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Hurst hired

Posted by Amalie Benjamin, Globe Staff February 25, 2008 09:27 AM

Bruce Hurst, who had a 145-113 record in 379 games over his major league career, was hired by the team to be a special instructor for player development. In the role, Hurst will travel around to minor league clubs a couple of times a month to help out with minor league players, evaluating their development. With an 11 year old child at home, he wasn't interested in going full-time on the road, but did want to become involved.

Hurst played for the Sox from 1980-1988. He is coming off four years as the pitching coach for the China national team.

"It's been 20 years since I've been back in a Red Sox uniform and I'm looking forward to helping out," Hurst said. "They're going to send me to minor league teams once or twice a month to report back on what I see, help out where I can, just any special projects as I go along.

"I've developed certain philosophies that I really believe. I really believe in strong, very sound fundamentals as far as delivery. I believe in developing a strong mind and a belief system that they can compete at a high level. That they learn how to be able to not just throw strikes but be able to pitch within a major league strike zone and underneath the major league pressure and the microscope."

Hurst also reflected on the organization as it is now, as opposed to when he was on the field: "This is my own belief, that this is the elite organization in baseball. In the 20 years since I've been gone, what I've seen from when I left to what we have now, it's the epitome of what this place can be. I think every player back in my generation, when they left, there was always a certain amount of frustration, for whatever reason, and I think the frustration was the fact that they saw what it could become and it never reached its potential and now I think it's reached its potential."

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13 comments so far...

  1. I actually cried when Bruce Hurst left 20 years ago. Glad to see him back.

    Posted by j-mann February 25, 08 10:16 AM

  1. Welcome back Bruce

    Posted by t-n February 25, 08 12:11 PM

  1. Great move Red Sox. Bruce Hurst is one of the best left handed pitchers the Red Sox has ever had. He will eventually be a huge asset to all the young pitchers and the Red Sox organization.

    Posted by E. Santos February 25, 08 12:25 PM

  1. Bruce Hurst is the reason I became a Red Sox fan living in Utah 25 years ago. I've followed the Sox ever since, and been fortunate enough to live in Boston for awhile as well. This spring, I'll be taking two of my kids to their first Sox game.

    I love (most of) the decisions the current management has made. Keep it up!

    Posted by Mark Holley February 25, 08 12:27 PM

  1. No one liked Bruce Hurst more than I in the 1980s. He was fabulous. And I like what he said about today's Sox organization and am happy that he's back.

    But he, like a few others in that era, were so eager to get out of Boston that they lost their ticket to Cooperstown in the terminal at Logan. I call it "the Fred Lynn syndrome."

    Pitching in Fenway was made for Bruce Hurst. I pray John Lester, another gifted southpaw, has the same success, and doesn't run off to the Left Coast at the first chance..

    Posted by CarrboroTom February 25, 08 01:03 PM

  1. We had a great pitching staff back then: Bruce Hurst - Oil Can Boyd - John Tutor - and some Steroid Guy.

    Posted by Mike M Florida February 25, 08 01:37 PM

  1. I actually cried when Bruce Hurst took the mound.

    :)

    Posted by Matt February 25, 08 02:34 PM

  1. Welcome back, Bruce! You were one of my favs in '86!!!

    Posted by NHguy February 25, 08 04:14 PM

  1. It's funny you say you cried. I almost did too, but as I understand it it was entirely Bruce's decision. He didn't really like Boston.

    I loved to watch him pitch though.

    Posted by Ramon Backwards February 25, 08 04:30 PM

  1. This is great news and before, he rolls off to the minors, I hope he can help Lopez and Oki, particularly about boring in on lefties, the way he did. It is yet another sign about how the "new" management appreciates what they inherited, which all of us who have put our time in with this team appreciate. Nobody who went through 1986 will forget who was the our most dependable pitcher in September and into the postseason. Not the guy who decided that he should leave game 6 with a blister.

    Posted by Ed Saslaw February 25, 08 04:38 PM

  1. Hurst was the one who came through for the Sox in the '86 WS. He can certainly help the young pitchers with the mental aspects of the game as well as sound fundementals. Hated to see him leave but great to see that the ownership is willing to bring back the classy players from the past.

    Posted by George Miller February 25, 08 06:12 PM

  1. Take it easy J-Mann..............Big Bad Bruce Hurst leaving wasnt that bad

    Posted by not a Bruce Hurst fan86 February 25, 08 11:42 PM

  1. good news for Jon Lester in particular, Jon has a better fastball but can learn from Hurst in so many other areas, same with the other youngsters, lefty or not.

    Posted by Howard L. February 26, 08 12:00 AM
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