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2004 Boston Red Sox season

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2004 Boston Red Sox
World Series Champions
AL Champions
AL Wild Card
Tim Wakefield (right) with the Commissioner's Trophy
Tim Wakefield (right) with the Commissioner's Trophy
DivisionEast Division
BallparkFenway Park
CityBoston
Record98–64 (.605)
OwnersJohn W. Henry (New England Sports Ventures)
ManagersTerry Francona
TelevisionWSBK-TV
WBZ-TV
(Sean McDonough, Jerry Remy)
NESN
(Don Orsillo, Jerry Remy)
RadioWEEI
(Jerry Trupiano, Joe Castiglione)
WROL
(Bill Kulik, Uri Berenguer, Juan Pedro Villamán)
StatsESPN.com
Baseball Reference
← 2003 Seasons 2005 →

The 2004 Boston Red Sox season was the 104th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. Managed by Terry Francona, the Red Sox finished with a 98–64 record, three games behind the New York Yankees in the American League East. The Red Sox qualified for the postseason as the AL wild card, swept the Anaheim Angels in the ALDS, and faced the Yankees in the ALCS for the second straight year. After losing the first three games to the Yankees and trailing in the ninth inning of the fourth game, the Red Sox became the first team in major league history to come back from a three-game postseason deficit, defeating the Yankees in seven games. The Red Sox then swept the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series, capturing their first championship since 1918.[1]

Offseason

Curt Schilling

Pre-season events

During the 2003–04 off season, the Red Sox acquired a starting ace pitcher; Curt Schilling, as well as a closer, Keith Foulke.[7] Many visitors at their spring training at Fort Myers, Florida, were very enthusiastic about the 2004 Red Sox team. Expectations once again ran high that 2004 would finally be the year that the Red Sox ended their championship drought.[8]

Regular season

Season standings

AL East
Team W L Pct. GB Home Road
New York Yankees 101 61 .623 — 57‍–‍24 44‍–‍37
Boston Red Sox 98 64 .605 3 55‍–‍26 43‍–‍38
Baltimore Orioles 78 84 .481 23 38‍–‍43 40‍–‍41
Tampa Bay Devil Rays 70 91 .435 30½ 41‍–‍39 29‍–‍52
Toronto Blue Jays 67 94 .416 33½ 40‍–‍41 27‍–‍53


Record vs. opponents

2004 American League record

Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]
Team ANA BAL BOS CWS CLE DET KC MIN NYY OAK SEA TB TEX TOR NL 
Anaheim — 6–3 4–5 5–4 4–5 7–2 7–0 5–4 5–4 10–9 13–7 6–1 9–10 4–5 7–11
Baltimore 3–6 — 10–9 2–4 3–3 6–0 6–3 4–5 5–14 0–7 7–2 11–8 5–2 11–8 5–13
Boston 5–4 9–10 — 4–2 3–4 6–1 4–2 2–4 11–8 8–1 5–4 14–5 4–5 14–5 9–9
Chicago 4–5 4–2 2–4 — 10–9 8–11 13–6 9–10 3–4 2–7 7–2 4–2 6–3 3–4 8–10
Cleveland 5–4 3–3 4–3 9–10 — 9–10 11–8 7–12 2–4 6–3 5–4 3–3 1–8 5–2 10–8
Detroit 2–7 0–6 1–6 11–8 10–9 — 8–11 7–12 4–3 4–5 5–4 3–3 4–5 4–2 9–9
Kansas City 0–7 3–6 2–4 6–13 8–11 11–8 — 7–12 1–5 2–7 2–5 3–6 4–5 3–3 6–12
Minnesota 4–5 5–4 4–2 10–9 12–7 12–7 12–7 — 2–4 2–5 5–4 4–5 5–2 4–2 11–7
New York 4–5 14–5 8–11 4–3 4–2 3–4 5–1 4–2 — 7–2 6–3 15–4 5–4 12–7 10–8
Oakland 9–10 7–0 1–8 7–2 3–6 5–4 7–2 5–2 2–7 — 11–8 7–2 11–9 6–3 10–8
Seattle 7–13 2–7 4–5 2–7 4–5 4–5 5–2 4–5 3–6 8–11 — 2–5 7–12 2–7 9–9
Tampa Bay 1–6 8–11 5–14 2–4 3–3 3–3 6–3 5–4 4–15 2–7 5–2 — 2–7 9–9 15–3
Texas 10–9 2–5 5–4 3–6 8–1 5–4 5–4 2–5 4–5 9–11 12–7 7–2 — 7–2 10–8
Toronto 5–4 8–11 5–14 4–3 2–5 2–4 3–3 2–4 7–12 3–6 7–2 9–9 2–7 — 8–10
Red Sox vs. National League
Team NL West  
ARI COL LAD SDP SFG ATL PHI
Boston — 1–2 2–1 2–1 1–2 1–2 2–1

Notable transactions

Opening Day lineup

18 Johnny Damon CF
11 Bill Mueller 3B
24 Manny Ramirez LF
34 David Ortiz DH
15 Kevin Millar 1B
19 Gabe Kapler RF
33 Jason Varitek C
12 Mark Bellhorn 2B
  3 Pokey Reese SS
45 Pedro Martínez P

Source: [19][20]

Roster

2004 Boston Red Sox roster
Roster
Pitchers Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Designated hitter

Pinch hitter

Manager

Coaches

Road to a Championship

The regular season started well in April, but through midseason the team struggled due to injuries, inconsistency and defensive woes, and fell more than eight games behind New York. A bright point came on July 24, when the Red Sox overcame a five-run deficit as Bill Mueller hit a game-winning home run to right-center off Yankees closer Mariano Rivera. The game also featured a now infamous brawl between Yankee superstar Alex Rodriguez and Red Sox catcher and captain Jason Varitek.

Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein shook up the team at the MLB trading deadline July 31, trading the team's wildly popular yet often hurt and disgruntled shortstop, Nomar Garciaparra, to the Chicago Cubs,[21] receiving Orlando Cabrera from the Montreal Expos and Doug Mientkiewicz from 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. With valuable players like Cabrera, Mientkiewicz, and Roberts in the lineup, the club turned things around, winning twenty-two out of twenty-five games and going on to finish within three games of the Yankees in the AL East and qualifying for the playoffs as the AL Wild Card.

The team played its home games at Fenway Park, before a regular season total attendance of 2,837,294 fans.

Game log

2004 Game Log
April (15-6)
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record
1 April 4 @ Orioles 7–2 Ponson (1–0) Martínez (0–1) Ryan (1) 47,683 0–1
2 April 6 @ Orioles 4–1 Schilling (1–0) DuBose (0–1) Foulke (1) 35,355 1–1
3 April 7 @ Orioles 10–3 Lowe (1–0) Ainsworth (0–1) — 28,373 2–1
4 April 8 @ Orioles 3–2 (13) López (1–0) Jones — 31,121 2–2
5 April 9 Blue Jays 10–5 Speier (1–0) Timlin (0–1) — 34,337 2–3
6 April 10 Blue Jays 4–1 Martínez (1–1) Halladay (0–2) Foulke (2) 35,305 3–3
7 April 11 Blue Jays 6–4 (12) Malaska (1–0) López (0–1) — 34,286 4–3
– April 13 Orioles Postponed (rain) Rescheduled for May 31
– April 14 Orioles Postponed (rain) Rescheduled for July 22
8 April 15 Orioles 12–7 (11) Groom (1–0) Arroyo (0–1) — 35,271 4–4
9 April 16 Yankees 6–2 Wakefield (1–0) Vázquez (1–1) — 35,163 5–4
10 April 17 Yankees 5–2 Schilling (2–0) Mussina (1–3) — 35,023 6–4
11 April 18 Yankees 7–3 (10) Quantrill (1–0) Lowe (1–1) — 35,011 6–5
12 April 19 Yankees 5–4 Timlin (1–1) Gordon (0–1) Foulke (3) 35,027 7–5
13 April 20 @ Blue Jays 4–2 Martínez (2–1) Halladay (1–3) Foulke (4) 26,010 8–5
14 April 21 @ Blue Jays 4–2 Wakefield (2–0) Lilly (0–2) Foulke (5) 16,163 9–5
15 April 22 @ Blue Jays 7–3 Adams (2–0) Schilling (2–1) — 16,480 9–6
16 April 23 @ Yankees 11–2 Lowe (2–1) Contreras (0–2) — 55,001 10–6
17 April 24 @ Yankees 3–2 (12) Foulke (1–0) Quantrill (2–1) Timlin (1) 55,195 11–6
18 April 25 @ Yankees 2–0 Martínez (3–1) Vázquez (2–2) Williamson (1) 55,338 12–6
– April 27 Devil Rays Postponed (rain) Rescheduled for April 29
19 April 28 Devil Rays 6–0 Schilling (3–1) Abbott (2–2) — 35,120 13–6
20 April 29 Devil Rays 4–0 Kim (1–0) Zambrano (3–2) — 35,614 14–6
21 April 29 Devil Rays 7–3 Lowe (3–1) Moss (0–1) — 35,441 15–6
– April 30 @ Rangers Postponed (rain) Rescheduled for May 1
May (16-14)
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record
22 May 1 @ Rangers 4–3 Ramirez (1–1) Malaska (1–1) Cordero (8) 44,598 15–7
23 May 1 @ Rangers 8–5 Benoit (1–0) Martínez (3–2) Cordero (9) 44,598 15–8
24 May 2 @ Rangers 4–1 Dickey (4–1) Wakefield (2–1) Cordero (10) 31,538 15–9
25 May 3 @ Indians 4–3 Westbrook (2–1) Schilling (3–2) Betancourt (1) 16,285 15–10
26 May 4 @ Indians 7–6 Davis (1–2) Lowe (3–2) Betancourt (2) 16,070 15–11
27 May 5 @ Indians 9–5 Arroyo (1–1) D'Amico (1–2) — 17,370 16–11
28 May 6 @ Indians 5–2 Martínez (4–2) Sabathia (1–1) Foulke (6) 26,825 17–11
29 May 7 Royals 7–6 Timlin (2–1) MacDougal (0–1) — 35,280 18–11
30 May 8 Royals 9–1 Schilling (4–2) Gobble (1–1) — 34,929 19–11
31 May 9 Royals 8–4 May (1–4) Lowe (3–3) — 34,589 19–12
32 May 10 Indians 10–6 Durbin (3–3) Kim (1–1) — 35,257 19–13
33 May 11 Indians 5–3 Embree (1–0) Jiménez (0–2) Foulke (7) 35,401 20–13
34 May 12 Indians 6–4 Lee (4–0) Wakefield (2–2) — 35,371 20–14
35 May 13 @ Blue Jays 12–6 Batista (1–3) Schilling (4–3) — 20,876 20–15
36 May 14 @ Blue Jays 9–3 (10) Embree (2–0) Ligtenberg (1–1) — 20,948 21–15
37 May 15 @ Blue Jays 4–0 Arroyo (2–1) Hentgen (2–3) — 36,841 22–15
38 May 16 @ Blue Jays 3–1 Halladay (4–4) Martínez (4–3) Adams (2) 31,618 22–16
39 May 18 @ Devil Rays 7–3 Wakefield (3–2) Hendrickson (2–4) — 12,836 23–16
40 May 19 @ Devil Rays 4–1 Schilling (5–3) Bell (0–1) Foulke (8) 13,960 24–16
41 May 20 @ Devil Rays 9–6 Sosa (1–0) Lowe (3–4) Báez (5) 12,401 24–17
42 May 21 Blue Jays 11–5 Timlin (3–1) Nakamura (0–3) — 35,287 25–17
43 May 22 Blue Jays 5–2 Martínez (1–0) Ligtenberg (1–2) Foulke (9) 35,196 26–17
44 May 23 Blue Jays 7–2 Wakefield (4–2) Batista (2–4) — 35,239 27–17
45 May 25 Athletics 12–2 Schilling (6–3) Hudson (5–2) — 35,236 28–17
46 May 26 Athletics 9–6 Lowe (4–4) Redman (3–3) Foulke (10) 34,931 29–17
47 May 27 Athletics 15–2 Mulder (6–2) Arroyo (2–2) — 35,438 29–18
48 May 28 Mariners 8–4 Martínez (5–3) Piñeiro (1–6) — 35,134 30–18
49 May 29 Mariners 5–4 García (3–3) Wakefield (4–3) Guardado (9) 35,250 30–19
50 May 30 Mariners 9–7 (12) Martínez (2–0) Putz (0–2) — 35,046 31–19
51 May 31 Orioles 13–4 López (4–2) Lowe (4–5) — 35,465 31–20
June (11-14)
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record
52 June 1 @ Angels 7–6 Gregg (2–0) Arroyo (2–3) Percival (13) 43,285 31–21
53 June 2 @ Angels 10–7 Ortiz (2–4) Timlin (3–2) Rodríguez (2) 43,205 31–22
54 June 4 @ Royals 5–2 Gobble (3–3) Wakefield (4–4) Affeldt (6) 28,182 31–23
55 June 5 @ Royals 8–4 Schilling (7–3) May (2–8) — 29,968 32–23
56 June 6 @ Royals 5–3 Lowe (5–5) Grimsley (3–2) Foulke (11) 22,964 33–23
57 June 8 Padres 1–0 Martínez (6–3) Osuna (1–1) Foulke (12) 35,205 34–23
58 June 9 Padres 8–1 Lawrence (8–3) Arroyo (2–4) — 35,064 34–24
59 June 10 Padres 9–3 Schilling (8–3) Valdez (5–3) — 35,068 35–24
60 June 11 Dodgers 2–1 Foulke (2–0) Martin (0–1) — 35,173 36–24
61 June 12 Dodgers 14–5 Weaver (4–7) Wakefield (4–5) — 34,671 36–25
62 June 13 Dodgers 4–1 Martínez (7–3) Nomo (3–7) Foulke (13) 35,068 37–25
63 June 15 @ Rockies 6–3 Kennedy (5–4) Arroyo (2–5) Chacón (11) 40,489 37–26
64 June 16 @ Rockies 7–6 Jennings (6–6) Schilling (8–4) Chacón (12) 39,319 37–27
65 June 17 @ Rockies 11–0 Lowe (6–5) Cook (1–2) — 40,088 38–27
66 June 18 @ Giants 14–9 Timlin (4–2) Williams (6–5) — 42,557 39–27
67 June 19 @ Giants 6–4 Herges (3–2) Embree (2–1) — 42,499 39–28
68 June 20 @ Giants 4–0 Schmidt (9–2) Arroyo (2–6) — 42,568 39–29
69 June 22 Twins 9–2 Schilling (9–4) Lohse (2–5) — 35,261 40–29
70 June 23 Twins 4–2 Silva (8–4) Lowe (6–6) Nathan (20) 35,233 40–30
71 June 24 Twins 4–3 (10) Balfour (2–0) Foulke (2–1) Nathan (21) 34,827 40–31
72 June 25 Phillies 12–1 Martínez (8–3) Abbott (0–2) — 35,059 41–31
73 June 26 Phillies 9–2 Madson (5–2) Arroyo (2–7) — 34,712 41–32
74 June 27 Phillies 12–3 Schilling (10–4) Myers (5–5) — 34,739 42–32
75 June 29 @ Yankees 11–3 Vázquez (9–5) Lowe (6–7) — 55,231 42–33
76 June 30 @ Yankees 4–2 Gordon (2–2) Timlin (4–3) Rivera (29) 55,023 42–34
July (14-12)
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record
77 July 1 @ Yankees 5–4 (13) Sturtze (3–0) Leskanic (0–4) — 55,265 42–35
78 July 2 @ Braves 6–3 (12) Cruz (2–0) Martínez (2–1) — 42,231 42–36
79 July 3 @ Braves 6–1 Schilling (11–4) Thomson (6–7) — 51,831 43–36
80 July 4 @ Braves 10–4 Hampton (3–8) Lowe (6–8) — 41,414 43–37
81 July 6 Athletics 11–0 Wakefield (5–5) Zito (4–6) — 35,302 44–37
82 July 7 Athletics 11–3 Martínez (9–3) Redman (6–6) — 35,012 45–37
83 July 8 Athletics 8–7 (10) Leskanic (1–4) Lehr (0–1) — 35,144 46–37
84 July 9 Rangers 7–0 Arroyo (3–7) Benoit (3–4) — 35,030 47–37
85 July 10 Rangers 14–6 Lowe (7–8) Rogers (12–3) — 35,024 48–37
86 July 11 Rangers 6–5 Shouse (2–0) Foulke (2–2) Cordero (27) 34,778 48–38
87 July 15 @ Angels 8–1 Washburn (10–4) Lowe (7–9) — 43,623 48–39
88 July 16 @ Angels 4–2 Martínez (10–3) Escobar (5–6) Foulke (14) 43,771 49–39
89 July 17 @ Angels 8–3 Colón (7–8) Wakefield (5–6) — 43,746 49–40
90 July 18 @ Angels 6–2 Schilling (12–4) Lackey (7–9) — 43,613 50–40
91 July 19 @ Mariners 8–4 (11) Myers (4–1) Leskanic (1–5) — 42,898 50–41
92 July 20 @ Mariners 9–7 Lowe (8–9) Piñeiro (5–11) Foulke (15) 46,024 51–41
93 July 21 Orioles 10–5 Bédard (4–4) Martínez (10–4) — 35,023 51–42
94 July 22 Orioles 8–3 López (8–6) Alvarez (0–1) — 34,697 51–43
95 July 22 Orioles 4–0 Wakefield (6–6) Borkowski (1–2) — 35,370 52–43
96 July 23 Yankees 8–7 Gordon (3–3) Foulke (2–3) Rivera (35) 34,933 52–44
97 July 24 Yankees 11–10 Mendoza (1–0) Rivera (1–1) — 34,501 53–44
98 July 25 Yankees 9–6 Lowe (9–9) Contreras (8–4) Foulke (16) 35,006 54–44
99 July 26 @ Orioles 12–5 Martínez (11–4) Bédard (4–5) — 42,113 55–44
– July 27 @ Orioles Postponed (rain) Rescheduled for October 2
100 July 28 @ Orioles 4–1 Borowski (2–2) Schilling (12–5) — 42,113 55–45
101 July 30 @ Twins 8–2 Arroyo (4–7) Lohse (4–8) — 34,263 56–45
102 July 31 @ Twins 5–4 Rincón (9–3) Embree (2–2) Nathan (29) 40,283 56–46
August (21-7)
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record
103 August 1 @ Twins 4–3 Santana (10–6) Timlin (4–4) Nathan (30) 38,751 56–47
104 August 2 @ Devil Rays 6–3 (10) Wakefield (7–6) Hendrickson (8–9) Foulke (17) 21,835 57–47
105 August 3 @ Devil Rays 5–2 Schilling (13–5) Bell (4–5) — 20,882 58–47
106 August 4 @ Devil Rays 5–4 Harper (3–2) Arroyo (4–8) Báez (23) 18,133 58–48
107 August 6 @ Tigers 4–3 Novoa (1–0) Lowe (9–10) Urbina (18) 40,674 58–49
108 August 7 @ Tigers 7–4 Martínez (12–4) Bonderman (6–9) — 42,607 59–49
109 August 8 @ Tigers 11–9 Wakefield (8–6) Robertson (9–7) Foulke (18) 40,098 60–49
110 August 9 Devil Rays 8–3 Halama (6–5) Schilling (13–6) — 35,172 60–50
111 August 10 Devil Rays 8–4 Arroyo (5–8) Sosa (3–1) — 35,191 61–50
112 August 11 Devil Rays 14–4 Lowe (10–10) Brazelton (4–4) — 35,091 62–50
113 August 12 Devil Rays 6–0 Martínez (13–4) Hendrickson (8–11) — 34,804 63–50
114 August 13 White Sox 8–7 Contreras (10–5) Wakefield (8–7) Takatsu (11) 35,028 63–51
115 August 14 White Sox 4–3 Schilling (14–6) Adkins (2–3) Foulke (19) 35,012 64–51
116 August 15 White Sox 5–4 Buehrle (11–6) Arroyo (5–9) Takatsu (12) 34,405 64–52
117 August 16 Blue Jays 8–4 Lowe (11–10) Miller (1–2) Foulke (20) 35,271 65–52
118 August 17 Blue Jays 5–4 (10) Foulke (3–3) Frederick (0–2) — 35,105 66–52
119 August 18 Blue Jays 6–4 Wakefield (9–7) Batista (9–9) — 34,867 67–52
120 August 20 @ White Sox 10–1 Schilling (15–6) Buehrle (11–7) — 38,720 68–52
121 August 21 @ White Sox 10–7 Arroyo (6–9) Stewart (0–1) Foulke (21) 37,303 69–52
122 August 22 @ White Sox 6–5 Leskanic (2–5) Marte (4–5) Foulke (22) 34,355 70–52
123 August 23 @ Blue Jays 3–0 Lilly (9–8) Martínez (13–5) — 27,145 70–53
124 August 24 @ Blue Jays 5–4 Wakefield (10–7) Batista (9–10) Foulke (23) 22,217 71–53
125 August 25 @ Blue Jays 11–5 Schilling (16–6) Towers (9–5) — 22,479 72–53
126 August 26 Tigers 4–1 Arroyo (7–9) Johnson (8–12) Foulke (24) 35,153 73–53
127 August 27 Tigers 5–3 Lowe (12–10) Maroth (10–9) Leskanic (3) 35,018 74–53
128 August 28 Tigers 5–1 Martínez (14–5) Bonderman (7–11) — 35,032 75–53
129 August 29 Tigers 6–1 Wakefield (11–7) Ledezma (3–2) — 34,268 76–53
130 August 31 Angels 10–7 Schilling (17–6) Lackey (11–11) Foulke (25) 35,040 77–53
September (18-10)
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record
131 September 1 Angels 12–7 Adams (5–4) Sele (8–2) — 35,076 78–53
132 September 2 Angels 4–3 Lowe (13–10) Colón (13–11) Foulke (26) 35,050 79–53
133 September 3 Rangers 2–0 Martínez (15–5) Wasdin (2–3) Foulke (27) 35,151 80–53
134 September 4 Rangers 8–6 Young (1–1) Wakefield (11–8) Cordero (42) 34,670 80–54
135 September 5 Rangers 6–5 Schilling (18–6) Drese (11–8) — 34,652 81–54
136 September 6 @ Athletics 8–3 Arroyo (8–9) Zito (10–10) — 37,839 82–54
137 September 7 @ Athletics 7–1 Lowe (14–10) Redman (10–11) — 29,659 83–54
138 September 8 @ Athletics 8–3 Martínez (16–5) Hudson (11–5) Foulke (28) 39,575 84–54
139 September 9 @ Mariners 7–1 Madritsch (4–2) Wakefield (11–9) — 29,656 84–55
140 September 10 @ Mariners 13–2 Schilling (19–6) Franklin (3–15) — 38,100 85–55
141 September 11 @ Mariners 9–0 Arroyo (9–9) Moyer (6–11) — 44,401 86–55
142 September 12 @ Mariners 2–0 Meche (5–6) Lowe (14–11) — 43,742 86–56
143 September 14 Devil Rays 5–2 Kazmir (2–1) Martínez (16–6) Báez (27) 35,118 86–57
144 September 15 Devil Rays 8–6 Myers (5–1) Núñez (0–3) Foulke (29) 35,105 87–57
145 September 16 Devil Rays 11–4 Schilling (20–6) Hendrickson (8–15) — 35,048 88–57
146 September 17 @ Yankees 3–2 Timlin (5–4) Rivera (4–2) Foulke (30) 55,128 89–57
147 September 18 @ Yankees 14–4 Lieber (12–8) Lowe (14–12) — 55,153 89–58
148 September 19 @ Yankees 11–1 Mussina (12–9) Martínez (16–7) — 55,142 89–59
149 September 20 Orioles 10–6 Grimsley (5–6) Wakefield (11–10) Julio (22) 34,758 89–60
150 September 21 Orioles 3–2 Foulke (4–3) Ryan (3–6) — 35,083 90–60
151 September 22 Orioles 7–6 (12) Leskanic (3–5) Bauer (1–1) — 35,103 91–60
152 September 23 Orioles 9–7 Williams (2–0) Mendoza (1–1) — 35,026 91–61
153 September 24 Yankees 6–4 Gordon (8–4) Martínez (16–8) Rivera (51) 35,022 91–62
154 September 25 Yankees 12–5 Foulke (5–3) Quantrill (6–3) — 34,856 92–62
155 September 26 Yankees 11–4 Schilling (21–6) Brown (10–5) — 34,582 93–62
156 September 27 @ Devil Rays 7–3 Arroyo (10–9) Sosa (4–7) — 17,602 94–62
157 September 28 @ Devil Rays 10–8 (11) Mendoza (2–1) Báez (4–4) Foulke (31) 20,116 95–62
158 September 29 @ Devil Rays 9–4 Waechter (5–7) Martínez (16–9) Miller (1) 21,274 95–63
October (3-1)
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record
159 October 1 @ Orioles 8–3 Wakefield (12–10) López (14–9) — 39,086 96–63
160 October 2 @ Orioles 7–5 Adams (6–4) Cabrera (12–8) Foulke (32) 48,540 97–63
161 October 2 @ Orioles 7–5 Kim (2–1) Grimsley (5–7) Leskanic (4) 47,320 98–63
162 October 3 @ Orioles 3–2 Chen (2–1) Williamson (0–1) Ryan (3) 42,104 98–64

Postseason game log

Boston Red Sox 2004 Postseason Game Log (11–3)
#/ Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Stadium Attendance Series Streak
1 October 5 @ Angels 9–3 Schilling (1–0) Washburn (0–1) — Angel Stadium of Anaheim 44,608 1–0 W1
2 October 6 @ Angels 8–3 Martínez (1–0) Rodríguez (0–1) Foulke (1) Angel Stadium of Anaheim 45,118 2–0 W2
3 October 8 Angels 8–6 (10) Lowe (1–0) Rodríguez (0–2) — Fenway Park 35,547 3–0 W3
Red Sox win Series 3–0
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Stadium Attendance Series Streak
1 October 12 @ Yankees 7–10 Mussina (1–0) Schilling (0–1) Rivera (1) Yankee Stadium (I) 56,135 0–1 L1
2 October 13 @ Yankees 1–3 Lieber (1–0) Martínez (0–1) Rivera (2) Yankee Stadium (I) 56,136 0–2 L2
3 October 16 Yankees 8–19 Vázquez (1–0) Mendoza (0–1) — Fenway Park 35,126 0–3 L3
4 October 17 Yankees 6–4 (12) Leskanic (1–0) Quantrill (0–1) — Fenway Park 34,826 1–3 W1
5 October 18 Yankees 5–4 (14) Wakefield (1–0) Loaiza (0–1) — Fenway Park 35,120 2–3 W2
6 October 19 @ Yankees 4–2 Schilling (1–1) Lieber (1–1) Foulke (1) Yankee Stadium (I) 56,128 3–3 W3
7 October 20 @ Yankees 10–3 Lowe (1–0) Brown (0–1) — Yankee Stadium (I) 56,129 4–3 W4
Red Sox win Series 4–3
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Stadium Attendance Series Streak
1 October 23 Cardinals 11–9 Foulke (1–0) Tavárez (0–1) — Fenway Park 35,035 1–0 W1
2 October 24 Cardinals 6–2 Schilling (1–0) Morris (0–1) — Fenway Park 35,001 2–0 W2
3 October 26 @ Cardinals 4–1 Martínez (1–0) Suppan (0–1) — Busch Stadium (II) 52,015 3–0 W3
4 October 27 @ Cardinals 3–0 Lowe (1–0) Marquis (0–1) Foulke (1) Busch Stadium (II) 52,037 4–0 W4
Red Sox win World Series 4–0

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Pos Player[22] G AB H Avg. HR RBI
C Jason Varitek 137 463 137 .296 18 73
1B Kevin Millar 150 508 151 .297 18 74
2B Mark Bellhorn 138 523 138 .264 17 82
SS Pokey Reese 96 244 54 .221 3 29
3B Bill Mueller 110 399 113 .283 12 57
LF Manny Ramirez 152 568 175 .308 43 130
CF Johnny Damon 150 621 189 .304 20 94
RF Gabe Kapler 136 290 79 .272 6 33
DH David Ortiz 150 582 175 .301 41 139

Other batters

Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI
Orlando Cabrera 58 228 67 .294 6 31
Kevin Youkilis 72 208 54 .260 7 35
Doug Mirabelli 59 160 45 .281 9 32
Nomar Garciaparra 38 156 50 .321 5 21
David McCarty 89 151 39 .258 4 17
Trot Nixon 48 149 47 .315 6 23
Doug Mientkiewicz 49 107 23 .215 1 10
Dave Roberts 45 86 22 .256 2 14
César Crespo 52 79 13 .165 0 2
Brian Daubach 30 75 17 .227 2 8
Ricky Gutiérrez 21 40 11 .275 0 3
Ellis Burks 11 33 6 .182 1 1
Andy Dominique 7 11 2 .182 0 1
Adam Hyzdu 17 10 3 .300 1 2
Sandy Martínez 3 4 0 .000 0 0
Earl Snyder 1 4 1 .250 0 0

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games played; IP = Innings Pitched; W = Win; L = Loss; ERA = Earned Run Average; SO = Strikeout

Player[22] G IP W L ERA SO
Curt Schilling 32 226.2 21 6 3.26 203
Pedro Martínez 33 217 16 9 3.90 227
Tim Wakefield 32 188.1 12 10 4.87 116
Derek Lowe 33 182.2 14 12 5.42 105
Bronson Arroyo 32 178.2 10 9 4.03 142
Abe Alvarez 1 5 0 1 9.00 2

Other pitchers

Player[22] G IP W L ERA SO
Byung-hyun Kim 7 17.1 2 1 6.23 6
Pedro Astacio 5 8.2 0 0 10.38 6

Relief pitchers

Player G W L SV ERA SO
Mike Timlin 76 5 4 1 4.13 56
Keith Foulke 72 5 3 32 2.17 79
Alan Embree 71 2 2 0 4.13 37
Curtis Leskanic 32 3 2 2 3.58 22
Scott Williamson 28 0 1 1 1.26 28
Ramiro Mendoza 27 2 1 0 3.52 13
Mike Myers 25 1 0 0 4.20 9
Lenny DiNardo 22 0 0 0 4.23 21
Terry Adams 19 2 0 0 6.00 21
Mark Malaska 19 1 1 0 4.50 12
Anastacio Martínez 11 2 1 0 8.44 5
Jimmy Anderson 5 0 0 0 6.00 3
Jaime Brown 4 0 0 0 5.87 6
Dave McCarty 3 0 0 0 2.45 4
Bobby Jones 3 0 1 0 5.40 3
Joe Nelson 3 0 0 0 16.88 5
Phil Seibel 2 0 0 0 0.00 1
Frank Castillo 2 0 0 0 0.00 0

Postseason

Division Series

[23]

Main article: 2004 American League Division Series

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 off season 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 Martínez, 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 top of the seventh inning to tie it at six. However, David Ortiz, who was noted for his clutch hitting, delivered in the 10th inning with a game winning two-run homer, off Jarrod Washburn, sailing over the Green Monster. The Red Sox advanced to a rematch in the 2004 American League Championship Series against their bitter rivals, the New York Yankees.

League Championship Series

Main article: 2004 American League Championship Series

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. Yankee starter Mike Mussina had six perfect innings, and held an 8–0 lead. Despite the Sox' best effort to come back (they scored seven runs to make it 8–7), they ended up losing 10–7. In Game 2, already with his Yankees leading 1–0 for most of the game, John Olerud hit a two-run home run to put the New York team up for good. The Sox were soon down three games to none after a 19–8 loss in Game 3 at home. In that game, the two clubs set the record for most runs scored in a League Championship Series game. At that point in the history of baseball, no team had come back to win from a 3–0 series deficit (only the 1998 Atlanta Braves and 1999 New York Mets had ever gotten as far as a Game 6).

In Game 4, the Red Sox found themselves facing elimination, trailing 4–3 in the ninth with Yankees 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, this being what many consider the turning point in the series.[24][25][26] 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 again down late, this time by the score of 4–2, as a result of Derek Jeter's bases-clearing triple. But the Sox struck back in the eighth, as Ortiz hit a homer over the Green 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 inning, the knuckleballing Tim Wakefield came in from the bullpen, without his customary "personal catcher", Doug Mirabelli. Varitek, the starting catcher, had trouble with Wakefield's tricky knuckleballs in the 13th: he allowed three passed balls in the top of the 13th. The third and last of those gave the Yankees runners on second and third with two out. The Red Sox were spared, however, as Rubén 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 American 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 white sock (red with a blood stain). 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 into the stands before falling back into the field of play. A key play came in the bottom of the eighth inning with Derek Jeter on first and Alex Rodríguez facing Bronson Arroyo. Rodríguez hit a ground ball down the first base line. Arroyo fielded it and reached out to tag him as he raced down the line. Rodríguez slapped at the ball and it came loose, rolling down the line. Jeter scored and Rodríguez ended up on second. After conferring, however, the umpires called Rodríguez 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. Closer Keith Foulke however, struck out Clark to end the game and force a Game 7. In this game, the Red Sox completed their historic comeback on the strength of Derek Lowe's one-hit, one-run pitching and Johnny Damon's two home runs, including a grand slam in the second inning off the first pitch of reliever Javier Vázquez, and defeated the New York Yankees, 10–3. 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 three professional sports that feature best-of-seven games series in their playoffs. Coming back to win a seven-game series when down by three games has only been accomplished by four National Hockey League teams and only one Major League Baseball team 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.
The Philadelphia Flyers (NHL), during their Cinderella run to the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals, came back from three games down to defeat the Boston Bruins to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Los Angeles Kings,in the 2013–14 NHL Playoffs defeated the San Jose Sharks in the first round, on their way to winning the 2014 Stanley Cup.

The Boston Red Sox are currently the only team in Major League Baseball history to overcome a three game deficit in either a league or a World Series championship. [citation needed]

2004 World Series

Main article: 2004 World Series

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 Pesky's Pole. He later on said that he "just did what he needed to do." 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 Martínez 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 pitcher Jeff Suppan's baserunning gaffe. With no outs, Suppan should have scored easily from third on a Larry Walker ground ball to second baseman Bellhorn, who was playing back, conceding the run. But as Bellhorn threw out 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 World Series. In Game Four the Red Sox did not allow a run, and the game ended as Édgar Rentería (who would become the 2005 Red Sox starting SS) hit the ball back to Keith Foulke. (This was the second time that Rentería had ended a Series, as he had 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, never trailing 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. In fact, it came 18 years to the day they lost their last World Series game, as they would sweep the 2004 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. This was only the fourth World Series ever played in which the losing team had never held a lead.

The Boston Red Sox are honored at the White House by President George W. Bush following the side's winning the 2004 World Series.

To add a final, surreal touch to the Red Sox championship title, 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. Many Red Sox fans who were turned away due to no tickets for the game were allowed to watch the final inning from the confines of Busch Stadium after being let in free of charge.

Fox commentator Joe Buck famously called the final out, saying:

Back to Foulke. Red Sox fans have longed to hear it: the Boston Red Sox are World Champions!"

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. The parade followed the same route the New England Patriots took following their victories in Super Bowls Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002 and Super Bowl XXXVIII in February.

Following their 2004 World Series win, the Red Sox replaced the dirt from the field as a "fresh start". They earned many accolades from sports media and throughout the nation for their incredible season.

Pitcher Derek Lowe said that with the win, the chants of "1918!" would no longer echo at Yankee Stadium again.[27]

The Patriots win in the Super Bowl meant the Red Sox World Series win made Boston the first city to have Super Bowl and World Series champions in the same year in 25 years, when the Pittsburgh Steelers won Super Bowl XIII, followed by the Pirates winning the 1979 World Series.[28] The Patriots winning Super Bowl XXXIX in the ensuing offseason made Boston the first city to have two Super Bowls and one World Series championship over a span of 12 months since Pittsburgh in 1979–1980.[28]

After the Bruins won the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals, which made Boston the first city to win championships in all four sports leagues in the new millennium, Dan Shaughnessy of The Boston Globe ranked all seven championships by the Boston teams (the Patriots in the Super Bowls played in 2002, 2004 and 2005, the Red Sox in 2004 and 2007, the Celtics in 2008, and the Bruins in 2011) and picked the Red Sox win in 2004 as the greatest Boston sports championship during the ten-year span.[29]

Awards and honors

All-Star Game

Farm system

See also: Minor League Baseball
Level Team League Manager
AAA Pawtucket Red Sox International League Buddy Bailey
AA Portland Sea Dogs Eastern League Ron Johnson
A-Advanced Sarasota Red Sox Florida State League Todd Claus
A Augusta GreenJackets South Atlantic League Chad Epperson
A-Short Season Lowell Spinners New York–Penn League Luis Alicea
Rookie GCL Red Sox Gulf Coast League Ralph Treuel
Rookie DSL Red Sox Dominican Summer League Nelson Paulino
Rookie VSL Red Sox Venezuelan Summer League Josman Robles

VSL team was also known as Ciudad Alianza.[30]
Source:[31][32]

References

  1. ^ "2004 Boston Red Sox Statistics". Baseball Reference. Archived from the original on June 9, 2007. Retrieved May 2, 2013.
  2. ^ Curt Schilling at Baseball Reference
  3. ^ Mark Bellhorn at Baseball Reference
  4. ^ Gabe Kapler at Baseball Reference
  5. ^ Pokey Reese Statistics and History - Baseball-Reference.com
  6. ^ Keith Foulke Statistics and History - Baseball-Reference.com
  7. ^ Keith Foulke Statistics and History Baseball-Reference.com
  8. ^ Shaughnessy, Dan; Ryan, Bob (April 2, 2004). "Staff picks". The Boston Globe. p. F12. Retrieved September 16, 2020 – via newspapers.com. World Series: Red Sox over Cubs
  9. ^ Curtis Leskanic Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
  10. ^ Pedro Astacio Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
  11. ^ Ricky Gutiérrez Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
  12. ^ Terry Adams Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
  13. ^ Orlando Cabrera Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
  14. ^ Doug Mientkiewicz Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
  15. ^ Nomar Garciaparra Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
  16. ^ Dave Roberts Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
  17. ^ Mike Myers Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
  18. ^ Sandy Martinez Statistics - Baseball Reference.com
  19. ^ "Opening Day Lineups – Boston Red Sox". MLB.com. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
  20. ^ "Baltimore Orioles 7, Boston Red Sox 2". Retrosheet. April 4, 2004. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
  21. ^ Nomar Garciaparra Statistics and History Baseball-Reference.com
  22. ^ a b c "Statmaster: A baseball Team Statistics Tool". Baseball-almanac. Retrieved May 2, 2013.
  23. ^ "2004 League Division Series". Retrieved May 2, 2013.
  24. ^ Ryan, Bob (August 7, 2005). "A stolen moment of fame". The Boston Globe.
  25. ^ "Red Sox hero, now Padres coach, Dave Roberts talks about 'The Steal' (video)". Cleveland.com. April 8, 2014.
  26. ^ Browne, Ian (October 17, 2014). "Roberts' steal set amazing 2004 playoff run in motion". MLB.com.
  27. ^ Curry, Jack (October 28, 2004). "Kiss That Curse Goodbye". The New York Times. p. D1.
  28. ^ a b Shapiro, Leonard (February 7, 2005). "Patriots Grab Share of NFL History". Washington Post. p. A1. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved December 10, 2010.
  29. ^ Shaughnessy, Dan (June 17, 2011). "How great is this?". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on April 6, 2012. Retrieved June 29, 2011.
  30. ^ "Ciudad Alianza (VSL) - BR Bullpen".
  31. ^ Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 3rd edition. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 2007
  32. ^ Boston Red Sox Media Guide. 2004. p. 516. Retrieved March 14, 2021 – via Wayback Machine.
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