The Curse
2004 The Year The “CURSE” Was Broken!!!
When the 2004 Major League season began, the Boston Red Sox were hungry for success. Coming off a heartbreaking playoff loss to their archrival New York Yankees, the Red Sox moved aggressively in the off season. Signing starting pitcher Curt Schilling and closer Keith Foulke.
Bursting out of the gate, the Red Sox recorded a Major League best 15 – 6 record in April. Late in the month, they swept a key 3 game series at Yankee Stadium.
The next few months saw less consistency, as the Red Sox made some bold changes. The team traded for shortstop Orlando Cabrera, first baseman Doug Mienthiewicz and speedster Dave Roberts – deals that bolstered speed and defense.
With a powerful 42 – 18 late season run, the red sox recorded 98 wins. The individual performances were breath taking. Sluggers Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz enjoyed MVP – level seasons. Ramirez hit .308 with 43 home runs and 130 RBI; Ortiz slugged 41 home runs and 139 RBI while batting .301. Schilling led the Majors in victories with 21, while Foulke went 5 – 3, with a 2.17 ERA and 32 saves.
Charging into the playoffs, the Red Sox swept Anaheim in three games in the Division Series. Then, they took on the rival Yankees yet again – and fell behind 3 games to 0. But three outs from elimination, in the ninth inning of Game 4, the Red Sox stormed back against seemingly invincible Yankees closer Mariano Rivera. They won that game on a dramatic 12th inning home run from series MVP Ortiz, then captured Game 5 on an Ortiz single in the 14th inning. Game 6 saw a legendary performance by Schilling on an injured ankle.
And in Game 7, the Red Sox completed their historic comeback, routing New York Yankees 10 – 3 and becoming the first team to a post season series after falling behind 3 – 0. Their celebration on the hallowed turf of Yankees Stadium was a particular highlight for Red Sox fans.
Riding that momentum, the Red Sox took on the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2004 World Series Championship. They won a thrilling Game 1 on Mark Bellhorn’s two run, eight inning home run. After that it was no contest – Boston swept St. Louis in four games for the team’s first World Series Championship since 1918 ! The series featured another great performance by Schilling in Game 2, and inspirational effort by star pitcher Pedro Martinez in Game 3, and all – around brilliance by series MVP Ramirez. In the final Game, Derek Lowe tossed seven scoreless innings to become the first pitcher in baseball history to win the clinching game of all three playoff series ,and the rest is history !!!
