A red sock is any member of the team who wears a Red Sox cap and socks.
A player wearing a Red Sox cap, therefore, can be considered a Red Sock if he wears only a red sock. The official definition of this term is “any player who was part of the Boston Red Sox team in 2014.”
The phrase “red sock” has come to mean any out-of-town sports fan who doesn’t care about their home team.
A person who attends an event at Fenway Park wearing only one red sock will often be called out for this as there are no more colors to differentiate between locals and visitors.
The phrase “red socks” is often invoked during the fall and winter months, when the Red Sox play a relatively low number of games. By extension it applies to any season in which the Sox play very few games, such as the baseball off-season.
Red Socks are real fans.
The Red Sox have featured several notable Red Socks, including Bill Buckner who played in four World Series during his tenure with Boston (1986-89), Roger Clemens and Clay Buchholz, who both pitched for Boston from 2008-14. Additionally, current Red Sox reliever Steven Wright played for Boston from 2009–2011 and outfielder Mookie Betts was a member of the Red Sox in 2015 and 2016. Toronto Blue Jays’ slugger Jose Bautista, who sat out the 2017 season, played his entire career in Boston, leaving behind the Red Sox after the 2007 season.
The Red Sox will retire Buckner’s No. 34 uniform on August 2 during a ceremony at Fenway Park before a game against the Toronto Blue Jays. A statue of him will be placed in front of Fenway Park prior to the ceremony as well.
Key: Red Socks
Standings for all Major League Baseball teams through September 1, 2018. For wins and losses, head-to-head series results and division records see Major League Baseball Win/Loss Standings .
Baseball seasons typically run from April 5 to October 4, with the regular season lasting for either 162 or 183 games and the postseason consisting of 10 to 15 games.
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†Winners each year were awarded the Pennant and World Series Trophy. In subsequent years the World Series was awarded soon after the completion of the World Series. Most wins are not recorded by team name in MLB databases prior to 1903–04, so this list may be incomplete; source “see Notes”.
†The distinction between American and National Leagues is not generally reflected in their win-loss records before 1903. Some sources include tied games played against each other, but not against other major leagues.
