Donning his 1975 American League Championship Series ring on his left index finger, Bob Montgomery, who played nearly 400 games at catcher for the Boston Red Sox between 1970-79, told stories and shared experiences with a crowd of Sox fans at the Swampscott Senior Center on Wednesday afternoon.
Attendees asked Montgomery questions about his playing career and the state of the game today after listening to him recount his days growing up, in the minor leagues and eventually with the Red Sox.
“I tricked them for 10 or 11 years before they finally caught up to me,” joked Montgomery, who is known by older fans as Monty, regarding his career as a broadcaster after entering the profession with no prior experience.
After retiring he served for over a decade as the color commentator for Red Sox games on television for WSBK-TV-38.
The decade of the 1970s is synonymous with heartbreak for Red Sox fans, but Montgomery kept the audience laughing with the perspective of a player.
After growing up in Nashville, Montgomery signed with the team out of high school and worked his way up through the ranks before settling as a backup catcher in Boston for most of the decade behind MLB Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk.
“Growing up I was all-state in three sports,” said Montgomery. “I was quarterback of the team in football and I couldn’t hit water if I fell out of a boat in basketball. Baseball was what I found most pleasing…Then when I found out that scouts were looking at me, I really liked it a lot more.”
Montgomery gave the audience a front row seat to the infamous 1975 World Series, telling little-known facts and stories about the classic, during which the Red Sox lost to the Cincinnati Reds in seven games.
“Just to play in the World Series that one year was really terrific,” said Montgomery. “Getting to the World Series: amazing. Getting to Game 7 of the World Series: yeah that was pretty special.”
Montgomery shed light upon Red Sox legends as humans, rather than just players, like the late, great Luis Tiant.
“I had the chance to play in the 70s when baseball had some of its very best players having some of their very best years. Over my career I played with or against 43 hall of famers,” he said.
