MLB Prospects: This Date in MLB Prospect Debuts (April 10)

Every morning, I will look back at a memorable MLB debut made on this specific date using information provided by Baseball Reference’s MLB Play Index.  

Making his MLB debut and playing first base for the Boston Red Sox on April 10, 1982, 24-year-old Wade Boggs was 0-for-4 against Dennis Martinez and the Orioles in the back end of a doubleheader.

Unlike during the rest of his illustrious big-league career, hits were not plentiful for Boggs in his first game.  Batting ninth in the Red Sox's order, Boggs failed to get the ball out of the infield, grounding out in each of his four at-bats.

He would have to wait until April 26 to collect his first knock in the major leagues, when he singled in the first game of a doubleheader against the White Sox.  From that moment on, Boggs never stopped hitting.

In 1982, Boggs finished third in the American League Rookie of the Year voting after batting .349/.406/.441 with 20 extra-base hits and a 21/35 K/BB ratio.  It was the first of 10 consecutive seasons in which the future Hall of Famer batted over .300 and posted an on-base percentage over .400.

His career would ultimately span 18 seasons while playing for three different teams—the Red Sox, the Yankees and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.  Appearing in 12 consecutive All-Star games from 1985-1996, Boggs retired following the conclusion of the 1999 season, a season that featured his 3,000th career hit.

But what would an article about Wade Boggs’ spectacular career be without mentioning his role in one of the greatest sports rumors of all time?  Allegedly, on a cross-country flight from Boston to California, Wade Boggs drank 64 Miller Lites.

Whether it’s the truth or not, the story continues to take a life of its own.