The Bos

Ricky Boswell signed his first contract in 1971. He didn't appear with Toledo until 1975 when he made the team out of spring training. He pitched well, but ended up back at Omaha because of injuries. He spent most of '76 at AA Richmond but finished '76 in Toledo where he was 3–1 down the stretch.

In 1977, he was 16–15 with a 3.84 ERA and 164 strike outs in 237 innings.

His minor league career is worth discussing, as in '72 he won 17 games at AA. He actually debuted in AA but Toledo's management hadn't determined if they saw him as a starter or reliever. He did a bit of both and by the next spring the team had determined they liked him as a starter. His '72 campaign was stellar, with a 17–5 record, 3.02 ERA, and 109 strike outs in 173 innings. His '73 season totally flamed out in June. He pitched his ninth complete game and fifth shut out of the season in early June and never pitched again in '73. He finished 8–1 with five shut outs for AAA Omaha. His arm shot, he headed home for the summer.

Spring of '74, he watched from the sidelines. He thought that his career might be over. He hoped it wasn't and by late May he was throwing. He ended up pitching 14 times, winning eight games and striking out 90 in 99 innings. Ricky Boswell threw five complete games in '74 and allowed only 18 runs and 19 strike outs in those 99 innings. His ERA, 1.64, Toledo almost promoted him to the major league team; however, due to his frequent injuries, they sent him home in early September.

The summer of '75 was another bummer for Boswell. He began the season in the Major Leagues, but reinjured his arm. He finished August in Omaha and pitched terrible. His control, usually his strength, was sorely missed. He was told in September that he may regain control but his delivery was prone to lapses of control. Boswell looked forward to a recovery but vowed that one more injury would be his last.