By the start of the new millennium, most baseball fans had put the players' strike behind them. They were ready to sit back and enjoy the national pastime once again.
CHAPTER TEN
2000s
2004 and 2005: What Curses?
The first World Series of the millennium ended the way the last one of the old millennium had — with a victory by the New York Yankees. But in 2001, the mighty Yanks were put down by the Arizona Diamondbacks, a team that had been in existence for only three years! New York was out of the running the following year but returned to the fall classic in 2003 — only to lose once again, this time to the Florida Marlins.
Then came 2004 and with it one of the most unexpected and thrilling postseason upsets baseball had ever seen.
The Boston Red Sox had been a “close but no cigar” club since the mid-1980s. In 2004, they came out on top in the American League East with a record of 98 wins, 64 losses. In the postseason, they quickly dispatched the Anaheim Angels for the Division title. Next up, however, were the Yankees, their longtime rivals and, with a record of 101–61, the better of the two teams.
The first two games of the ALCS were played in New York. The Sox lost both. The series moved to Fenway Park for game three — which the Sox also lost by a demoralizing 19–8!
The Yankees needed only one victory to move on to the World Series. They didn't get it in game four, however. Instead, Boston squeaked out a twelfth-inning win thanks to a two-run homer by power hitter David Ortiz.
Ortiz was the man of the hour again in game five — a very late hour at that, for he blasted an RBI single in the fourteenth inning to give the Sox a 5–4 win. The next night, back in Yankee Stadium, a home run by Mark Bellhorn in the fourth inning handed the Sox their third straight victory.
The next game, Boston made history by doing what no team had ever done. They fought back from a 3–0 deficit to win four straight games. It was an unbelievable feat, made all the more thrilling by the game-saving home runs and the incredible stamina of injured pitcher Curt Schilling, whose right ankle was noticeably bloody throughout much of his game-six win.
The “Boston Faithful,” as Red Sox fans called themselves, were overjoyed. Banners reading REVERSE THE CURSE! flew from bridges, out of windows, and scrawled across newspapers. All of Boston hoped this would be the year the legendary Curse of the Bambino would finally be put to bed.
After the suspenseful come-from-behind success story of the ALCS, the 2004 World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox was somewhat tame.
Somewhat, but not completely.
The first game was a shoot-out started by David Ortiz, who belted a three-run homer in his first at bat. Boston posted another run later in the inning to go ahead by four. Then, in the bottom of the third, a series of well-hit singles added three more runs to Boston's side.
The Cardinals, meanwhile, had crossed home plate only twice. But they came roaring back, and by the bottom of the sixth inning, the score was tied, 7–7.
Boston answered their next time up with two of their own, however, to go ahead 9–7. But then St. Louis pushed across two more in the top of the eighth, tying things up once again!
Mark Bellhorn turned the tide in Boston's favor. With Jason Varitek on first following a fielding error, he rang the right-field pole on a pitch by Julián Tavárez. Home run!
The Sox were up, 11–9, and when Red Sox closer Keith Foulke retired St. Louis in the top of the ninth, Boston had their first World Series game tucked neatly in their back pockets.
Three nights and two victories later, the Red Sox were one win away from sweeping the Cardinals out of the Series and capturing their first championship ring in eighty-six years.
Game four was played in Busch Stadium before a sellout crowd. The night air had a hint of magic in it, for a full lunar eclipse was predicted to occur during the game. As the moon slowly began to disappear behind the shadow of the Earth, Red Sox leadoff batter Johnny Damon came to the plate. He took a called strike and two balls and then, on the fourth pitch, did what only sixteen other leadoff batters have done in the World Series: he hit a home run! One at bat and Boston was already on the board!
The Sox sweetened the lead by two in the top of the third, thanks to a two-run double by Trot Nixon. Meanwhile, pitcher Derek Lowe was busy blanking the Cardinals inning after inning. When he finally came out of the game after the seventh inning, he had given up only three hits!
All Boston needed was to hold St. Louis for two more innings. They did just that — and when Edgar Renteria grounded out to end the bottom of the ninth, the Red Sox had finally put the eighty-six-year-old Curse behind them!
Players and fans went wild. Corks popped in the locker room, and champagne sprayed everyone around. Johnny Damon spoke for the whole team by saying, “We're going to enjoy it a bit … and do what champions do — celebrate!”
The following year, it was the other Sox team that was celebrating, however. Like their East Coast cousins, the Chicago White Sox hadn't won a World Series in more than eight decades. They, too, had a curse to overcome: the Black Sox Scandal of 1919. In 2005, they did just what the Red Sox had done —they put that curse to bed by sweeping their opponents, the Houston Astros, in four straight games to win their first World Series in eighty-eight years.
The final nail in the Astros' coffin came in classic style. It was the eighth inning of game four. The White Sox were up at bat. The score was tied 0-0. There were two outs. Willie Harris stood at third, ready to run for home.
Jermaine Dye came up to the plate. He swung at pitcher Brad Lidge's first offering. Strike one. The second pitch was in the dirt for ball one, but the third pitch was on the money. Dye swung.
Pow! Ground ball to center field! Dye rushed for first, and Harris sprinted for home — and made it!
That single run was the only one of the game. With it, the White Sox erased their past mistakes and, like the 102 World Series winners before them, were welcomed home as heroes.
The World Series is now more than a century old. Professional baseball is even older. The sport has had its share of low points, from the 1919 Black Sox scandal to the present-day issue of illegal steroid use in the major leagues.
Yet despite these setbacks, people the world over continue to look forward to the start of baseball season with eager anticipation. Fans talk about the players as if they were old friends — or bitter enemies. They compare statistics on their favorite players, past and current. And they relive their favorite plays, including classic World Series moments.
Babe Ruth's legendary Called Shot. Jackie Robinson stealing home. Carlton Fisk waving the ball fair. Kirk Gibson hobbling around the bases. Mention errors like Fred Snodgrass's dropped shot and Billy Buckner's failure to field an easy grounder to a true baseball fan, and you're certain to get a heated response.
There's just something about the sport — the crack of the bat that signals a home run, the suspense of the no-hitter, the split second before the umpire calls the runner safe or out — that keeps people coming back for more. As Hall-of-Famer Rogers Hornsby once said, “People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.”
World Series Results
1900s
1903 Boston Red Sox 5, Pittsburgh 3
1904 Not Held
1905 New York Giants 4, Philadelphia A's I
1906 Chicago White Sox 4, Chicago Cubs 2
1907 Chicago Cubs 4, Detroit 0 (one tie)
1908 Chicago Cubs 4, Detroit I
1909 Pittsburgh 4, Detroit 3
1910 Philadelphia A's 4, Chicago Cubs I
1911 Philadelphia A's 4, New York Giants 2
1912 Boston Red Sox 4, New York Giants 3 (one tie)
1913 Philadelphia A's 4, New York Giants I
1914 Boston Braves 4, Philadelphia A's 0
1915 Boston Red Sox 4, Philadelphia Phillies I
1916 Boston Red Sox 4, Brooklyn I
1917 Chicago White Sox 4, New York Giants 2
1918 Boston Red Sox 4, Chicago Cubs 2
1919 Cincinnati 5, Chicago White Sox 3
1920s
1920 Cleveland 5, Brooklyn 2
1921 New York Giants 5, New York Yankees 3
1922 New York Giants 4, New York Yankees 0 (one tie)
1923 New York Yankees 4, New York Giants 2
1924 Washington 4, New York Giants 3
1925 Pittsburgh 4, Washington 3
1926 St. Louis Cardinals 4, New York Yankees 3
1927 New York Yankees 4, Pittsburgh 0
1928 New York Yankees 4, St. Louis Cardinals 0
1929 Philadelphia A's 4, Chicago Cubs 1
1930s
1930 Philadelphia A's 4, St. Louis Cardinals 2
1931 St. Louis Cardinals 4, Philadelphia A's 3
1932 New York Yankees 4, Chicago Cubs 0
1933 New York Giants 4, Washington 1
1934 St. Louis Cardinals 4, Detroit 3
1935 Detroit 4, Chicago Cubs 2
1936 New York Yankees 4, New York Giants 2
1937 New York Yankees 4, New York Giants 1
1938 New York Yankees 4, Chicago Cubs 0
1939 New York Yankees 4, Cincinnati 0
1940s
1940 Cincinnati 4, Detroit 3
1941 New York Yankees 4, Brooklyn 1
1942 St. Louis Cardinals 4, New York Yankees 1
1943 New York Yankees 4, St. Louis Cardinals 1
1944 St. Louis Cardinals 4, St. Louis Brown 2
1945 Detroit 4, Chicago Cubs 3
1946 St. Louis Cardinals 4, Boston Red Sox 3
1947 New York Yankees 4, Brooklyn 3
1948 Cleveland 4, Boston Braves 2
1949 New York Yankees 4, Brooklyn I
1950s
1950 New York Yankees 4, Philadelphia 0
1951 New York Yankees 4, New York Giants 2
1952 New York Yankees 4, Brooklyn 3
1953 New York Yankees 4, Brooklyn 1
1954 New York Giants 4, Cleveland 0
1955 Brooklyn 4, New York Yankees 3
1956 New York Yankees 4, Brooklyn 3
1957 Milwaukee Braves 4, New York Yankees 3
1958 New York Yankees 4, Milwaukee Braves 3
1959 Los Angeles 4, Chicago White Sox 2
1960s
1960 Pittsburgh 4, New York Yankees 3
1961 New York Yankees 4, Cincinnati I
1962 New York Yankees 4, San Francisco 3
1963 Los Angeles 4, New York Yankees 0
1964 St. Louis 4, New York Yankees 3
1965 Los Angeles 4, Minnesota 3
1966 Baltimore 4, Los Angeles 0
1967 St. Louis 4, Boston 3
1968 Detroit 4, St. Louis 3
1969 New York Mets 4, Baltimore I
1970s
1970 Baltimore 4, Cincinnati I
1971 Pittsburgh 4, Baltimore 3
1972 Oakland 4, Cincinnati 3
1973 Oakland 4, New York Mets 3
1974 Oakland 4, Los Angeles I
1975 Cincinnati 4, Boston 3
1976 Cincinnati 4, New York Yankees 0
1977 New York Yankees 4, Los Angeles 2
1978 New York Yankees 4, Los Angeles 2
1979 Pittsburgh 4, Baltimore 3
1980s
1980 Philadelphia 4, Kansas City 2
1981 Los Angeles 4, New York Yankees 2
1982 St. Louis 4, Milwaukee 3
1983 Baltimore 4, Philadelphia I
1984 Detroit 4, San Diego I
1985 Kansas City 4, St. Louis 3
1986 New York Mets 4, Boston 3
1987 Minnesota 4, St. Louis 3
1988 Los Angeles 4, Oakland I
1989 Oakland 4, San Francisco 0
1990s
1990 Cincinnati 4, Oakland 0
1991 Minnesota 4, Atlanta 3
1992 Toronto 4, Atlanta 2
1993 Toronto 4, Philadelphia 2
1994 Not Held
1995 Atlanta 4, Cleveland 2
1996 New York Yankees 4, Atlanta 2
1997 Florida 4, Cleveland 3
1998 New York Yankees 4, San Diego 0
1999 New York Yankees 4, Atlanta 0
2000s
2000 New York Yankees 4, New York Mets I
2001 Arizona 4, New York Yankees 3
2002 Anaheim 4, San Francisco 3
2003 Florida 4, New York Yankees 2
2004 Boston 4, St. Louis 0
2005 Chicago White Sox 4, Houston 0
Matt Christopher®
Sports Bio Bookshelf
Muhammad Ali Tara Lipinski
Lance Armstrong Mark McGwire
Kobe Bryant Yao Ming
Jennifer Capriati Shaquille O'Neal
Jeff Gordon Jackie Robinson
Ken Griffey Jr. Alex Rodriguez
Mia Hamm Babe Ruth
Tony Hawk Curt Schilling
Ichiro Sammy Sosa
Derek Jeter Venus and Serena Williams
Randy Johnson Tiger Woods
Michael Jordan
Mario Lemieux
The #1 Sports Series for Kids
MATT CHRISTOPHER®
Read them all!
Baseball Pals Dive Right In
Baseball Turnaround Double Play at Short
The Basket Counts Face-Off
Body Check Fairway Phenom
Catch That Pass! Football Fugitive
Catcher with a Glass Arm Football Nightmare
Catching Waves The Fox Steals Home
Center Court Sting Goalkeeper in Charge
Centerfield Ballhawk The Great Quarterback Switch
Challenge at Second Base Halfback Attack *
The Comeback Challenge The Hockey Machine
Comeback of the Home Run Kid Ice Magic
Cool as Ice Inline Skater
The Diamond Champs Johny Long Legs
Dirt Bike Racer The Kid Who Only Hit Homers
Dirt Bike Runaway Lacrosse Face-Off
Line Drive to Short ** Slam Dunk
Long-Arm Quarterback Snowboard Champ
Long Shot for Paul Snowboard Maverick
Look Who's Playing First Base Snowboard Showdown
Miracle at the Plate Soccer Duel
Mountain Bike Mania Soccer Halfback
No Arm in Left Field Soccer Scoop
Nothin' But Net Stealing Home
Penalty Shot The Submarine Pitch
Prime-Time Pitcher The Team That Couldn't Lose
Red-Hot Hightops Tennis Ace
The Reluctant Pitcher Tight End
Return of the Home Run Kid Top Wing
Roller Hockey Radicals Touchdown for Tommy
Run For It Tough to Tackle
Shoot for the Hoop Wheel Wizards
Shortstop from Tokyo Windmill Windup
Skateboard Renegade Wingman on Ice
Skateboard Tough The Year Mom Won the Pennant
All available in paperback from Little, Brown and Company
LEGENDARY SPORTS EVENTS
THE WORLD SERIES
MATT CHRISTOPHER
THE GREATEST MOMENTS OF THE MOST EXCITING GAMES
For more than a century, the World Series has captivated baseball fans with edge-of-the-seat excitement. From Reggie Jackson's three-in-a-row home runs in 1977 to the "reverse the curse" wins by the Boston Red Sox in 2004 and the Chicago White Sox in 2005—this action-packed volume brings them all to life. Quotes from the star athletes, photos that capture the best plays in World Series history, and a complete list of World Series results since the first contest in 1903 round out the book that young baseball fans will surely agree is an out-of-the-park home run!
Matt Christopher is the name young readers turn to when they're looking for the best sports books on the shelf. For a complete list of Matt Christopher titles, please see the last pages of this book.
* Previously published as Crackerjack Halfback
** Previously
published as Pressure Play
The World Series Page 6
