 But did you know he is responsible for one of Mississippi's most famous authors? Born in Shaw, Mississippi on December 5, 1921, Boo Ferris played baseball for Mississippi State University until he signed with the Red Sox in 1942. He was called up to the Red Sox majors in 1945, where he pitched a stellar five-pitch shutout. He went on to set a long-standing American League record for scoreless innings pitched at the start of a career with 22, which stood until 2008 when it was broken by Brad Ziegler.