-Nomar returns to Boston for first time since 2004
There was about a five-year span when fans of the Boston Red Sox looked forward to two things−watching Pedro Martinez pitch and Nomar Garciaparra hit. Martinez has already returned to Boston after signing with the New York Mets as a free agent, and now the soon to be 36-year-old Garciaparra will do the same tonight at Fenway Park as a member of the Oakland A’s.
Garciaparra first came up with the Red Sox in 1996 and more than made a splash in Boston. He won the Rookie of the Year award in 1997, won batting titles in 1999 and 2000 and made five All-Star games over his nine seasons in Boston. Garciaparra also hit 178 homeruns, had 1,281 hits, scored 709 runs and batted .323.
Those numbers do not begin to describe just how important Garciaparra was to the city. He was the biggest and brightest star that Boston had for years. This in a city that was starved for a World Series title for 86 years. At the time Red Sox fans thought that if a championship would ever happen it would be because their shortstop took them there. It would have been inconceivable then to think that it would take trading away Garciaparra, but that is just what happened.
Garciaparra was never a good fielder after hurting his wrist at the end of the 2000 season. It became clear to Red Sox management that in order for the team to win a title they would need better defense at shortstop. So Garciaparra was shipped to the Chicago Cubs as part of a four-team trade that brought two-time Gold Glove winner Orlando Cabrera. Garciaparra played two unimpressive and injury-prone seasons with the Cubs before going to the LA Dodgers for three years that were much of the same. Garciaparra signed with Oakland before the 2009 season.
The Red Sox won the World Series in 2004 without Garciaparra and won another in 2007. Strangely enough over that time the Red Sox have had less than great play at shortstop. No one has played the position full-time for more than one season since Garciaparra was traded. After Cabrera left as a free agent after the 2004 season the Red Sox signed Edgar Renteria to play the position in 2005. The next offseason the Red Sox traded Renteria to the Atlanta Braves and played Alex Gonzalez at shortstop in 2006. Gonzalez left as a free agent that offseason and the Red Sox signed Julio Lugo who played shortstop in 2007. The next year Lugo went to the bench because of poor play and the team played Jed Lowrie for much of the year. Then Lowrie had wrist surgery at the beginning of the 2009 season and is still on the disabled list. Lugo stayed on the bench and the Red Sox put veteran journeyman Nick Green at shortstop.
Garciaparra already played against the Red Sox earlier this season in April when the Red Sox traveled Oakland. At that time Garciaparra told The Boston Globe about playing against the Red Sox, “That’ll be strange. I look forward to it, just because of the fans and to see some old friends and everything. I always loved the fans, and that city will always have a special place in my heart.”
Garciaparra hit one homer in that earlier match. Right now he is batting .257 with two homers, 10 RBI, eight runs scored in 31 games. It will be interesting to see the fan reaction to Garciaparra tonight, but I am sure it will be most cheers for their old star just as it was back in the late 90s and early 2000s when Garciaparra was all Red Sox fans had.
-Source boston.com
