Boston Red Sox Hall of Famer Bobby Doerr dies at 99
The Boston Red Sox family has lost an all-time great as former second baseman Bobby Doerr has passed away at the age of 99.
Bobby Doerr, a former Boston Red Sox second baseman, has passed away at the age of 99. He was the oldest living former major leaguer.
Doerr came to the Red Sox at the same time as Ted Williams, as Boston signed both out of the Pacific Coast League. He spent all of 14 his MLB seasons with the Red Sox from 1937 to 1951. Doerr missed the 1945 season to serve in World War II. Williams, Johnny Pesky, and Dom DiMaggio dubbed Doerr the “Silent Captain” of their Sox teams in the 1940’s. Those 4 players were extremely close for a very long time.
"“To be friends of 65 years or more … I talk to Dom once every 10 days, two weeks. We still keep in touch with Johnny,” Doerr said in 2005. “They’re coming out for a fishing trip in September, we’re going to catch some big salmon on the Rogue River.”"
Williams passed in 2002, while DiMaggio and Pesky passed in 2009 and 2012. Doerr is the only Baseball Hall of Famer to live to age 99, and he was the oldest living Red Sox player as well.
Doerr always claimed that his biggest regret was not bringing a World Series title to Boston. His teams always had a chance but fell just short. In 2004 though, when the Red Sox did finally win, he was presented with a World Series ring.
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In his 14 seasons for Boston, Doerr hit .288 with 223 home runs, 1,247 RBI, and 54 stolen bases. He was a 9-time All-Star along the way as well. Although the Sox lost the 1946 World Series in 7 games to the Cardinals, Doerr shined with his bat. In the series, he went .409 with a home run and 3 RBI. He was selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986, 20 years after his good friend Ted Williams. Doerr’s #1 was the third number ever retired by the Red Sox organization behind Williams and shortstop/manager/GM Joe Cronin. Doerr’s number was retired on May 21, 1988.
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In short, the Boston Red Sox organization and their fans have lost a great baseball player and an even better man. Bobby Doerr was an all-time Fenway Park great, and his accomplishments should never be forgotten. We all need to make sure that we are sharing Red Sox history with younger generations, so that players like Doerr, Williams, DiMaggio, and Pesky last forever in Red Sox Nation.