with David Ortiz's 35th home run, he passes the "halfway point"

With David Ortiz's 35th home run tonight, he passes the "halfway point" - he's got 35 this year and now only needs 34 more to reach 500.

If he can hit two or three more before the season's over, that will reduce the remaining number accordingly.

He just might be able to reach 500 in 2015.

Boston Red Sox biographies, 1901-1925 complete

With the biography of Ike Boone that I turned in today, SABR's BioProject now has a biography of every Boston Red Sox player from 10-1 through 1925 - complete.  There are a dozen or so still in the editing phase, but before too long every one of them will be on the BostonBall.com website.  Most of them already are.

The Butler did it!

"The Butler did it!" It was Elimination Day – the day a loss would officially eliminate the last-place Red Sox from postseason possibilities. And the first-place Orioles jumped out to an 8-0 lead though five. In fact, Bruce Chen has a no-hitter going. The redeeming Red Sox moment in the game came when catcher Dan Butler (0-for-11 prior to the game) connected for his first big-league base hit –a double – in the bottom of the sixth. Butler doubled again in the eighth, and singled in the ninth. In the bottom of the ninth, Carlos Rivero hit his first major-league home run, a three-run homer. Final score? after a five-run bottom of the ninth: 10-6. 

the fourth #7 of the season - Jemile Weeks

Now that Jemile Weeks' Red Sox debut is official, we note that he's the fourth player to wear #7 just this year:

Stephen Drew              2013-14

Ryan Roberts               2014

Kelly Johnson               2014

Jemile Weeks               2014

And the 33rd in Red Sox history.

What a debut: picked off first base in the top of the 10th.