No. 2: 2004 Red Sox (98-64)
The Red Sox returned eight of the nine starters from their record-setting 2003 offense and added ace Curt Schilling and closer Keith Foulke in hopes of finally toppling the mighty Yankees. Yet after a 15-6 start, the Red Sox went just 45-44, as a terrible defense and down seasons from Pedro Martinez (career-high 3.90 ERA), Derek Lowe (5.42 ERA), and Tim Wakefield (4.87 ERA) offset another league-leading offense.
To fix the defensive woes and improve the pitching staff, Theo Epstein traded franchise cornerstone Nomar Garciaparra for shortstop Orlando Cabrera and first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz. The Red Sox went on a 20-2 run, clinching the Wild Card berth.
The offense was just as good as the year before, with Manny Ramirez (43 HR, 130 RBI) and David Ortiz (41 HR, 139 RBI) having MVP level seasons, while Jason Varitek (.390 OBP), Kevin Millar (.383), Bill Mueller (.365), Mark Bellhorn (.373) and Johnny Damon (.380) gave them plenty of runners to drive in.
On the pitching side, Schilling (21 wins, 3.26 ERA, 227 K) and Foulke (2.17 ERA, 32 saves) proved worthy of the offseason investment.
The Red Sox steamrolled the Angels in the ALDS, famously came back from 3-0 against the Yankees in the ALCS and swept the Cardinals for their first title in 86 years.