Titletown: Ranking Boston’s Championship Teams Since 2001
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2004 Boston Red Sox
No one can deny this team’s legendary status. They came back from a 3-0 deficit against the hated New York Yankees and crushed the St. Louis Cardinals to win their first World Series in 86 years, a drought so long, fans in Boston had considered the team cursed. These Red Sox are beloved, but were they dominant?
In a lot of ways the answer is yes. The team finished 98-64, the third best record in the league overall, but good for only second in the AL East behind the 101-win Yankees. They did lead the MLB in runs with 949, however, nearly 100 more than their closest competition. The pitching duo of Pedro Martinez and Curt Schilling combined to go 37-15, striking out 430 batters between them. Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz both topped 40 home runs and the whole team led the league in OPS at .832.
They went on an absolute tear in the last quarter of the season, winning 20 of 22 games from August 16th to September 8th. Entering the playoffs as the Wild Card, they swept the Anaheim Angels 3-0 to set up a showdown with New York. After decades upon decades of heartache, the Red Sox became the first team in MLB history to comeback from the 3-0 series deficit. A World Series title seemed like a foregone conclusion after that, even against the 105-win Cardinals. They took care of business in a four game sweep, bringing a title to Beantown many long-suffering fans thought they’d never see.
Next: No. 3 - We May Have Something Here