Popular personalities have always been a staple for the Boston Red Sox and “The Hit Dog” Mo Vaughn reigned supreme for the team in the mid-1990’s.
Left-handed hitters and the Boston Red Sox have fit together rather nicely over the course of franchise history. From the early 20th-century stars of Tris Speaker and Babe Ruth (a pitcher with 49 career home runs in Boston) and on down the line, lefties have spanned decades for the Red Sox.
Names like Ted Williams to Carl Yastrzemski to Fred Lynn carried the torch across the ’40’s, ’50’s, ’60’s and ’70’s as some of the franchise’s best hitters.
The late 1980’s into the ’90’s gave fans Wade Boggs and Mike Greenwell, but it was first baseman Mo Vaughn who brought the wallop.
Vaughn spent eight seasons manning first base for the Red Sox. In the process, he had 230 home runs and 752 RBI’s during his Boston career. He also hit .304, had 199 doubles and had a slugging percentage of .936.
On his career, Vaughn ended with 328 home runs across three teams and 12 seasons. He finished with a career average of .293 and 1064 RBI’s.
Pressure to win and end the wretched “Curse of the Bambino” fell on multiple people in the ’90’s, with Vaughn being one of them. While putting up impressive numbers, we know he wasn’t able to shatter the curse as made only two playoff appearances during his Boston years.
Clashes with management and Boston Globe reporter Will McDonough, plus some off the field trouble, helped usher Vaughn out of town in free agency after the 1998 season.
Prior to leaving, though, Vaughn enjoyed eight seasons as a (mostly) fan favorite and helped highlight the Boston teams of the ’90’s.
1995 American League MVP
Vaughn made his debut in 1991 and was productive in spots during his first couple of seasons.
His third season was his first with over 100 RBI’s — driving in 101 — but it was between the years 1995-1998 in which Vaughn really took off.
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He was named to the all-star team three times during this span and took home the American League MVP in 1995. Vaughn hit 39 home runs and drove in 126 in beating out Albert Belle and Edgar Martinez for his first and only MVP.
Vaughn only got better in 1996. Though the Red Sox did not make the playoffs in that season, Vaughn’s numbers were even better than the season prior. He hit .326, smashed 44 home runs and had 143 RBI’s.
Despite this, Vaughn finished in fifth-place in the 1996 MVP race. Juan Gonzalez, who won, Ken Griffey Jr. and Belle all had more home runs than Vaughn. Also finishing ahead of Vaughn that season was Alex Rodriguez.
Vaughn also finished fourth in the 1998 MVP voting.
Boston, of course, might have had more success during this time if not for the New York Yankees returning to power the very same years. Partially because of their rivals, Boston only made two playoff appearances in Vaughn’s eight seasons.
Playoff Appearances
Despite his success, Vaughn was only able to help lead the team to the playoffs twice during his tenure in Boston.
Both appearances resulted in losses to a vaunted Cleveland Indians team bent on ending their own title drought.
In 1995, Vaughn was 0-14 in Boston’s division round sweep by the Indians.
The team didn’t fare much better in 1998 — bowing out in four games — but Vaughn was impressive. He went 7-17 with two home runs and 7 RBI’s.
Other highlights in Boston
Consistency was a top attribute for Vaughn’s time in Boston. Whether it be hitting for average or power, Vaughn was a top bat for the Red Sox in the ’90’s.
He had 16-game hitting streaks in both the ’96 and ’98 seasons and a 6 RBI game against the Kansas City Royals in July of 1995.
A favorite is also a 4-4 game against the Yankees in ’97 in which he swatted three home runs. And while 1998 was his final season in Boston, Vaughn started things off right with a walk-off grand slam against the Seattle Mariners on opening day.
Post-Boston career
The issues with management and variety of other problems pretty much assured Vaughn would leave Boston after the 1998 season.
And he did so, signing at the time was the highest contract in baseball. The Anaheim Angels gave Vaughn a six-year deal worth 80 million, of which Vaughn played two years with the club.
Injuries, likely brought on by troubles with his weight, caused Vaughn to play only four more seasons after leaving Boston. He ended his career with the New York Mets, with his last at-bat coming in May of 2003.
Vaughn was also named in the Mitchell Report as a player who allegedly acquired and used HGH.
He was also named to the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2008. Eligible for Cooperstown in 2009, Vaughn only received 1.1% of the votes, meaning he would no longer be eligible for possible induction.
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Despite the ups and downs, including his non-graceful exit from Boston, Vaughn will be known as a franchise great. It may never be as the level as Ortiz, Williams, and others, but he is certainly one of the top-ten left-handed hitters in Boston Red Sox history.