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Red Sox clinch American League pennant on this day in 2004

By Rudi Richards

NEW YORK - OCTOBER 20: Johnny Damon #18 of the Boston Red Sox hits a grand-slam home run in the second inning against the New York Yankees during game seven of the American League Championship Series on October 20, 2004 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
NEW YORK - OCTOBER 20: Johnny Damon #18 of the Boston Red Sox hits a grand-slam home run in the second inning against the New York Yankees during game seven of the American League Championship Series on October 20, 2004 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images) /
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16 years ago today, the Red Sox won the American League pennant.

On this day in 2004, the Boston Red Sox clinched their eleventh American League pennant as they wrapped up the greatest comeback in major league history against the rival New York Yankees. The 2004 ALCS was the most memorable series in Red Sox history, and games four through seven produced some all-time franchise moments.

After immaculately leveling the series at three-a-piece, the Red Sox set up an all-or-nothing game in the Bronx. That game happened sixteen years ago to the day and changed everything for this once cursed franchise.

The momentum was with the Red Sox and this was felt from the off. It was just meant to be. David Ortiz kept on being David Ortiz, hitting a homer which also scored Manny Ramirez in the first inning. Then, just an inning later, another historic moment as Johnny Damon, with the bases juiced, hit a deep shot over the right-field wall and the Sox went up 6-0.

Going down 3-0 to the Yankees and coming back to level the series is unthinkable in itself. A Game 7 loss would’ve been the proverbial final nail in the coffin for this fandom and its gut-wrenching history. Turning it around completely is something that was never done up until 2004 and has never been done since. We saw the Houston Astros come close this offseason, following a three-game run after dropping the first three of the ALCS. It’s just not something that happens in pro sports.

It was the exact opposite of a death day for Red Sox Nation. Damon hit another home run in the fourth and from there on out, the Red Sox cruised to victory. They still had four more games to win to officially break that 86-year curse, but overcoming the Yankees in this fashion felt like the pinnacle.

The series itself is reminiscent of the 1967 Impossible Dream. Something impossible becoming a reality. That sort of thing is what this franchise is built upon, and that belief and resilience throughout different Red Sox sides from over the years is why this ball club is a winning one.

Whether you believe in the Curse of the Bambino or not, the stretch from 1918 up until 2004 was as tough as they come. A team as big as the Red Sox were in the early days of the league became known for its losing ways. And that’s why what happened on this day sixteen years ago is so important. Finally defeating the enemy on the AL’s big stage after what had happened a year previously in the same spot is the moment that changed the narrative for this team.

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It wasn’t until that final out in the Sox’s 4-0 World Series sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals that the curse was finally broken, but it was October 20 and those four days in October 2004 that made Red Sox fans everywhere start to believe that this club was destined for distraught no more. The Damon 2-home run, 6-RBI Game 7 is just one of many individual performances on one of the greatest teams this organization has ever seen, and that game remains an unforgettable moment in its history.

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