The 1965 Boston Red Sox season was the 65th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox, with Billy Herman at the helm, finished ninth in the American League (AL) with a record of 62 wins and 100 losses (this is, to date, the most recent season the team has lost 100+ games in a season), 40 games behind the AL champion Minnesota Twins, against whom the 1965 Red Sox lost 17 of 18 games. The team drew only 652,201 fans to Fenway Park, seventh in the ten-team league but the Red Sox' lowest turnstile count since 1945, the last year of World War II.
One of the team's few bright spots was that 20-year old Tony Conigliaro led the AL with 32 home runs, becoming the youngest home run champion in AL history.
On September 16, 1965, at Fenway Park, third-year right-hander Dave Morehead, 22, threw the club's first no-hitter since August 1, 1962, and 13th in its history,[1] when he defeated the Cleveland Indians (and Luis Tiant), 2–0.
From a long-term viewpoint, September 16 was also consequential when, prior to the game, owner Tom Yawkey dismissed longtime confidant Pinky Higgins as executive vice president and general manager. Higgins, 56, had been associated with the Red Sox continuously since May 1946, as a third baseman, minor- and major-league field manager, and front-office executive. His successor, fellow senior executive Dick O'Connell, 50, the club's business manager, will supervise the team's successful rebuilding and win two AL pennants (1967, 1975) and two The Sporting News Executive of the Year Awards during his dozen years as general manager.
November 30, 1965: The Red Sox continue to remake their infield when they unconditionally release eight-time All-Star and 2x Gold Glove Award-winning third baseman Frank Malzone, 35, and trade former starting shortstop Eddie Bressoud, 33, to the New York Mets for reserve outfielder Joe Christopher, 29.[4]
