2004 World Series
Team (Wins) Managers Season Boston Red Sox (4) Terry Francona 98–64, .605, GB: 3 St. Louis Cardinals (0) Tony La Russa 105–57, .648, GA: 13
Dates	October 23–27
Venue(s)	Fenway Park (Boston) Busch Memorial Stadium (St. Louis)
MVP	Manny Ramírez (Boston)
Umpires	Ed Montague (crew chief),Dale Scott,Brian Gorman,Chuck Meriwether,Gerry Davis,Charlie Reliford
Hall of Famers	Red Sox: Pedro Martínez David Ortiz Cardinals: Tony La Russa (manager) Scott Rolen Larry Walker
Broadcast
Television	Fox (United States) MLB International (International)
TV announcers	Joe Buck andTim McCarver (Fox) Dave O'Brien andRick Sutcliffe (MLB)
Radio	ESPN WEEI (BOS) KMOX (STL)
Radio announcers	Jon Miller andJoe Morgan (ESPN) Joe Castiglione andJerry Trupiano (WEEI) Mike Shannon andWayne Hagin (KMOX)
ALCS	Boston Red Sox overNew York Yankees (4–3)
NLCS	St. Louis Cardinals overHouston Astros (4–3)
← 2003 World Series 2005 →

The2004 World Series was the championship series ofMajor League Baseball's (MLB)2004 season. The 100th edition of theWorld Series, it was abest-of-seven playoff between theAmerican League (AL) championBoston Red Sox and theNational League (NL) championSt. Louis Cardinals. The series was played from October 23 to 27, 2004, atFenway Park andBusch Memorial Stadium.^[1] The Red Sox swept the Cardinals in four games, earning their first title since1918 and ending theCurse of the Bambino.^{[2][3][4][5][6]}

The Cardinals earned their berth into the playoffs by winning theNL Central division title, and had the best win–loss record in the NL. The Red Sox won the ALwild card to earn theirs. The Cardinals reached the World Series by defeating theLos Angeles Dodgers in the best-of-fiveNL Division Series and theHouston Astros in the best-of-sevenNL Championship Series. The Red Sox defeated theAnaheim Angels in theAL Division Series. After trailing three games to none to theNew York Yankees in theAL Championship Series, the Red Sox came back to win the series, advancing to their first World Series since1986. The Cardinals made their first appearance in the World Series since1987. With theNew England Patriots winningSuper Bowl XXXVIII, the World Series victory made Boston the first city to have Super Bowl and World Series championship teams in the same year (2004) since Pittsburgh in 1979.^[7] The Red Sox became the third straight wild card team to win the World Series; the Anaheim Angels won in2002 and theFlorida Marlins won in2003.^[8]

The Red Sox hadhome-field advantage in the World Series by virtue of the AL winning the2004 All-Star Game. In game one,Mark Bellhorn helped the Red Sox win with a go-aheadhome run in the 8th, while starterCurt Schilling led the team to a game two victory by pitching sixinnings and allowing just one run. The Red Sox won the first two games despite committing fourerrors in each. The Red Sox won game three, aided by sevenshutout innings byPedro Martínez. A leadoff home run byJohnny Damon in the first inning gave the Sox a lead they never relinquished in game four for the Red Sox to secure the series. The Cardinals did not lead in any of the games in the series; the sixth and eighth innings of the first game was the only time that the two teams were tied.Manny Ramírez was named the series'Most Valuable Player.

The 2004 World Series was broadcast onFox, and watched by an average of just under 25.5 million viewers. While not a particularly competitive series, the series is ranked as one of the most memorable World Series of all time, and one of the most iconic professional sports moments from the 2000s due to its historical significance for Boston.^{[9][10][11][12]} The Red Sox and Cardinals faced each other again in the2013 World Series, which the Red Sox also won, this time 4 games to 2.

This was the ninth meeting between teams fromBoston andSt. Louis for amajor professional sports championship. This previously happened in two World Series (1946,1967), four NBA Finals (1957,1958,1960,1961),Super Bowl XXXVI two years prior, and the1970 Stanley Cup Final. It was also the third World Series between the Red Sox and Cardinals. The previous two meetings in 1946 and 1967 were both won by the Cardinals in seven games.^[13]

The Red Sox had lost in theprevious season's ALCS against theNew York Yankees. The loss was mainly blamed on the decision by then-managerGrady Little to keepstarting pitcherPedro Martínez in the game in the 8th inning of Game 7. The Yankees won the game and series afterAaron Boone hit a walk-off home run offTim Wakefield. Little was fired two weeks later.^[14]

During the off-season, the Red Sox hiredTerry Francona as their new manager.^[15] They also signedKeith Foulke as theircloser^[16] and traded forCurt Schilling as a starting pitcher.^[17] The Red Sox played two particularly notable games against the Yankees during the regular season. A game on July 1, in which they came back from a 3-run deficit to forceextra innings, is best remembered for an incident in the 12th inning, when YankeesshortstopDerek Jeter made a catch on the run before hurling himself head-first into the stands. The Yankees won the game in the next inning to take an 8-game lead in theAmerican League East.^[18] In the 3rd inning of a game on July 24, Red Sox pitcherBronson Arroyo hit Yankees batterAlex Rodriguez with one of his pitches. As Rodriguez walked towards first base, he began shouting profanities at Arroyo. Red Sox catcherJason Varitek positioned himself between the two players. After a brief argument, Varitek pushed his glove into Rodriguez' face, causing abench-clearing brawl.^[19] The Red Sox eventually won the game thanks to a home run byBill Mueller in the 9th inning.^[20] On July 31, the Red Sox tradedshortstopNomar Garciaparra to theChicago Cubs after he had spent eight years with the team. They acquired shortstopOrlando Cabrera andfirst basemanDoug Mientkiewicz in this trade.^[21] They won thewild card to earn a place in the post-season for the second year in a row.^[22]

In the divisional round of the playoffs, the Red Sox faced the second-seededAnaheim Angels in a best-of-five series. They won Game 1 largely thanks to a 7-run 4th inning, and went on tosweep the series. In the 7th inning of Game 3, with the Red Sox leading by 4,Vladimir Guerrero tied the game for the Angels with agrand slam. However,David Ortiz won the series with a game-winning home run in the 10th.^[23] In theAmerican League Championship Series, the Red Sox lost the first three games against the top-seeded New York Yankees, including a 19–8 drubbing in Game 3, and were trailing 4–3 in Game 4 when they began the 9th inning.Kevin Millar waswalked by Yankees closerMariano Rivera.^[24]Dave Roberts then came into the game topinch run for Millar andstole second base. Mueller thensingled to enable him to tie the game. Another game-winning home run by Ortiz won the game 6–4 for the Red Sox in the 12th inning.^[25] Ortiz' single in the 14th inning of Game 5 scored the winning run for the Red Sox, in what was, then, the longest post-season game in baseball history.^[26] Despite having a dislocated ankle tendon, Schilling started Game 6 for the Red Sox.^[27] He pitched for seven innings, and allowed just one run, during which time his sock became soaked in blood.^[27] In the eighth inning, Yankeesthird baseman Rodriguez slapped a ball out of pitcher Arroyo's hand, allowing the Yankees to score a run. However, after a discussion the umpires called Rodriguez out for interference and canceled the run. Fans then threw debris onto the field in protest and the game was stopped for ten minutes.^[28][29] The Red Sox won the game 4–2 and became the first baseball team to ever force a Game 7 after having been down 3 games to none.^[28] A 10–3 win in Game 7 brought the Red Sox to the World Series for the first time in 18 years.^[30]

Having failed to make the playoffs the season before, and with their division rivals (theChicago Cubs andHouston Astros) expected to be strong, the Cardinals were generally expected to finish 3rd in theNational League Central.^[31][32] However, strong offensive seasons fromAlbert Pujols,Scott Rolen, andJim Edmonds—during which they each hit more than 30 home runs and 100 runs batted in (RBI)—helped them to lead the league in runs scored.^[33] They also allowed the fewest runs of any team in the league.^[34] Four of their starters recorded at least 15wins and closerJason Isringhausen recorded a league-best 47saves.^[33][35] They addedoutfielderLarry Walker in August and finished the regular season with the best win–loss record in the league at 105-57.^[36]

The top-seeded Cardinals faced the #3 seedLos Angeles Dodgers in the divisional round of the playoffs. Five home runs in Game 1 and no runs allowed by thebullpen in Game 2 helped the Cardinals to win the first two games.^[37] Acomplete game by Dodgers pitcherJosé Lima enabled the Dodgers to force a Game 4, during which a home run by Pujols won the series for the Cardinals.^[38] In theNational League Championship Series, the Cardinals faced the #4 seedHouston Astros and won the first two games in St. Louis. However, the Astros tied the series in the next two games in Houston, before a combinedone-hitter by Astros pitchersBrandon Backe andBrad Lidge gave them the series lead.^[39] An RBIsingle byJeff Bagwell in the 9th inning of Game 6 tied the game and forcedextra innings. In the 12th, Edmonds won the game for the Cardinals with a walk-off home run.^[40] Trailing in the sixth inning of Game 7, a game-tying RBIdouble byAlbert Pujols followed by aScott Rolen two-run home run and then an RBI single byLarry Walker in the 8th inning helped the Cardinals to a 5–2 win and their first World Series berth in 17 years.^[41]

By reaching the World Series with the Cardinals,Tony La Russa became the sixth manager to win pennants in both leagues.^[42] This was after La Russa had managed theOakland Athletics to three straight pennants between1988 and1990 and winning the1989 World Series.^[42] He would attempt to joinSparky Anderson as the only men to have managed teams to World Series championships in both leagues.^[43] He wore #10 in tribute to Anderson (who wore 10 while manager of theCincinnati Reds) and to indicate he was trying to win the team's 10th championship.^[44][45]

The coming series was heavily discussed and analyzed by theAmerican media. TheStar-News ofWilmington,North Carolina, compared the Red Sox and Cardinals position by position and concluded that the Cardinals were stronger in eight positions, the Red Sox in four and both teams even in one. They predicted that the Cardinals would win the series in seven games.^[46] Andrew Haskett of E-Sports.com praised the two teams' starting pitchers but also said that the Cardinals "took a serious blow" whenChris Carpenter was forced out of the series due to an injury to his arm. He noted the teams' power hitters, especially the Red Sox'sDavid Ortiz and the Cardinals'Albert Pujols,Scott Rolen andJim Edmonds. While he praised the Red Sox defense, he called the Cardinals "one of the best defensive teams to ever walk onto a baseball field". Ultimately he concluded that the series would be close and that the Red Sox would win it.^[47]

John Donovan ofSports Illustrated noted the team's expected ascent to the championship, writing that they were "not supposed to be here". He called the series a "blast from the past" because both teams were very old franchises and had twice previously met in the World Series.^[48] He wrote that the Red Sox had the edge inpitching and the Cardinals indefense andbatting. He concluded that Schilling and Martinez would be the "key to [the] Series" and that the Red Sox would win in six games.^[49] Jim Molony ofMLB.com, said he expected the series to play out differently from the last time the two teams met in the World Series in1967 because both team offenses had been some of the best in the league during the season, while pitching had been very dominant in 1967.^[50]

Dan Shaughnessy ofThe Boston Globe said that "Bally's in Las Vegas set the Red Sox as 8–5 favorites to win the Series" and that there was "some sentiment in St. Louis that the NL champions have been disrespected". but also that Red Sox General ManagerTheo Epstein "Did not want to dis[respect] the Cardinals".^[51] Shaughnessy also quoted Schilling as having said: "There's a lot of good players in that [visitors] clubhouse over there. This isn't the time for us to be thinking about history. If we get three wins and 26 outs into the fourth win, I'm pretty sure it will hit us."^[51] Before the series began, Shaughnessy wrote that although the Red Sox had beaten the Yankees, the series needed to be won, as it was the only way to end theCurse of the Bambino, which he had publicized based on the book of the same title in 1990,^[52][53][54] and demeaning chants of "1918!" would no longer echo atYankee Stadium.^[55] During the series, he wrote that people in New England were thinking about loved ones who had spent their entire lives hoping that they would see their Red Sox win a World Series.^[56][57]

Both teams had lost in their previous World Series appearances in seven games. The Red Sox lost to theNew York Mets in1986, while the Cardinals lost in1987 to theMinnesota Twins. The Cardinals and Red Sox had not won the World Series since1982 and1918 respectively. When the two teams had previously played each other in the1946 and 1967 World Series, the Cardinals won both series in seven games.^[58][59] Having won theAll-Star Game, the AL had been awardedhome-field advantage, which meant the Red Sox had the advantage atFenway Park in four of the seven games in the series.^[60]

Boston won the series, 4–0.

Local bandDropkick Murphys performed "Tessie", and a moment of silence was observed to remember local studentVictoria Snelgrove, who had been accidentally killed by police two days earlier as Sox fans had celebrated winning the American League pennant.^[65][66]Steven Tyler, the lead singer ofAerosmith, another local band, performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" and Red Sox legendCarl Yastrzemski threw theceremonial first pitch.^[66]Kelly Clarkson sang "God Bless America" during theseventh-inning stretch.

Tim Wakefield made his first start of the 2004 postseason for the Red Sox, becoming the first knuckleball pitcher to make a World Series start since 1948, whileWoody Williams, who had won his previous two starts in the post-season, was the Cardinals' starting pitcher.^[68] In the bottom of the first inning, Williams gave up alead-offdouble toJohnny Damon, and then hitOrlando Cabrera in the shoulder with one of his pitches. AfterManny Ramírezflied out, Ortiz hit a three-run home run in his first-ever World Seriesat bat.Kevin Millar then scored by virtue of a single byBill Mueller to put the Red Sox up 4–0.^[68][69]

The Cardinals scored one run in the second on asacrifice fly byMike Matheny to scoreJim Edmonds, then one in the third innings on a solo home run to right field by Walker. In the bottom of the third, the Red Sox scored three runs after seven consecutive batters reached base, giving them a five-run lead.Dan Haren came in from the Cardinals'bullpen to replace Williams during the inning.^[70]

In the top of the fourth inning,Bronson Arroyo was brought in to replace Wakefield after he had walked four batters. Those walks, combined with a throwing error by Millar and apassed ball byDoug Mirabelli, allowed the Cardinals to reduce the lead to two runs. In the sixth inning,So Taguchi reached first on aninfield hit and was allowed to advance to second when Arroyo threw the ball into the stands. Doubles byÉdgar Rentería and Walker tied the game at seven. In the bottom of the seventh inning, Ramírez singled with two men on base, and a poor throw by Edmonds allowedMark Bellhorn to score. Ortiz then hit a line drive that appeared to skip off the lip of the infield and hit Cardinals' second basemanTony Womack with "considerable force".^[71] Womack immediately grabbed hisclavicle as a second Red Sox run scored. He was attended to once play had ended and replaced byMarlon Anderson. A precautionaryX-ray revealed that there was no damage.^[70][71]

In the top of the eighth inning, with one out and two men on base, Red Sox closerKeith Foulke came in to pitch. Rentería singled towards Ramírez in left field, who unintentionally kicked the ball away, allowingJason Marquis to score. Walker also hit the ball towards Ramírez in the next at bat. Ramírez slid in an attempt to try to catch the ball, but tripped and deflected the ball for his second error in two plays, and the fourth Red Sox error in the game.Roger Cedeño scored on the play to tie the game at nine.^[70][72] In the bottom of the eighth inning, however,Jason Varitek reached on an error, and Bellhorn then hit a home run off the right field foul pole, also known asPesky's Pole, for his third home run in as many games to give the Red Sox a two-run lead.^[66][73] In the ninth inning, Foulke struck out Cedeño to win the game for the Red Sox 11–9.^[68][70]

With a total of 20 runs, it was the highest-scoring opening game of a World Series ever.^[74] With four RBI, Ortiz also tied a franchise record for RBI in a World Series game.^[66][75] Walker, making his World Series debut in Game 1, collected four hits in five at bats with a home run and two doubles.^[76] His four-hit outing tied a Cardinals World Series record, becoming the seventh overall and first to do so sinceLou Brock in 1967, also against Boston.^[77]

Boston nativeJames Taylor performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" before Game 2 and singerDonna Summer, also a Boston native, performed "God Bless America" during theseventh-inning stretch. Theceremonial first pitch was thrown by the surviving three members of the famous Red Sox quartet that had faced the Cardinals in 1946:Bobby Doerr,Dom DiMaggio andJohnny Pesky (Ted Williams had died two years earlier).^[78]

Despite having a torn tendon in his right ankle, similar to Game 6 of the ALCS against the Yankees, Schilling started Game 2 for the Red Sox.^[74] Schilling had four stitches in the ankle the day before, causing him "considerable discomfort".^[79] He was not sure on the morning of Game 2 if he would be able to play, but after one of the stitches was removed, he was treated withantibiotics and was able to pitch.^[79]Morris started for the Cardinals on three days' rest (one day fewer than is orthodox rest for a starting pitcher).^[80]

In the first inning,Albert Pujols doubled with two out, andScott Rolen hit aline drive towards Mueller, who caught it to end the inning.^[79] Morris walked Ramírez and Ortiz in the bottom of the inning. Varitek thentripled to center field to give the Red Sox a 2–0 lead.^[81]

In the fourth inning, Pujols doubled again and was able to score on an error by Mueller. The Red Sox also scored in the bottom of the inning when Bellhorn doubled to center with two runners on base, to give them a three-run lead.Cal Eldred came in to relieve Morris in the fifth inning, after he had walked theleadoff hitter, having already given up four runs in the previous four innings. Mueller committed his World Series record-tying third error of the game, in the sixth inning;^[82] however, the Cardinals failed to capitalize. In the bottom of the inning,Trot Nixon led off with a single to center, and two more singles byJohnny Damon andOrlando Cabrera enabled two more runs to score to make it 6–1.^[81]

After six innings of allowing no earned runs – which gave him a total of 13 innings against the Yankees and Cardinals with only one earned run allowed on a torn ankle tendon – Schilling made way forAlan Embree, who pitched a scoreless seventh.Mike Timlin replaced Embree in the eighth, in which asacrifice fly byScott Rolen reduced the Red Sox lead to four.Keith Foulke then came in to strike outJim Edmonds to end the inning and also pitched the ninth to end the game. For the second game in a row, the Red Sox won despite committing four fielding errors.^[81]

With thewin, Schilling became only the fifth pitcher to ever win a World Series game with a team from both leagues, having previously done it withNational League teams, thePhiladelphia Phillies in1993, and theArizona Diamondbacks in2001.^[79] He later donated the bloody sock he wore during the game to theBaseball Hall of Fame museum.^[74][83] Much of the blame for the Cardinals' losses in the first two games was directed at the fact that Rolen, Edmonds andReggie Sanders, three of the Cardinals' best batters, had combined for one hit in 22 at-bats.^[84][85][86]

Seattle Marinersdesignated hitterEdgar Martínez was presented with the 2004Roberto Clemente Award, having announced his retirement one month before.^[87] Theceremonial first pitch was thrown by arguably the Cardinals' best-ever position player,Stan Musial, and caught by arguably their best-ever pitcher,Bob Gibson. "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "God Bless America" were sung bycountry music singerMartina McBride and singer–songwriterAmy Grant respectively. During the game, a sign for the fast-food restaurantTaco Bell that measured 12 by 12 feet (3.7 m × 3.7 m) and read "Free Taco Here", was hung approximately 420 feet (130 m) from home plate, over the left-center field bullpen. Taco Bell promised that, if the sign was hit by a home run ball, they would give a free "Crunchy Beef Taco" to everyone in the United States.^[88][89]

Once again, the Red Sox took the lead in the first inning when Ramírez hit a home run off former Red Sox pitcherJeff Suppan.Pedro Martínez was the starting pitcher for the Red Sox, and in the bottom of the first inning, he allowed the Cardinals to load the bases with one out. Edmonds then hit a fly ball towards Ramírez in left field, who caught it on the run and threw to catcherJason Varitek at home plate. Varitek tagged out Walker, who was attempting to score from third, ending the inning.^[90]

In the bottom of the third inning, the Cardinals had two runners on base with no one out. Walker hit a ground ball towards first base, and Cardinalsthird base coachJosé Oquendo signalled to Suppan on third to run to home plate. However, halfway towards home, Suppan "suddenly stopped".^[90]Édgar Rentería, who had been running from second base towards third, was forced to return to second when he saw Suppan had stopped. After stepping on first base,David Ortiz began moving toward Suppan, who had turned back toward third, Ortiz threw tothird baseman Mueller, who tagged Suppan out. After the next batter,Albert Pujols, grounded to Mueller, the inning ended.^[90]

Trot Nixon extended the Red Sox lead to two in the top of the fourth, hitting a single to right field that scored Mueller, who had started the rally with a two-out double to left-center.Johnny Damon then led off the Red Sox's fifth inning with a double to right. Singles byOrlando Cabrera and Ramírez, to right and left respectively, scored Damon to make it 3–0. With two out, Mueller singled along the first base line, enabling Cabrera to score the Red Sox's fourth run. Suppan was replaced byAl Reyes, which meant none of the Cardinals three starting pitchers had finished five innings during the series.^[90]

Mike Timlin relieved Martinez in the bottom of the eighth inning. He finished with six strikeouts, three hits allowed andretired the last 14 batters he faced. The Cardinals avoided ashutout when Walker hit a home run to center field off Foulke in the ninth inning, but Foulke retired the other three batters he faced in the inning to secure the win for the Red Sox 4–1.^[90][91]

On the same day the Red Sox won Game 3,The Boston Globe'sDan Shaughnessy wrote that, as this win brought the Red Sox on the verge of winning a World Series, he wondered how many people in New England were thinking about loved ones who had spent their entire lives rooting for the Red Sox and hoping that one day, they would see the Red Sox win a World Series.^[56][57]

Country music singerGretchen Wilson, a lifelong Cardinals fan, performed "The Star-Spangled Banner".^[92]Creed lead singerScott Stapp sang "God Bless America" during the seventh-inning stretch.Barry Bonds andManny Ramírez received theHank Aaron Award for the National and American Leagues, respectively.^[93] Former Cardinals playersLou Brock andRed Schoendienst threw outceremonial first pitches along with Rashima Manning, from theHerbert HooverBoys & Girls Clubs of America.^[92] Alunar eclipse was visible during the game – the first lunar eclipse to take place during a World Series game.^[94][95] The game was also played on the 18th anniversary of Game 7 of the1986 World Series, which the Red Sox had lost atShea Stadium to theNew York Mets, despite taking a 3–0 lead into the sixth inning.

Damon hit a home run to right field in the first at-bat of the game on a 2–1 count to give the Red Sox the lead in the first inning for the fourth straight game;^[94] it proved to be the game-winning run. Ramírez singled in the third inning to give him a hit in 17 consecutive postseason games.^[95] Doubles to right byDavid Ortiz and to center byTrot Nixon, who narrowly missed a grand slam after swinging on a 3–0 count, scored two more runs for the Red Sox to give them a three-run lead.^[94][96] Cardinals starterJason Marquis went six innings and allowed just the three runs. Marquis was the only Cardinal pitcher who went past five innings, but would be saddled with the loss with no run support.

In the top of the eighth, Mueller led off with a single to right and Nixon followed with his third double of the game.Jason Isringhausen came in to pitch for the Cardinals with thebases loaded and nobody out, and was able to finish the inning without allowing a run to score.^[96]Kevin Millar pinch hit for the Red Sox starting pitcherDerek Lowe during this inning. Lowe pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing just three hits, and was the second Boston starter in as many days to pitch seven scoreless innings. It was the third straight game in which the Red Sox starting pitcher had not allowed anearned run.^[96]

Red Sox closer Foulke came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth. Pujols led off the inning by hitting a single through Foulke's legs and into center field. After Foulke induced Rolen into a fly out and struck out Edmonds, Pujols took second base, but nostolen base due tofielder's indifference.^[56]Édgar Rentería then hit aground ball that bounced back to Foulke on the mound. Foulke threw it underhand toDoug Mientkiewicz at first base to end the game, and the Red Sox drought.^[98]

The series win was the Red Sox's first title in 86 years. They were also the fourth team to win a World Series without trailing in any of the games in the series,^[74] and the seventh to win it having previously been three outs away from elimination. With thewin, pitcher Lowe became the first pitcher to ever win three series-clinching games in a single postseason having also won Game 3 of the ALDS against the Angels and Game 7 of the ALCS against the Yankees.^[99] Although the series was won in St. Louis, 3,000 Red Sox fans were present at the game, and many stayed after the final out to celebrate with the team, including going on the field when the team came back out of their dugout with the World Series trophy.^[98][100] Ramírez, who was named theMost Valuable Player (MVP) of the series, said afterwards "I don't believe in curses, I believe you make your own destination. [sic]"^[94]Kevin Millar said that it was important to finish off the Cardinals in four and not let it go to a fifth game given the team's history.^[56]

The Cardinals offense struggled to find spark in the final three games. Pujols, Rolen, and Edmonds, the normally fearsome 3-4-5 hitters for the Cardinals, were six-for-45 with one RBI. The club batted .190 with a .562 OPS overall. Walker was one of very few exceptions, batting .357 with a 1.366 OPS. His two home runs accounted for the only two home runs hit by the entire Cardinals team.^[101] In the 2004 postseason, Walker scored 21 percent (14 of 68) of Cardinal runs.^[77]

2004 World Series(4–0):Boston Red Sox (A.L.) beatSt. Louis Cardinals (N.L.).

Note: GP=Games Played; AB=At Bats; R=Runs; H=Hits; 2B=Doubles; 3B=Triples; HR=Home Runs; RBI=Runs Batted In; BB=Walks; AVG=Batting Average; OBP=On Base Percentage; SLG=Slugging Percentage

Note: G=Games Played; GS=Games Started; IP=Innings Pitched; H=Hits; BB=Walks; R=Runs; ER=Earned Runs; SO=Strikeouts; W=Wins; L=Losses; SV=Saves; ERA=Earned Run Average

Note: G=Games Played; INN=Innings Played; PO=Putouts; A=Assists; ERR=Errors; DP=Double Plays; TP=Triple Plays; PB=Passed Balls; SB=Stolen Bases Allowed; CS=Caught Stealing; PKO=Pickoffs; AVG=Fielding Average

Note: GP=Games Played; AB=At Bats; R=Runs; H=Hits; 2B=Doubles; 3B=Triples; HR=Home Runs; RBI=Runs Batted In; BB=Walks; AVG=Batting Average; OBP=On Base Percentage; SLG=Slugging Percentage

Note: G=Games Played; GS=Games Started; IP=Innings Pitched; H=Hits; BB=Walks; R=Runs; ER=Earned Runs; SO=Strikeouts; W=Wins; L=Losses; SV=Saves; ERA=Earned Run Average

The series was broadcast byFox, and theannouncers wereJoe Buck andTim McCarver.Jeanne Zelasko covered the pre-game build up to all four games and the presentation of theWorld Series trophy.^[56][67]An average of 23.1 million people watched Game 1. This was the highest television ratings for the opening game of a World Series in five years and had the highest average number of viewers since 1996. It was also the highest rated broadcast on any network in the past ten months.^[156] The ratings for the first two games were also the highest average since 1996,^[157] and the average for the first three games was the highest since 1999.^[158] Game 3 had the highest average number of viewers with 24.4 million, since 1996 when 28.7 million watched theAtlanta Braves andNew York Yankees. It was also theFox network's highest rating for a Game 3 of a World Series ever.^[159] Game 4 posted an 18.2 national rating giving the series an overall average of 15.8. This was the highest average in five years, and the average number of viewers of 25.4 million was the highest since 1995.^[160]

In terms of local radio, Joe Castiglione and Jerry Trupiano called the series forWEEI in Boston whileMike Shannon andWayne Hagin announced forKMOX in St. Louis.

With the win coming eight months after theNew England Patriots victory inSuper Bowl XXXVIII, the event made Boston the first city to have a Super Bowl and World Series winner in the same year since Pittsburgh in 1979.^[7] A number of players from both teams won awards for their performances during the season.Manny Ramírez won theHank Aaron Award and, along withAlbert Pujols, aSilver Slugger Award, whileGold Glove awards were won byMike Matheny,Scott Rolen andJim Edmonds.^[163] The American sports magazineSports Illustrated honored the Red Sox with theirSportsman of the Year award a month later, making them the first professional team to ever win the award. For pitcherCurt Schilling, it was the second time he had won the award, having shared it with then-Arizona Diamondbacks teammateRandy Johnson in 2001.^[164]

This World Series win by the Red Sox continued a history of Boston teams beating St. Louis teams to win championships.^[165] Previously, inSuper Bowl XXXVI, theNew England Patriots had upset theSt. Louis Rams' "Greatest Show on Turf" to win their first Super Bowl and herald a dynasty led byTom Brady andBill Belichick, theBoston Bruins had swept theSt. Louis Blues in the1970 Stanley Cup Finals (with Game 4 being remembered for Bobby Orr's Cup-winning overtime goal that sent him flying), and theBoston Celtics (as led by Bill Russell) met theSt. Louis Hawks four times from 1957 to 1961 for theNBA championship and won three times, which included the first in a dynasty in1957.^[165] With championship showdowns between teams from Boston andSt. Louis seen inMajor League Baseball, theNFL,NBA andNHL, it is the only showdown between teams from two specific locations, that has been seen in each of these four leagues.^[165][166] St. Louis would finally end Boston's dominance against them when theSt. Louis Blues defeated theBoston Bruins in the2019 Stanley Cup Finals.

Game 4 is the last World Series game to take place in what is known as amulti-purpose stadium, ending thecookie-cutter era of MLB stadiums from the 1960s-1970s.^[167]

The Red Sox's win in the World Series ended the "Curse of the Bambino", which supposedly had afflicted the team ever since the Red Sox soldBabe Ruth to theNew York Yankees in 1919.^[168][169] PitcherDerek Lowe and other players said that the team would no longer hear "1918!" atYankee Stadium ever again.^{[55][170][171]}Kevin Millar said toall Red Sox fans: "We wanted to do it so bad for the city of Boston. To win a World Series with this on our chests, it hasn't been done since 1918. So rip up those '1918!' posters right now."^{[56][166][171]} Members of previous Red Sox teams who had fallen short immediately acclaimed the 2004 team, including Pesky – who had been the shortstop responsible for a fatal checking error that had allowed the Cardinals'Enos Slaughter to complete his "Mad Dash" to score the winning run in Game 7 at the old Sportsman's Park in 1946. Pesky watched the game from the visiting clubhouse and was immediately embraced by Millar, Wakefield, Schilling and others as a living representative of those previous teams as he joined the celebrations.

It also added to the recent success of Boston-area teams, following the Patriots wins in Super Bowls XXXVI andXXXVIII. With the Patriots having won Super Bowl XXXVIII the previous February, the Red Sox winning the World Series marked the first time since 1979 that the same city had a Super Bowl and World Series winner in the same year – the last city to accomplish the feat had beenPittsburgh, when theSteelers andPirates had wonSuper Bowl XIII and theWorld Series respectively.^[7] The city gained seven championships in the next decade in the four major North American sports leagues (MLB, the NFL, the NBA and the NHL), including one in each league after the Patriots won two more Super Bowls, theCeltics won the 2008 NBA championship and theBruins won the Stanley Cup in 2011. Following the Bruins winning the2011 Stanley Cup Finals,Boston Globe columnistDan Shaughnessy ranked all seven championships and chose the Red Sox' 2004 World Series win as the greatest Boston sports championship during the ten-year span.^[172]

Red Sox managerTerry Francona became the third manager in four years to win a World Series in his first year as manager, followingBob Brenly of the2001 Arizona Diamondbacks andJack McKeon of the2003 Florida Marlins.^[74]

MassachusettsUS Senator, Boston resident and futureSecretary of StateJohn Kerry, who had been namedDemocraticpresidential nominee in Boston that summer, wore a Red Sox cap the day after the series ended.^[173] He also said that the Red Sox had "[come] back against all odds and showed America what heart is".^[173] HisRepublican opponent, incumbent PresidentGeorge W. Bush,^[174] made a phone call from theWhite House to congratulate the team's ownerJohn W. Henry, presidentLarry Lucchino and managerTerry Francona.^[173] The team also visited Bush at the White House the following March, where he gave a speech honoring their presence, in which he asked "what took [them] so long?"^[175] A future Presidential candidate,Mitt Romney, at the time Massachusetts Governor, ceremonially helped remove the Reverse Curve road sign on Storrow Drive that had been famously spray-painted to read "Reverse the Curse" as a further marking of the end of the Curse.^[176]

The day after the Red Sox win, theBoston Globe more than doubled its daily press run, from 500,000 to 1.2 million copies, with the headline, "YES!!!" right across the front page.^[95][177]

The Red Sox held their World Series victory parade on the following Saturday, October 30. The team was transported around on 17duck boats equipped with loudspeakers so the players could talk to the spectators. Due to large interest in the parade, it was lengthened by officials the day before to include theCharles River, so that fans could watch from the Boston andCambridge river banks. The parade did not however, include a staged rally. The parade began at 10 a.m. local time atFenway Park, turned east ontoBoylston Street, then west ontoTremont Street andStorrow Drive before entering the river. One of the lanes onMassachusetts Avenue had to be closed to accommodate members of the media filming the parade as it passed under theHarvard Bridge.^[178] Ramírez was handed a sign by one of the spectators part of the way through the parade, which read, "Jeter is playing golf today. This is better!"^[179] He held on to this sign for the rest of the parade, in a similar way to whatTug McGraw said after thePhiladelphia Phillies won the1980 World Series.^{[179][180][181]} Over three million people were estimated to have attended the parade, making it the largest gathering ever in the city of Boston.^[182]

The Red Sox were presented with theirWorld Series rings on April 11, 2005, at a ceremony before the team's first home game of the2005 season. Former Red Sox playersBobby Doerr,Dom DiMaggio,Johnny Pesky, andCarl Yastrzemski were all present, as were theBoston Symphony Orchestra and theBoston Pops Orchestra. During the ceremony, five redpennants were first unfurled at the top of theGreen Monster, showing the years of each of the Red Sox' previous World Series wins. A much larger banner was unfurled that covered the entire wall and read "2004 World Series Champions".James Taylor, himself a Boston native and a Red Sox fan, performed "America the Beautiful", and 19 members of theUnited States Army andMarine Corps who had fought in theIraq War walked onto the field. Moments of silence were held to honor the deaths ofPope John Paul II, who had died nine days earlier, and former Red Soxrelief pitcher,Dick Radatz. The rings were handed out by the team's owner,John W. Henry. Former Red Sox players Lowe andDave Roberts, who had joined theLos Angeles Dodgers andSan Diego Padres respectively during theoff-season, were also present to collect their rings.^[183] The ceremony, which lasted around an hour, ended with stars from other Boston sports teams, including theCeltics'Bill Russell, theBruins'Bobby Orr and thePatriots'Tedy Bruschi andRichard Seymour, throwingceremonial first pitches.^[184] The presence of Bruschi and Seymour made evident the recent success of Boston-area teams.^[7] The day after the Red Sox won the Series, Shaughnessy and the rest of the news media said of the Red Sox home opener: "The team in the third-base dugout? The New York Yankees, Sweet."^[95] In a sign of respect, the Red Sox rivals came to the top step of the visitors dugout and gave the Red Sox a standing ovation.^[185] The Fenway Park crowd burst into cheers when Yankees pitcherMariano Rivera was introduced, breaking from the tradition of fansbooing opposing players, due to him having blownsave opportunities in Games 4 and 5 of the 2004 ALCS. Rivera was a good sport about it and laughed while waving his arms in mock appreciation of the fans.^[186]

The following August,Simon & Schuster publishedFaithful, a book which collected e-mails about the Red Sox betweenAmerican writers and Red Sox fansStephen King andStewart O'Nan during the2004 season.^[188] In March 2005, Houghton Mifflin Company publishedReversing the Curse, a book by Shaughnessy, author of the bestsellingThe Curse of the Bambino, chronicling the 2004 Red Sox season. ESPN'sBill Simmons publishedNow I Can Die In Peace, a collection of his columns with updated annotations and notes, including columns for each of the last four games of the ALCS and each World Series game – with Game 4 being a running diary.^[189] The Farrelly Brothers altered the ending of their 2005 filmFever Pitch – which includes appearances by Damon, Nixon and Varitek – to coincide with the actual end of the series. They and their crew, plus starsDrew Barrymore andJimmy Fallon, flew to St. Louis and Barrymore and Fallon attended Game 4 in character, complete with the two of them running onto the field at Busch Stadium and kissing once the final out was made.^[190][191]

On May 28, 2014, the team reunited at Fenway Park as the Red Sox celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the historic championship as they hosted theAtlanta Braves. Ramirez threw out the first pitch to Varitek but was cut off by Damon in a reversal of Ramirez once cutting off Damon's throw from center field during a game.^[192]

On April 9, 2024, the team reunited again for their 20-year anniversary of the 2004 championship as the Red Sox hosted theBaltimore Orioles on Opening Day at Fenway Park. The pregame ceremony was also in memory of Wakefield, who had died of brain cancer on October 1st at the age of 57, Wakefield's wife Stacy, who had died of pancreatic cancer on February 29th at the age of 53, and Lucchino, who had died of heart failure on April 2nd at the age of 78. Tim and Stacy's children – their son Trevor and daughter Brianna – led the 2004 team in from left field, and Brianna threw theceremonial first pitch to Varitek.^[193][194]

On the Cardinals' side, the media expressed disappointment at the team's failure to win a game in the Series after recording the team's best regular season in over 60 years.^[168][195] Manyreporters believed that the Cardinals had not played up to their usual standard, and much of the blame was directed at Rolen, Edmonds andReggie Sanders, three of the Cardinals' best hitters, who had combined for onehit in 39 at bats in the series.^{[168][196][197]}

It also marked the last time that Busch Memorial Stadium hosted a World Series.^[198] The Cardinals moved to the newBusch Stadium in their championship season of2006,^[198] which was their first since1982.^[199]

Both the Red Sox and Cardinals made the playoffs the following season. The Red Sox lost to the eventual champions theChicago White Sox, in theAmerican League Division Series, who would go on to end their own curse in theCurse of the Black Sox. The Cardinals, in a repeat meeting of the previous season'sNational League Championship Series, lost to theHouston Astros.^[200] However, the city of Boston would see more success when theNew England Patriots wonSuper Bowl XXXIX, three months after the Red Sox won the World Series, giving thegreater Boston area its third championship in 12 months, making it the first time since 1980 that any city had twoSuper Bowl winners and aWorld Series winner in a period of the same length.^[7]

Both teams also won one of the next three World Series in successive years; the Cardinals, as noted above, in2006, beating theDetroit Tigers in five games, becoming the first team since theNew York Yankees in1923, to win a World Series championship in their first season in a new stadium (which the Yankees themselves would also do in2009).^[198] Tony La Russa would achieve the distinction that he could not achieve in 2004 of managing World Series winners in both leagues.^[44][45] He would continue to wear number 10 to pay tribute toSparky Anderson afterwards.^[45]

The Red Sox won the World Series thefollowing year,sweeping theColorado Rockies in four games.^[59]Tom Werner, chairman of the Red Sox, and team presidentLarry Lucchino said that the 2004 championship was "for the parents and grandparents who had suffered through theCurse of the Bambino", while 2007 was "for children, grandchildren, and forRed Sox Nation".^[201]

Both teams would meet again in the2013 World Series, with the Red Sox winning the championship in six games. It was the first time Boston clinched the World Series at its home field, Fenway Park, since 1918.^[202] Boston would win an additional title in2018 when they defeated theLos Angeles Dodgers 4 games to 1.

Twelve years after this World Series, theChicago Cubs would end their own championship drought at 108 years, defeating theCleveland Indians in seven games in their first World Series appearance in71 years. In doing this,Theo Epstein is now credited with helping to end two of the most famous curses in all of professional sports.^[203] Coincidentally, the losing manager in that year's World Series wasTerry Francona, who had managed the Red Sox to both the 2004 and 2007 championships.^[204] The winning manager in that World Series,Joe Maddon, like La Russa, managed pennant winning teams in both leagues having managed the2008 Tampa Bay Rays.^[205]

In the2021 National League Division Series, 2004 Red Sox members faced off against each other as managers, asDave Roberts'Los Angeles Dodgers beatGabe Kapler'sSan Francisco Giants in five games.^[206] Four years later, Francona'sCincinnati Reds and Roberts' Dodgers matched up in the2025 National League Wild Card Series.

• 2004 Japan Series
• List of World Series sweeps

• 2004 World Series (DVD). Major League Baseball Productions. 2004.
• Shaughnessy, Dan (2005).Reversing the Curse. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.ISBN 0-618-51748-0.
• Shaughnessy, Dan (1990).The Curse of the Bambino. New York: Dutton.ISBN 0-525-24887-0.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to2004 World Series.

• 2004 World Series atBaseball Almanac
• 2004 World Series atBaseball-Reference.com
• The 2004 Post-Season Games (box scores and play-by-play) atRetrosheet
• History of the World Series - 2004 atThe Sporting News. Archived fromthe original in May 2006.

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