 |
|
 |
The Pawtucket Red Sox moved to Bristol, Connecticut for the 1973 season and became known as the Bristol Red Sox. As the AA affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, the Bristol squad had only one losing season, their first, and won the Eastern League Championship in 1975, 1978, and 1981.
Following the 1982 season, owner Joe Buzas, a former major league ballplayer for the Yankees, announced that the baseball team would be moving to a new stadium, Beehive Field, in nearby New Britain, Connecticut where they would be known as the New Britain Red Sox.
Joe Buzas was considered by many of his peers as the most outstanding owner and operator in the history of minor league baseball. His record of ownership as an individual owner, involved in the operaton of all his teams, is unsurpassed. From 1957 until his death in 2003, Joe had operated a total of 82 minor league franchises.
Joe Buzas graduated from Bucknell University in 1941 and was a standout athlete competing in basketball, football, baseball and boxing. He signed a contract with the New York Yankees in 1941 and made his major league debut playing shortstop for the Yankees in 1945.
From there, at age 26, he went on to manage for nine seasons in the Puerto Rican Winter Leagues before taking over the AA Team in Allentown, Pennsylvania in 1957.
The first regular season game the Bristol Red Sox ever played was Sunday, April 21, 1973.
The Sox fell to the Cincinnati Red's farm club from Trois Rivieres, Quebec and even though Bristol fans didn't see the BriSox win, they did see an exciting game which included a number of future major leaguers.
In the Three Rivers lineup that day were Dave Revering, a first baseman who went on to the Oakland A's, Doug Flynn, who played second base for the New York Mets, and Ray Knight, the man who eventually replaced Pete Rose on third base for the Cincinnati club and was later named MVP of the 1986 World Series where the New York Mets defeated the Boston Red Sox.
The big name in the Bristol lineup that day was Jim Rice, the 21 year old South Carolina native had a perfect day at the plate and on the first pitch he ever saw at Muzzy Field he swatted a 360 foot homer. Tim Blackwell, who went on to play for the Chicago Cubs, and Ramon Aviles, who went on to play for the Philadelphia Phillies, also saw action that day in Bristol uniforms.
|
| 1973 |
Bristol Red Sox |
AA |
Eastern League |
62-77 |
3rd, American Divison |
| 1974 |
Bristol Red Sox |
AA |
Eastern League |
74-61 |
1st, American Divison; Lose playoffs. |
| 1975 |
Bristol Red Sox |
AA |
Eastern League |
81-57 |
(2nd) 1st, second half, Post-season Champions |
| 1976 |
Bristol Red Sox |
AA |
Eastern League |
74-60 |
2nd, South Divison |
| 1977 |
Bristol Red Sox |
AA |
Eastern League |
72-67 |
4th, New England Divison |
| 1978 |
Bristol Red Sox |
AA |
Eastern League |
72-66 |
(3rd) 1st, first half Post-season Champions |
| 1979 |
Bristol Red Sox |
AA |
Eastern League |
73-66 |
3rd, South Division |
| 1980 |
Bristol Red Sox |
AA |
Eastern League |
79-60 |
1st, South Division (win neither half, not in playoffs) |
| 1981 |
Bristol Red Sox |
AA |
Eastern League |
79-58 |
(1st) 1st, second half, South Division; Post-season Champions |
| 1982 |
Bristol Red Sox |
AA |
Eastern League |
75-65 |
2nd, South Division |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
