This article on the Sox's BABIP...

[Greg Hibbard]

And the other common factors were how good the 2005 and 2008 bullpens were...that's one of the underestimated areas, but there's always a correlation.

 

Remember all the problems auditioning about 10-15 LHR in spring training, and NONE of them worked out, except Javier Lopez, who we traded to the Red Sox for some reason?

 

I'm sure along with overall team ERA, you'll see an inverse relationship (is that the right term, lol?) with the bullpen results (and lack thereof) for 2005-2009.

 

 

In 2008, if my math is correct, the Sox's starters ERA and bullpen ERA were nearly identical (4.08 and 4.01 respectively)