Jim Lonborg

Position: Pitcher
Bats: Right  •  Throws: Right
6-5, 200lb (196cm, 90kg)
Born: April 16, 1942  in Santa Maria, CA
High School: San Luis Obispo HS (San Luis Obispo, CA)
School: Stanford University (Palo Alto, CA)
Debut: April 23, 1965 (12,365th in major league history)
vs. BAL 6.0 IP, 2 H, 4 SO, 5 BB, 3 ER, L
Last Game: June 10, 1979
vs. ATL 3.0 IP, 5 H, 2 SO, 1 BB, 3 ER
View Player Info from the B-R Bullpen
View Player Bio from the SABR BioProject
Relatives: Brother-In-Law of Mel Queen

Nine Players Who Debuted in 1965

Lee May
Mark Belanger
Bobby Murcer
Roy White
Steve Carlton
Tug McGraw
Fergie Jenkins
Jim Palmer
Catfish Hunter

All-Time Teammate Team

Coming Soon

Notable Events and Chronology 

Sort bySearch Days, Events, Players Title (A - Z)Date (Newest)

May 10, 1965

At Fenway Park, the 9th-place Yankees lose again, 3 – 2, when Carl Yastrzemski outhits a hobbling Mickey Mantle. Yaz hits a pair of homers and a sacrifice fly, while Mantle is 3 for 4 with a homer. After Mantle doubles with two outs in the 9th, starter Jim Lonborg is lifted and Dick Radatz gets the final out. It is Lonborg’s first major league win.

April 12, 1966

On Opening Day, Jim Lonborg’s 13th-inning balk plates Bob Johnson with the deciding run in Baltimore’s 5-4 victory. The Red Sox reliever miscue on the mound occurs with two outs and the bases loaded at Fenway Park.

July 23, 1966

Bob Allison of the Twins suffers a broken left hand when hit by a Jim Lonborg pitch during Minnesota’s 10 – 4 win over the Red Sox.

March 16, 1967

In one of the highest-scoring spring training games ever, the Boston Red Sox upend the New York Mets, 23 – 18.

June 21, 1967

Red Sox and Yankees bench clearing brawl 1967 game

October 5, 1967

Jim Lonborg of the Boston Red Sox pitches a one-hitter against the St. Louis Cardinals in Game Two of the World Series

October 9, 1967

The St. Louis Cardinals’ Roger Maris hits a home run in the 9th inning, but Jim Lonborg’s 3 – 1 victory sends the World Series back to Boston.

November 3, 1967

Boston Red Sox pitcher Jim Lonborg, who was 22-9 with 246 strikeouts for the American League champions, is named the 1967 American League Cy Young Award winner.

December 24, 1967

1967 – While skiing at Lake Tahoe, Boston Red Sox pitcher Jim Lonborg tears the ligaments in his left knee. Lonborg, who posted a 22-9 record with 246 strikeouts and a 3.49 ERA and received the Cy Young Award, will pitch 12 more seasons in the major leagues, but will not again reach double digits in wins until 1971.

December 27, 1967

Boston Red Sox star Jim Lonborg undergoes surgery on his left knee

September 20, 1968

Mickey Mantle hits final home run

July 13, 1969

Undefeated O’s ace Dave McNally wins his 13th but needs relief help in subduing the Red Sox, 6 – 3. Jim Lonborg, making his first start since breaking his toe on June 21st, takes the loss. Tony Conigliaro has a pair of homers and Reggie Smith stretches his hitting streak to 20 games.

July 27, 1969

Seattle suffers another heartbreaker, losing 5 – 3 to Boston in 20 innings at Sicks Stadium. Joe Lahoud hits a two-run home run in the top of the 20th for Boston, and Tommy Harper matches him in the bottom of the inning for the losers. Jim Lonborg is the winner.

August 1, 1969

Dick Williams pulls Carl Yastrzemski from the Boston lineup after one at-bat and fines him $500 for “dogging it.” Jim Lonborg allows just three hits over eight innings, but the A’s rally in the 9th for three runs and beat the Sox, 4 – 3.

June 25, 1971

6/25/1971: Brooks Robinson of the Orioles hit a towering flyball to left-center field in the top of the fourth inning off Red Sox pitcher Jim Lonborg which caromed off a light tower behind Fenway Park’s Green Monster and rebounded back on to the field. Second base umpire Bill Haller ruled that the ball hit off the top of the wall and Robinson only got a double. Players in the Baltimore bullpen confirmed that the ball had hit the light tower and should have been a home run.

October 31, 1972

In a seven-player trade, Don Money is dealt by the Phillies to open up room for Mike Schmidt

October 1, 1974

Tom Seaver becomes first to strikeout 200 7 straight seasons

August 12, 1976

At Philadelphia‚ the Braves edge the Phils‚ 4 – 3‚ pinning the loss on Jim Lonborg. Atlanta pitcher Frank LaCorte wins his first big league game after 9 losses.

Biography

Gentleman Jim is mainly remembered for his gutsy performance in the 1967 World Series, after a Cy Young 22-9, 246-strikeout career season. The tall and articulate Lonborg had compiled just a 19-27 record in his first two seasons before leading the Red Sox to their first pennant in 31 years. He ensured the pennant by beating the Twins and Dean Chance on the last day of the season, the only time the Red Sox were in first place in a wild three-team race between the Red Sox, Tigers, and Twins. Four days later in the World Series, he beat the heavily favored Cardinals with a one-hitter 5-0 to knot the Series at one game each. He lost the perfect game when he walked Curt Flood with two out in the sixth on a 3-2 pitch, then lost the no-hitter when Julian Javier doubled with two out in the eighth. Lonborg then tossed a three-hit, 3-1 victory in Game Five to give Boston a 3-2 Series edge. A Roger Maris homer in the ninth spoiled the shutout and Lonborg’s 17-inning scoreless skein. By the seventh game and on only two days’ rest, however, Lonborg finally gave out, losing a 7-2 decision to Bob Gibson, who won his third Series game. After the dream season, Lonborg was largely ineffective, winning just 27 more games for the Red Sox in the next four years. He won 14 games after being traded to Milwaukee in 1972, then spent the remaining seven years of his career in Phildelphia. In 1974 he won 17 games, but the highlight of his season was a grand slam he hit on June 29 against Montreal, only his third career homer. He won 18 games in 1976 and went 11-4 in 1977 before fading out two seasons later.

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Factoids, Quotes, Milestones and Odd Facts

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Other Resources & Links

Baseball-Almanac.com     Retrosheet     WhatIfSports: Jim Lonborg

More Lonborg Pages

Jim Lonborg Overview