The Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame Class of 2014 is stacked with some impressive honorees, at least one who will be inducted into Cooperstown next year. Announced by the team this morning, this year’s class includes pitchers Pedro Martinez and Roger Clemens, shortstop Nomar Garciaparra, and radio broadcaster Joe Castiglione. The team also selected one of Martinez’s greatest single game pitching performances as this year’s featured moment.
The Red Sox Hall of Fame, opened in 1995, honors players who spent at least three years with the Red Sox and have been out of uniform as an active player at least three years. Non-uniformed honorees and the memorable moment are chosen by a unanimous vote of the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame Selection Committee, a 15-member committee of Red Sox broadcasters and executives, past and present media personnel, and representatives from The Sports Museum of New England and the BoSox Booster Club.
Martinez, who played with Boston from 1998 through 2004, was one of the most dominant pitchers to ever play the game. With the Red Sox, the nearly-unbeatable Martinez won two of his three career Cy Young Awards. In 2000, he put together perhaps the best season ever by a modern era pitcher, with an adjusted ERA+ of 291, second all-time only to Tim Keefe, who finished at 293 in 1880; the year before, his ERA+ was 243, ninth all-time in that same category. Known for his strikeout totals, he averaged 10.9 strikeouts per game in 203 appearances with Boston, with a high water mark of 13.2 SO/9 in 1999, a single season mark second only to Randy Johnson, who struck out 13.4 per nine two years later.
Clemens spent 13 seasons with Boston between 1984 and 1996 and was the first pitcher to strike out 20 batters in a nine inning game; in fact, the imposing righthander was also the second pitcher to accomplish that feat a decade later in his second-to-last game pitched with the team. His 192 wins in a Red Sox uniform is tied with Cy Young for the most in team history, which helped him win the honor named after the legendary pitcher three times with Boston between 1986 and 1991. He leads all pitchers in team history in career WAR (81.3) and strikeouts (2590).
Garciaparra spent nine seasons with Boston between 1996 and 2004 and made an immediate impact as American League Rookie of the Year in 1997, collecting 209 hits in 684 at-bats to lead the league and set Red Sox rookie records. 2000 was far and away his best season, as he batted .372 and finished with an on-base percentage of .434 and an OPS+ of 156 while earning the third of five All-Star selections with the team. Not only was he difficult to keep off the base paths, he also showed power, finishing with a slugging percentage of .553 and an OPS+ of 133 during his Red Sox tenure; twice, he hit two grand slams in a single game and six times finished with 21 or more home runs.
Castiglione, who made his broadcast debut for Boston in 1983 partnered with the legendary Ken Coleman, will enter his 32nd season as the radio voice of the Red Sox in 2014. Castiglione was the team’s lead announcer between 1992 and 2010 and continues to do the play-by-play for the team for at least four innings every game, depending on his partner. He also serves as a lecturer at Northeastern University and has authored two books related to his tenure with the team.
As has been the case since the Hall opened in 1995, the Red Sox will also recognize a special moment in team history. This year, it will be Martinez’s one-hit, 17-strikeout performance against the Yankees on Sept. 10, 1999. The official ceremony is expected to take place at a dinner in August.