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Red Sox History: The 10 best moments from Boston’s 2002 season

By Daniel Fox

Nomar Garciaparra of the Boston Red Sox is congratulated by teammates after hitting a homer in the sixth inning against the New York Yankees 24 May 2002 at Fenway Park in Boston Massachusetts. AFP PHOTO/JOHN MOTTERN (Photo by JOHN MOTTERN / AFP) (Photo by JOHN MOTTERN/AFP via Getty Images)
Nomar Garciaparra of the Boston Red Sox is congratulated by teammates after hitting a homer in the sixth inning against the New York Yankees 24 May 2002 at Fenway Park in Boston Massachusetts. AFP PHOTO/JOHN MOTTERN (Photo by JOHN MOTTERN / AFP) (Photo by JOHN MOTTERN/AFP via Getty Images) /
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SEATTLE – AUGUST 13: Pitcher John Burkett #19 of the Boston Red Sox meets on the mound with shortstop Nomar Garciaparra #5, pitching coach Tony Cloninger and catcher Jason Varitek #33 during the MLB game against the Seattle Mariners on August 13, 2002 at Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington. The Mariners won 10-3. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr./Getty Images)
SEATTLE – AUGUST 13: Pitcher John Burkett #19 of the Boston Red Sox meets on the mound with shortstop Nomar Garciaparra #5, pitching coach Tony Cloninger and catcher Jason Varitek #33 during the MLB game against the Seattle Mariners on August 13, 2002 at Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington. The Mariners won 10-3. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr./Getty Images) /

The ten greatest moments from the 2002 Red Sox season

Though they fell short of making the postseason, the 2002 Red Sox represented a turning point in the franchise’s history. It marked the first season of the historic John Henry-led ownership group, and by year’s end, Theo Epstein would take over the general manager’s role.

Many of the key pieces from the 2004 World Series championship team were already in place, including left fielder Manny Ramirez, catcher Jason Varitek, starting pitchers Tim Wakefield, Pedro Martinez, and Derek Lowe, and center fielder Johnny Damon who had come over from the Athletics the previous offseason.

The 2002 season also marked a considerable improvement after two extremely underwhelming seasons. The Red Sox went from 82 wins in 2001 to 93 wins in 2002, as they finished in the top 10 in the majors in both runs scored and ERA.

Unfortunately for the Red Sox, they had the misfortune of sharing a division with the 103-win Yankees, and with the Angels grabbing the wild card with 99 wins, they missed the playoffs for the third straight year.

Still, 2002 marked a huge step forward for the franchise. Twenty years later, let’s look back at the ten most memorable moments of the 2002 Red Sox season.

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