When most people think of Vermont, one of the six New England states, they usually think of skiing and maple syrup. Nonetheless, the state has produced players for Major League Baseball, including seven who were part of the Boston Red Sox, the “hometown” team.
Vermont Red Sox Players
Collins Ray
In 1887, Ray Collins was born in Colchester. Collins played in the major leagues for seven years, all with the Red Sox. With a 2.51 ERA during the seven seasons (1909–1915), Collins was 84-62. The left-hander’s 19-8 record in 1913 was his greatest season in terms of wins and losses. The 1910 season produced his greatest ERA of 1.62.
Chauncey “Jean” Dubuc
Jean Dubuc, who was born in St. Johnsbury in 1888, is probably best known for the scandals he was involved in while competing in both collegiate and professional sports. He did make two Red Sox appearances. The righty pitched 10 2/3 innings and went 0-1 in those two 1918 games. Dubuc struck out one, walked five, and gave up five earned runs on 11 hits. His ERA at the end of his two games with the Red Sox was 4.22.
Larry Gardner
Larry Gardner, the pride of Enosburg Falls, was a part of 17 major league seasons, mostly as a “hot corner.” Beantown was home to him for his first ten seasons. Gardner’s best offensive season during his ten seasons (1908–1917) came in
Ambrose McConnell, aka “Amby”
Amby McConnell was born in North Pownal, just over the border in upstate New York, in 1883. He spent a portion of three seasons playing for the Red Sox. The first two seasons of the second baseman’s career (1908 and 1909) were spent with the Sox. He was dealt to the Chicago White Sox in the middle of his third season. His first season in Boston, 1908, was his best; he batted.279, hit two of his three career home runs, and drove in forty-three runs.
Steve Clayton
Three games, to be exact, marked the righty from Barre’s brief Major League career. Steve Slayton pitched a total of seven innings in the three games, going 0-0 with a 3.86 ERA while wearing a Red Sox uniform. He
Birdie Tebbetts, George
George “Birdie” Tebbetts, a Burlington native, participated in 14 Major League seasons. The backstop played with the Red Sox for a portion of four of those seasons (1947–1950). During the 1947 season, he was acquired from the Detroit Tigers. Tebbetts made the most of his four years in the capital city of the Bay State. In 1948 and 1949, he was named an All Star. When he batted, Tebbetts had his greatest season as a Red Sox player in 1948.280, with 68 runs batted in and five home runs.
“Game six, 1975 World Series” is probably the first thing people in New England will recall about Carlton Fisk. During the twelfth inning, one of the most memorable moments in Red Sox history—and even in MLB history—is Fisk’s willingness to keep the ball fair. The only Vermont-born Major League player inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame is Fisk. The Bellows Falls native Fisk played for the local Red Sox for parts of 11 seasons before finishing his career with the Chicago White Sox for the final 13 years.
During the 1970s and 1980s, Fisk was a seven-time All-Star catcher with the Red Sox. Along with an AL Rookie of the Year award, he
Conclusion
Many young people dream of playing in the major leagues when they grow up. No matter how long a major league career lasts, it is still an accomplishment that less than 1% of people get to enjoy. Those who reach the major leagues and play for the team they grew up rooting for are even more uncommon. That exclusive group includes the seven players named above. These seven athletes from the Green Mountain State of Vermont will probably never forget the day they put on that Red Sox uniform, regardless of how long it lasted—a few games or more than ten.