The 2013 World Series champion Red Sox still reign supreme
The World Series has come and gone. Congrats to the Atlanta Braves on a fantastic season and for raising the Commissioner’s Trophy. Unfortunately, they were one game away from changing the history books but just couldn’t get it done. What exactly did they miss out on achieving? Had they swept the World Series at home they would’ve become the first team since the 2013 Red Sox to do so, but they aren’t.
It’s been eight years since that lovable gang of dirt dogs went from an AL East last-place finish in 2012 to being the kings of the baseball world a season later. Former Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell had been brought in to replace the dumpster fire that is Bobby Valentine, and that was just the beginning. Then GM Ben Cherington would bring in veteran names like David Ross, Jonny Gomes, Shane Victorino, and Mike Napoli, among others.
With the @Braves clinching on the road last night, the last team to win a #WorldSeries at home remains the @RedSox who clinched the 2013 Fall Classic at Fenway. pic.twitter.com/20h02cB0w7
— MLB Vault (@MLBVault) November 4, 2021
It was clear that Cherington was working toward building a team with the foundation of chemistry with a dash of Moneyball for flavor. Much like his predecessor, Theo Epstein, Cherington understood that it wasn’t all about splashing major cash on free agents. Though he would make that mistake before his time in Boston ended. Lookin’ at you, Pablo.
But there was something about that 2013 squad, something we haven’t felt again until this past season. They were just a bunch of dudes who loved baseball and loved playing baseball with each other. Both the 2013 and 2021 teams gave off that Sandlot vibe, a group of buds just out at the field to play some ball. I absolutely loved that 2013 team and considering everything they were going through, they’re a fantastic representation of this organization.
The regular season was barely underway before the tragedy of the Boston Marathon Bombing took place. The events of that day will forever be burned into the memories of anyone and everyone that has any relationship to the city of Boston. For the Red Sox, it was not just a bonding moment for the organization, but one for everyone in the “617.” David Ortiz said it best, “This is our F’ing city!”
They’d finish off April 18-8, a monumental achievement considering everything going on around them. Boston would stumble in May, finishing 15-15, but then they’d never look back. A strong rest of the regular season would see the Red Sox storm the AL East to the tune of a 97-65 record, 5.5 games above the second-place Rays. October would soon be on the calendar and the lights were shining bright.
A 3-1 ALDS win over the Rays, a 4-2 ALCS win over the Tigers, and it was off to the World Series where’d they’d run into a very familiar foe. For the second time since 2004, the Red Sox and Cardinals would dance in the Fall Classic with the Commissioner’s Trophy on the line. While Boston would split their first two games at Fenway Park, they’d take two out of three at Busch Stadium to send it back to the Fens.
Finally, in Game 6 of the World Series to the tune of 6-1, the Red Sox would earn their third World Series title since 2004 and eighth overall as a franchise. They still remain as the last team to clinch the Series in front of their home fans and that’s pretty damn cool. We all know the heroes of this effort, Ortiz, Lester, Uehara and so many more all made this possible. As great as it was to see the Braves finally raise the Commissioner’s Trophy for the first time since 1995, they were just one game behind Boston Strong.