MLB will present a full slate of classic games on what should have been Opening Day, including Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS between the Red Sox and Yankees.
Opening Day for the Boston Red Sox was originally scheduled for this Thursday but the 2020 season has been delayed indefinitely by the coronavirus pandemic. To appease our cravings, Major League Baseball will be airing classic games from the past.
MLB will present “Opening Day at Home” – a full slate of 30 games broadcast nationally across various platforms. All games can be streamed on MLB.com, as well as through one of MLB’s social media channels on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Every team will be represented by airing a game in which they were victorious. For the Red Sox, a thrilling comeback against their nemesis from New York was naturally selected.
Tomorrow MLB presents #OpeningDayAtHome - a full slate of 30 games nationally available across various platforms, including digital streaming and social media, creating a full-day event on what would have been Opening Day. pic.twitter.com/NGd39zk883
— MLB Communications (@MLB_PR) March 25, 2020
Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS between the Red Sox and Yankees will be broadcast starting at 6:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 26 on MLB.com and the MLB Facebook channel.
This was one of the most monumental playoff games in franchise history. Boston’s backs were against the wall after falling into an 0-3 hole to begin the series. A sweep felt inevitable when the Yankees sent future Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera to the mound to close out the ninth inning but the Red Sox would not go down without a fight.
The Dave Roberts steal will forever be cherished as one of our fondest memories. The speedy outfielder was the spark plug that ignited the rally when he entered as a pinch-runner and promptly swiped second base. Roberts would come around to score on a Bill Mueller base hit up the middle to tie the game and hand Rivera a rare blown save.
Boston’s championship aspirations were hanging by a thread as the game went to extra-innings, only to be saved by a walk-off two-run homer by David Ortiz in the 12th inning.
Kevin Millar infamously warned the Yankees not to let the Red Sox win a game. Clearly, they didn’t listen. Boston stayed alive and made them pay with three more victories to clinch the series. The Red Sox became the first team in any of the major North American sports to win a postseason series after losing the first three games.
Boston went on to sweep the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series, snapping an 86-year title drought for the franchise and reversing a curse that had haunted them since Babe Ruth was sold to the Yankees.
MLB is doing their part to promote social distancing and encourage fans to stay home in order to help stop the spread of this virus. It’s not quite the same as a new season of live game action but these classics from the vault will help make self-quarantining a bit more bearable.
There are plenty of memorable Red Sox games in the archives but MLB certainly picked a good one with Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS.