The Red Sox would sweep the Anaheim Angels in three games, but at a cost. Entering the postseason, first baseman Kevin Millar was asked to compare the team with the previous season's team, to which he responded, "I'm pretty sure we're five outs better than last year." It was a reference to the 2003 American League Championship Series, in which the Red Sox held a 5–2 lead over the Yankees with one out in the eighth inning of Game 7, only to blow the lead and lose the series. The Red Sox won the AL Wild Card (the best record among three second-place teams) to obtain a spot in the playoffs. However, the Yankees held strong and won the division, finishing three games ahead of the Red Sox. The team fell behind up to 10 + 1⁄ 2 games in the division during the month of August, but managed to come back in September to within two games. In an attempt to improve the team and solidify a playoff decision and in anticipation for a showdown against the New York Yankees, general manager Theo Epstein traded well-liked shortstop Nomar Garciaparra to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz and shortstop Orlando Cabrera in a four-team deal on the trading deadline (July 31). Going into the all-star break, the Red Sox were seven games behind the Yankees for the division lead with a record of 48–38, but led the wild card. The Red Sox also signed a closing pitcher, Keith Foulke, to a three-year contract. Manager Grady Little was also fired and replaced with Terry Francona due to poor decisions that Little made during the previous season's playoffs. During the offseason, they traded Casey Fossum, Brandon Lyon, Jorge de la Rosa, and a minor leaguer to the Arizona Diamondbacks for ace starting pitcher Curt Schilling. The Red Sox ended their 2003 season in the previous American League Championship Series with a game seven loss to the Yankees, on a walk-off home run by Yankees third baseman Aaron Boone in the bottom of the 11th inning. Route to the series Boston Red Sox įurther information: 2004 Boston Red Sox season Louis Cardinals in the World Series, winning their first World Series championship in 86 years and ending the so-called Curse of the Bambino. David Ortiz was named the Most Valuable Player of the series. Game 7 featured the Red Sox paying back New York for their Game 3 blowout with a dominating performance on the road, anchored by Derek Lowe and bolstered by two Johnny Damon home runs, one a grand slam. Curt Schilling pitched seven innings in Game 6 for the Red Sox, during which time his sock became soaked in blood due to an injury in his ankle. Ortiz also won Game 5 with a single in the 14th inning. A home run by David Ortiz then won it for the Red Sox in extra innings. The Yankees led Game 4 by one run in the ninth inning, but a steal of second base by Red Sox base runner Dave Roberts and a single by Bill Mueller off Yankees closer Mariano Rivera tied the game. The Yankees gathered 22 hits in Game 3 on their way to an easy win. A home run by John Olerud helped the Yankees win Game 2. In Game 1, Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina pitched a perfect game through six innings, while the Red Sox recovered from an eight-run deficit to close within one run before the Yankees eventually won. Prior to the 2004 ALCS, no MLB team had so much as forced a Game 7 under those circumstances – and only one team since 2004 has been able to do so (that team being the 2020 Houston Astros, who after being down 3–0 in that year's ALCS went on to lose in seven games to the Tampa Bay Rays). The Red Sox became the first (and to date only) team in MLB history to come back from a 3–0 series deficit to win a best-of-seven series. A rematch of the 2003 American League Championship Series, it was played between the Boston Red Sox, who had won the AL wild card and defeated the Anaheim Angels in the American League Division Series, and the New York Yankees, who had won the AL East with the best record in the AL, defeated the Minnesota Twins. The 2004 American League Championship Series was the Major League Baseball playoff series to decide the American League champion for the 2004 season, and the right to play in the 2004 World Series. Boston Red Sox over Anaheim Angels (3–0).New York Yankees over Minnesota Twins (3–1).
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