Greatness in a small milestone

Jerry Remy (1952-2021) was a second baseman who reached the Major Leagues with the California Angels and then, in 1978, as an All-Star second baseman with the Red Sox. He played seven seasons and was an idol in Boston, but a left knee injury ended his playing career too soon. Remy's status as a former member of the Red Sox and his deep knowledge of the game led him to a new career as a color analyst on Red Sox broadcasts.

Remy began his career with the Red Sox at age 25. In that 1978 season, he hit two home runs in 643 plate appearances. Power was never one of his strengths as a hitter, although he ended up hitting a decent .275 in 10 seasons and nearly 5,000 plate appearances — 4,963, to be exact.

Now you might be wondering why I'm remembering Remy, and here's the reason for the connection to this Monday column: Remy never hit a home run at Fenway Park. He played 373 games there, had 1,626 plate appearances, which seems enough to have had the joy of hitting at least one home run. But Remy couldn't hit a home run at Fenway Park.

From what I've read about him, it would have been especially fun for fans if Remy had hit a fly ball over the Green Monster. But it couldn't happen, and perhaps that story simply went a little unnoticed among the genius of a player that fans still remember for his passion on the field.