Out goes one legend, and in comes another. That was the way it went for the Red Sox in 1961, as a rookie named Carl Yastrzemski took over Ted Williams' left field spot.
Still, Yastrzemski didn't gain his legendary status overnight. The future Hall of Famer managed to cobble together a modest rookie season while playing in the shadows of the Green Monster and Ted Williams. He had 155 hits (.266 batting average), 80 RBIs and 71 runs scored in his first year at Fenway Park.
The Sox' finish was equally as modest. Pete Runnels led the team with a .317 batting average and Gene Conley, fresh off of winning a championship with the Boston Celtics, joined the team and won 11 games (Interesting aside: Conley is the only player ever to win a championship in two major sports — the '57 World Series with the Milwaukee Braves and on three different occassions with the Celtics).
By season's end, the Sox found themselves in sixth place in the American League, finishing with a 76-82 record in the league's first-ever 162-game season.
While there was not a lot to cheer about during the year, there was plenty for Sox fans to cheer about during the Midsummer Classic (then Classics, as there were two All-Star games played in each season from 1959-62). The newly retired Williams returned to Fenway to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. The game was eventually called in the ninth inning due to rain, ending in a 1-1 tie, the first in All-Star history.
