Ranking Boston Red Sox World Championships from 2004-2018
The Boston Red Sox have won four World Series championships since reversing the curse in 2004. Here’s our ranking of those title teams.
The World Series has begun between the Washington Nationals and the Houston Astros. Baseball’s Fall Classic is always something special in sports. The Boston Red Sox had a very disappointing season, to say the least, but that doesn’t mean we have to sulk about it. There’s another season next year.
The Red Sox have had some great teams and some bad teams. Teams that have won championships and teams that have fallen short. Before 2004, the Red Sox went 86 years without winning a championship. The Sox were always beaten by their arch-rival New York Yankees over the years.
Boston had a lot of close calls before finally ending the drought in ’04. Carlton Fisk‘s home run in the 1975 World Series is a famous moment even though they lost the series to the Cincinnati Reds. The 1986 World Series was a heart-breaker when the Red Sox lost to the New York Mets and the ball went through Bill Buckner‘s legs. Aaron Boone‘s home run in the 2003 ALCS sent the Yankees to the World Series at Boston’s expense.
The Sox have won four championships since 2004. The question is which one is the best one? Is it 2004 when the Sox broke the 86-year curse? How about 2007 when the Sox would win their second championship in four years? 2013 after the marathon bombing and the whole team coming together and winning it for the city? Or last year when Alex Cora was in his first year as manager and they won 108 games and the World Series. We’ll find out here.
The 2007 Red Sox won 96 games. It had been four years since they won their first World Championship in 86 years. The ’07 Sox were pretty stacked between David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, Jason Varitek, and Dustin Pedroia as power hitters in the lineup. The pitching was also stacked between Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Curt Schilling, and Daisuke Matsuzaka who was a big name in 2007.
The Sox would make the World Series that season and face the Colorado Rockies. Boston had home-field advantage during the World Series. The top moment from the series was Pedroia’s home run in his first at-bat of the series. He would be the first rookie to lead off the series with a home run.
Varitek would also have a great series. He caught all four games, going 5-for-15 at the plate with a double, and five RBI’s.
Lester pitched in Game Four to close out the World Series. He tossed 5 2/3 innings without allowing a run. In the seventh inning, series MVP Mike Lowell hit a three-run home run to give the Sox a 3-0 lead. Boston would end up winning the game 4-3 to capture their seventh championship of all time.
The 2018 Red Sox team was special. Alex Cora was in his first year as manager, bringing a young voice to the clubhouse. Cora really set a tone from spring training and it lasted throughout the entire season.
The Red Sox won a franchise-record 108 regular season games and rolled through the playoffs by beating the Yankees, Astros, and Dodgers.
The top moments in the series started in Game One when Eduardo Nunez came in to pinch-hit in the seventh inning and delivered a three-run home run.
In Game Two, it was J.D. Martinez‘s turn to shine. In the fifth inning he hit for an RBI single driving in two runs. David Price was also great in Game Two, allowing only two runs on three hits with five strikeouts.
Game Three was a long game in LA that lasted 18 innings. The Sox would lose the game 2-1 but this would be the only game the Dodgers would win during the series. Nathan Eovaldi became a World Series hero during this game, pitching seven innings of relief that night. Everyone was inspired after that performance and they used that as motivation throughout the rest of the series.
The standouts in Game Five were Price and the MVP of the series, Steve Pearce. Boston took an early lead with Pearce’s first-inning home run. Betts and Martinez added to the lead with solo shots in the fifth and seventh innings, followed by Pearce’s second home run of the game in the eighth. That would be plenty of offense with Price holding the Dodgers to one run over seven innings.
Cora handed the ball to Chris Sale to close out the series and he did so by striking out Manny Machado in the ninth.
The 2013 Red Sox were supposed to be a rebuilding team after Bobby Valentine‘s year in 2012. John Farrell was in his first year as a manager and trying to fix what Valentine did.
The Boston Marathon bombing happened in April of that season and brought the whole city together. David Ortiz got the Sox going with a massive speech days after the bombing.
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The Sox had a very successful season, winning 97 games and the AL East. They would go on and do well in the playoffs with some big thanks to Ortiz, who came in clutch in the American League Championship series.
The top moments of the 2013 World Series started in Game One when Lester pitched 7 2/3 innings, giving up no runs. The bats were alive with a home run by Ortiz, leading to an 8-1 victory.
The standout of the Series was Ortiz, who was series MVP he drew eight walks and tied a series record by reaching base in nine straight times. Ortiz’s .760 on-base percentage and .688 batting average were the second-highest in series history.
The 2004 Red Sox were something special. It was Terry Francona‘s first season as manager and with the Sox looking for revenge for the 2003 season with their loss to the Yankees in the ALCS, their confidence was as strong as ever.
The Red Sox were down 3-0 to the Yankees in the ALCS and made history by completing the greatest comeback in baseball. They would then go on to sweep the St. Louis Cardinals 4-0 to win the World Series for the first time in 86 years.
The standouts of the series were MVP Manny Ramirez, who batted .412 during the World Series. He had a homer and four RBIs. Pedro Martinez was also stellar during the series, pitching seven innings and only giving up three hits and recording six strikeouts. Closer Keith Foulke would close the series out after Edgar Renteria grounded out.
Status of Red Sox prospects. dark. Next
The first World Series win in 86 years is always the best one. They had the fire in their eyes from the disappointing 2003 season and knew it was possible they could do it. The Sox would not go another 86 years without winning another one though the fun was just beginning.