View source for Jim Rice

{{short description|American baseball player (born 1953)}}
{{other people|James Rice}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Jim Rice
|image=Jim Rice 1976.jpg
|caption=Rice with the Boston Red Sox in 1976
|position=[[Left fielder]] / [[Designated hitter]]
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
|birth_date={{birth date and age|1953|3|8}}
|birth_place=[[Anderson, South Carolina]], U.S.
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=August 19
|debutyear=1974
|debutteam=Boston Red Sox
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=August 3
|finalyear=1989
|finalteam=Boston Red Sox
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
|stat1value=.298
|stat2label=[[Hit (baseball)|Hits]]
|stat2value=2,452
|stat3label=[[Home run]]s
|stat3value=382
|stat4label=[[Run batted in|Runs batted in]]
|stat4value=1,451
|teams=
'''As player'''
* [[Boston Red Sox]] ({{mlby|1974}}–{{mlby|1989}})
'''As coach'''
* [[Boston Red Sox]] ({{mlby|1995}}–{{mlby|2000}})
|highlights=
* 8× [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] ([[1977 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1977]]–[[1980 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1980]], [[1983 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1983]]–[[1986 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1986]])
* [[Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award|AL MVP]] (1978)
* 2× [[Silver Slugger Award]] (1983, 1984)
* 3× [[List of Major League Baseball annual home run leaders|AL home run leader]] (1977, 1978, 1983)
* 2× [[List of Major League Baseball annual runs batted in leaders|AL RBI leader]] (1978, 1983)
* [[Boston Red Sox#Retired numbers|Boston Red Sox No. 14]] retired
* [[Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame]]
|hoflink = National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
|hoftype = National
|hofdate=[[2009 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|2009]]
|hofvote=76.4% (15th ballot)
}}
'''James Edward Rice''' (born March 8, 1953) is an American former professional [[baseball]] [[left fielder]] and [[designated hitter]] who played in [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB). Rice played his entire 16-year MLB career for the [[Boston Red Sox]]. In [[2009 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|2009]], Rice was inducted into the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Baseball Hall of Fame]].

Rice was an eight-time [[American League]] (AL) [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] and was named the AL's [[MLB Most Valuable Player Award|Most Valuable Player]] in {{baseball year|1978}} after becoming the first major league player in 19 years to hit for 400 [[total bases]]. He went on to become the ninth player to lead the major leagues in total bases in consecutive seasons. He joined [[Ty Cobb]] as one of two players to lead the AL in total bases three consecutive seasons. He [[batting average (baseball)|batted]] above .300 seven times during his 16 season career, and collected 100+ [[run batted in|runs batted in]] (RBI) eight times. Rice also had 200 [[hit (baseball)|hits]] in four seasons, and 20+ [[home run]]s 11 times. He also led the league in home runs three times, RBIs and [[slugging percentage]] twice each, and averaged more than 117 hits for every 100 regular season MLB games he had played in during his career. Between 1975 and 1986, Rice led all major league players in hits, RBIs and total bases, as well as all AL players in home runs and runs scored.

From 1975 through 1980 he was part of one of the sport's great outfields along with [[Fred Lynn]] and [[Dwight Evans (Baseball)|Dwight Evans]] (who was his teammate for his entire career); Rice continued the tradition of his predecessors [[Ted Williams]] and [[Carl Yastrzemski]] as a power-hitting left fielder who played his entire career for the Red Sox. He ended his career with a .502 slugging percentage, and then ranked tenth in AL history with 382 home runs; his career marks in homers, hits (2,452), RBI (1,451) and total bases (4,129) remain Red Sox records for a right-handed hitter, with Evans eventually surpassing his Boston records for career [[run (baseball)|runs scored]], [[at bat]]s and [[extra base hit]]s by a right-handed hitter. When Rice retired, his 1,503 career games in left field ranked seventh in AL history.

==Notable seasons==
In the minor leagues, Rice's three-run home run was the key blow in helping the [[Pawtucket Red Sox]] ([[International League]]) defeat the [[Tulsa Oilers (baseball)|Tulsa Oilers]] ([[American Association (20th century)|American Association]]) in a 5–2 win in the 1973 [[Junior World Series]]. After he was [[Triple-A (baseball)|AAA]]'s International League [[International League Rookie of the Year Award|Rookie of the Year]], [[International League Most Valuable Player Award|Most Valuable Player]] and [[Major League Baseball Triple Crown|Triple Crown]] winner in 1974, he and fellow rookie teammate [[Fred Lynn]] were brought up to the Red Sox at the same time, and were known as the "[[Gold Dust Twins]]".<ref>{{Cite web|date=January 1, 2012|title=Jim Rice|url=http://www.fenwayfanatics.com/player/jim-rice/|access-date=March 11, 2021|website=fenwayfanatics.com|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{IMDb name|1485014}}</ref><ref>[http://www.nesn.com/2009/07/lynn-thrilled-for-rice-his-gold-dust-twin-hall-of-famer.html NESN]; article: "Lynn Thrilled for Rice, His 'Gold Dust Twin' Hall of Famer"</ref>

Rice was promoted in the Red Sox organization to be a full-time player in 1975, and finished in second place for the American League's [[MLB Rookie of the Year Award|Rookie of the Year]] honors, and third in the [[MLB Most Valuable Player Award|Most Valuable Player]] voting, after he finished the season with 174 base hits, 102 runs batted in, a .309 batting average and 22 home runs; Lynn won both awards(145 games with the Red Sox, he batted .331 with 21 home runs and 105 RBIs). The Red Sox won the AL's East Division, but Rice did not play in either the [[1975 ALCS|League Championship Series]] or [[1975 World Series|World Series]] because of a wrist injury sustained in the last week of the regular season when he was [[hit by pitch|hit by a pitch]]. The Red Sox went on to lose the World Series four games to three to the [[Cincinnati Reds]] of the [[National League (baseball)|National League]] (NL).

When the 1977 season ended, Rice found himself leading the AL in three different offensive categories. His 39 home runs was tops in the league; the first time he led the league in this statistic. He also led the league with a .593 slugging average and 392 total bases, the most by an AL player in 39 years.

In 1978, after having the best season in his career, Rice won the American League's Most Valuable Player award in a campaign where he hit .315 (third in the league) and led the league in home runs (46), RBI (139), hits (213), [[triple (baseball)|triple]]s (15), [[total bases]] (406, and slugging percentage (.600). Altogether he led the AL in 11 different categories that season, one shy of tying the Major league record of 12 set in 1921 by [[Rogers Hornsby]]. Rice is one of two AL players ever to lead his league in triples and home runs in the same season. He also remains the only player to lead the major leagues in triples, home runs and RBIs in the same season. His 406 total bases that year is still a Red Sox record, and was the most in the AL since [[Joe DiMaggio]] had 418 in 1937. He was the first major leaguer with 400 or more total bases since [[Hank Aaron]] in 1959. This feat was not repeated until 1997, when [[Larry Walker]] had 409 in the NL. No AL player has done it since Rice in 1978, and his total remains the third highest by an AL right-handed hitter, behind DiMaggio and [[Jimmie Foxx]] (438 in {{baseball year|1932}}).

Rice had another superb season in 1979. Beside having his third season with over 200 hits, he had finished in the top three in eight different AL batting categories. He finished third in runs scored and second in home runs, RBIs, hits, slugging average, runs created, and extra base hits. He also led the league in total bases for the third straight time, and had the fourth-highest AL Batting Average. He is the only player in MLB history with three consecutive years of having at least 200 hits and 39 home runs while batting at least .315 in each of those years.
 
At the end of the 1983 season Rice led the AL in four categories including home runs, RBIs, total bases, and grounding into double plays. He had tied Milwaukee Brewers player [[George Scott (first baseman)|George Scott]]'s (1975) record and became the second player to lead the AL in those categories in the same season. In 2012 [[Miguel Cabrera]], a Detroit Tiger, became the third AL player to reach this mark; no NL player has ever led that league in these three categories in the same year.

In 1986, Rice had 200 hits, batted .324, and had 110 RBIs. The Red Sox made it to the [[1986 World Series|World Series]] for the second time during his career. This time, Rice played in all 14 postseason games, where he collected 14 hits, including two home runs. He also scored 14 runs and drove in six. His 14 runs scored is the fifth most by an individual during a single year's postseason play. The Red Sox went on to lose the World Series to the [[New York Mets]], four games to three, the fourth consecutive Series appearance by Boston which they lost in seven games.

==Career accomplishments==
[[File:Jim Rice - Boston Red Sox.jpg|alt=|left|thumb|218x218px|Rice in 1977]]
Rice led the AL in home runs three times (1977, 1978, 1983), in RBIs twice (1978, 1983), in slugging percentage twice (1977, 1978), and in total bases four times (1977–1979, 1983). In fact, his 1157 total bases over the three consecutive seasons leading the league ties him for seventh place with [[Rogers Hornsby]] and is five total bases shy of Babe Ruth's three year mark of 1162 total bases. Rice also picked up [[Silver Slugger Award]]s in 1983 and 1984 (the award was created in 1980). Rice hit at least 39 home runs in a season four times, had eight 100-RBI seasons and four seasons with over 200 hits, and batted over .300 seven times. He finished his MLB career with a .298 batting average, 373 doubles, 79 triples, 382 home runs, 1,451 RBIs, 1,249 runs scored, 2,452 hits, 670 walks, and 4,129 total bases. He was an American League All-Star eight times (1977–1980, 1983–1986). In addition to winning the American League MVP award in 1978, he finished in the top five in MVP voting five other times (1975, 1977, 1979, 1983, 1986).

Rice is the only player in history to lead the league in home runs, RBIs, and triples in the same year.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Blevins |first=David |title=The Sports Hall of Fame Encyclopedia: Baseball, Basketball, Football, Hockey, Soccer |publisher=[[The Scarecrow Press]] |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-8108-6130-5 |location=Lanham, Maryland |pages=800}}</ref> He is also the only player in major league history to record over 200 hits while hitting 39 or more home runs for three consecutive years. He had tied the AL record of leading the league in total bases for three straight seasons. Beside being one of three AL players to have three straight seasons of hitting at least 39 home runs while batting .315 or higher. Also in 1978, Rice became the fourth and final MLB player to lead both leagues at the same time in hitting the most Home Runs and having the most Hits in the same season. During his most productive 12-season span from 1975 to 1986, Rice collectively led all American League players in total games played, at bats, runs scored, hits, homers, RBIs, slugging percentage, total bases, extra base hits, go-ahead RBIs, multi-hit games, and outfield [[assist (baseball)|assists]].<ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/r/riceji01.shtml Jim Rice Statistics] Baseball-Reference.com</ref> Among all other MLB players, including those in the National League, Rice was the leader in five of the above 12 categories ([[Mike Schmidt]] is next on the leader board; he led in four).

In 1982, Rice saved a young fan's life.  Boston was playing the Chicago White Sox. Dave Stapleton hit a line drive into the stands, and as this was before any safety measures, such as netting, were in place, the line drive hit a young boy in the head.  Jim Rice, knowing it would take too long for medical staff to reach the young fan, popped out of the dugout, grabbed the young fan, and brought him to the dugout, where the Boston Red Sox medical staff was able to attend to him quickly.  Due to Rice's decisive action, the boy was able to be rushed to the hospital and had emergency surgery, and ultimately, according to the physicians who treated the boy at the hospital, Rice saved the boy's life.  Rice continued to play the game in his blood-stained uniform.<ref>{{cite web |title=Jim Rice Saves a Life - Article |url=https://mrnussbaum.com/jim-rice-saves-a-life-article}}</ref>

In 1984 Rice set a major league single-season record by hitting into 36 double plays. On the backside of a 1964 Topps baseball card of Earl Wilson No. 503, Goose Goslin, who got his start in 1921, was credited with grounding into 48 double plays in a season during his career. However, this mark was not followed closely until the mid to late 1930s. Rice's 315 career double plays grounded into ranks him tied in eighth place on the career leaders list with [[Eddie Murray]]. Rice did break [[Brooks Robinson]]'s AL record for GIDP by a right-handed hitter (297) in 1988. [[Cal Ripken Jr.]] eventually surpassed this mark in 1999. Rice had led the league for four seasons (1982&ndash;1985), which tied the major league record that had been established by [[Ernie Lombardi]]. In 2009 [[Miguel Tejada]] recorded his fifth season leading his league in this category and now holds this record. During the time Rice was the annual GDP leader he also had averaged 112 RBI's per season which is ten RBI's better than second place [[Albert Pujols]] RBI average of 102 following his four-year GDP leadership. The on-base prowess of Rice's teammates placed him in a double play situation over 2,000 times during his career. Rice posted a batting average of .310 and slugging percentage of .515 in those situations which is better than his overall career marks in those categories.

{{MLBBioRet
|Image  = Red_Sox_14.svg
|Name   = Jim Rice
|Number = 14
|Team   = Boston Red Sox
|Year   = 2009
}}
During his career Rice played in 35 games where he hit two or more HRs, and drove in four or more runs in a game 48 times. He could hit for both power and average, and currently only 12 other retired players rank ahead of him in both career home runs and batting average: [[Hank Aaron]], [[Jimmie Foxx]], [[Lou Gehrig]], [[Willie Mays]], [[Stan Musial]], [[Mel Ott]], [[Babe Ruth]], [[Ted Williams]], [[Chipper Jones]], [[Vladimir Guerrero]], [[Mike Piazza]], and [[Larry Walker]]. In 1981, [[Lawrence Ritter]] and [[Donald Honig]] included him in their book ''The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time''.

Rice was an accomplished left fielder, finishing his career with a fielding percentage of .980 and 137 outfield assists (comparable to Ted Williams' figures of .974 and 140). Although he did not possess great speed, he had a strong throwing arm and was able to master the various caroms that balls took from the [[Green Monster]] (in left field) in [[Fenway Park]]. His 21 assists in 1983 remains the most by a Red Sox outfielder since 1944, when [[Bob Johnson (outfielder)|Bob Johnson]] had 23. Aside from playing 1,543 games as an outfielder during his career, Rice also appeared as a [[designated hitter]] in 530 games.

Rice's number 14 was retired by the Red Sox in a [[pre-game ceremony]] on July 28, 2009.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 28, 2009 |title=Red Sox retire Jim Rice's No. 14 |url=https://www.registercitizen.com/news/article/Red-Sox-retire-Jim-Rice-s-No-14-12096819.php |url-status= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425203614/https://www.registercitizen.com/news/article/Red-Sox-retire-Jim-Rice-s-No-14-12096819.php |archive-date=April 25, 2023 |access-date= |website=The Register Citizen}}</ref>

==Community activities==
Rice was associated with a variety of charitable organizations during his career, primarily on behalf of children, some of which carried on into his retirement. He was named an honorary chairman of [[The Jimmy Fund]], the [[fundraising]] arm of the [[Dana–Farber Cancer Institute]] in Boston, in 1979,<ref>[http://jimmyfund.com/ImgGallery.asp?config=/XML/abo_red_sox_gallery.xml&style=/XML/XSL/img_gallery.xsl&index=8&page=1 Image Gallery<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928102332/http://jimmyfund.com/ImgGallery.asp?config=%2FXML%2Fabo_red_sox_gallery.xml&style=%2FXML%2FXSL%2Fimg_gallery.xsl&index=8&page=1 |date=September 28, 2007 }}</ref> and in 1992 was awarded that organization's "Jimmy Award," which honors individuals who demonstrate their dedication to cancer research.<ref>[http://jimmyfund.com/abo/press/pressreleases/2005/jimmy-fund-honors-weei--glenn-ordway-with-annual-jimmy-award.asp The Jimmy Fund<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928102338/http://jimmyfund.com/abo/press/pressreleases/2005/jimmy-fund-honors-weei--glenn-ordway-with-annual-jimmy-award.asp |date=September 28, 2007 }}</ref> Rice is also active in his support of the Neurofibromatosis Foundation of New England.<ref>[http://www.charityhop.com/charities.htm Charity Hop Fundraising & Baseball Consulting – Charities<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070304223122/http://www.charityhop.com/charities.htm |date=March 4, 2007 }}</ref> Rice's involvement with [[Major League Baseball]]'s RBI program ([[Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities]]) resulted in the naming of a new youth baseball facility in [[Roxbury, Massachusetts]], in his honor in 1999.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Jim Rice Field Map|url=http://www.bostonbaseball.com/fields/rice.htm|access-date=March 11, 2021|website=www.bostonbaseball.com|archive-date=March 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210305060831/http://www.bostonbaseball.com/fields/rice.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> A youth recreation center in Rice's hometown of [[Anderson, South Carolina]], is also named in his honor.

During a nationally televised game on August 7, 1982, Rice rushed into the stands to help a young boy struck in the head by a line drive hit by [[Dave Stapleton (infielder)|Dave Stapleton]]. Rice left the [[dugout (baseball)|dugout]] and entered the stands to help four-year-old Jonathan Keane, who was bleeding heavily. Rice carried the boy onto the field, through the Red Sox dugout, and into the clubhouse, where he was treated by the team's medical staff. Rice's swift response likely saved Keane's life, as paramedics would likely not have arrived in time. Rice also paid the hospital bill, and Keane made a full recovery from the injury.<ref>[https://www.espn.com/mlb/hof09/columns/story?columnist=garber_greg&id=4353486 Baseball Hall of Fame: Nearly 27 years ago, Jim Rice became an instant hero for an injured young boy] ESPN</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://thebaseballscholar.com/2018/08/08/the-day-jim-rice-saved-a-4-year-old-at-fenway-park/ |title=The Day Jim Rice Saved A 4-Year Old At Fenway Park |website=thebaseballscholar.com |date= August 8, 2018 |access-date= September 27, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.si.com/mlb/2017/09/26/yankee-stadium-foull-ball-jim-rice-fenway-park |title=35 Years Ago Jonathan Keane Was Hit By A Foul Ball. Then Jim Rice Saved His Life.  |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date= September 26, 2017 |access-date= April 11, 2021}}</ref>

==Retirement activities==
In 1990, Rice agreed to play for the [[St. Petersburg Pelicans]] of the short-lived [[Senior Professional Baseball Association]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=September 21, 2013|title=The Short-Lived Senior Professional Baseball Association (Fall 1989 to Fall 1990)|url=https://miscbaseball.wordpress.com/2013/09/21/the-short-lived-senior-professional-baseball-association-fall-1989-to-fall-1990/|access-date=March 11, 2021|website=Misc. Baseball|language=en}}</ref> After, Rice served as a roving batting coach (1992–1994) and hitting instructor (1995–2000), and remains an instructional batting coach (2001–present) with the Red Sox organization. While the Red Sox hitting coach, the team led the league in hitting in 1997 and players won two [[batting title]]s. Rice was the hitting coach for the American League in the [[1997 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1997]] and [[1999 Major League Baseball All-Star Game]]s, both under the same manager, the [[New York Yankees]]' [[Joe Torre]]. Since 2003, he's also been employed as a [[sports commentator|commentator]] for the [[New England Sports Network]] (NESN), where he contributes to the Red Sox pre-game and post-game shows. He had a cameo appearance in the NESN movie ''[[Wait 'til This Year]]''<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0486512/ Wait 'til This Year (2005) (TV)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> and in the film ''[[Fever Pitch (2005 film)|Fever Pitch]]''.<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0332047/ Fever Pitch (2005)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The former slugger has been known to pass his wisdom on to the current Sox players and stars from time to time. Rice was elected to the [[Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame]] when it was established in 1995 and is the 40th member of Ted Williams' Museum and Hitters Hall of Fame, inducted with [[Paul Molitor]], [[Dave Winfield]] and [[Robin Yount]] in 2001.<ref>[http://www.twmuseum.com/events/hhof_2006.html TWM: Inductees to Date<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061230180740/http://www.twmuseum.com/events/hhof_2006.html |date=December 30, 2006 }}</ref> On November 29, 2008, the Boston chapter of the [[Baseball Writers' Association of America]] (BBWAA) announced that Rice would receive the Emil Fuchs Award for long and meritorious service to baseball.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://archive.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2008/11/29/red_sox_select_bogar_to_replace_alicea_on_staff/ | work=The Boston Globe | title=Red Sox select Bogar to replace Alicea on staff | first=Amalie | last=Benjamin | date=November 29, 2008}}</ref>

During his Hall of Fame acceptance speech Rice revealed that he is a devoted fan of ''[[The Young and the Restless]],'' noting that he was watching the show when he was informed of his election into Cooperstown.<ref>{{Cite web|date=July 27, 2009|title=Transcript: Jim Rice's Hall of Fame Induction Speech|url=https://nesn.com/2009/07/transcript-jim-rices-hall-of-fame-induction-speech/|access-date=March 11, 2021|website=NESN.com|language=en-US}}</ref>

==Hall of Fame==
[[Image:Jim Rice Jersey Sign.JPG|right|thumb|The sign at [[McCoy Stadium]] inviting fans to sign the jersey]]

While Rice was generally regarded as one of the better hitters of his era based upon statistics traditionally used by the BBWAA to evaluate players' Hall of Fame qualifications, he was not elected until his 15th and final year of eligibility, netting 76.4% of the votes, in 2009. Over the years he was on the BBWAA ballot, he received 3,974 total votes, the most collected by any player voted on for baseball's highest honor. In [[2006 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|2006]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/history/hof_voting/year/2006.htm |title=National Baseball Hall of Fame – History of BBWAA Voting |access-date=March 1, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070302132210/http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/history/hof_voting/year/2006.htm |archive-date=March 2, 2007 }}</ref> and [[2007 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|2007]],<ref>[http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/news/2007/election/results.htm#2007%20BBWAA%20Hall%20of%20Fame%20Voting%20Results Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr. Elected to the Hall of Fame on First Ballot]
 {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070112151941/http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/news/2007/election/results.htm |date=January 12, 2007 }}</ref> he received over 63% of votes cast. Rice just missed being elected in 2008 when the count found him on 72.2% of the ballots, only 2.8% short of the required 75%. Rice became the fourth enshrinee inducted into the Hall of Fame on his last chance on the BBWAA ballot and the first since [[Ralph Kiner]] in 1975.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wagner becomes 8th HOFer elected in final year on ballot |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/hall-of-famers-elected-in-final-year-on-ballot-c302974298 |access-date=2025-09-04 |website=MLB.com |language=en}}</ref>

Rice's delay in election to the Hall of Fame stemmed in part from more current statistical analysis of player performance which suggested that his HOF credentials might have been more questionable than they were considered during his career.<ref>{{Cite web|title=BASEBALL: Hall of Fame, Dale Murphy, Jim Rice, and Kirby Puckett|url=http://www.baseballcrank.com/archives2/2000/12/baseball_hall_o_3.php|last=Crank|first=Baseball|website=www.baseballcrank.com|language=en|access-date=May 24, 2020|archive-date=April 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200413004308/http://baseballcrank.com/archives2/2000/12/baseball_hall_o_3.php|url-status=dead}}</ref> The delay may also have been related to his often difficult relationship with the media during his playing career, many of whom are still voting members of the BBWAA, and his career fading relatively early – he last played in the major leagues at age 36.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://archive.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2006/01/11/verdict_is_in_rice_still_a_tough_out/ | work=The Boston Globe | title=Verdict is in: Rice still a tough out | date=January 11, 2006 | first1=Dan | last1=Shaughnessy}}</ref> Some writers, such as the ''Boston Herald'''s [[Sean McAdam (journalist)|Sean McAdam]], said that Rice's chances improved<ref>{{Cite web|date=December 22, 2005|title=McAdam: Reappraising Rice|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/columns/story?id=2268868|access-date=March 11, 2021|website=ESPN|language=en}}</ref> with the exposure of the "[[Doping in baseball|Steroids Era]]" in baseball. In the same article, McAdam expanded this subject by adding: "In an era when power numbers are properly viewed with a healthy dose of suspicion, Rice's production over the course of his 16 years gains additional stature." As such, he received increasingly more votes each year since the 2003 ballot, improving his vote totals by 133 over the last five years on the ballot.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://web.baseballhalloffame.org/playerVoting.do?playerId=121140 |title=National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum: Hall of Fame Votes by Player |access-date=December 5, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090122051707/http://web.baseballhalloffame.org/playerVoting.do?playerId=121140 |archive-date=January 22, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> However, from several sabermetric standpoints it can be argued that Rice falls short of his peers in the Hall of Fame.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jaffe |first=Jay |date=December 20, 2007 |title=The Class of 2008: The Hitters, Part Two |url=https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/7007/the-class-of-2008-the-hitters-part-two/ |access-date=March 11, 2021 |website=Baseball Prospectus}}</ref> Nevertheless, several commentators note that the continued criticism of Rice's statistics not meeting sabermetric standards was unfair since several other Hall of Fame players, notably [[Andre Dawson]] and [[Tony Pérez]], fare even worse against such standards.{{citation needed|date=April 2025}}

During the 2007 season, the [[Pawtucket Red Sox]] started a campaign to get Rice inducted which included having fans sign "the World's Largest Jim Rice Jersey.”<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zimmerman |first=Kristen |title=Hall of Famer Rice made his mark with PawSox |url=https://www.milb.com/news/gcs-494496 |access-date=2025-09-04 |website=MiLB.com |language=en}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography|Baseball}}
*[[Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame]]
*[[List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders]]
*[[List of Major League Baseball career hits leaders]]
*[[List of Major League Baseball career runs scored leaders]]
*[[List of Major League Baseball career runs batted in leaders]]
*[[List of Major League Baseball career total bases leaders]]
*[[List of Major League Baseball annual runs batted in leaders]]
*[[List of Major League Baseball annual home run leaders]]
*[[List of Major League Baseball annual triples leaders]]
*[[List of Major League Baseball players who spent their entire career with one franchise]]
*[[Major League Baseball titles leaders]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

*   [https://web.archive.org/web/20070214012805/http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/bos/history/retired_numbers.jsp ''Official Website of the Boston Red Sox'']
* {{cite news|last=Goldberg |first=Jeff |url=http://home.att.net/~yflanagan/baseball/ricehero.html |title=The Day Rice Made Contact |newspaper=The Hartford Courant |date=August 7, 1997 |access-date=February 28, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070428081511/http://home.att.net/~yflanagan/baseball/ricehero.html |archive-date=April 28, 2007 }}
* {{cite news|last=Antonen |first=Mel |url=http://transcripts.usatoday.com/Chats/transcript.aspx?c=1006 |title=Baseball Hall of Fame Chat: Mel Antonen |work=USA Today |date=January 9, 2007 |access-date=March 1, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070116054727/http://transcripts.usatoday.com/Chats/transcript.aspx?c=1006 |archive-date=January 16, 2007 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20010219025024/http://www.twmuseum.com/index.html ''Ted Williams Museum Hitters Hall of Fame'']
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120323153009/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/baseball-insider/2009/01/cooperstown_calls_for_henderso.html?hpid=topnews ''Cooperstown Calls For Henderson, Rice'']

==External links==
*{{bbhof|rice-jim}}
{{baseballstats|br=r/riceji01|brm=rice—001jam|mlb=121140}}, or [http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/R/Pricej001.htm Retrosheet]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20111013023505/http://bioproj.sabr.org/bioproj.cfm?a=v&v=l&bid=1329&pid=11876 SABR BioProject biography] 
*[http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=riceji01 Baseball Almanac]
*[http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/p_rice3.shtml ''Jim Rice Batting Fundamentals'']
*[http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20090118-OPINION-901180323 THE CULLING by D. Allan Kerr – "One More Time At Bat For Jim Rice"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606143931/http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20090118-OPINION-901180323 |date=June 6, 2011 }}

{{S-start}}
{{s-sports}}
{{succession box | title=[[Boston Red Sox]] [[Boston Red Sox coaches|Hitting Coach]] | before=[[Rick Burleson]] | years=1995–2000 | after=[[Rick Down]]}}
{{S-end}}

{{Boston Red Sox team captains}}
{{Boston Red Sox first-round draft picks}}
{{Boston Red Sox HOF}}
{{Boston Red Sox retired numbers}}
{{Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame}}
{{Navboxes
| title = Jim Rice – additional awards and honors
| list1 =
{{1971 MLB Draft}}
{{IL MVPs}}
{{The Sporting News Minor League Player of the Year Award}}
{{Topps Minor League Player of the Year Award}}
{{AL MVPs}}
{{AL home run champions}}
{{AL RBI champions}}
{{AL OF Silver Slugger Award}}
{{Edgar Martínez Award}}
{{2009 Baseball HOF}}
{{Baseball Hall of Fame members}}
{{2007–09 International League Hall of Fame}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rice, Jim}}
[[Category:1953 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:African-American baseball coaches]]
[[Category:African-American baseball players]]
[[Category:American League All-Stars]]
[[Category:American League home run champions]]
[[Category:American League Most Valuable Player Award winners]]
[[Category:American League RBI champions]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Anderson County, South Carolina]]
[[Category:Boston Red Sox announcers]]
[[Category:Boston Red Sox coaches]]
[[Category:Boston Red Sox players]]
[[Category:Bristol Red Sox players]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball broadcasters]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball hitting coaches]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball left fielders]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball players with retired numbers]]
[[Category:National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Navegantes del Magallanes players]]
[[Category:New England Sports Network people]]
[[Category:American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela]]
[[Category:Pawtucket Red Sox players]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Anderson, South Carolina]]
[[Category:Silver Slugger Award winners]]
[[Category:St. Petersburg Pelicans players]]
[[Category:Williamsport Red Sox players]]
[[Category:Winter Haven Red Sox players]]
[[Category:International League MVP award winners]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American sportsmen]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American sportsmen]]
[[Category:21st-century American sportsmen]]