All Beckett Needed Was One Run, But Red Sox Offense Gave Him Six

Since Josh Beckett graced Fenway’s mound, he has been the Boston Red Sox undeniable ace. During the 2005 off season, Beckett, then 25 and fresh off a 15-8 season with the Florida Marlins, was traded to the Red Sox for top-prospect and current Marlins star shortstop Hanley Ramirez. I didn’t know much about Ramirez, but he was heralded as a five-tool player near major league ready. Boston, despite knowing Ramirez would soon be a star, thought enough of Beckett to make the deal. The ace struggled in his first season with the Red Sox, while Ramirez was named the National League’s Rookie of the Year. Although he won 16 games, a career-high at the time, he allowed an unsightly 36 home-run and had a 5.01 ERA. At the time, the trade was clearly deemed a bad one for Boston. Yet, he felt much more comfortable the following year, which may be an understatement. He allowed Red Sox fans to forget about Ramirez, winning 20 games with a 3.27 ERA. He was officially a Red Sox...