Boston Red Sox history: 4 greatest performances in a losing effort

Of all the players to ever wear a Red Sox uniform, only Ted Williams has accumulated more bWAR than Carl Yastrzemski (122.1 to 96.5).

At the age of 25, Yastrzemski was already in his fourth season with the Red Sox and had already earned a Gold Glove, an All-Star Game bid, and a finish among the top six in MVP voting. He also had recorded one of the best games of his career, in a losing effort.

When Carl Yastrzemski hit for the cycle, but the Boston Red Sox lost to the Detroit Tigers

In front of a crowd of just 10,271 at Fenway Park on May 14, 1965, Yastrzemski logged the 12th cycle in Red Sox history, going 5-for-5 at the plate with two homers, a triple, a double, and a single (totaling 14 bases) with five RBI. Detroit, however, scored four times in the top of the 10th inning to eventually take a 12-8 win.

Batting third in the lineup, Yaz (who also walked to reach base in all six of his plate appearances on the day) would hit his two homers of the day in the game’s first two innings, and both would come off Detroit starter Denny McLain. Those homers would give Boston an early 5-0 lead, but the Tigers would come back would five in the third inning. It was part of a game that featured a combined 20 runs and 31 hits.

Interesting note: Detroit won the game in extra innings, but the Red Sox had a great chance to avoid that loss. With one out in the sixth, Yaz hit a triple to center. However, he was stranded at third. That missed opportunity would prove costly.