1967 Impossible Dream

Lore & Background

Often referred to as 'The Impossible Dream', this was the team's first winning season since 1958, as the Red Sox shocked all of New England and the rest of the baseball world by reaching the World Series for the first time since 1946. The regular season had one of the most memorable finishes in baseball history, as the AL pennant race went to the last game, with the Red Sox finishing one game ahead of both the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins in the final AL standings.

Reader's Guide

Red Sox left fielder Carl Yastrzemski won the Triple Crown, tying Harmon Killebrew for the AL lead in home runs (44) while leading the league in runs batted in (121) and batting average (.326). The Red Sox entered the 1967 season as 'doormats' of the American League, with low expectations, low attendance to begin the season, and little known talent outside of team captain Carl Yastrzemski. They had had losing seasons for each of the previous eight years. Two years earlier, the Red Sox had finished the 1965 season with 100 losses. In addition, the team posted ninth-place finishes in 1965 and 1966.

Did You Know?

• Carl Yastrzemski achieved the Triple Crown in 1967, the second Red Sox player to do so after Ted Williams.
• The 1967 Red Sox were the second-youngest team in Major League Baseball that season, averaging 25.4 years of age.