Which Red Sox Single-Season Offensive Record Will Never Be Broken?

by Mike Cole on Sat, May 28, 2011 at 8:00AM

The Red Sox offense has come alive in the last week or so, as Boston is finally starting to show the offensive clout that was expected from them at the beginning of the season.

A lot of that stems from the play of Adrian Gonzalez, who, after a bit of a slow start, has found his swing while apparently enjoying life at Fenway Park. With each passing day, Gonzalez looks like he could have an outside chance at threatening to win the Triple Crown.

It's also fair to assume that Gonzalez may well rewrite the Red Sox record book during his time in Boston, but he and everyone else in that Boston lineup have their work cut out for them, especially when it comes to single-season records.

Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz knows a thing or two about breaking a Red Sox record. It was Big Papi, after all, who set the franchise's single-season record for home runs when he blasted 54 round-trippers in 2006. Ortiz actually shattered the old Red Sox record of 50, set by Jimmie Foxx in 1938.

While Double X may have lost one spot in the record book, he's still holding on strong to another one. Foxx drove in an insane 175 runs in that same 1938 season. Making that even more impressive is the fact that Foxx did so in only 149 games. Only three players in major league history have driven in more runs in a single season than Foxx, and the only player in recent history to come close to 175 was Ortiz in 2005 — with 148.

Perhaps the most untouchable offensive record in the long, storied history of the Red Sox belongs to, of course, Ted Williams. And of course, it comes from Williams' magical year of 1941. That's the season that comes up every year around this time when a hitter in the bigs is flirting with the magical number of .400. The next hitter to meet or eclipse that mark will be the first to do so since '41. And if it's a member of the Red Sox, he's going to have to better .406 to best the Splinter.

They say records are meant to be broken, so which Red Sox single-season offensive record will never fall? Share your thoughts below.

Friday, May 27: How many home runs will Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit this season?

Which Red Sox single-season offensive record will never be broken?Market Research