Red Socks
“I looked at Rome and did a double thing.”
Roman Anthony has a direct impact with the Red Sox. AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty
Chad Finn, The Boston Globe
August 29, 2025 | 7:58 AM
5 minutes to read
Therefore, the comparison is not perfect. Who cares about this when it's done fun?
If you're a Red Sox fan of a certain age, or a lasting appreciation for the delightful events at Fenway Park 50 years ago, this summer's sensation from top prospects to major leagues must make the arrival of Fred Lynn (with Fred Lynn's arrival (with Jim Jim Jim Rice outside of the novice) enjoyed the golden summer in 1975.
Like Lynn, Anthony is a standout outfielder with a knack for fact-questioning and can make the game look much easier than before.
They both wore No. 19, easygoing Lynn blessed Anthony on social media after the young outfielder turned from a game 48 to his major league career.
“#19 is good for me. Hopefully it's good for Rome, too,” Lynn said on X on June 10.
Most importantly, both have had a huge impact on the fate of their team, although Anthony's full contribution was further determined in the final months of the season.
At the age of 23, Lynn became the first to be named Rookie of the Year, the most valuable player of the same season, leading 47 doubles and 103 points and 103 points and al-Leading .967 OPS.
Since debuting on June 9, the 21-year-old Anthony hit .286 with seven home runs, 18 doubles, a base hit of .396 and .858 OPS in 65 games. In 247 sets since June 20, his slash is .314/.421/.493.
There are about a decade of major leaguers with less balance. It was his arrival, not Rafael Devers' departure, which changed the course of this Red Sox season. They were 34-35 before Anthony's call and 40-25 since then.
Of course, it is particularly interesting to do this comparison when the noble retiree ball player equates the phenomenon with seeing it on his own.
“What you see with some of the young guys in this Red Sox team is when Jimmy and I were on 75 years,” Lynn said on a phone call from his home on Wednesday.
“It's absolutely delighted to see a 19th-place left-handed batsman. I'm not kidding when I said the number is good for me and I'm glad he has it. I looked at Roma and did a double thing because he has that number and a long swing, but he's a tall guy, but he's a tall guy. Almost more like Ted Williams.”
Lynn has had several coast-to-coast trips this season, attending Red Sox alumni events and appearances from Fenway’s legendary suite. But most of his content about Anthony comes from highlights, and the characteristics that impress him may be with the characteristics that impress you.
“He's not afraid of walking, which is great because it means he has a good idea for the strike zone, especially for people of age,” Lynn said. “You have to remember that he's seeing most pitchers like this for the first time.”
Few hitters in Red Sox history have ever used Fenway's advantage to hit .347 with 1.021 OPS in 440 career games on the court. Lynn said he figured out how to hit the Green Monster's ball with power at the beginning of the rookie season and noticed that Anthony was already doing the same.
Rookies Fred Lynn (left) and Jim Rice were called Golden Dust Twins in 1975.
“You have to do that at the left-handed batsman in Fenway,” Lynn said. “You don't want to be a pony, just try to pull everything up. I saw a few highlights, he hit the ball hard on the left field line through design, even though I've done that, 'Wow, wow, that's cool.” Transparent
difference? Anthony is taller and stronger. (Lynn jokes that his arms and sleeves are long the next time he meets Anthony or Jarren Duran.) Lynn won three national titles while playing for legendary coach Rod Dedeaux in Cal Southern Cal, starring in a full game against Japan for the U.S. All-Stars and once led the pan Am Game in the Home-now run at home, a relatively experienced player rather than an experienced player who has performed well in Annome in Anemone.
“If Rome had a college career like mine now approached, that guy would have expected a level of expectations that would have exceeded the rankings, even more than before,” Lynn said. “But he was more difficult in many ways because there was no advanced scout in my time, no tablet to see that guy.
“That's when you get into the box and you can learn it anytime. Those days, what they want to see, let's see if this kid can hit the fastball and whip it with a whip. Well, I think he can hit that one.
“Now, the information is endless. Everyone knows a lot about everyone else. It's not easy, and it makes what he does even more impressive.”
A fan yesterday praised Anthony's contract extension. – Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe staff
And defense issues – no surprise, this is important to Lynn, the winner of the four-time Golden Gloves in the midfield. When Lynn is a single-player highlight reel, he is both elegant and fearless, but Anthony is a corner outfielder. He has been around the side since his call, and Lynn is curious about where Anthony eventually settles.
“Fenway Park has a big learning curve,” Lynn said. “You put him on the left and he has to learn how to kick the wall, right?
Lynn laughed as he explained his particularity to the outfield game, especially the position name.
“When I look at one of my baseball cards, I hate it, and it says the outfield of the post,” he said. “Oh, I hate that. There are three spots – middle, right, left. They are in different positions. It's like calling a shortstop an infielder. No, he's a shortstop.
“Outfielder? Don't put that card on that card.” “Take it off.”
Lynn said he hopes to return to Fenway sometime before the end of the season.
“I will go in [the Legends Suite],” he said, “but every time Anthony shows up, I say, OK, I need to see this kid.
“It must be fun for you guys,” Lynn added. “You can see him play every day.”
Sure, he was told. The rest, because at the end of the conversation, it goes without saying:
One of the most interesting parts about it is like watching Lynn years ago.
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