltalamacchiaBeard name: "The Saltine"
Saltalamacchia set a new record for Red Sox catchers when he hit his 40th double of the year. After Big Papi's grand slam had tied ALCS Game 2 in the eighth, Salty didn't let the effort go to waste, as he hit a walk-off single in the ninth to complete the dramatic win.
Junichi Tazawa Junichi Tazawa
With over a strikeout per inning, Tazawa was one of the most dependable setup men in the regular season. But in the postseason he became indispensable, teaming up with Craig Breslow to form a nearly-automatic bridge between the starters and the closer. Several of his postseason outings were more than an inning, but the most important was just one out, when he struck out Miguel Cabrera with runners at the corners and the Sox clinging to a 1-0 lead in Game 3 of the ALCS.
Koji Uehara Koji Uehara
Uehara was signed as a middle relief option, and wowed his new fans with a 5-pitch sixth inning on Opening Day. When Joel Hanrahan and Andrew Bailey were lost for the season, Koji took over as closer and became better than anyone imagined. He finished with 101 strikeouts and only 9 walks, and had a streak of 37 straight batters retired. In the postseason he gave up only one run in 13 games, and was named ALCS MVP.
Shane Victorino Shane Victorino • Beard name: "The Pineapple"
Victorino led the league in being hit by pitch, and his hamstring was so painful that he stopped switch-hitting to swing exclusively from the right. But that didn't stop him from flashing the leather in Fenway's tough right field to earn a Gold Glove, and delivering a walk-off hit on April 13. His grand slam in Game 6 of the ALCS was the pivotal play of the game, and his bases-loaded double in World Series Game 6 was the defining blow of the clincher.
Brandon Workman Brandon Workman • Beard name: "The Blue Collar"
24-year-old Workman started the year in Double A, and was called up to the majors in July. In his first career start he took a no-hitter into the seventh, and for the rest of the season he worked mostly out of the bullpen. He pitched 8 2/3 innings in the postseason without allowing a run.


Deep Depth: Everyone else who played a part

A Championship Staff: The manager, coaches, staff, and owners




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