Red Sox celebrate 1975 team, honor Luis Tiant before home opener at Fenway Park

CBS News

04-04-2025

Before the Red Sox played their first game at Fenway Park in the 2025 season, the organization had to honor -- and remember --some legends of Boston baseball. The Red Sox celebrated the 50th anniversary of the 1975 team, which made a shocking run to the World Series, with a pregame ceremony that had fans erupting in the stands.
There were 20 members of the 1975 squad honored on the field, which included Jim Rice, Fred Lynn, Dwight Evans, Carlton Fisk, and of course, Carl Yastrzemski. The 85-year-old Yaz received a huge ovation from Boston fans, and threw out the ceremonial first pitch to current Red Sox manager Alex Cora before the game.
Here's the full list of players from the 1975 team that were on hand for Friday's ceremony: Jim Rice, Fred Lynn, Dwight Evans, Cecil Cooper, Rick Burleson, Rico Petrocelli, Rick Miller, Jim Wiloughby, Dick Pole, Bill "Spaceman" Lee, Buddy Hunter, Kim Andrew, Butch Hobson, Steve Dillard, Tim Blackwell, Rick Miller, Bob Montgomery, Bernie Carbo, Carlton Fisk, and Carl Yastrzemski.
They took the field with Aerosmith's
Sweet Emotion
playing over the park's speakers, and received a massive ovation from Fenway Park's sellout crowd.
The 1975 Red Sox have a special place in the franchise's history after making an incredible run to the World Series. The team was in last place in April, but with an outfield of Yaz and rookies Jim Rice and Fred Lynn (who won Rookie of the Year and MVP honors) and a rotation made up of Luis Tiant, Bill Lee, and Rick Wise, Boston rocketed up the standings throughout the summer.
The team finished the regular season with a 95-65 record to make it to the American League Championship Series, where they faced the Oakland Athletics. The Red Sox weren't given much of a chance against the back-to-back-to-back World Series champs, but ended up sweeping the A's in three games. It was Boston's first pennant since 1967.
The Red Sox met the 108-win Cincinnati Reds in the Fall Classic, and were once again written off against the Big Red Machine. But Tiant tossed a complete game shutout in Game 1, which set up one of the greatest World Series showdowns of all time.
Cincinnati won the next two games, but Tiant went the distance again in a 5-4 Boston win in Game 4. The Reds won Game 5 and took a 3-2 series lead into Game 6 in Boston, but that set up one of the biggest swings in Red Sox history.
In Game 6, with the game tied 6-6 in the bottom of the 12th, Fisk drove one deep down the left field line. The catcher willed the ball fair as he hopped down the line, and it hit off the foul pole for a walk-off homer to tie the series at three games apiece.
In a pregame interview with WBZ-TV's Dan Roche, Evans agreed the 1975 was the greatest World Series ever played.
"I think it was. I was 23 and standing at third base. They made a pitching change and a guy named Pete Rose walked over to me. He said, 'Dewey,' and I asked him how he knew my name. He's looking around and goes, 'This might be the greatest gave I've ever played in.' Being 23 I was caught up with being on the field, and I started to look around and realized how great the game was," recalled Evans. "That was the sixth game. He also said it to Fisk at home plate."
Evans said it was a joy to reconnect with his former teammates over the last several days, and he was elated to be back at Fenway Park for another celebration.
"I love this ballpark. Someone asked me what I love about this ballpark, and I said the fans. They make it special," said Evans. "Once you learn they're emotional, you fall in love with them. It's a great ballpark with so many nooks and crannies to it. The grass is beautiful. How great is this?"
Evans has some high hopes for the 2025 Red Sox as well, and sees a lot of the 1975 team in the current squad.
"This [Red Sox] team has that element to them. Being with them all spring training, they have got some talent. If that talent comes alive, anything can happen," he said. "I'm not going to say they're going to win, because I just don't say that. But we didn't know if we were going to win in '75. Then we came into the playoffs against the Oakland A's, who had won three World Series in a row, and we swept them. We didn't belong in the same ballpark with Cincinnati and we gave it a heck of a try to win that thing."
The pregame ceremony also included a video tribute to former Red Sox players who has passed away over the last year, including the legendary Tiant. An "El Tiante" sign was also put up in the outfield.
Tiant passed away October 8, 2024 at the age of 83. He spent eight of his 19 MLB seasons in Boston and logged 122 of his 229 career wins with the Red Sox.
"Luis was very special. He would always greet me with a kiss on the cheek and say I love you, and he meant it," Evans said pregame. "I take from him a lot of things that I instill in my own life and how I treat people. I learned some things from Luis and he is sorely missed. He was a true, true treasure of the game of baseball."
"Luis is a guy we miss," Cora said before Friday's game. "Spring training was kind of empty in that aspect, right? He was always talking to the guys, teaching the guys. How he used to be and what it means to be a Red Sox. We miss him."