The 2004 Major League post-season witnessed perhaps the greatest comeback in the history of professional baseball. Down three-games-to-none in the American League Championship Series, baseball's perennial "bridesmaids", otherwise known as the Boston Red Sox, stood three outs from elimination courtesy of their hated rivals, the New York Yankees. With the game's greatest post-season closer on the mound, Mariano Rivera, Boston miraculously rose to the occasion to win the final four games and become the first team ever to comeback from a three-games-to-none deficit to take the league title. It had been one-hundred years since the Red Sox had last won a pennant in New York with a 3-2 victory in a doubleheader opener at Hilltop Park in 1904. For decades, New York had repeatedly dashed the hopes and dreams of the Red Sox faithful and many considered their so-called "rivalry" to be a "one-sided" affair. In 1949, the Yankees overcame Boston by winning the final two games of the 1949 season at Yankee Stadium. They also won a historic one-game playoff for the American League East in 1978 behind Bucky Dent's three-run homer at Fenway Park. More recently, Aaron Boone had hit an eleventh-inning home run to win Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS for the newly christened "Evil Empire."
Adding to the historic backdrop and impending drama were two epic Boston wins in extra-innings, as well as a clutch performance by newly-acquired pitcher Curt Schilling, who essentially started two games on one ankle. In retrospect, the spectators (on both sides) deserve credit as well. Throughout the entire series Red Sox fans were often shown praying and holding up signs that said "We Believe", "Manny-fest Destiny" and "Please God - Don't Let Us Get Swept By The Yankees." In the Bronx, the Bleacher Creatures responded with deafening chants of "Who's Your Daddy" (referring to an embarrassing post-game comment made by Pedro Martinez) while holding up signs of their own depicting Babe Ruth's face, with "1918" and "The Curse Lives On".
After what many considered to be the most intense week of baseball ever witnessed, the Red Sox persevered four games to three, granting them a ticket to their first World Series since 1986 and possibly their first Championship title in eighty-six years.
Unfortunately, due to the magnitude of the American League contest, the National League version, which was equally compelling, took a far back seat in the ratings. The St. Louis Cardinals boasted the top offensive stats in the National League during the regular season as well as the game's most expensive player, Albert Pujols, who had signed a franchise record $100 million, seven-year contract earlier in the year. In Houston, the biggest story of the Astros' season was the return of "hometown hero" Roger Clemens. After enjoying a brief, seventy-eight day retirement, Clemens returned to pitch with friend and former teammate Andy Pettitte on their hometown team. For more than a year, "The Rocket" had insisted that 2003 would be his final season, but all bets were off after the Yankees lost the World Series and Pettitte left New York. Remarkably, the forty year-old, six-time Cy Young winner, returned better than ever becoming a Cy Young candidate en route to the National League Championship Series.
Like their American League counterparts, both teams went head-to-head for a seven game classic in which the Redbirds managed to emerge victorious. Most amazingly was the fact that heading into the decisive Game 7, both teams had exactly the same batting erage at .246, the same number of runs scored at twenty-nine apiece and the exact same ERA at 4.80. In the end, the Card's clutch, 5-2 win brought the World Series back to St. Louis for the first time since 1987.
Going into the Fall Classic neither team stood out as a statistical forite. Both had put up the best offensive numbers in their respective leagues (Boston: nine-hundred forty-nine runs, St. Louis: eight-hundred forty-five runs) and featured a strong line-up, inspired pitching staff and dependable bullpen.
Game 1 opened at Fenway Park as the euphoric "Red Sox Nation" cautiously waited the fall of the dreaded "Curse of the Bambino" (an eighty-plus year-old superstition based on the infamous trade of Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees following the 1919 season). As expected, the two highest-scoring teams in the Major Leagues combined for the highest-scoring Game 1 in World Series history as the Red Sox edged the Cardinals, 11-9. The twenty runs scored were two more than the previous record holders; New York Yankees (12) and Chicago Cubs (6) had scored on September 28, 1932 and there were also a remarkable fourteen walks and five errors. The opener presented the first Fall Classic duel between these two teams since 1967, when the Cardinals won in seven games. Time had definitely changed though, as there were twenty-one total runs scored in the first four games of that series by both teams combined.
The second outing also went in Boston's for (6-2) as starter Curt Schilling continued to add to his mythical post-season performance. Many fans stated that what he accomplished in Game 2 of the World Series belonged in a special class and was the kind of story that would be told (and retold) for generations to come. Originally slated to be unailable in the American League Championship Series (due to a serious ankle injury) the thirty-seven year-old right-hander compromised his own career by electing to "go" after receiving both shots and sutures. With blood staining his right stocking, Schilling tossed an unbelievable masterpiece against the Yankees. The following week, he repeated the effort in Game 2 and left after pitching six innings of one-run, four-hit ball. Before the game, The Associated Press reported that Boston team physician Bill Morgan said the procedure to stitch Schilling's torn tendon to the ankle might be too dangerous to repeat a third time. Regardless of no chance at a "hat-trick", the two outings Schilling had given his team quickly became inscribed in the books of Boston's ever-growing folklore.
Game 3 shifted the series to Busch Stadium, but unfortunately for Cardinals fans, so shifted the momentum of the Red Sox as they crept closer and closer to a sweep with a 4-1 road-win. Boston ace Pedro Martinez faced pitcher Jeff Suppan for what was originally billed as a "pitchers duel." The three-time Cy Young Award winner responded with his most dominant performance of the postseason. On the day after his thirty-third birthday, Martinez shut down the usually prolific offense of the Cardinals, holding them to three hits over his seven shutout innings, striking out six and retiring the last fourteen batters he faced. In doing so, the Sox came just two outs shy of notching their first World Series shutout since Bruce Hurst and Calvin Schiraldi had combined in Game 1 against the Mets in 1986. It was also Boston's seventh win in a row and put them twenty-seven outs from total vindication.
Down three-games-to-none, St. Louis received widespread criticism for not playing "fundamental baseball" in key situations. The Cards showed promise going against Martinez in the bottom of the first, loading the bases with one out. But on a shallow fly out to left by Jim Edmonds, Larry Walker surprisingly tried to score. He was tagged out by catcher Jason Varitek, who easily handled an accurate one-hopper. In the third inning, St. Louis had another golden opportunity after Suppan got things going with a single down the third-base line. Edgar Renteria followed with a double to right, but the Cardinals stung themselves again with shoddy base running. A grounder to second by Walker should he scored Suppan. However, Mark Bellhorn methodically fielded the ball and eased the throw to first, essentially giving away the run for the sure out. A confused Suppan somehow got hung up on the third-base line as first baseman Did Ortiz (playing defense for just the second time since July 22) alertly fired a laser to third baseman Mueller, who tagged Suppan out.
Now just with one win to go, the buzz about the New England area (as well as the rest of the country) continued to rise to monstrous proportions. One quote by sports writer Mike Bauman from Baseball Perspective summed up the miraculous rebirth of the Boston mystique. He wrote: Victory over the Yanks has changed the equation. And it has changed the emotion, from frustration and perennial disappointment to buoyant anticipation and optimism. For the first time in decades, the Fenway Faithful felt real promise as the Cardinals fell further and further away from bringing the title back to "America's greatest baseball town."
Game 4 started with a bang as Boston's Johnny Damon led-off with a homerun courtesy of Cardinals' starter Jason Marquis. Derek Lowe took the mound for the Red Sox pitching a seven-inning masterpiece with three hits, one walk and four strikeouts. It was Lowe who had come up huge in two critical playoff games in the American League Championship Series. Despite hing a terrible September, the right-hander rose to the occasion and redeemed himself with a magnificent start in New York for the deciding Game 7. In retrospect, he was only given the opportunity for these masterful performances (ALCS 4 and 7, and WS 4) due to the disruption of Boston's starting rotation resulting in manager Terry Francona relying on would-be starter Tim Wakefield for several innings of relief in Games 1 and 3. Things continued to for Boston in the third when Trot Nixon stepped in (with the bases loaded and two outs) and came out swinging on a 3-0 pitch, clocking a two-run double off the wall in right-center, putting the Sox ahead by three runs. And that was it. For the next six innings both teams left multiple base runners stranded as neither was able to add to the scoreboard.
St. Louis came close in the fifth after Edgar Renteria tagged a double to left-center and moved to third on a wild pitch with just one out. Lowe however managed to regain his composure striking out John Mabry and getting Yadier Molina on a grounder to short. In the eighth, Boston loaded the bases, but Cardinals' closer Jason Isringhausen ended the inning, giving the offense a chance to rally back. Unfortunately, baseball's most winningest team in 2004 (one-hundred five regular season victories) was unable to generate any offense as Boston relievers Bronson Arroyo and Alan Embree combined with closer Keith Foulke to finish the job for the 3-0 win. In the end, the Red Sox pitching staff was masterful in the final three games of the series, holding St. Louis' line-up to three runs over twenty-seven innings.
And with that the entire culture of the Boston Red Sox changed as the self-proclaimed "idiots" franchise won its sixth World Series championship, but first since 1918. Finally the so-called "curse" had been broken after breaking so many hearts generation after generation. As the team mobbed each other at home plate, loyal members of the Red Sox Nation from Boston to Baghdad raced into the streets in jubilant celebration. General Manager prodigy Theo Epstein, the pride of Brookline, Massachusetts (who built the team at the age of thirty) summed up the historic significance of the victory by stating, "This is what we've all been waiting for. We can die happy. I just hope everyone out there who has been rooting for the Red Sox the last eighty-six years is enjoying this as much as we are. We're coming home to see you soon."
On the other side, Cardinals' skipper Tony La Russa echoed the obvious disappointment in both himself and his players. Not only had the team who scored the most runs and allowed the fewest in the National League been swept, but they were also shutout in the process. In addition, the win for Boston was sweetened, as it had been the St. Louis Cardinals who previously shattered the Red Sox dreams of a championship title in both the 1946 and 1967 World Series.
The date: October 27th, 2004, a day that will live on throughout history and a day that Boston, "The Babe," and other ghosts of the past could finally rest in peace. Research by Baseball Almanac.
"Major League Baseball seldom has enjoyed a more exciting stretch of postseason games. The two League Championship Series both went seven games and produced memorable moments every step of the way. The postseason show figures to be even better with a classic matchup in the World Series — the St. Louis Cardinals vs. the Boston Red Sox. Baseball tradition doesn't get any better than the Cards battling the BoSox." - Claire, Fred. MLB Staff Writer. 22 October 2004.
2004 World Series2004 World Series Official Program
← 2003 | Boston Red Sox (4) vs St. Louis Cardinals (0) | 2005 →
2004 World Series Fast Facts Game 1 Date | Box Score 10-23-2004 Location Fenway Park Attendance 35,035 1st Pitch From Carl Yastrzemski To Jason Varitek Star Spangled Banner Steven Tyler (Lead Singer of Aerosmith) God Bless America Kelly Clarkson (American Idol Winner) Take Me Out to the Ballgame Fenway Park Organist Game 2 Date | Box Score 10-24-2004 Location Fenway Park 1st Pitch From Bobby Doerr To Jason Varitek From Dom DiMaggio To Doug Mirabelli From Johnny Pesky To Sandy Martinez Attendance 35,001 Star Spangled Banner James Taylor (Singer / Grammy Winner) God Bless America Donna Summer (Singer / Grammy Winner) Take Me Out to the Ballgame Fenway Park Organist Game 3 Date | Box Score 10-26-2004 Location Busch Stadium 1st Pitch From Stan Musial To Bob Gibson Attendance 52,015 Star Spangled Banner Martina McBride (Singer / Grammy Winner) God Bless America Amy Grant (Christian Singer) Take Me Out to the Ballgame Busch Stadium Organist Game 4 Date | Box Score 10-27-2004 Location Busch Stadium 1st Pitch From Lou Brock To Red Schoendienst Attendance 52,037 Star Spangled Banner Gretchen Wilson (Life-Long Cardinal Fan) God Bless America Scott Stapp (Creed Singer / Grammy Winner) Take Me Out to the Ballgame Busch Stadium Organist 2004 World Series Fast Facts 2004 World Series History | Baseball Almanac Game 1 of the 2004 World SeriesLine Score | Box Score
2004 World Series Game 1 Capsule Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E St. Louis 0 1 1 3 0 2 0 2 0 9 11 1 Boston 4 0 3 0 0 0 2 2 x 11 13 4 St. Louis Pitcher(s) Boston Pitcher(s) Woody Williams Danny Haren (3rd) Kiko Calero (6th) Ray King (6th) Cal Eldred (6th) Juli谩n T谩rez (L, 8th) Tim Wakefield Bronson Arroyo (4th) Mike Timlin (7th) Alan Embree (8th) Keith Foulke (BS, W, 8th) - St. Louis Home Runs Boston Home Runs Larry Walker (3rd)- Did Ortiz (1st)Mark Bellhorn (8th) Game 2 of the 2004 World SeriesLine Score | Box Score
2004 World Series Game 2 Capsule Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E St. Louis 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 5 0 Boston 2 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 x 6 8 4 St. Louis Pitcher(s) Boston Pitcher(s) Matt Morris (L) Cal Eldred (5th) Ray King (6th) Jason Marquis (7th) Al Reyes (8th) Curt Schilling (W) Alan Embree (7th) Mike Timlin (8th) Keith Foulke (8th) - St. Louis Home Runs Boston Home Runs None None Game 3 of the 2004 World SeriesLine Score | Box Score
2004 World Series Game 3 Capsule Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Boston 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 4 9 0 St. Louis 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 4 0 Boston Pitcher(s) St. Louis Pitcher(s) Pedro Mart铆nez (W) Mike Timlin (8th) Keith Foulke (9th) - - Jeff Suppan (L) Al Reyes (5th) Kiko Calero (6th) Ray King (7th) Juli谩n T谩rez (9th) Boston Home Runs St. Louis Home Runs Manny Ramirez (1st) Larry Walker (9th) Game 4 of the 2004 World SeriesLine Score | Box Score
2004 World Series Game 4 Capsule Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Boston 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 9 0 St. Louis 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 Boston Pitcher(s) St. Louis Pitcher(s) Derek Lowe (W) Bronson Arroyo (H, 8th) Alan Embree (H, 8th) Keith Foulke (S, 9th) Jason Marquis (L) Danny Haren (7th) Jason Isringhausen (8th) - Boston Home Runs St. Louis Home Runs Johnny Damon (1st) None 2004 World SeriesBoston Red Sox 2004 World Series Composite Hitting Statistics
Name Positions G AB H 2B 3B HR R RBI Avg BB SO SB Bronson Arroyo Mark Bellhorn Orlando Cabrera Johnny Damon Alan Embree Keith Foulke Gabe Kapler Derek Lowe Pedro Mart铆nez Doug Mientkiewicz Kevin Millar Doug Mirabelli Bill Mueller Trot Nixon Did Ortiz Manny Ramirez Pokey Reese Curt Schilling Mike Timlin Jason Varitek Tim Wakefield p2bsscfppph-2,pr-1,rf-2,lf-1pp1b-3,pr-11b-2,ph-2c3brfdh-2,1b-2 lf2b,pr-1ppc,ph-1p 244434411441444 441341 010172100222183141413 17100130 034600000011654 700020 011200000010231 000000 000100000000000 000010 010100000000001 100000 033400000021313 200020 043200000000234 400020 .000.300.235.286.000.000.000.000.000.000.125.333.429.357.308 .412.000.000.000.154.000 053000001020414 300010 021100112021011 300040 000000000000000 000000 Totals 138 39 11 2 4 24 24 .283 24 20 0 2004 World SeriesSt. Louis Cardinals 2004 World Series Composite Hitting Statistics
Name Positions G AB H 2B 3B HR R RBI Avg BB SO SB Marlon Anderson Kiko Calero R贸ger Cede帽o Jim Edmonds Cal Eldred Danny Haren Jason Isringhausen Ray King Hector Luna John Mabry Jason Marquis Mike Matheny Yadier Molina Matt Morris Albert Pujols Edgar Renteria Al Reyes Scott Rolen Reggie Sanders Jeff Suppan So Taguchi Julian T谩rez Larry Walker Woody Williams Tony Womack dh-1,2b-1ph-2pph-3,lf-1cfppppph-1,2b-1ph-1,lfpccp1bssp3bdh-1,lf-2plf-1,ph-1,dh-1prfp2b 4234221312243144244122414 6041500001418301515015914014011 1011000000020055000110502 1000000000000023000000200 0000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000200 0012000000100012001010201 0000000000020001010010300 .167.000.250.067.000.000.000.000.000.000.000.250.000.000.333.333.000.000.0001.000.250.000.357.000.182 0001000000000012014000201 1016000012031032015020202 0000000000000000001000000 Totals 126 24 8 0 2 12 8 .190 12 32 1 2004 World Series Composite Batting Statistics | Bold = World Series MVP 2004 World SeriesBoston Red Sox 2004 World Series Composite Pitching Statistics
Name W L G GS CG S Sh IP ERA H SO ER BB Bronson Arroyo Alan Embree Keith Foulke Derek Lowe Pedro Mart铆nez Curt Schilling Mike Timlin Tim Wakefield 00111100 00000000 23411131 00011101 00000000 00100000 00000000 2.21.25.07.07.06.03.03.2 6.750.001.800.000.000.006.0012.27 41433423 44846402 20100025 10112115 Totals 4 0 16 4 0 1 0 36.0 2.50 24 32 10 12 2004 World SeriesSt. Louis Cardinals 2004 World Series Composite Pitching Statistics
Name W L G GS CG S Sh IP ERA H SO ER BB Kiko Calero Cal Eldred Danny Haren Jason Isringhausen Ray King Jason Marquis Matt Morris Al Reyes Jeff Suppan Juli谩n T谩rez Woody Williams 00000000000 00000110110 22213212121 00000110101 00000000000 00000000000 00000000000 1.11.24.22.02.27.04.11.14.22.02.1 13.5010.800.000.000.003.868.310.007.714.5027.00 24411640818 02221430411 22000340417 40311740103 Totals 0 4 19 4 0 0 0 34.0 6.09 39 20 23 24 2004 World Series Composite Pitching Statistics | Bold = World Series MVPThe 2004 Fall Classic was the fourth World Series of the new millennium (started 01/01/2001), and Boston's participation means four of the eight teams involved he been Wild Cards:
All World Series Wild Card ParticipantsThrough 2004
World Series Wildcard Team(s) Opponent 1997 Florida Marlins Cleveland Indians 2000 New York Mets New York Yankees 2002 Anaheim Angels San Francisco Giants 2002 San Francisco Giants Anaheim Angels 2003 Florida Marlins New York Yankees 2004 Boston Red Sox St. Louis CardinalsDid you know that for the first time in history there will be a $100 million player who will take home a World Series ring? St. Louis Cardinals star first baseman Albert Pujols and Boston Red Sox left fielder Manny Ramirez are two (2) of only nine (9) baseball players in history to he contracts over $100 million. Pujols is in the first season of a seven-year, $100 million deal, while Ramirez is in season four of an eight- year, $160 million package. Shortstop Derek Jeter has a $189 million deal, but that began after the New York Yankees won the 2000 World Series.
Had the 2004 World Series goes down to a Game 7 duel, it would he been played on October 31, 2004 in Fenway Park—A date which also happened to be Halloween. This was not the case as the Boston Red Sox recorded the eleventh American League sweep, won their sixth World Championship, and their first since thirty-one thousand four-hundred fifty-eight (31,458) days had passed (Game 6 of the 1918 World Series).