Hall of Famer Rice made his mark with PawSox

From the first time Jim Rice donned a Red Sox hat, he was headed toward making history in Boston. But many people don't know that he was a local New England hero before he even stepped foot in Fenway Park.

Boston's first-round Draft pick in 1971, Rice made his professional debut with Class A Short-Season Williamsport of the New York-Penn League and quickly made his mark by improving at each Minor League level. At just 19 years old, Rice hit 17 home runs and drove in over 80 runs in the Florida State League, and was even better in 1973, hitting 27 home runs and batting .317 with 93 RBIs for Double-A Bristol.

The outfielder's dominance at Double-A earned him a promotion to Pawtucket at the end of the season -- that's when Rice, who was voted into the Hall of Fame on Monday, Jan. 12 after falling short the last 14 years, began to make his way into the hearts of the Fenway faithful.

"The Pawtucket Red Sox before Jim Rice? You don't even want to know," Ben Mondor, who purchased Boston's Triple-A franchise just a few years after Rice played for the PawSox, said. "He put us on the map -- before him we were just a team."

Rice started the 1974 season with Pawtucket and never looked back. He proceeded to not only win the International League MVP award at just 21 years old, he also won the Triple Crown -- a feat that hasn't been duplicated since.

"Think of all the people who came through the IL and all of Triple-A," Mondor said. "In the last 34 years he's the only one that won the Triple Crown ... that is an unbelievable feat."

And although his .337 average, 25 home runs and 93 RBIs foretold the historic success he would have in the Major Leagues, they didn't tell the whole story. It was his work ethic and consistency that made an impression on both Mondor and the local fans.

"He never missed a game, never complained about an injury," Mondor said. "He was there and played ball every single day very consistently. And even before he made it to the Majors he became one of the hitters most feared by pitchers."

In fact, Mondor and the PawSox felt so strongly about Rice's place in the Hall of Fame that in 2007 they helped to organize a season-long campaign in support of Rice. Beginning on Opening Day, fans were encouraged to sign the "World's Largest Jim Rice Jersey" at Pawtucket's stadium and letters were written to the Baseball Writers Association of America throughout the year.

Despite the PawSox's efforts, Rice did not crack the Hall in 2008. But he was at least recognized for his time in Pawtucket, where he commonly attends games to this day. The International League inducted Rice into its Hall of Fame in 2008. Mondor, who was also inducted into the IL Hall of Fame last year, was on hand with Rice for the ceremony in Pawtucket.

"He drove all the way to Pawtucket when he was inducted into the IL Hall of Fame," Mondor said. "He's with us a great deal, he likes to come back and visit his old haunts. The fans just mob him for autographs when he comes."

In Cooperstown, N.Y. on July 26, Rice will be wearing a Boston hat as he's inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. But countless fans will remember the uniform he wore in Pawtucket, when they first heard of the legendary Jim Rice.

"Everyone thinks the world of him," Mondor said. "He's a local hero here and what he did for Pawtucket speaks for itself."