Boston Red Sox

TEAM HISTORY

The Boston Red Sox was created in 1893 as a minor league franchise in the city of Toledo, Ohio in the Western League. Then moved to Boston when that league became the American League in 1900. The name of Red Sox was chosen by owner John I. Taylor after the 1907 season and is based on an obsolete form of socks. The former team of the Boston National League (Braves) had received as name, originally, because they used Red Stockings and Red Sox before leaving the practice temporarily in 1907, which inspired the owner of the American League team to use this nickname. Before 1908, the team used the American League average dark blue and had no official nickname. It was simply called the Boston or the Baseball Club of Boston. * The Curse of The Bambino.

The Curse of the Bambino was a superstition cited as a reason for the failure of the Boston Red Sox baseball team to win the World Series in the 86-year period from 1918 until 2004. While some fans took the curse seriously, most used the expression in a tongue-in-cheek manner. The curse was said to have begun after the Red Sox sold Babe Ruth, sometimes called The Bambino, to the New York Yankees in the off-season of 1919-1920. The Red Sox had been one of the most successful professional baseball franchises, winning the first World Series in 1903 and amassing five World Series titles prior to selling Ruth. After the sale, the once-lackluster Yankees became one of the most successful franchises in North American professional sports. Talk of the curse as an ongoing phenomenon ended in 2004 when the Red Sox came back from a 0-3 best-of-seven deficit to beat the Yankees in the 2004 American League Championship Series and then went on to sweep the St. Louis Cardinals to win the 2004 World Series. The curse had been such a part of Boston culture that when a road sign on the city’s much-used Storrow Drive was vandalized from “Reverse Curve” to “Reverse The Curse”, officials left it in place until after the Red Sox won the Series in a 4-0 sweep. 2.

LEGENDS

Denton True “Cy” Young. More commonly known as “Cy,” the big right-hander spent nearly 20 years in the big leagues and set the pitching standard for all of baseball to follow. He was the only pitcher in baseball’s first 100 years to win 500 games, including three no-hit shutouts and a perfect game on May 5, 1904. George Herman “Babe” Ruth. You’ll rarely find a name in baseball recognized by so many people. From his portly physique to his legendary swing, to his affection for fans, George Herman “Babe” Ruth has often been called the best baseball player of all time. Ted Williams. Considered by many to be the greatest hitter to ever play the game of baseball, Ted Williams is a true personification of the Red Sox mystique. He amassed 521 home runs, including a dramatic farewell homer on his last at-bat in 1960. “Teddy Ballgame” Goes. 406. In just his third year, at only 23 years of age, Ted Williams went into the last day of the 1941 season hitting. 996, an average that officially rounds up to. 400. He is the only player in baseball history to hit. 400 in a season. * A “Parting Shot” — Never has an athlete finished in such style. In his last at-bat of a Hall of Fame career, Ted Williams sent 10,454 fans into a frenzy when he launched a 1-1 pitch from Baltimore Orioles’ pitcher Jack Fisher high into the damp gray sky and into the Red Sox bullpen for a home run. Roger Clemens. The Rocket mows down 20. Red Sox manager John McNamara said it was the most awesome display of pitching he had ever seen. On a Tuesday night in April of 1986, Red Sox right-hander, Roger Clemens shot down a record number of Seattle Mariners to break the Major League record for strikeouts in a nine-inning game. Roger Clemens won his third and final Cy Young in 1991 in a Red Sox uniform by going 18-10 with a 2. 62 ERA. He also registered 241 strikeouts that season.

CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Baseball Club has won 7 Worl Series Championships, some of them are:

• a) The 1915 World Series was marked by the strong hitting performances of the legendary Sox outfield of Duffy Lewis, Tris Speaker, and Harry Hooper. After dropping Game 1, the Sox won the next four to defeat the Philadelphia Phillies for the championship.
• b) Babe Ruth was the season and World Series hero, with a 23-12 regular-season record and a 1. 75 ERA. In-Game 2 of the Series, Ruth pitched a 14-inning, complete game 2-1 win against the Brooklyn Dodgers, while the Sox went on to take the Series four games to one for the second straight year. The Sox played their World Series games in 1915 and 1916 in the new and larger capacity National League Braves Field on Commonwealth Avenue, which held 40,000 fans.
• c) In 2004, the Red Sox went into the postseason as the American League Wild Card entry. They swept the Angels in the Division Series. The Sox were nearly swept out of the American League Championship Series, trailing the Yankees, 3-0,  in the best-of-seven series. But that was when they officially became history makers, becoming the first team in Major League Baseball history to recover from a 3-0 deficit. After thumping the Yankees in seven games, the Sox swept the Cardinals for their first World Series championship in 86 years. Ramirez was named MVP of the Series.
• d) 2007, this year’s wire-to-wire performance by the Red Sox was one of the most impressive in team history. Manager Terry Francona’s team took over first place in the American League East on April 18 and never let it go. It was Boston’s first division title since 1995. The fun did not stop after the 96-66 regular season. The Red Sox swept the Angels in the Division Series, came back from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Indians in a seven-game American League Championship Series, and then broke out the brooms again in a World Series sweep of the Colorado Rockies.

It was the second World Series championship for the Red Sox in four years, this after not winning one for 86 years. There were several individual standouts, from the Rookie of the Year performance of the second baseman Dustin Pedroia to a 20-win season by Josh Beckett to more heroics from star run producer David Ortiz. Third baseman Mike Lowell, the MVP of the World Series, also had a big year, hitting. 324 with 21 homers and 120 RBIs.