In last Sunday's Globe, Dan Shaughnessy attempted to rank the three Red Sox World Series victories in order of importance. Not surprisingly, he picked 04 first. That, of course, was the Series that "reversed the curse". It added to Dan's fame, both as one of the originators of the Curse idea himself and the man who wrote the best-known book about reversing it.
Later in the article Shaughnessy mentioned 2013, Boston Strong, and the Brotherhood of the Beard. He rated it a bit behind 04. About the 07 title, however, he wrote "Those guys might have been the most talented of this championship group and their comeback against the Tribe was truly spectacular, but…the 07 team goes home with the bronze." However, we should not underestimate Terry Francona's second championship.
Before that season,there was a feeling that 04 had been a fluke. The Sox fell in three straight to Chicago in the 05 ALDS and missed the playoffs entirely in 06, finishing third behind the Yanks and Blue Jays. The 07 group, however, sparkled with talent. They had power, led by David Ortiz with 35 homers and 117 rbi's, Mike Lowell (21 and 120) and Manny Ramirez (20 and 88). Their .279 team average was third in the league, led by Ortiz, Lowell, and Rookie of the Year Dustin Pedroia. Jason Varitek provided strong work behind the plate and connected for 17 homes and 68 ribbies. The only weak link was at short, with underachieving Julio Lugo.
On the mound, they were even better, with a league-leading 3.87 ERA and topped the AL in several other categories. The staff was led by Josh Beckett (20-7) but rookie Daisuke Matsuzaka, Tim Wakefield, and Curt Schilling (though injury-plagued) were not far behind. Jonathan Papelbon exploded on the scene as s closer with 37 saves and a 1.85 ERA, and Hidecki Okajima, another rookie, was one of the league's top setup men. Javier Lopez, Manny Delcarmen, and Kyle Snyder provided strong middle relief.
Boston assumed first place on April 18 and stayed there the rest of the season, finishing 96-66 and topping the Yanks by 2 games. The two teams battled all year, with the Sox finally beating them out in September, aided by a late 4 of 5 streak over Tampa Bay and Oakland.
The postseason is probably remembered mostly for one-sided victories over the Angels in the ALDS and the Rockies in the World Series, In between, however, they had to overcome a 3-1 deficit to the Indians to take the pennant. After the Bosox breezed in game 1, the Tribe hammered the Sox bullpen in extra innings to take game 2 by a 13-6 score. They then put Boston on the brink by taking games 3 and 4 in Cleveland. But the Townies would come alive in game 5 at Jacobs Field, as Schilling bested CC Sabathia as the Sox exploded late for a 7-1 victory. Back at Fenway, they eased in by scores of 12-2 and 11-2, with game 6 featuring a grand slam by much-maligned JD Dew. They did not lose again, sweeping overmatched Colorado, with 23-year-old Jon Lester (replacing the injured Wakefield) and Papelbon combining for a 4-3 victory to take the Series.
Though 2004 and 2013 were so famous for several reasons, we should still remember the 07 squad. It cemented the Sox among the top teams of the 00 decade.
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