Boston Red Sox

Deadball Era Championship Teams

Crowd outside the 1903 World Series.

After the 1900 season, the minor American League led by Ban Johnson declared its equality with the National League, then the only major league. Competing in the streets, the rival placed franchises in two of the largest and most important National League cities, Philadelphia and Boston. The Boston Americans, as they were often called, finished second and third before capturing their first pennant in 1903 and repeating next year. Those teams led by manager and star third baseman Jimmy Collins and by pitcher Cy Young, whose 1901 to 1904 seasons rank among the best four-year runs ever. In addition, the Americans received significant contributions from outfielders Chick Stahl, Buck Freeman and Patsy Dougherty. In 1903, the Americans participated in the first modern World Series, beating the favored Pittsburgh Pirates five games to three. The Pirates, with such stars as Honus Wagner , Fred Clarke and Deacon Phillippe, had run away with the National League pennant, winning it by six and a half games. But the Americans, perhaps aided by the modified chants of "Tessie" by the Royal Rooters fan club, managed to overcome this obstacle, winning the first ever World Series.

The Americans' 1904 season was almost as good as the previous season, but due to the surprise emergence of the New York Highlanders, the Americans found themselves in a tight pennant race through the last games of the season. A predecessor to what would become a storied rivalry, this race featured such controversial moves as the trade of Patsy Dougherty to the Highlanders for Bob Unglaub. However, perhaps the climax of the season occurred on the last, dramatic doubleheader at the Highlanders' home stadium, Hilltop Park. In order to win the pennant, the Highlanders needed to win both games. With their ace Jack Chesbro on the mound, the Highlanders seemed to have a good chance of winning the first game. However, with the score tied 2-2 with a man on third in the top of the ninth, a spitball gets away from Chesbro and Lou Criger scores the go ahead run, on one of the most famous wild pitches in history. However, the NL champion New York Giants declined to play any postseason series, but a sharp public reaction led the two leagues immediately to make the World Series a permanent championship.

These successful times soon ended, however, as the Americans lost 100 games in the 1906 season. But several new star players helped the Red Sox improve almost immediately. By 1909, the legendary center fielder Tris Speaker had become a fixture in the Boston outfield, and the Red Sox, as they were now called, worked their way to third place. However, the Red Sox would not win the pennant again until they won 105 games in 1912, finishing with a club record .691 winning percentage. Anchored by an outfield considered to be among the finest in the game — Tris Speaker, Harry Hooper and Duffy Lewis — and superstar pitcher Smokey Joe Wood, the Red Sox beat the New York Giants 4-3-1 in a World Series best known for Snodgrass's Muff. Another 101 wins in 1915 propelled the Red Sox to the World Series again, where they beat the Philadelphia Phillies four games to one. The 1916 team repeated the pennant, though Tris Speaker, a fixture for six years, was traded to the Cleveland Indians in the off-season. His departure was more than compensated for, however, by the emergence of the star pitcher Babe Ruth. Once again, the Red Sox won the World Series, this time defeating the Brooklyn Robins. By 1918, the team found itself at the top of the heap again, led by Babe Ruth to a World Series championship over the Chicago Cubs.

From 1913 to 1916 the Red Sox were owned by Joseph Lannin, who signed Babe Ruth, soon the best-known and one of the best players ever.

Sale of Babe Ruth

After owning the Red Sox himself for three seasons, Harry Frazee sold Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees on January 3, 1920. Ruth had just broken the single-season home run record, hitting 29 in 1919.[1] Legend has it that Frazee did so in order to finance the Broadway play No, No, Nanette, starring "a friend", but the play did not open on Broadway until 1925. Other circumstances actually made him decide to sell his star.

During that period, the Red Sox, White Sox and Yankees had a detente; they were called "Insurrectos" because their actions antagonized league president Johnson. Although Frazee owned the Boston Red Sox franchise, he did not own Fenway Park (it was owned by the Fenway Park Trust), making his ownership a precarious one; Johnson could move another team into the ballpark. His club was in debt, but Frazee felt the need to purchase its playing site (which he did in 1920). Further, providing the Yankees with a box office attraction would help that mediocre club, which had sided with him against Johnson and "the Loyal Five" clubs[2]. Finally, Ruth was considered a serious disciplinary problem, a reputation to be replicated in New York. Frazee moved to stabilize finances and cut distractions. It was a straight sale, no players in return.

After New York achieved great success and Boston did not win for a few decades, the sale of Babe Ruth came to be viewed as both the beginning of the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry and the occasion for a legendary "Curse of the Bambino" that doomed Boston to futility. The rivalry has been called the "Greatest Rivalry on Earth" by some baseball journalists [3] [4][5]while others have paid some attention to Boston futility for its own sake.

After the sale of Ruth to the Yankees, Frazee continued to sell many of his star players. In the winter of 1920, Wally Schang, future star pitcher Waite Hoyt, Harry Harper, and Mike McNally were traded to the Yankees for Del Pratt, Muddy Ruel, Hank Thormahlen, Sammy Vick and cash.[6]The following winter, iron man shortstop Everett Scott, Joe Bush, and Sad Sam Jones were traded to the Yankees for Roger Peckinpaugh (who would be immediately shipped to the Washington Senators), Jack Quinn, Rip Collins, Bill Piercy and $50,000.[7]One particularly controversial deal was that of Joe Dugan and Elmer Smith, who were traded to the Yankees on July 23, 1922, for Elmer Miller, Chick Fewster, John Mitchell, and future superstar Lefty O'Doul, who was at the time a mediocre pitching prospect. The trade of Dugan helped the Yankees edge the St. Louis Browns in a tight pennant race, and the resulting uproar helped create a June 15 trading deadline that went into effect the next year.[8]Perhaps an even more outrageous deal was the trade of Herb Pennock, occurring in early 1923. Pennock was traded by the Red Sox to the Yankees for Camp Skinner, Norm McMillan, George Murray and $50,000.[9]A couple of notable trades involving Frazee and the Yankees occurred before the Babe Ruth sale. On December 18, 1918, outstanding outfielder Duffy Lewis (mentioned above), pitcher Dutch Leonard, pitcher and Ernie Shore were traded to the Yankees for pitcher Ray Caldwell, Slim Love, Roxy Walters, Frank Gilhooley and $15,000.[10]As all three players were well-regarded in Boston— Lewis had been a key player on the 1910s championship teams, Shore had famously relieved Babe Ruth and retired 27 straight, and Leonard had only four years before set a modern record for earned run average ;&mdash this trade was regarded as not such a good one in Boston, Then, on July 13, 1919, submarine-style pitching star Carl Mays was traded to the Yankees for Bob McGraw, Allan Russell and $40,000.[11]Mays would go on to have several good years for the Yankees.

As a result of these trades, the Red Sox finished in the second division with poor records in the 1920s and 1930s. Over an eight-year period from 1925 to 1932, the Red Sox averaged over 100 losses in a season. One of the few bright spots on these teams was Earl Webb, who set the all-time mark for most doubles in a season in 1931 with 67. The Red Sox' fortunes began to change in 1933, however, when Tom Yawkey bought the Red Sox. Yawkey would acquire Lefty Grove, one of the greatest pitchers of all-time, Joe Cronin, an outstanding shortstop and manager, Jimmie Foxx, the slugging first baseman, and Wes Ferrell, an outstanding pitcher. These moves paid off, as the Red Sox were once again competitive in the late thirties.

The Ted Williams Era

Ted Williams & Tom Yawkey

In 1939, the Red Sox purchased the contract of outfielder Ted Williams from the Pacific Coast League, ushering in an era of the team sometimes called the "Ted Sox." Williams is generally considered one of the greatest hitters of all time, because he consistently hit for both high power and high average. Stories of his ability to hold a bat in his hand and correctly estimate its weight down to the ounce have floated around baseball circles for decades. His book The Science of Hitting is widely read by students of baseball. He is also the last player to hit over .400 for a full season, hitting .406 in 1941. Williams feuded with sports writers his whole career, and his relationship with the fans was often rocky.

With Williams, the Red Sox reached the World Series in 1946, but lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games, in part because of the use of the "Williams Shift," in which the shortstop would move to the right side of the infield to make it harder for the left-handed-hitting Williams to hit to that side of the field. Some have claimed that Williams was too proud to hit to the other side of the field, not wanting to let the Cardinals take away his game. Williams did not fare well in the series, gathering only five singles in 25 at-bats, for a .200 average. However, his performance may have been affected by an elbow injury he had received a few days before when he was hit by a pitch in an exhibition game. Williams would never play in a World Series again.

The right-field bullpens in Fenway Park were built in part for Williams' left-handed swing, and are sometimes called "Williamsburg". Before this addition to right field, Fenway park was over 400 feet deep to right field.

The Red Sox featured several other players during the 1940s, including SS Johnny Pesky (for whom the right field foul pole in Fenway - "Pesky's Pole" - is affectionately named by fans), 2B Bobby Doerr, and CF Dom DiMaggio (brother of Joe DiMaggio).

Red Sox logo from 1950-1961

The 1950s were viewed as a time of tribulation for the Red Sox. After Williams returned from the Korean War, many of the best players from the late 1940s had retired or been traded. The stark contrast in the team led critics to call the Red Sox' daily lineup "Ted Williams and the Seven Dwarfs." Also, unlike many other teams, they refused to sign players of African descent, even passing up chances at future Hall-of-Famers Jackie Robinson and Willie Mays, both of whom tried out for Boston and were highly praised by team scouts. Ted Williams hit .388 at the age of 38 in 1957, but there was little else for Boston fans to root for. Williams retired at the end of the 1960 season, famously hitting a home run in his final at-bat. The Sox finally became the last Major League team to field an African American player when they promoted infielder Pumpsie Green from their AAA farm team in 1959.

Carl "Yaz" Yastrzemski and the Impossible Dream

The 1960s also started poorly for the Red Sox, though 1961 saw the debut of Carl "Yaz" Yastrzemski, (uniform #8) who developed into one of the better hitters of a pitching-rich decade.

Red Sox fans refer to 1967 as the year of the "Impossible Dream." The slogan refers to the hit song from the popular musical play "Man of La Mancha." The 1967 season is remembered as one of the great pennant races in baseball history because four teams were in the AL pennant race until almost the last game. The team had finished the 1966 season in ninth place, but they found new life with Yastrzemski as the team went to the World Series. Yastrzemski won the American League Triple Crown (the last player to accomplish such a feat) and put forth what is considered one of the best seasons in baseball history. But the Red Sox lost the series — again to the St. Louis Cardinals, in seven games.

Although the Red Sox played competitive baseball for much of the next seven seasons, they never finished higher than second place in their division. The closest they came to a divisional title was 1972, when they lost by a half-game to the Detroit Tigers in unorthodox fashion. The start of the season was delayed by a players' strike, and the Red Sox further lost a game to a rainout that was never replayed, which caused the Red Sox to lose the division by a half-game.

The Red Sox won the AL pennant in 1975, with Yastrzemski surrounded by other players such as rookie outfielders Jim Rice and Fred Lynn, veteran outfielder Dwight Evans, catcher Carlton Fisk, and pitchers Luis Tiant and eccentric junkballer Bill Lee. In the playoffs, the Sox swept the Oakland A's in three games.

Game 6 of the 1975 World Series, against the Cincinnati Reds' "Big Red Machine," is considered as one of the greatest games in baseball's postseason history. The game went to extra innings and featured dramatic home runs by Bernie Carbo and Carlton Fisk (the latter was the famous, game-winning "body English" home run), as well as a game-saving catch by Evans. Despite the series-tying win, the Red Sox lost Game 7.

In 1978, the Red Sox and the Yankees were involved in a tight pennant race. The Yankees were 14 1/2 games behind the Red Sox in July, and on September 10th, after completing a 4-game sweep of the Red Sox, the Yankees pulled into a tie for the divisional lead.

For the final three weeks of the season, the teams fought closely and the lead changed hands several times. By the final day of the season, the Yankees' magic number to win the division was one — which meant either a win over Cleveland or a Boston loss to Toronto would clinch the division for the Yankees. However, New York lost 9-2 and Boston won 5-1, forcing a one-game playoff to be held at Fenway Park on Monday, October 2nd.

Although Bucky Dent's three-run home run in the 7th inning off Mike Torrez just over the Green Monster — which gave the Yankees their first lead — is the most remembered moment from the game, it was Reggie Jackson's solo home run in the 8th that proved the difference in the Yankees' 5-4 win, which ended with Yastrzemski popping out to Graig Nettles with Rick Burleson representing the tying run at third.

The '86 World Series and Morgan's Magic

After the 1978 playoff game, the Red Sox didn't reach the postseason for the next seven years, finishing no higher than third place in their division during that period. Carl Yastrzemski retired after the 1983 season during which the Red Sox finished sixth in the seven-team AL East, posting their worst record since 1966.

However, in 1986 it appeared the slump may have been reversed. The team's offense had remained strong with Jim Rice, Dwight Evans, Don Baylor, and future Hall of Famer Wade Boggs. Roger Clemens led the pitching staff, posting a 24-4 record with a 2.48 ERA to win both the American League Cy Young and Most Valuable Player awards. Clemens became the first starting pitcher to win both awards since Vida Blue in 1971. The Red Sox won the AL East for the first time in eleven seasons, prompting a playoff series California Angels in the AL Championship Series.

The Series started poorly for the Red Sox. The teams split the first two games in Boston, but the Angels won the next two games at their home stadium, taking a 3-1 lead in the series. With the Angels poised to win the series, the Red Sox trailed 5-2 heading into the ninth inning of Game 5. A two-run homer by Don Baylor cut the lead to one. With two outs and a runner on, and one strike away from elimination, Dave Henderson homered off Donnie Moore to put Boston up 6-5. Although the Angels tied the game in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Red Sox won in the eleventh on a Henderson sacrifice fly off Moore. The Red Sox then found themselves with six and seven run wins at Fenway Park in Games 6 and 7 to win the American League title for the first time since 1975.

In the 1986 World Series the Red Sox played the New York Mets. The Red Sox won the first two games in Shea Stadium, but lost the next two at Fenway, knotting the series at 2 games apiece. After a Game 5 win in Boston, the Red Sox returned to Flushing Meadows looking to garner their first championship in 68 years. However, Game Six would go down as one of the most devastating losses in club history. After a strong outing by Clemens, the Mets tied the game 3-3 in the eighth inning by scoring a run off reliever Calvin Schiraldi. The game went to extra innings, where the Red Sox took a 5-3 lead in the top of the tenth. After two outs, the Red Sox were one out away from breaking their championship drought. However, things went terribly wrong, culminating in one of the most infamous moments in major league history. After three straight singles and a wild pitch by Bob Stanley, the Mets tied the game at five. Although it looked like the Red Sox might have been able to extend the game when Mookie Wilson hit a slow ground ball to first baseman Bill Buckner for what would have been the final out of the inning, the ball rolled through Buckner's legs, allowing Ray Knight to score the winning run from second.

Bill Buckner and his infamous error during Game 6 of the 1986 World Series

While Buckner was singled out as the biggest goat, many observers — as well as both Wilson and Buckner — have noted that even if Buckner had fielded the ball cleanly, Wilson most likely would still have been safe (Wilson at the time was thought of as one of the faster players in the National League), leaving the game-winning run at third with two out. After dropping behind 3-0, the New York Mets then won Game 7, concluding the devastating collapse and feeding the myth that the Red Sox were actually "cursed."

The Red Sox did return to the postseason in 1988. With the club in fourth place, manager John McNamara was fired and replaced by Joe Morgan. Immediately the club won 12 games in a row, and 19 of 20 overall, to surge to the AL East title in what would be referred to as Morgan's Magic. But the magic was short-lived, as the team was swept by the Oakland Athletics in the ALCS. Ironically, the MVP of that Series was former Red Sox pitcher and Baseball Hall of Fame player Dennis Eckersley, who saved all four wins for Oakland. Two years later, in 1990, the Red Sox would again win the division and face the Athletics in the ALCS. However, the outcome was the same, with the A's sweeping the Series in four.

After the Yawkeys

Tom Yawkey died in 1976, and his wife Jean Yawkey took control of the team until her death in 1992. As a tribute to their time as owners of the team, their intials were placed on the Left field wall in Morse code[12]. After Jean Yawkey's death, the Yawkey Trust, led by John Harrington assumed control of the team, finally selling it in 2002, concluding 70 years of Yawkey ownership.

In 1994, General Manager Lou Gorman was replaced by Dan Duquette, a Massachusetts native who had previously worked for the Montreal Expos. Duquette's time as GM began with promises to revive the team's farm system. During his tenure the team's farm system produced players such as Nomar Garciaparra, Carl Pavano, and David Eckstein[13]. Duquette also spent money in the free agent market. The most notable contract he purchased was an eight-year, $160 million deal given to Manny Ramírez after the 2001 season.

However, not all of Duqette's moves went uncriticized. Many fans were upset when Roger Clemens and Mo Vaughn left the team as free agents. Duquette also made a comment (after Clemens had turned 30 and then had four seasons, 1993-96, which were by his standards mediocre at best) about Clemens entering "the twilight of his career."[14] Duqette's comment met more harsh criticism when Clemens went on to pitch well for another ten years, winning four more Cy Young awards. In 1999, Duquette called Fenway Park "economically obsolete" and, along with Red Sox ownership, led a push for a brand new stadium to be built near the current stadium. Despite the approval of a grant by the Massachusetts Legislature and key political support, issues with buying out neighboring property and steadfast opposition within Boston's city council eventually doomed the project.

Pedro Martínez arrived in Boston for the 1998 season and remained the team's ace for seven years.

On the field, the Red Sox had some success during this period, but were unable to return to the World Series. In 1995 they won the newly-realigned American League East, finishing seven games ahead of the Yankees. However, they were swept in three games in a series against the Cleveland Indians. Their postseason losing streak reached 13 straight games, dating back to the 1986 World Series.

In 1998, the Red Sox dealt pitchers Tony Armas, Jr. and Carl Pavano to the Montreal Expos in exchange for pitcher Pedro Martínez. Martínez became the anchor of the team's pitching staff. That season the team won the American League Wild Card, but again lost the American League Division Series to the Indians.

A year later, the 1999 Red Sox were finally able to overturn their fortunes against the Indians. Cleveland took a 2-0 series lead, but Boston staged a comeback, winning the next three games due to the strong pitching of Derek Lowe, Pedro Martínez and his brother Ramón Martínez. Game 4's 23-7 win by the Red Sox was the highest-scoring playoff game in major league history. Game 5 began with the Indians taking a 5-2 lead after two innings, but Pedro Martínez, nursing a shoulder injury, came on in the fourth inning and pitched six innings without allowing a hit while the team's offense rallied for a 12-8 win behind two home runs from outfielder Troy O'Leary. After the ALDS victory, the Red Sox then faced the Yankees in the American League Championship Series, but lost the series four games to one.

New ownership, new era

In 2002, the Red Sox were sold by Yawkey trustee and president John Harrington to a consortium headed by principal owner John Henry with Tom Werner serving as executive chairman, Larry Lucchino serving as president and CEO, and Les Otten serving as vice chairman. Dan Duquette was fired on February 28, 2002. Former Angels general manager Mike Port served as interim GM in 2002, but he was eventually replaced by Yale graduate Theo Epstein after Oakland's Billy Beane turned down the position. Epstein, age 28, became the youngest general manager in the history of the Major Leagues at that time. He was raised in Brookline.

Derek Lowe celebrating the ALDS series victory over the Oakland A's.

Recent Years

2003: Cowboy Up

The 2003 team took a new image through the season. With offensively loaded players like Manny Ramirez and Nomar Garciaparra on the team already, the 2003 Sox got suprises from 3B Bill Mueller (batting champ with a .326 average), 1B Kevin Millar (25 homers, 96 RBI's), and a future legend named David Ortiz (31 homers, 101 RBI's) who started the season as a platoon player with Mueller, Shea Hillenbrand, and Jeremy Giambi. With Ortiz upset with the playing time he recieved he told GM Epstein he wanted to be traded. Epstein, aware of Ortiz's potential, traded Hillenbrand to the Arizona Diamondbacks for pitcher Byung-Hyun Kim. Though Kim fizzled, Ortiz ended up becoming a legend (see 2004, 2005, 2006).

"Cowboy Up" was this team's rally cry. Whenever the team was trailing, the players would show a video from Millar's college days, showing him singing Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA" rather poorly. The rally cry worked, as the Sox led the league in come from behind wins. With all of this help, the Red Sox won the Wild Card in 2003.
In the 2003 American League Division Series, the Red Sox rallied from a 2-0 series deficit against the Oakland Athletics to win the best-of-five series. Derek Lowe, recently converted into a starter, saved Game 5, a 4-3 victory, by striking out the A's Terrence Long with the tying run on third base. The team then faced the Yankees in the 2003 American League Championship Series. In the deciding seventh game, Boston led 5-2 in the eighth inning, but Pedro Martínez, who was still pitching into the 8th inning, allowed three runs to tie the game, including a two-run double by Jorge Posada. The Red Sox could not score off of Mariano Rivera over the last three innings and eventually lost the game 6-5 when Yankee third baseman Aaron Boone hit a solo home run off of Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield.

Most of the blame for the loss was placed on manager Grady Little for failing to remove Martínez after he began to show what many fans could recognize as obvious signs of tiring. This was viewed as the culmination of two years of questionable decision-making by Little and Little's contract was not renewed by the team. The team then filled the position with Terry Francona, who would lead the team to a historic ALCS win and the first World Series victory in 86 years.

The 2004 World Series Championship

A 2004 Boston Red Sox World Series Ring. Ring courtesy of Red Sox Vice-Chairman Les Otten

During the 2003-04 offseason, the Red Sox acquired another ace pitcher in Curt Schilling and a closer in Keith Foulke to bolster the pitching staff. Expectations once again ran high that 2004 would finally be the year that the Red Sox ended their championship drought. The regular season did not start well, and through midseason the team struggled mightily, falling more than ten games behind New York.

Management shook up the team at the MLB trading deadline July 31, when they traded the team's wildly popular, yet often hurt and disgruntled shortstop, Nomar Garciaparra, to the Chicago Cubs, getting Orlando Cabrera of the Montreal Expos and Doug Mientkiewicz of the Minnesota Twins in return. In a separate transaction, the Red Sox also traded AAA outfielder Henri Stanley to the Los Angeles Dodgers for center fielder Dave Roberts. Many Sox fans blasted the trades as bringing the team inadequate compensation for a player of Garciaparra's superstar reputation, but others noticed that these players would provide a significant upgrade in two areas (footspeed and infield defense) where improvements were badly needed. The club would turn things around soon after, going on to finish within three games of the Yankees in the AL East and qualifying for the playoffs as the AL Wild Card. Players and fans affectionately referred to the players as "The Idiots," a term coined by Johnny Damon and Kevin Millar during the playoff push to describe the team's eclectic roster and devil-may-care attitude toward the supposed "Curse of the Bambino."

The turning point of the season came on July 24, when, in the defining moment of the season, the Red Sox overcame an eight-run deficit as Bill Mueller hit a game-winning home run to right-center.

Boston began the playoffs by sweeping the AL West champion Anaheim Angels. The Red Sox blew out the Angels 9-3 in Game 1, scoring 7 of those runs in the fourth inning. However, the Sox' 2003 offseason prize pickup Curt Schilling suffered a torn tendon when he was hit by a line drive. The injury was exacerbated when Schilling fielded a ball rolling down the first base line. The second game, pitched by Pedro Martinez, stayed close until Boston scored four in the ninth to win 8-3. In game three, what looked to be a blowout turned out to be a nail-biter, as Vladimir Guerrero hit a grand slam off Mike Timlin in the seventh to tie it at six. However, David Ortiz, who is noted for his clutch hitting, delivered in the 10th inning with a game winning two-run homer over the Green Monster. The Red Sox thus advanced to a rematch in the 2004 American League Championship Series against their bitter rivals, the New York Yankees.

Despite high hopes that the Red Sox would finally vanquish their nemesis from the Bronx, the series started disastrously for them. Curt Schilling pitched with the torn tendon sheath in his right ankle he had suffered in Game 1 of the Division Series against Anaheim, and was routed for six runs in three innings. Mussina had six perfect innings, and once had a lead that was 8-0. Despite the Sox' best effort to come back (they scored seven unanswered runs to make it 8-7), they ended up losing 10-7. In Game 2, after trailing 1-0 for most of the game, John Olerud hit a two-run home run to put the Yankees up for good. The Sox were down three games to none after a crushing 19-8 loss in Game 3. In that game, the two clubs set the record for most runs scored in a League Championship Series game.

In Game 4, the Red Sox found themselves facing elimination, trailing 4-3 in the ninth with Yankees superstar closer Mariano Rivera on the mound. After Rivera issued a walk to Kevin Millar, Dave Roberts came on to pinch run and promptly stole second base. He then scored on an RBI single by Bill Mueller which sent the game to extra innings. The Red Sox went on to win the game on a two-run home run by David Ortiz in the 12th inning. In Game 5, the Red Sox were down again late, this time by the score of 4-2, as a result of Derek Jeter's bases-clearing double. But the Sox struck back in the eighth, as Ortiz hit a homer over the Monster to bring the Sox within a run. Then Jason Varitek hit a sacrifice fly to bring home Dave Roberts, scoring the tying run. The game would go for 14 innings, capped off by many squandered Yankee opportunities (they were 1 for 13 with runners in scoring position). In the top of the 12th, the knuckleballing Tim Wakefield came in from the bullpen, without his customary "personal catcher," Doug Mirabelli. Though Jason Varitek, the starting catcher, had little trouble with Wakefield's tricky knuckleballs in the 12th, he allowed 3 passed balls in the 13th. The third and last of those gave the Yankees runners on second and third with two out. Red Sox Nation was spared, however, as Ruben Sierra struck out to end the inning. In the bottom of the 14th, Ortiz would again seal the win with a game-winning RBI single that brought home Damon. The game set the record for longest postseason game in terms of time (5 hours and 49 minutes) and for the longest League Championship Series game (14 innings), though the former has since been broken.

With the series returning to Yankee Stadium for Game 6, the improbable comeback continued, with Curt Schilling pitching on an ankle that had three sutures wrapped in a bloody (red) sock. Schilling struck out four, walked none, and only allowed one run over seven innings to lead the team to victory. Mark Bellhorn also helped in the effort as he hit a three-run home run in the fourth inning. Originally called a double, the umpires conferred and agreed that the ball had actually gone in to the stands before falling back in to the field of play, which was apparent to the television audience but angered Yankees fans. A key play in came in the bottom of the eighth inning with Derek Jeter on first and Alex Rodriguez facing Bronson Arroyo. Rodriguez hit a ground ball down the first base line. Arroyo fielded it and reached out to tag him as he raced down the line. Rodriguez slapped at the ball and it came loose, rolling down the line. Jeter scored and Rodriguez ended up on second. After conferring, however, the umpires called Rodriguez out on interference and returned Jeter to first base, the second time in the game they reversed a call. Yankees fans, upset with the calls, littered the field with debris. The umpires called police clad in riot gear to line the field in the top of the 9th inning. In the bottom of the ninth, the Yankees staged a rally and brought former Red Sox player Tony Clark, who had played well against the Red Sox since leaving the team, to the plate as the potential winning run. Keith Foulke however, struck out Clark to end the game and force a Game 7. In this game, the Red Sox completed their sensational and historic comeback on the strength of Derek Lowe's pitching and Johnny Damon's two home runs, including a devastating grand slam in the second inning off the first pitch of reliever Javier Vazquez. Ortiz, who had the game winning RBIs in Games 4 and 5, was named ALCS Most Valuable Player.

Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, and the National Hockey League are the three professional sports that feature best-of-seven games series in their playoffs. The incredible feat of coming back to win a seven game series when down by three games has only been accomplished by three teams in the history of the MLB, NBA, and NHL. The 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL) came back from being down by three games to the Detroit Red Wings to win the 1942 Stanley Cup. The 1975 New York Islanders (NHL) did the same when they came back to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1975 Stanley Cup Quarterfinals. No team in the NBA has ever accomplished such a comeback and the Boston Red Sox are the only team in Major League Baseball history to ever do so.

The Red Sox faced the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2004 World Series. The Cardinals had posted the best record in the major leagues that season, and had previously defeated the Red Sox in the 1946 and 1967 Series, with both series going seven games. The third time would be the charm, however, as the momentum and confidence Boston had built up in the ALCS would overwhelm St. Louis. The Red Sox began the Series with an 11-9 win, marked by Mark Bellhorn's game-winning home-run off of Pesky's Pole. It was the highest scoring World Series opening game ever (breaking the previous record set in 1932). The Red Sox would go on to win Game 2 in Boston (thanks to another sensational performance by the bloody-socked Schilling). The Red Sox won both these games despite making 4 errors in each game. In Game 3, Pedro Martinez shut out the Cardinals for seven innings. The Cardinals only made one real threat — in the third inning when they put runners on second and third with no outs. However, the Cardinals' rally was killed by Jeff Suppan's baserunning gaffe. With no outs, Suppan should have scored easily from third on a routine ground ball to second baseman Belhorn, who was playing back, conceding the run. But as Belhorn threw out the hitter, Larry Walker, at first base, Suppan inexplicably froze after taking several steps toward home, and was thrown out by Sox first baseman David Ortiz as he scrambled back to third. The double play was devastating for St. Louis. The Red Sox needed one more game to win their first championship since the 1918. In Game Four the Red Sox did not allow a run, and the game ended as Edgar Renteria (who would become the 2005 Red Sox starting SS) hit the ball back to Keith Foulke. (This was the second time that Renteria had ended a world series, as he won it for the Marlins seven years prior in the 1997 World Series.) After Foulke lobbed the ball to Doug Mientkiewicz, the Sox had won their first World Championship in 86 years. The Sox held the Cardinals' offense (the best in the NL in 2004) to only three runs in the last three games. The Red Sox never trailed in the series. Manny Ramírez was named World Series MVP. The Red Sox won Game Four of the series on October 27, eighteen years to the day from when they lost to the New York Mets in the 1986 World Series.

The Red Sox performed well in the 2004 postseason. From the eighth inning of Game 5 of the American League Championship Series against the Yankees (a tie) until the end of the World Series, the Sox played 60 innings, and never trailed at any point.

Strangely enough, on the night the Red Sox won, a total lunar eclipse colored the moon over Busch Stadium to a deep red hue. The Red Sox won the title about eleven minutes before totality ended.

The Red Sox held a parade (or as Boston mayor Thomas Menino put it, a "rolling rally") on Saturday, October 30, 2004. A crowd of more than three million people filled the streets of Boston to cheer as the team rode on the city's famous Duck Boats.

Following their 2004 World Series win, the Red Sox replaced the dirt from the field as a "fresh start".

2005

After winning its first World Series in 86 years, Red Sox management was left with the challenge of dealing with a number of high profile free agents. Pedro Martínez, Derek Lowe, and Orlando Cabrera were replaced with David Wells, a former Yankee, Matt Clement, and Edgar Rentería respectively. The club re-signed its catcher, Jason Varitek, and named him team captain.

Pitchers Curt Schilling, Keith Foulke, and Wade Miller spent large parts of the season on the disabled list, and were unable to return in good form. For much of the season Boston held first place in the AL East but down the stretch the team struggled, squandering its lead over the Yankees and allowing the Cleveland Indians to close the gap in the Wild Card race.

The division crown would be decided on the last weekend of the season, with the Yankees coming to Fenway Park with a one game lead in the standings. Although the Red Sox won two of the three games to finish the season with an identical 95-67 record as the Yankees, a one-game playoff was not needed since both teams had already qualified for the playoffs. The division title was decided by the season series between the two teams. In the 19 games played between the two teams in 2005, the Yankees had won 10 to the 9 won by the Red Sox, earning them the AL East championship, while the Sox instead clinched the AL Wild Card.

The Red Sox faced the AL Central champion Chicago White Sox, who had not won a playoff series since 1917, in the ALDS. The White Sox won Game One in a 14â€"2 rout. In the second game, the Red Sox led 4â€"0, but lost the game 5â€"4 after a fifth inning which featured a crucial error by second baseman Tony Graffanino. Game Three in Boston ended 5â€"3 in favor of Chicago, thus completing the sweep. Chicago would go on to win the World Series, their first championship since 1917.

On October 31, 2005, general manager Theo Epstein resigned on the last day of his contract, reportedly turning down a three-year, $4.5 million contract extension. He slipped away from the gathered reporters at Fenway Park in a hairy, sweaty gorilla suit.

On Thanksgiving evening, the Red Sox officially announced the acquisition of a potential ace in right-hander pitcher Josh Beckett from the Florida Marlins. Boston also added Gold Glove Award winning third baseman Mike Lowell and right-handed reliever Guillermo Mota in the deal while sending minor league prospects shortstop Hanley Ramírez and right-handed pitchers Aníbal Sánchez, Jesús Delgado and Harvey García to the Marlins. On December 7, the Sox traded backup catcher Doug Mirabelli to the San Diego Padres for second baseman Mark Loretta. On December 8, the Sox traded Edgar Renteria to the Atlanta Braves for third base prospect Andy Marte. On December 20 Johnny Damon declined arbitration and a few days later signed a four-year, $52 million deal with the New York Yankees. The Red Sox lost Bill Mueller in free agency to the Dodgers, and Kevin Millar was not offered arbitration and signed with the Baltimore Orioles.

2006

On January 19, 2006, the Red Sox announced that Bronson Arroyo had accepted a three-year contract. However, on March 19 Arroyo was traded to the Reds, along with cash considerations to be named later, for outfielder Wily Mo Peña. Later, Arroyo would make the 2006 National League All-Star team. Peña had done well in the 2005 season, batting .254 with 19 home runs. The Red Sox also announced that Theo Epstein would be rejoining the Red Sox in a "full-time baseball operations capacity." On January 24, 2006, it was announced that Epstein would again assume the title of General Manager. The next day, Mota, Marte, catching prospect Kelly Shoppach and a player to be named later were traded to the Cleveland Indians for center fielder Coco Crisp, relief pitcher David Riske, and backup catcher Josh Bard. Venezuelan shortstop Alex González signed a one-year contract to replace Edgar Renteria. The Red Sox enter the 2006 season with a revamped roster, carrying only three positional starters from their 2004 championship squad. After only five games, however, newly acquired Coco Crisp fractured his left index finger while stealing a base and didn't return to active play until May 28.

On May 1, 2006, the Red Sox completed a deal with the San Diego Padres, reacquiring Doug Mirabelli for Josh Bard, minor-league pitcher Cla Meredith, and $100,000. On the day of the trade, the Red Sox even arranged a private plane and a car ride from the airport with police escort and his re-issued uniform to take Mirabelli, the personal catcher for Tim Wakefield, to Fenway Park before the game against the Yankees. Mirabelli got ready just in time to catch for Wakefield. On the same day of his return, the Fenway faithful also greeted Johnny Damon and left-handed specialist Mike Myers (with some cheers, but mostly boos, jeers, chants, and even fake money thrown in center field) back for the first time since they signed with the Yankees. The game ended in favor of the Red Sox as David Ortiz belted a three-run home run into the Red Sox bullpen in the bottom of the 8th inning. Ironically, Myers was the pitcher who gave up the home run.

On June 30, 2006 Boston set a major league record of 17 straight errorless games, breaking the record of 16 games set by the St. Louis Cardinals from July 30 to Aug. 16, 1992. During this span, they also recorded 12 consecutive victories, all in interleague play. The winning streak is the third longest in club history, behind only the 15 wins posted by the 1946 club and 13 victories in 1948.

The Red Sox have reached the postseason in each of the last three seasons. Although this statistic seems insignificant, it does however rank third among all active postseason streaks in MLB. Only the Atlanta Braves, who have appeared in the last 14 postseasons, and the New York Yankees, who have appeared in the last 12, have a longer active streak (see Active MLB playoff appearance streaks).

The Red Sox were well represented in this year's All-Star Game. David Ortiz, along with second baseman Mark Loretta, started for the American League squad. Manny Ramirez did not appear due to a knee injury. Closer Jonathan Papelbon was also named to the team but did not pitch.

Postseason series

1903 World Series	Pittsburgh Pirates	Won 5-3
1904 World Series	Not Played	N/A
1912 World Series	New York Giants	Won 4-3
1915 World Series	Philadelphia Phillies	Won 4-1
1916 World Series	Brooklyn Robins	Won 4-1
1918 World Series	Chicago Cubs	Won 4-2
1946 World Series	St. Louis Cardinals	Lost 4-3
1967 World Series	St. Louis Cardinals	Lost 4-3
1975 American League Championship Series	Oakland Athletics	Won 3-0
1975 World Series	Cincinnati Reds	Lost 4-3
1986 American League Championship Series	California Angels	Won 4-3
1986 World Series	New York Mets	Lost 4-3
1988 American League Championship Series	Oakland Athletics	Lost 4-0
1990 American League Championship Series	Oakland Athletics	Lost 4-0
1995 American League Division Series	Cleveland Indians	Lost 3-0
1998 American League Division Series	Cleveland Indians	Lost 3-1
1999 American League Division Series	Cleveland Indians	Won 3-2
1999 American League Championship Series	New York Yankees	Lost 4-1
2003 American League Division Series	Oakland Athletics	Won 3-2
2003 American League Championship Series	New York Yankees	Lost 4-3
2004 American League Division Series	Anaheim Angels	Won 3-0
2004 American League Championship Series	New York Yankees	Won 4-3
2004 World Series	St. Louis Cardinals	Won 4-0
2005 American League Division Series	Chicago White Sox	Lost 3-0

Quick facts

:Founded: 1901, replacing the Buffalo franchise in the American League, as that became a major league.:Team Name: Boston Red Sox (see Nicknames before "Red Sox" below):Name in Spanish: Los Medias Rojas de Boston:Current ownership: New England Sports Ventures: John Henry, Tom Werner and partners (Larry Lucchino, president and CEO), who paid $660 million and assumed $40 million in debt, in February 2002. The purchase includes Fenway Park and 82 percent of New England Sports Network. The purchase price set a record for a major league baseball franchise.:Current payroll: The 2006 Opening Day payroll for the 25-man roster was just shy of $120.1 million. For 2005, payroll was about $123.5 million, over $80 million less than that of the New York Yankees. For 2004, payroll was about $127 million, $57 million shy of the New York Yankees. In both of these years, the Red Sox had the second-highest total payroll in MLB.[15] (NOTE: The numbers cited are actually the payroll of the team at the start of the each seasons. Payrolls can change due to mid-season personnel changes, including trades, promotion of minor league players, waiver, etc.):Home ballpark: Fenway Park (April 20, 1912 - Present), Braves Field (1929 - 1932 Sundays, 1915 - 1916 World Series), Huntington Avenue Grounds (1901-1911). Fenway is the oldest ballpark in baseball. The Red Sox ownership group has recently committed to keeping the team at Fenway for years to come; plans are already under way for the first ballpark centennial celebration in MLB history in 2012.:Longest Winning Streak: 15 games (April 24 1946 - May 10, 1946):Mascot: "Wally the Green Monster," named after the left field wall Green Monster introduced in 1997.:Uniform colors: Navy blue, red, and white (and green during spring training and mainly St. Patrick's day). The Red Sox cap and uniform design dates to the mid-1930s and has changed only slightly since then. The cap is navy blue with the fancy letter "B" in red outlined in white. The predominant home uniform is white with red piping around the neck and down the center of the shirt front with the words RED SOX in fancy block letters in red outlined in blue arched across the shirt front. (On certain day games, the team wears an alternate red jersey with blue on white piping and lettering.) The road uniform is gray with piping only on the sleeves, with the word BOSTON in red-on-blue fancy letters arched across the shirt front. The road uniforms include names on the back. The team wears red sweatshirts, home and away, with red warmup jackets at home and blue on the road. After years of sporting stockings that featured blue and white stripes above a red stirrup, the Red Sox switched to all-scarlet stockings in 2003.:Logo design: Two hanging red socks with white heels and toes, over a white baseball surrounded by the words Boston and Red Sox. The word "Boston" is in navy blue outlined in red, the words "Red Sox" are in red outlined in navy blue, and the entire logo is surrounded by a thick red circle. Recently the team has begun phasing in a new logo that removes the outline, text and baseball, leaving only the pair of red socks.:Theme Song: None officially, but several "unofficial" theme songs exist::* played after each victory at Fenway Park: "Dirty Water" by The Standells.:* played in the middle of the eighth inning at Fenway Park: Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" performed with raucous audience participation.:* played after "Dirty Water" and for rallies during a game: The Dropkick Murphys' 2004 rewrite of "Tessie." The original "Tessie" was a Broadway tune, which Boston fans adopted during the 1903 World Series and sang regularly until 1916.:* played during David Ortiz's at-bats: "Big Poppa" by The Notorious B.I.G.:* played during Mark Loretta's at-bats: War's "Low Rider" due to "Loretta" sounding like "Low Rider.":* played during Kevin Youkilis' at-bats: House of Pain's "Jump Around":* played in an organ version after the song Tessie on every Sox win: "Build Me Up Buttercup" by The Foundations:* played during Jason Varitek's at-bats: "Kryptonite" by three doors down:* played during Trot nixon`s at-bats: "Ring of fire" or "Folsom Prison Blues" both by Johnny Cash:* played during Mike Lowell's at-bats: "Fishing in the dark" by the nitty gritty band:* ''played after build me up buttercup "Joy to the world" by three dogs night followed by an organ rendition of I will survive:Championships and Pennants:::Playoff appearances (18): 1903, 1904, 1912, 1915, 1916, 1918, 1946, 1967, 1975, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005:Official television station: New England Sports Network (NESN) Red Sox own 80% of NESN, the Boston Bruins own the remaining 20%:Official radio station: WEEI (flagship) WRKO (Starting 2007 season):Spring Training Facility: City of Palms Park, Fort Myers, FL

Nickname

The name Red Sox, chosen by owner John I. Taylor after the 1907 season, refers to the red hose in the team uniform beginning 1908. Actually, Sox was adopted by newspapers needing a headline-friendly form of Stockings, as "Stockings Win!" in large type would not fit on a page.

The name originated with the Cincinnati Red Stockings, 1867-1870 member of the pioneering National Association of Base Ball Players. Managed by Harry Wright, Cincinnati adopted a uniform with white knickers and red stockings, and earned the famous nickname, a year or two before hiring the first fully professional team in 1869. When the club folded after the 1870 season, Wright was hired to organize a new team in Boston, and he did, bringing three teammates and the "Red Stockings" nickname along. (Most nicknames were then only nicknames, neither club names nor registered trademarks, so the migration was informal.)The Boston Red Stockings won four championships in the five seasons of the new National Association, the first professional league. The success of the two teams in Cincinnati and Boston gave "Red Stockings" and other "Red" nicknames some historical and profitable grounding there and probably grounded other "Stockings" nicknames in other cities.
Boston and a new Cincinnati club were charter members of the National League in 1876. Perhaps in deference to the Cincinnati history, many people reserved the "Red Stockings" nickname for that city; the Boston team is commonly called "Red Caps" today. Other names were sometimes used before Boston officially adopted the nickname "Braves" in 1912; that club is now based in Atlanta.

In 1901, the American League led by Ban Johnson declared itself equal to the National League and established a competing club in Boston. For seven seasons, the AL team wore dark blue stockings and had no official nickname. They were simply "Boston" or "the Bostons"; or the "Americans" or "Boston Americans" as in "American Leaguers", Boston being a two-team city. Their 1901-1907 jerseys, both home and road, simply read "Boston", except for 1902 when they sported large letters "B" and "A" denoting "Boston" and "American". On December 18, 1907, Taylor announced that the club had officially adopted red as its new team color.

Pilgrims?

For years many sources have called the early Boston AL teams "Pilgrims" or "Puritans" or "Plymouth Rocks", or "Somersets" for owner Charles Somers, but Bill Nowlin has demonstrated that none of those names was used much and that "Pilgrims", the most popular today, was barely used at all.http://www.baseball-almanac.com/articles/boston_pilgrims_story.shtml Nowlin's followup article in the The National Pastime (SABR, 2006), unearthed some sporadic references to "Pilgrims", presumably as an alternative to the prosaic "Americans". Apparently this originated with a writer for the Washington Post during 1906, and by 1907 it found occasional use in Boston newspapers.

Summary

* Called "Bostons" or "Boston Americans" or (in Boston) "Americans" from 1901 to 1907
* Called "Boston Red Sox" or "Red Sox" from 1908 to present

Retired numbers

The Boston Red Sox have two official requirements for a player to have his number retired:#Election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame #At least 10 years played with the Red Sox

The numbers honored are as follows:
*   1 Bobby Doerr, 2B, 1937â€"51
*   4 Joe Cronin, SS, 1935â€"45; manager, 1935â€"47; general manager, 1947â€"58; also American League President, 1959-73
*   8 Carl Yastrzemski, OF-1B, 1961â€"83
*   9 Ted Williams, OF, 1939â€"60
* 27 Carlton Fisk, C, 1969â€"80
* 42 Jackie Robinson, retired by all Major League clubs to honor his breaking of Baseball's color barrier.

Until the late 1990s, the numbers originally hung on the right-field facade in the order in which they were retired: 9-4-1-8. It was pointed out that the numbers, when read as a date (9/4/18), marked the eve of the 1918 World Series, the last World Series which the Red Sox won before 2004. After the facade was repainted, the numbers were rearranged in numerical order.

The tradition of retiring the numbers of players who have finished their professional baseball careers with the Red Sox was slightly bent when Carlton Fisk was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Fisk actually finished his playing career with the Chicago White Sox, but the Red Sox hired Fisk for 1 day as a "special assistant to (then GM) Dan Duquette" to continue the tradition. [16]

Wade Boggs meets two requirements to have his number 26 retired by the Red Sox, though he did not finish his career with the Red Sox. Should Jim Rice be elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame, he will also meet the requirements to have his number 14 retired.

Baseball Hall of Famers

{|valign="top"|
*Luis Aparicio
*Wade Boggs
*Lou Boudreau
*Jesse Burkett
*Orlando Cepeda
*Jack Chesbro
*Jimmy Collins
*Joe Cronin
*Bobby Doerr
*Dennis Eckersley