Chili Davis, who reportedly has been hired as the Red Sox’s new hitting coach, will look to turn around an offense that struggled for much of 2014.
Regardless of whether or not he succeeds, Davis already has a place in Boston history.
Pedro Martinez famously struck out 17 in a one-hit gem against the Yankees on Sept. 10, 1999 at Yankee Stadium. Davis produced New York’s only hit, which was an absolute bomb over the right field fence.
Martinez’s performance was honored this season as part of a Red Sox Hall of Fame ceremony. The Red Sox’s 2014 Hall of Fame class included Martinez, Nomar Garciaparra, Roger Clemens and radio broadcaster Joe Castiglione.
Davis hit 350 home runs over a 19-year Major League Baseball career, during which he played for the Yankees, California Angels, Minnesota Twins, San Francisco Giants and Kansas City Royals. He’ll reportedly join Red Sox manager John Farrell’s staff after spending the last three seasons as the Oakland Athletics’ hitting coach.
Davis joining the Red Sox organization is a homecoming of sorts, as he served as Triple-A Pawtucket’s hitting coach in 2011. It’s also a reminder of Pedro’s dominating performance and, more specifically, his one blemish.
