Red Sox Pitcher Jose Santiago Visits Polar Park, Remembers 1967 World Series Start 

WORCESTER, M.A.– This is a short list. It includes names like Cy Young, Smokey Joe Wood, Ernie Shore, Babe Ruth, Luis Tiant, Bruce Hurst, Tim Wakefield, Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and Chris Sale.

And Jose Santiago.

They all started Game 1 in a Red Sox World Series, Santiago in 1967. They all started a Game 1, but Santiago is the only pitcher in the group to hit a homer in a Game 1, or in any Boston World Series game for that matter.

Santiago did not have the career of a Young, Ruth, Tiant, Wakefield, Lester or Sale but his place in Red Sox history is secure. Simply put, there would have been no Impossible Dream of 1967 if not for Santiago. Without the Impossible Dream, who knows if there would have been a 2004, 2007, etc.

It was a season that changed the course of Red Sox history.

Santiago was at Polar Park Tuesday night to help the city celebrate its 300th birthday. He threw out a ceremonial first pitch, taking something off what was once a devastating fastball, and later signed autographs for Worcester fans in the Sherwood Diner.

The Red Sox lost that Game 1 to Gibson and the Cardinals, 2-1. Santiago homered over the Green Monster in the third inning, hitting a high fastball. Gibson, on his way to the Hall of Fame, did not take kindly to being taken deep.

“I used to be an outfielder,” Santiago recalled, “and the night before the game Orlando Cepeda — who was a good friend of mine — told Gibson, ‘Hey, watch out for Jose. He’s a good hitter. He can hit you.

“Gibson said, ‘He’s a pitcher. What the hell.’ When I hit the home run I looked at the mound because I didn’t want to look at him but I could tell he was burning inside.”

Santiago arrived in Boston in time for the 1966 season. His contract had been property of the Kansas City Athletics, who buried him in Triple A. Santiago’s manager in KC was Haywood Sullivan, though, who was about to make the move east to become the Red Sox’ player personnel director. Sullivan knew how good Santiago was. That’s how he became a Red Sox.

Santiago was 12-13. Jim Lonborg was 10-10. They were the best pitchers on a terrible team. Managed by Billy Herman, Boston was 72-90 and finished ninth in a 10-team league. Herman was fired in September and replaced for ’67 by Dick Williams.

At Williams’ introductory press conference he said, “I honestly believe we’ll win more than we lose.”

Santiago, for one, didn’t believe what Williams believed.

“When I saw him say that,” the pitcher recalled, “I thought to myself, ‘What the hell is he talking about?’ We were a last-place ballclub.”

In 1967, Santiago and Lonborg were the best pitchers on a great team. Lonborg was 22-9, Santiago was 12-4 and won his last eight straight decisions in the regular season. The one that made him 12-4 came on Sept. 30, a 6-4 triumph over the Twins to create a tie for first place.

Had Boston lost that game it would have been eliminated from the pennant race.

“In the World Series,” Santiago said, “there are three or four games left, maybe five. There’s always tomorrow. But on that day, there was no tomorrow. It’s either win today or you’re out. So, we’ve got to win that game, so of course I was nervous.”

Everything seems to come full circle in baseball. The Twins starting pitcher that afternoon was Jim Kaat, who was at Polar Park for its opening day on May 11, 2021 as a guest of the Crowley family.

“Next time he’s here, say hi to him for me,” Santiago asked.

Lonborg beat the Twins that next day, 5-3, and was carried off the field on the shoulders of delirious Red Sox fans. The victory momentarily clinched a tie for the pennant. Boston won it outright when the Tigers lost their 162nd game later in the day.

In 1968, Santiago was 9-4 with a 2.18 ERA and headed for the All-Star Game after beating the Indians on June 27. However, in his previous start in Chicago, Santiago had collided with catcher Mike Ryan while both tried to field a bunt. The pitcher suffered an elbow injury that essentially ended his career.

He eventually had surgery — this is before Tommy John — but it did not work. Santiago’s last major league appearance was in 1970.

Santiago was merely the second native of Puerto Rico to play for the Red Sox, being preceded by infielder Felix Mantilla.

“I was so mad because I wanted to pitch in the All-Star Game,” he said, “for myself, for Puerto Rico, for my family. I thought I could have won 20 games that year, but that’s life.”

Santiago is the first pitcher in history to hit a home run in his first World Series at bat. Additionally, he was the first Latin American pitcher to start Game 1 of a World Series.

None of that would have happened without his performance in Game 161 of the 1967 season.

“The Twins were a helluva ballclub,” he recalled. “They had (Bob) Allison, (Harmon) Killebrew, (Tony) Oliva, Rod Carew, (Dean) Chance and Kaat. I remember thinking, ‘How can we ever beat those guys?’"

“But we did.”

And Santiago wrote some Red Sox history along the way.