Russ Laribee
Encyclopedia
Russ Laribee is a former professional baseball
player.
Drafted in the 21st round of the 1977 Draft
, Laribee was a minor league
outfielder
. He played from 1977 through 1981 in the Boston Red Sox
system, ascending as high as the team's Triple-A affiliate, the Pawtucket Red Sox
. His most productive season came in with Double-A Bristol Red Sox
, when he hit .302 with a .390 on-base percentage and a .508 slugging in 109 games.
Laribee is better known as having the professional single game strikeout
record by fanning seven times in Pawtucket's now legendary 33 inning game
against the Rochester Red Wings
in . Though Laribee is most known for this ignominous distinction, it is rarely remembered that, in the same game, it was his sacrifice fly
in the bottom of the 9th inning that tied the game at 1-1, ultimately sending the game into extra innings
. Pawtucket won, 3-2, while Laribee went 0-for-11.
In a five-season career, Laribee posted a combined .264 batting average
with 57 home run
s in 458 games.
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player.
Drafted in the 21st round of the 1977 Draft
1977 Major League Baseball Draft
-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1977 Major League Baseball draft.- Background :The White Sox raised some brows when they passed on right-handed pitcher Bill Gullickson, a native of nearby Orland Park, IL, and selected outfielder Harold Baines as the number one...
, Laribee was a minor league
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
. He played from 1977 through 1981 in the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
system, ascending as high as the team's Triple-A affiliate, the Pawtucket Red Sox
Pawtucket Red Sox
The Pawtucket Red Sox are the minor league baseball Triple-A affiliates of the Boston Red Sox and belong to the International League...
. His most productive season came in with Double-A Bristol Red Sox
Bristol Red Sox
The Bristol Red Sox was name of an American minor league baseball franchise. Based in Bristol, Connecticut, it was the Double-A Eastern League farm system affiliate of the Boston Red Sox for ten seasons, 1973 through 1982, and played at Muzzy Field....
, when he hit .302 with a .390 on-base percentage and a .508 slugging in 109 games.
Laribee is better known as having the professional single game strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
record by fanning seven times in Pawtucket's now legendary 33 inning game
Longest professional baseball game
The Pawtucket Red Sox and Rochester Red Wings, two teams from the Triple-A International League, played the longest game in professional baseball history. It lasted for 33 innings over eight hours and 25 minutes...
against the Rochester Red Wings
Rochester Red Wings
The Rochester Red Wings are a minor league baseball team based in Rochester, New York. The team plays in the International League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins major-league club. The Red Wings play in Frontier Field, located in downtown Rochester.The Red Wings were an...
in . Though Laribee is most known for this ignominous distinction, it is rarely remembered that, in the same game, it was his sacrifice fly
Sacrifice fly
In baseball, a sacrifice fly is a batted ball that satisfies four criteria:* There are fewer than two outs when the ball is hit.* The ball is hit to the outfield....
in the bottom of the 9th inning that tied the game at 1-1, ultimately sending the game into extra innings
Extra innings
Extra innings is the extension of a baseball or softball game in order to break a tie.Ordinarily, a baseball game consists of nine innings , each of which is divided into halves: the visiting team bats first, after which the home team takes its turn at bat...
. Pawtucket won, 3-2, while Laribee went 0-for-11.
In a five-season career, Laribee posted a combined .264 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
with 57 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s in 458 games.