Просмотр кода страницы Английская Википедия:2004 World Series

{{Английская Википедия/Панель перехода}}
{{Short description|100th edition of Major League Baseball's championship series}}
{{pp-move-indef}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2015}}
{{Infobox World Series Expanded
| image = 2004 World Series logo.svg
| caption =
| country = World
| year = 2004 
| champion = [[2004 Boston Red Sox season|Boston Red Sox]] (4)
| champion_manager = [[Terry Francona]]
| champion_games = 98–64, {{winpct|98|64}}, GB: 3
| runnerup = [[2004 St. Louis Cardinals season|St. Louis Cardinals]] (0)
| runnerup_manager = [[Tony La Russa]]
| runnerup_games = 105–57, {{winpct|105|57}}, GA: 13
| date = October 23–27
| venue = [[Fenway Park]] (Boston)<br />[[Busch Memorial Stadium]] (St. Louis)
| MVP = [[Manny Ramírez]] (Boston)
| television = [[MLB on Fox|Fox]] ([[United States]])<br />[[MLB International]] (International)
| announcers = [[Joe Buck]] and [[Tim McCarver]] (Fox)<br>[[Dave O'Brien (sportscaster)|Dave O'Brien]] and [[Rick Sutcliffe]] (MLB)
| radio_network = {{hlist|[[Major League Baseball on ESPN Radio|ESPN]]|[[WEEI (AM)|WEEI]] (BOS)|[[KMOX]] (STL)}}
| radio_announcers = [[Jon Miller]] and [[Joe Morgan]] (ESPN)<br />[[Joe Castiglione]] and [[Jerry Trupiano]] (WEEI)<br />[[Mike Shannon]] and [[Wayne Hagin]] (KMOX)
| umpires = [[Ed Montague (umpire)|Ed Montague]] (crew chief), [[Dale Scott]], [[Brian Gorman]], [[Chuck Meriwether]], [[Gerry Davis (umpire)|Gerry Davis]], [[Charlie Reliford]]
| HOFers = '''Red Sox:''' <br>[[Pedro Martínez]]<br />[[David Ortiz]] <br >'''Cardinals:''' <br>[[Tony La Russa]] (manager)<br> [[Scott Rolen]]<br> [[Larry Walker]]
| ALCS = [[2004 Boston Red Sox season|Boston Red Sox]] over [[2004 New York Yankees season|New York Yankees]] (4–3)
| NLCS = [[2004 St. Louis Cardinals season|St. Louis Cardinals]] over [[2004 Houston Astros season|Houston Astros]] (4–3)
| image2 =
}}
The '''2004 World Series''' was the championship series of [[Major League Baseball]]'s (MLB) [[2004 Major League Baseball season|2004 season]]. The 100th edition of the [[World Series]], it was a [[best-of-seven playoff]] between the [[American League]] (AL) champion [[Boston Red Sox]] and the [[National League (baseball)|National League]] (NL) champion [[St. Louis Cardinals]];<ref>{{harvnb|Shaughnessy|2005|pp=212–214}}</ref> the Red Sox swept the Cardinals in four games. The series was played from October 23 to 27, 2004, at [[Fenway Park]] and [[Busch Memorial Stadium]], broadcast on [[Major League Baseball on Fox|Fox]], and watched by an average of just under 25.5 million viewers. The Red Sox's World Series championship was their first since [[1918 World Series|1918]], ending the [[Curse of the Bambino]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=O'Nan |first1=Stewart |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/57243165 |title=Faithful: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the Historic 2004 Season |last2=King |first2=Stephen |date=September 6, 2005 |publisher=Thorndike Press |year=2005 |isbn=0-7862-7422-0 |oclc=57243165}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Wisnia |first=Saul |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/889523902 |title=Miracle at Fenway: The Inside Story of the Boston Red Sox 2004 Championship Season |date=May 5, 2015 |publisher=Griffin |year=2015 |isbn=978-1-250-06871-2 |oclc=889523902}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Kepner |first=Tyler |date=2004-10-28 |title=Red Sox Erase 86 Years of Futility in 4 Games |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/28/sports/baseball/red-sox-erase-86-years-offutility-in-4-games.html |access-date=2022-08-28 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Shaughnessy |first=Dan |date=2004-10-28 |title=YES!!! |work=Boston.com |url=http://archive.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2004/10/28/yes/ |access-date=2022-08-28}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Molski |first=Max |date=October 13, 2021 |title=Ranking the top 10 MLB postseason series of all time |url=https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/red-sox/ranking-top-10-mlb-postseason-series-all-time |access-date=2022-08-28 |website=RSN |language=en}}</ref>

The Cardinals earned their berth into the playoffs by winning the [[National League Central|NL Central]] division title, and had the best win–loss record in the NL. The Red Sox won the AL [[Major League Baseball wild card|wild card]] to earn theirs. The Cardinals reached the World Series by defeating the [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] in the best-of-five [[2004 National League Division Series|NL Division Series]] and the [[Houston Astros]] in the best-of-seven [[2004 National League Championship Series|NL Championship Series]]. The Red Sox defeated the [[Anaheim Angels]] in the [[2004 American League Division Series|AL Division Series]]. After trailing three games to none to the [[New York Yankees]] in the [[2004 American League Championship Series|AL Championship Series]], the Red Sox came back to win the series, advancing to their first World Series since {{wsy|1986}}. The Cardinals made their first appearance in the World Series since {{wsy|1987}}. With the [[New England Patriots]] winning [[Super Bowl XXXVIII]], the World Series victory made Boston the first city to have Super Bowl and World Series championship teams in the same year (2004) since Pittsburgh in 1979.<ref name="Pittsburgh"/> The Red Sox became the third straight wild card team to win the World Series; the Anaheim Angels won in [[2002 World Series|2002]] and the [[Florida Marlins]] won in [[2003 World Series|2003]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cheatsheet.com/sports/how-many-mlb-wild-card-teams-have-won-the-world-series.html/?a=viewall|title=How Many MLB Wild-Card Teams Have Won the World Series?|date=October 20, 2014|access-date=August 26, 2017|publisher=The Cheat Sheet}}</ref>

The Red Sox had [[home advantage|home-field advantage]] in the World Series by virtue of the AL winning the [[2004 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|2004 All-Star Game]]. In game one, [[Mark Bellhorn]] helped the Red Sox win with a go-ahead [[home run]] in the 8th, while starter [[Curt Schilling]] led the team to a game two victory by pitching six [[inning]]s and allowing just one run. The Red Sox won the first two games despite committing four [[Error (baseball)|errors]] in each. The Red Sox won game three, aided by seven [[Shutout#Baseball|shutout]] innings by [[Pedro Martínez]]. A leadoff home run by [[Johnny Damon]] in the first inning gave the Sox a lead they never relinquished in game four for the Red Sox to secure the series. The Cardinals did not lead in any of the games in the series; the sixth and eighth innings of the first game was the only time that the two teams were tied. [[Manny Ramírez]] was named the series' [[World Series MVP Award|Most Valuable Player]]. While not a particularly competitive series, the 2004 World Series is ranked as one of the most memorable World Series of all time, and one of the most iconic professional sports moments from the 2000s due to its historical significance for Boston.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Depta |first=Laura |date=September 10, 2014 |title=Top 20 Best Sports Moments of the 2000s |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2193794-top-20-best-sports-moments-of-the-2000s |access-date=2022-08-28 |website=Bleacher Report |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Pucin |first=Diane |date=2009-12-27 |title=The best, and worst, of the 2000s |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-dec-27-la-sp-best-games-decade27-2009dec27-story.html |access-date=2022-08-28 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Knapel |first=Robert |date=October 20, 2011 |title=Power Ranking the 25 Greatest World Series in MLB History |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/903479-power-ranking-the-25-greatest-world-series-in-mlb-history |access-date=2022-08-28 |website=Bleacher Report |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Sam |date=2020-10-30 |title=Ranking every World Series in MLB history |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/29104085/ranking-every-world-series-mlb-history |access-date=2022-08-28 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}</ref> The Red Sox and Cardinals faced each other again in the [[2013 World Series]], which the Red Sox also won, this time 4 games to 2.

==Route to the series==
{{See also|2004 MLB Postseason}}
===Boston Red Sox===
{{Main|2004 Boston Red Sox season}}

The Red Sox had lost in the [[2003 American League Championship Series|previous season's ALCS]] against the [[New York Yankees]]. The loss was mainly blamed on the decision by then-manager [[Grady Little]] to keep [[starting pitcher]] [[Pedro Martínez]] in the game in the 8th inning of Game 7, that resulted the win (and the 2003 [[American League]] championship in general) to rival [[New York Yankees|New York]] via a walk-off home run, then Little was fired two weeks later.<ref>{{harvnb|Shaughnessy|2005|pp=14, 33–34, 169}}</ref>

[[File:Terry Francona 2009.jpg|thumb|right|upright|The Red Sox hired [[Terry Francona]] as their manager during the 2003–04 off-season.]]
During the off-season, the Red Sox hired [[Terry Francona]] as their new manager.<ref>{{cite news|last=Golen|first=Jimmy|title=Red Sox hire Francona as manager|work=USA Today|date=December 4, 2003|url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/al/redsox/2003-12-03-francona_x.htm|access-date =July 4, 2008|agency=Associated Press}}</ref> They also signed [[Keith Foulke]] as their [[Closer (baseball)|closer]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Foulke signs three-year deal with Red Sox|date=December 17, 2003|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1685414|access-date=July 4, 2008|agency=Associated Press|publisher=ESPN}}</ref> and traded for [[Curt Schilling]] as a starting pitcher.<ref>{{cite news|title=Red Sox sign Schilling|publisher=BBC|date=November 29, 2003|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/3248950.stm|access-date=April 27, 2009|work=BBCSport.com}}</ref> The Red Sox played two particularly notable games against the Yankees during the regular season. A game on July 1, in which they came back from a 3-run deficit to force [[extra innings]], is best remembered for an incident in the 12th inning, when Yankees [[shortstop]] [[Derek Jeter]] made a catch on the run before hurling himself head-first into the stands. The Yankees won the game in the next inning to take an 8-game lead in the [[American League East]].<ref>{{harvnb|Shaughnessy|2005|pp=131–132}}</ref> In the 3rd inning of a game on July 24, Red Sox pitcher [[Bronson Arroyo]] hit Yankees batter [[Alex Rodriguez]] with one of his pitches. As Rodriguez walked towards first base, he began shouting profanities at Arroyo. Red Sox catcher [[Jason Varitek]] positioned himself between the two players. After a brief argument, Varitek pushed his glove into Rodriguez' face, causing a [[bench-clearing brawl]].<ref>{{harvnb|Shaughnessy|2005|pp=144–145}}</ref> The Red Sox eventually won the game thanks to a home run by [[Bill Mueller]] in the 9th inning.<ref>{{harvnb|Shaughnessy|2005|pp=145–146}}</ref> On July 31, the Red Sox traded [[shortstop]] [[Nomar Garciaparra]] to the [[Chicago Cubs]] after he had spent eight years with the team. They acquired shortstop [[Orlando Cabrera]] and [[first baseman]] [[Doug Mientkiewicz]] in this trade.<ref>{{cite news|title=No More Nomar; Red Sox ship Garciaparra to Cubs in blockbuster four-team deadline deal |work=Sports Illustrated |date=July 31, 2004 |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/baseball/mlb/07/31/trade.deadline/ |access-date=July 9, 2009 |agency=Associated Press |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070815085902/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/baseball/mlb/07/31/trade.deadline/ |archive-date=August 15, 2007 }}</ref> They won the [[Major League Baseball wild card|wild card]] to earn a place in the post-season for the second year in a row.<ref>{{cite news|last=Hohler|first=Bob|title=Berth announcement-Red Sox clinch a spot in playoffs by beating Rays|newspaper=The Boston Globe|date=September 28, 2004|url=http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2004/09/28/berth_announcement/|access-date=July 4, 2008}}</ref>

In the divisional round of the playoffs, the Red Sox faced the second-seeded [[Anaheim Angels]] in a best-of-five series. They won Game 1 largely thanks to a 7-run 4th inning, and went on to [[Podium sweep|sweep]] the series. In the 7th inning of Game 3, with the Red Sox leading by 4, [[Vladimir Guerrero]] tied the game for the Angels with a [[Grand slam (baseball)|grand slam]]. However, [[David Ortiz]] won the series with a game-winning home run in the 10th.<ref>{{cite web|last=Browne|first=Ian|title =Sox answer Angels' 7th heaven|work=MLB.com|date=October 8, 2004|url=http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20041008&content_id=887527&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=bos|access-date=March 1, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101209145652/http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20041008&content_id=887527&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=bos|archive-date=December 9, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the [[2004 American League Championship Series|American League Championship Series]], the Red Sox lost the first three games against the top-seeded New York Yankees, including a 19–8 drubbing in Game 3, and were trailing 4–3 in Game 4 when they began the 9th inning. [[Kevin Millar]] was [[Base on balls|walked]] by Yankees closer [[Mariano Rivera]].<ref>{{harvnb|Shaughnessy|2005|pp=197–198}}</ref> [[Dave Roberts (outfielder)|Dave Roberts]] then came into the game to [[Pinch runner|pinch run]] for Millar and [[stolen base|stole second base]]. Mueller then [[Single (baseball)|singled]] to enable him to tie the game. Another game-winning home run by Ortiz won the game 6–4 for the Red Sox in the 12th inning.<ref>{{cite news|title=Ortiz forces Game 5 with dramatic homer|publisher=ESPN|date=October 17, 2004|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=241017102|access-date=July 7, 2008|agency=Associated Press}}</ref> Ortiz' single in the 14th inning of Game 5 scored the winning run for the Red Sox, in what was, then, the longest post-season game in baseball history.<ref>{{cite news|title=Yankees' bullpen comes apart in 14th|publisher=ESPN|date=October 18, 2004|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=241018102|access-date =July 7, 2008|agency=Associated Press}}</ref> Despite having a dislocated ankle tendon, Schilling started Game 6 for the Red Sox.<ref name="ALCSGame6">{{harvnb|Shaughnessy|2005|pp=204–205}}</ref> He pitched for seven innings, and allowed just one run, during which time his sock became soaked in blood.<ref name="ALCSGame6"/> In the eighth inning, Yankees [[third baseman]] Rodriguez slapped a ball out of pitcher Arroyo's hand, allowing the Yankees to score a run. However, after a discussion the umpires called Rodriguez out for interference and canceled the run. Fans then threw debris onto the field in protest and the game was stopped for ten minutes.<ref name="ALgame6">{{cite web|title =Schilling sends Sox to Game 7|publisher=ESPN|date=October 19, 2004|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=241019110|access-date=July 7, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Caldwell|first=Dave|title=Umpires Huddled to Get 2 Disputed Calls Right in Game 6|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date =October 21, 2003|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/21/sports/baseball/21side.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print&position=|access-date=October 1, 2009}}</ref> The Red Sox won the game 4–2 and became the first baseball team to ever force a Game 7 after having been down 3 games to none.<ref name="ALgame6"/> A 10–3 win in Game 7 brought the Red Sox to the World Series for the first time in 18 years.<ref>{{cite web|title=Boston's blow out caps unequaled comeback|publisher=ESPN|date=October 20, 2004|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=241020110|access-date=July 7, 2008}}</ref>

===St. Louis Cardinals===
[[File:DSC00621 Albert Pujols.jpg|thumb|upright|right|alt=Baseball batter in a red hat, white top and white pants, standing on baseball field for the Cardinals.|Albert Pujols, seen here in 2007, hit 46 home runs, then a career-high.]]
{{Main|2004 St. Louis Cardinals season}}

Having failed to make the playoffs the season before, and with their division rivals (the [[Chicago Cubs]] and [[Houston Astros]]) expected to be strong, the Cardinals were generally expected to finish 3rd in the [[National League Central]].<ref>{{cite web | title =Cardinals history timeline | publisher =Cardinals official website | url =http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/stl/history/timeline6.jsp | access-date =July 7, 2008 | archive-date =June 9, 2012 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20120609085704/http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/stl/history/timeline6.jsp | url-status =dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Cardinals never seem to have full deck in postseason |work=Sports Illustrated |date=October 4, 2004 |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/baseball/mlb/specials/postseason/2004/10/04/cardinals.cross.ap/ |access-date=April 5, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103133527/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/baseball/mlb/specials/postseason/2004/10/04/cardinals.cross.ap/ |archive-date=November 3, 2012 }}</ref> However, strong offensive seasons from [[Albert Pujols]], [[Scott Rolen]], and [[Jim Edmonds]]—during which they each hit more than 30&nbsp;home runs and 100&nbsp;[[runs batted in]] (RBI)—helped them to lead the league in runs scored.<ref name="refcardstats">{{cite web| title =2004 St. Louis Cardinals | work =Baseball reference.com | url =https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/STL/2004.shtml | access-date =July 7, 2008 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080623065310/http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/STL/2004.shtml| archive-date= June 23, 2008| url-status= live}}</ref> They also allowed the fewest runs of any team in the league.<ref name="refleaguestats">{{cite web| title =2004 National League Team Statistics and Standings | work =Baseball reference.com | url =https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/2004.shtml | access-date =September 28, 2009 }}</ref> Four of their starters recorded at least 15 [[Win–loss record (pitching)|wins]] and closer [[Jason Isringhausen]] recorded a league-best&nbsp;47 [[Save (baseball)|saves]].<ref name="refcardstats"/><ref>{{cite web| title =2004 National League Pitching Leaders | work =Baseball reference.com | url =https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/2004-pitching-leaders.shtml | access-date =September 28, 2009 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091029194300/http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/2004-pitching-leaders.shtml| archive-date= October 29, 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref> They added [[outfielder]] [[Larry Walker]] in August and finished the regular season with the best win–loss record in the league at 105-57.<ref>{{cite news| last =Fallstrom | first =R.B.| title =Emotional Walker finally moving on | work =USA Today | date =August 6, 2004 | url =https://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/nl/cardinals/2004-08-06-walker-trade_x.htm | access-date =July 7, 2008 }}</ref>

The top-seeded Cardinals faced the #3 seed [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] in the divisional round of the playoffs. Five home runs in Game 1 and no runs allowed by the [[bullpen]] in Game 2 helped the Cardinals to win the first two games.<ref>{{cite web| last =Leach | first =Matthew | title =Renteria's clutch bat lifts Cardinals | work =MLB.com | date =October 7, 2004 | url =http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20041007&content_id=887132&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=stl | access-date =July 7, 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101209150418/http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20041007&content_id=887132&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=stl | archive-date=December 9, 2010 | url-status=dead }}</ref> A [[complete game]] by Dodgers pitcher [[José Lima]] enabled the Dodgers to force a Game 4, during which a home run by Pujols won the series for the Cardinals.<ref>{{cite news|title=St Louis 6, Los Angeles 2 |work=Sports Illustrated |date=October 11, 2004 |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/recaps/2004/10/10/9246_recap.html |access-date=July 9, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724222743/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/recaps/2004/10/10/9246_recap.html |archive-date=July 24, 2008 }}</ref> In the [[2004 National League Championship Series|National League Championship Series]], the Cardinals faced the #4 seed [[Houston Astros]] and won the first two games in St. Louis. However, the Astros tied the series in the next two games in Houston, before a combined [[One-hitter (baseball)|one-hitter]] by Astros pitchers [[Brandon Backe]] and [[Brad Lidge]] gave them the series lead.<ref>{{cite web| last =Leach | first =Matthew | title =Cardinals fall on homer in ninth | work= MLB.com | date =October 18, 2004 | url =http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20041018&content_id=899470&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=stl | access-date =July 7, 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101209145743/http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20041018&content_id=899470&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=stl | archive-date=December 9, 2010 | url-status=dead }}</ref> An RBI [[Single (baseball)|single]] by [[Jeff Bagwell]] in the 9th inning of Game 6 tied the game and forced [[extra innings]]. In the 12th, Edmonds won the game for the Cardinals with a walk-off home run.<ref>{{cite news|title=St Louis 6, Houston 4 (12 Innings) |work=Sports Illustrated |date=October 20, 2004 |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/recaps/2004/10/20/9263_recap.html |access-date=July 9, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080723223628/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/recaps/2004/10/20/9263_recap.html |archive-date=July 23, 2008 }}</ref> Trailing in the sixth inning of Game 7, a game-tying RBI [[Double (baseball)|double]] by [[Albert Pujols]] followed by a [[Scott Rolen]] two-run home run and then an RBI single by [[Larry Walker]] in the 8th inning helped the Cardinals to a 5–2 win and their first World Series berth in 17 years.<ref>{{cite web| last =Leach | first =Matthew | title =Cards earn trip to World Series| work=MLB.com | date =October 21, 2004 | url =http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20041021&content_id=902331&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=stl | access-date =July 7, 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101209144855/http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20041021&content_id=902331&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=stl | archive-date=December 9, 2010 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

By reaching the World Series with the Cardinals, [[Tony La Russa]] became the sixth manager to win pennants in both leagues.<ref name="Managers">{{cite news|quote=For La Russa, this is his first Series appearance since 1990, when he directed Oakland to its third in a row...La Russa is only the sixth skipper to take teams from both leagues to the Fall Classic.|title=La Russa Keeping Options Open|last=Powers|first=John|newspaper=Boston Globe|date=October 23, 2004|page=E7}}</ref> This was after La Russa had managed the [[Oakland Athletics]] to three straight pennants between [[1988 American League Championship Series|1988]] and [[1990 American League Championship Series|1990]] and winning the [[1989 World Series]].<ref name="Managers"/> He would attempt to join [[Sparky Anderson]] as the only men to have managed teams to World Series championships in both leagues.<ref>{{cite news|title=Sanders has that winning touch|last=McCoy|first=Hal|newspaper=Dayton Daily News|date=October 24, 2004|page=C6|quote=La Russa, though, did win a World Series in Oakland and is attempting to join Sparky Anderson (Cincinnati, Detroit) as the only manager to win a World Series in both leagues.}}</ref> He wore #10 in tribute to Anderson (who wore 10 while manager of the [[Cincinnati Reds]]) and to indicate he was trying to win the team's 10th championship.<ref name="LaRussa">{{cite news|title=La Russa Gets Number He Wants|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/28/AR2006102800905_pf.html|date=October 29, 2006|first=Dave|last=Sheinin|newspaper=Washington Post| access-date= March 8, 2011}}</ref><ref name=Anderson>{{cite web|url=http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061027&content_id=1725895&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=stl|title=Cards secure 10th World Series title|date=October 28, 2006|access-date=February 21, 2011|first=Matthew|last=Leach|website=St. Louis Cardinals|publisher=MLB|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110209141555/http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061027&content_id=1725895&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=stl|archive-date=February 9, 2011|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

==Series build-up==
The series was heavily discussed and analyzed by the [[Media of the United States|American media]] prior to it beginning. The ''[[Star-News]]'' of [[Wilmington, North Carolina|Wilmington]], [[North Carolina]], compared the Red Sox and Cardinals position by position and concluded that the Cardinals were stronger in eight positions, the Red Sox in four and both teams even in one. They predicted that the Cardinals would win the series in seven games.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=VH8WAAAAIBAJ&sjid=2x8EAAAAIBAJ&pg=7225,1807384&dq|title=World Series Matchups|date=October 23, 2004|access-date=February 1, 2010}}</ref> Andrew Haskett of E-Sports.com gave high praise to the two teams' starting pitchers but also said that the Cardinals "took a serious blow" when [[Chris Carpenter]] was forced out of the series due to an injury to his arm. He also pointed out the ability of both teams to hit home runs, especially in the case of the Red Sox's [[David Ortiz]] and the Cardinals' [[Albert Pujols]], [[Scott Rolen]] and [[Jim Edmonds]]. While he praised the Red Sox defense, he called the Cardinals "one of the best defensive teams to ever walk onto a baseball field". Ultimately he concluded that the series would be close and that the Red Sox would win it.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.e-sports.com/articles/72/1/A-preview-of-the-2004-World-Series----Boston-vs-St-Louis/Page1.html|first=Andrew|last=Haskett|title=A preview of the 2004 World Series – Boston vs. St. Louis|date=October 23, 2004|access-date=April 17, 2010|publisher=E-Sports.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710162101/http://www.e-sports.com/articles/72/1/A-preview-of-the-2004-World-Series----Boston-vs-St-Louis/Page1.html|archive-date=July 10, 2011|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

John Donovan of ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' praised both teams for how unexpected their reaching the World Series was, saying that they were "not supposed to be here". He also called the series a "blast from the past" because both teams were very old franchises and had twice previously met in the World Series.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/writers/john_donovan/10/22/worldseries.preview/ |first=John |last=Donovan |title=Instant classic |date=October 22, 2004 |access-date=June 22, 2010 |work=Sports Illustrated |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604034511/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/writers/john_donovan/10/22/worldseries.preview/ |archive-date=June 4, 2011 }}</ref> In a breakdown of how the two teams matched up, he concluded that the edge was with the Red Sox in [[Pitcher|pitching]] and the Cardinals in [[Defense (sports)#Baseball|defense]] and [[Batting (baseball)|batting]]. Ultimately he concluded that Schilling and Martinez would be the "key to [the] Series" and that the Red Sox would win in six games.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/writers/john_donovan/10/22/redsox.cardinals/index.html |first=John |last=Donovan |title=World Series preview: Cardinals-Red Sox |date=October 22, 2004 |access-date=June 22, 2010 |work=Sports Illustrated |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041026000422/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/writers/john_donovan/10/22/redsox.cardinals/index.html |archive-date=October 26, 2004 }}</ref> Jim Molony of [[MLB.com]], said he expected the series to play out very differently from the last time the two teams met in the World Series in {{wsy|1967}}. This was because both team offenses had been some of the best in the league during the season, while pitching had been very dominant in 1967.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20041022&content_id=903417&vkey=ds2004news&fext=.jsp&c_id=null|first=Jim|last=Molony|title=Explosive lineups take center stage|date=October 22, 2004|access-date=June 23, 2010|work=MLB.com|url-status=live| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100320002240/http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20041022&content_id=903417&vkey=ds2004news&fext=.jsp&c_id=null| archive-date=March 20, 2010}}</ref>

[[Dan Shaughnessy]] of ''[[The Boston Globe]]'' said that "[[Bally's Las Vegas|Bally's in Las Vegas]] set the Red Sox as 8–5 favorites to win the Series" and that there was "some sentiment in St. Louis that the NL champions have been disrespected". but also that Red Sox General Manager [[Theo Epstein]] "Did not want to dis[respect] the Cardinals".<ref name=ShaughnessyPreview>{{cite news|title=Red Sox Nation Set for Game 1; Boston Tries to Undo Years of Heartbreak|date=October 23, 2004|first=Dan|last=Shaughnessy|newspaper=Boston Globe|page=A1|url=http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2004/10/23/red_sox_nation_set_for_game_1/| access-date= July 29, 2011}}</ref> Shaughnessy also quoted Schilling as having said: "There's a lot of good players in that [visitors] clubhouse over there. This isn't the time for us to be thinking about history. If we get three wins and 26 outs into the fourth win, I'm pretty sure it will hit us."<ref name=ShaughnessyPreview/> Before the series began, Shaughnessy wrote a piece saying that although the Red Sox had beaten the Yankees, the series needed to be won, as it was the only way the [[Curse of the Bambino]], which he had publicized based on the book of the same title in 1990,<ref>{{harvnb|Shaughnessy|2005|p=8}}</ref> would end,<ref name="CurseDead">{{harvnb|Shaughnessy|2005|pp=185, 214}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Now wait just a minute: Series still must be won|date=October 22, 2004|first=Dan|last=Shaughnessy|newspaper=Boston Globe|page=D17}}</ref> and demeaning chants of "1918!" would no longer echo at [[Yankee Stadium (1923)|Yankee Stadium]].<ref name="NoMore1918!">{{cite news|title=Red Sox Erase 86 Years of Futility in 4 Games|date=October 28, 2004|first=Tyler|last=Kepner|newspaper=The New York Times|page=A1|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/28/sports/baseball/28series.html?pagewanted=print&position=| access-date= March 8, 2011}}</ref> During the series, he wrote a piece about how much people in New England were thinking about loved ones who had spent their entire lives rooting for the Red Sox, hoping that one day, they would see their Red Sox win a World Series.<ref name="FOX4">{{cite video|title=Major League Baseball on Fox: Game 4 of the 2004 World Series|medium=television|publisher=Fox|date=October 27, 2004}}</ref><ref name="LovedOnes">{{cite news|title=Going National; This is bigger than all of us|date=October 26, 2004|first=Dan|last=Shaughnessy|newspaper=Boston Globe|page=F1|url=http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2004/10/26/going_national?pg=full| access-date= June 13, 2011}}</ref>

Both teams had lost in their previous World Series appearances in seven games. The Red Sox lost to the [[New York Mets]] in {{wsy|1986}}, while the Cardinals lost in {{wsy|1987}} to the [[Minnesota Twins]]. The Cardinals and Red Sox had not won the World Series since {{wsy|1982}} and {{wsy|1918}} respectively. When the two teams had previously played each other in the {{wsy|1946}} and 1967 World Series, the Cardinals won both series in seven games.<ref>{{harvnb|Shaughnessy|2005|p=213}}</ref><ref name="World Series">{{cite web|title=MLB World Series Winners|publisher=ESPN|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/alltime/worldseries|access-date=July 10, 2009}}</ref> Having won the [[2004 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star Game]], the AL had been awarded [[Glossary of baseball (H)#home field advantage|home-field advantage]], which meant the Red Sox had the advantage at [[Fenway Park]] in four of the seven games in the series.<ref>{{cite news|last=Lopresti|first=Mike|title=American League extends All-Star dominance 9–4|newspaper= USA Today|url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/allstar/2004-07-13-all-star-game_x.htm|date=July 14, 2004|access-date=July 10, 2009}}</ref>

==Summary==
{{MLB Playoff Summary
| summary = 
| winner = Boston
| score = 4–0
| score1 = St. Louis Cardinals – 9, '''Boston Red Sox''' – 11
| date1 = October 23
| loc1 = [[Fenway Park]]
| time1 = 4:00
| att1 = 35,035
| ref1 =<ref name="Game1">{{cite web|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2004/B10230BOS2004.htm|title=2004 World Series Game 1 – St. Louis Cardinals vs. Boston Red Sox|access-date=September 13, 2009|publisher=Retrosheet}}</ref>
| score2 = St. Louis Cardinals – 2, '''Boston Red Sox''' – 6
| date2 = October 24
| loc2 = Fenway Park
| time2 = 3:20
| att2 = 35,001
| ref2 =<ref name="Game2">{{cite web|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2004/B10240BOS2004.htm|title=2004 World Series Game 2 – St. Louis Cardinals vs. Boston Red Sox|access-date=September 13, 2009|publisher=Retrosheet}}</ref>
| score3 = '''Boston Red Sox''' – 4, St. Louis Cardinals – 1
| date3 = October 26
| loc3 = [[Busch Memorial Stadium|Busch Stadium (II)]]
| time3 = 2:58
| att3 = 52,015
| ref3 =<ref name="Game3">{{cite web|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2004/B10260SLN2004.htm|title=2004 World Series Game 3 – Boston Red Sox vs. St. Louis Cardinals|access-date=September 13, 2009|publisher=Retrosheet}}</ref>
| score4 = '''Boston Red Sox''' – 3, St. Louis Cardinals – 0
| date4 = October 27
| loc4 = Busch Stadium (II)
| time4 = 3:14
| att4 = 52,037
| ref4 =<ref name="Game4">{{cite web|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2004/B10270SLN2004.htm|title=2004 World Series Game 4 – Boston Red Sox vs. St. Louis Cardinals|access-date=September 13, 2009|publisher=Retrosheet}}</ref>
}}

==Matchups==

===Game 1===
{{Linescore|
|Date=October 23, 2004
|Time=8:05{{nbsp}}pm ([[Eastern Time Zone|EDT]]) 
|Location=[[Fenway Park]] in [[Boston]], [[Massachusetts]]
|Road=St. Louis|RoadAbr=STL
|R1=0|R2=1|R3=1|R4=3|R5=0|R6=2|R7=0|R8=2|R9=0|RR=9|RH=11|RE=1
|Home='''Boston'''|HomeAbr=BOS
|H1=4|H2=0|H3=3|H4=0|H5=0|H6=0|H7=2|H8=2|H9=X|HR=11|HH=13|HE=4
|RSP=|HSP=
|WP=[[Keith Foulke]] (1–0)|LP=[[Julián Tavárez]] (0–1)|SV=
|RoadHR=[[Larry Walker]] (1)|HomeHR=[[David Ortiz]] (1), [[Mark Bellhorn]] (1)
|Attendance=35,035
|BoxURL=https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2004/B10230BOS2004.htm
|Other={{convert|49|F|C}}, Overcast}}
Local band [[Dropkick Murphys]] performed "[[Tessie]]", and a moment of silence was observed to remember local student [[Shooting of Victoria Snelgrove|Victoria Snelgrove]], who had been accidentally killed by police two days earlier as Sox fans had celebrated winning the American League pennant.<ref>{{harvnb|Shaughnessy|2005|p=218}}</ref><ref name=Game1-BostonGlobe>{{cite news|title=Sox prevail in wild Series slugfest; Bellhorn's dramatic HR sparks 11–9 win|date=October 24, 2004|first=Dan|last=Shaughnessy|newspaper=Boston Globe|page=A1|url=http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2004/10/24/bellhorns_dramatic_hr_sparks_11_9_win/| access-date= July 29, 2011}}</ref> [[Steven Tyler]], the lead singer of [[Aerosmith]], another local band, performed "[[The Star-Spangled Banner]]" and Red Sox legend [[Carl Yastrzemski]] threw the [[ceremonial first pitch]].<ref name=Game1-BostonGlobe/> [[Kelly Clarkson]] sang "[[God Bless America]]" during the [[seventh-inning stretch]].
{{Quote box |quoted=true |bgcolor=#FFFFF0 |salign=center
|width=25%
|align=right
|quote=Down the right field line, into the corner it is fair! And a three-run home run, Ortiz has done it again!
|source=[[Joe Buck]] of [[Fox Sports (United States)|Fox Sports]], calling the fifth home run of the postseason by David Ortiz in Game 1.<ref name="FOX1"/>
}}

[[Tim Wakefield]] made his first start of the 2004 postseason for the Red Sox, becoming the first knuckleball pitcher to make a World Series start since 1948, while [[Woody Williams]], who had won his previous two starts in the post-season, was the Cardinals' starting pitcher.<ref name="box">{{cite web|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/boxscore?gameId=241023102|title=Red Sox 11, Cardinals 9 |publisher=ESPN |access-date=July 11, 2008}}</ref> In the bottom of the first inning, Williams gave up a [[Lead off#The first batter|lead-off]] [[Double (baseball)|double]] to [[Johnny Damon]], and then hit [[Orlando Cabrera]] in the shoulder with one of his pitches. After [[Manny Ramírez]] [[In flight|flied out]], Ortiz hit a three-run home run in his first-ever World Series [[at bat]]. [[Kevin Millar]] then scored by virtue of a single by [[Bill Mueller]] to put the Red Sox up 4–0.<ref name="box"/><ref>{{cite news | last =Antonen | first =Mel |url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/al/redsox/2004-10-25-ortiz-feature_x.htm|title=Ortiz primed for Series success|work=USA Today|date=October 25, 2004|access-date=July 10, 2009}}</ref>

The Cardinals scored one run in both the second and third innings on a [[Glossary of baseball (S)#sacrifice fly|sacrifice fly]] by [[Mike Matheny]] to score [[Jim Edmonds]] and a home run to right field by Walker, respectively. However, in the bottom of the third, the Red Sox scored three runs after seven consecutive batters reached base, giving them a five-run lead. [[Dan Haren]] came in from the Cardinals' [[bullpen]] to replace Williams during the inning.<ref name="play">{{cite web|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/playbyplay?gameId=241023102|title=Red Sox 11, Cardinals 9 play by play |publisher=ESPN |access-date=July 11, 2008}}</ref>

In the top of the fourth inning, [[Bronson Arroyo]] was brought in to replace Wakefield after he had walked four batters. Those walks, combined with a throwing error by Millar and a [[passed ball]] by [[Doug Mirabelli]], allowed the Cardinals to reduce the lead to two runs. In the sixth inning, [[So Taguchi]] reached first on an [[infield hit]] and was allowed to advance to second when Arroyo threw the ball into the stands. Doubles by [[Édgar Rentería]] and Walker tied the game at seven. In the bottom of the seventh inning, Ramírez singled with two men on base, and a poor throw by Edmonds allowed [[Mark Bellhorn]] to score. Ortiz then hit a line drive that appeared to skip off the lip of the infield and hit Cardinals' second baseman [[Tony Womack]] with "considerable force".<ref name="Womack">{{cite web | last =Schlegel | first =John |url=http://www.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20041023&content_id=903995&vkey=news_stl&fext=.jsp&c_id=stl|title=Injury won't ground Womack|work=MLB.com|date=October 23, 2004|access-date=July 11, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050205085400/http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/stl/news/stl_news.jsp?ymd=20041023&content_id=903995&vkey=news_stl&fext=.jsp|archive-date=February 5, 2005|url-status=dead}}</ref> Womack immediately grabbed his [[clavicle]] as a second Red Sox run scored. He was attended to once play had ended and replaced by [[Marlon Anderson]]. A precautionary [[X-ray]] revealed that there was no damage.<ref name="play"/><ref name="Womack"/>

In the top of the eighth inning, with one out and two men on base, Red Sox closer [[Keith Foulke]] came in to pitch. Rentería singled towards Ramírez in left field, who unintentionally kicked the ball away, allowing [[Jason Marquis]] to score. Walker also hit the ball towards Ramírez in the next at bat. Ramírez slid in an attempt to try to catch the ball, but tripped and deflected the ball for his second error in two plays, and the fourth Red Sox error in the game. [[Roger Cedeño]] scored on the play to tie the game at nine.<ref name="play"/><ref>{{cite web|last=Bloom | first =Barry M.|url=http://www.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20041024&content_id=904072&vkey=news_bos&fext=.jsp&c_id=bos|title=Sox have crazy 8th, cut Cards|work=MLB.com|date=October 24, 2004|access-date=July 11, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050209023527/http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/bos/news/bos_news.jsp?ymd=20041024&content_id=904072&vkey=news_bos&fext=.jsp|archive-date=February 9, 2005|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the bottom of the eighth inning, however, [[Jason Varitek]] reached on an error, and Bellhorn then hit a home run off the right field foul pole, also known as [[Pesky's Pole]], for his third home run in as many games to give the Red Sox a two-run lead.<ref name=Game1-BostonGlobe/><ref>{{cite web | last =Footer | first =Alyson |url=http://www.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20041024&content_id=904130&vkey=news_bos&fext=.jsp&c_id=bos|title=Bellhorn helps Sox ring up victory|work=MLB.com|date=October 24, 2004|access-date=July 11, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050209023531/http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/bos/news/bos_news.jsp?ymd=20041024&content_id=904130&vkey=news_bos&fext=.jsp|archive-date=February 9, 2005|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the ninth inning, Foulke struck out Cedeño to win the game for the Red Sox 11–9.<ref name="box"/><ref name="play"/>

With a total of 20&nbsp;runs, it was the highest scoring opening game of a World Series ever.<ref name=2004WorldSeriesVideo/> With four RBI, Ortiz also tied a franchise record for RBI in a World Series game.<ref name=Game1-BostonGlobe/><ref>{{harvnb|Shaughnessy|2005|pp=218–219}}</ref>  Walker, making his World Series debut in Game 1, collected four hits in five at bats with a home run and two doubles.<ref>{{cite news |last=Finley |first=Bill |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/24/sports/baseball/walker-is-dangerous-when-others-give-way.html |title=Walker is dangerous when others give way |work=The New York Times |date=October 24, 2004 |access-date=February 11, 2017}}</ref>  His four-hit outing tied a Cardinals World Series record, becoming the seventh overall and first to do so since [[Lou Brock]] in 1967, also against Boston.<ref name=mlbbio>{{cite web |url=http://m.mlb.com/player/123833/larry-walker |title=Larry Walker stats, fantasy & news (Career biography) |work=MLB.com |access-date=May 13, 2017}}</ref>

===Game 2===
{{Linescore|
|Date=October 24, 2004
|Time=8:10{{nbsp}}pm (EDT)
|Location=Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts
|Road=St. Louis|RoadAbr=STL
|R1=0|R2=0|R3=0|R4=1|R5=0|R6=0|R7=0|R8=1|R9=0|RR=2|RH=5|RE=0
|Home='''Boston'''|HomeAbr=BOS
|H1=2|H2=0|H3=0|H4=2|H5=0|H6=2|H7=0|H8=0|H9=X|HR=6|HH=8|HE=4
|RSP=|HSP=
|WP=[[Curt Schilling]] (1–0)|LP=[[Matt Morris (baseball)|Matt Morris]] (0–1)
|Attendance=35,001
|BoxURL=https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2004/B10240BOS2004.htm
|Other={{convert|48|F|C}}, Overcast}}

Boston native [[James Taylor]] performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" before Game 2 and singer [[Donna Summer]], also a Boston native, performed "[[God Bless America]]" during the [[seventh-inning stretch]]. The [[ceremonial first pitch]] was thrown by the surviving three members of the famous Red Sox quartet that had faced the Cardinals in 1946: [[Bobby Doerr]], [[Dom DiMaggio]] and [[Johnny Pesky]] ([[Ted Williams]] had died two years earlier).<ref>{{cite web | last =Footer | first =Alyson | url=http://www.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20041024&content_id=904576&vkey=news_bos&fext=.jsp&c_id=bos| title=Going to Fenway Park in my mind| work=MLB.com| date=October 24, 2004| access-date=July 11, 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050203024852/http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/news/mlb_news.jsp?ymd=20041024&content_id=904576&vkey=ds2004news&fext=.jsp | archive-date=February 3, 2005 | url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:SchillingNew.JPG|left|upright|thumb|alt=Boston pitcher, in black hat, navy blue top and grey pants, delivering a practice pitch for the Red Sox the day before a game. Nearly empty bleachers are visible behind him.|Schilling, seen here in 2007, started and won Game 2 for the Red Sox.]]
Despite having a torn tendon in his right ankle, similar to Game 6 of the ALCS against the Yankees, Schilling started Game 2 for the Red Sox.<ref name=2004WorldSeriesVideo/> Schilling had four stitches in the ankle the day before, causing him "considerable discomfort".<ref name="Schilling">{{cite web | last =Bloom | first =Barry M. |url=http://www.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20041024&content_id=904453&vkey=news_bos&fext=.jsp&c_id=bos|title=Schilling guts one out in Game 2|work=MLB.com|date=October 25, 2004|access-date=July 12, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050204013652/http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/news/mlb_news.jsp?ymd=20041024&content_id=904453&vkey=ds2004news&fext=.jsp|archive-date=February 4, 2005|url-status=dead}}</ref> He was not sure on the morning of Game 2 if he would be able to play, but after one of the stitches was removed, he was treated with [[antibiotics]] and was able to pitch.<ref name="Schilling"/>
Morris started for the Cardinals on three days' rest (one day fewer than is orthodox rest for a starting pitcher).<ref>{{cite news|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/previews/2004/10/24/9272_preview.html |title=St. Louis at Boston 8:00&nbsp;pm EDT World Series Boston leads, 1–0 |work=Sports Illustrated |date=October 24, 2004 |access-date=July 9, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041027000446/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/previews/2004/10/24/9272_preview.html |archive-date=October 27, 2004 }}</ref>

In the first inning, [[Albert Pujols]] doubled with two out, and [[Scott Rolen]] hit a [[line drive]] towards Mueller, who caught it to end the inning.<ref name="Schilling"/> Morris walked Ramírez and Ortiz in the bottom of the inning. Varitek then [[Triple (baseball)|tripled]] to center field to give the Red Sox a 2–0 lead.<ref name="Play">{{cite web|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/playbyplay?gameId=241024102|title=Red Sox 6, Cardinals 2 |publisher=ESPN |access-date=July 12, 2008}}</ref>

In the fourth inning, Pujols doubled again and was able to score on an error by Mueller. The Red Sox also scored in the bottom of the inning when Bellhorn doubled to center with two runners on base, to give them a three-run lead. [[Cal Eldred]] came in to relieve Morris in the fifth inning, after he had walked the [[Glossary of baseball (L)#leadoff hitter|leadoff hitter]], having already given up four runs in the previous four innings. Mueller committed his World Series record-tying third error of the game, in the sixth inning;<ref>{{cite news| last =Jenkins | first =Lee |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/25/sports/baseball/in-game-2-its-bloopers-the-sequel.html?pagewanted=all|title=Baseball; In Game 2, It's Bloopers: The Sequel|work=The New York Times|date=October 25, 2004|access-date=February 27, 2009}}</ref> however, the Cardinals failed to capitalize. In the bottom of the inning, [[Trot Nixon]] led off with a single to center, and two more singles by [[Johnny Damon]] and [[Orlando Cabrera]] enabled two more runs to score to make it 6–1.<ref name="Play"/>

After six innings of allowing no earned runs – which gave him a total of 13 innings against the Yankees and Cardinals with only one earned run allowed on a torn ankle tendon – Schilling made way for [[Alan Embree]], who pitched a scoreless seventh. [[Mike Timlin]] replaced Embree in the eighth, in which a [[sacrifice fly]] by [[Scott Rolen]] reduced the Red Sox lead to four. [[Keith Foulke]] then came in to strike out [[Jim Edmonds]] to end the inning and also pitched the ninth to end the game. For the second game in a row, the Red Sox won despite committing four fielding errors.<ref name="Play"/>

With the [[Win (baseball)|win]], Schilling became only the fifth pitcher to ever win a World Series game with a team from both leagues, having previously done it with [[National League (baseball)|National League]] teams, the [[Philadelphia Phillies]] in [[1993 World Series|1993]], and the [[Arizona Diamondbacks]] in [[2001 World Series|2001]].<ref name="Schilling"/> He later donated the bloody sock he wore during the game to the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Baseball Hall of Fame]] museum.<ref name=2004WorldSeriesVideo/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/al/redsox/2005-02-11-schilling-sock-hall-of-fame_x.htm|title=Schilling's famous sock heads to Hall of Fame|work=USA Today|date=February 11, 2005|access-date=July 12, 2008}}</ref> Much of the blame for the Cardinals' losses in the first two games was directed at the fact that Rolen, Edmonds and [[Reggie Sanders]], three of the Cardinals' best batters, had combined for one hit in 22&nbsp;at-bats.<ref>{{cite web| last =Footer | first =Alyson | url=http://www.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20041025&content_id=904816&vkey=news_stl&fext=.jsp&c_id=stl| title=Heart of Cards' order missing (This article incorrectly states that Rolen, Edmonds and Sanders had three hits. See the following two references for confirmation of the correct stats).| work=MLB.com| date=October 25, 2004| access-date=July 12, 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050204171943/http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/stl/news/stl_news.jsp?ymd=20041025&content_id=904816&vkey=news_stl&fext=.jsp | archive-date=February 4, 2005 | url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BOS/BOS200410230.shtml| title=2004 World Series Game 1| work=Baseball reference.com| access-date=July 21, 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090625173255/http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BOS/BOS200410230.shtml| archive-date= June 25, 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BOS/BOS200410240.shtml| title=2004 World Series Game 2| work=Baseball reference.com| access-date=July 21, 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090624012502/http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BOS/BOS200410240.shtml| archive-date= June 24, 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref>

===Game 3===
{{Linescore|
|Date=October 26, 2004
|Time=7:30{{nbsp}}pm ([[Central Time Zone|CDT]])
|Location=[[Busch Memorial Stadium]] in [[St. Louis]], [[Missouri]]
|Road='''Boston'''|RoadAbr=BOS
|R1=1|R2=0|R3=0|R4=1|R5=2|R6=0|R7=0|R8=0|R9=0|RR=4|RH=9|RE=0
|Home=St. Louis|HomeAbr=STL
|H1=0|H2=0|H3=0|H4=0|H5=0|H6=0|H7=0|H8=0|H9=1|HR=1|HH=4|HE=0
|RSP=|HSP=
|WP=[[Pedro Martínez]] (1–0)|LP=[[Jeff Suppan]] (0–1)|SV=
|RoadHR=[[Manny Ramírez]] (1)|HomeHR=[[Larry Walker]] (2)
|Attendance=52,015
|BoxURL=https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2004/B10260SLN2004.htm
|Other={{convert|66|F|C}}, Overcast}}

[[Seattle Mariners]] [[designated hitter]] [[Edgar Martínez]] was presented with the 2004 [[Roberto Clemente Award]], having announced his retirement one month before.<ref>{{cite news| last= Kelley | first= Steve | title = Edgar Martinez receives Clemente Award | newspaper= [[The Seattle Times]] | url = http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2002073865_edgar27.html | date = October 27, 2004 | access-date =July 17, 2008}}</ref> The [[ceremonial first pitch]] was thrown by arguably the Cardinals' best-ever position player, [[Stan Musial]], and caught by arguably their best-ever pitcher, [[Bob Gibson]]. "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "God Bless America" were sung by [[country music]] singer [[Martina McBride]] and singer–songwriter [[Amy Grant]] respectively. During the game, a sign for the fast-food restaurant [[Taco Bell]] that measured {{convert|12|x|12|ft|m}} and read "Free Taco Here", was hung approximately {{convert|420|ft|m}} from home plate, over the left-center field bullpen. Taco Bell promised that, if the sign was hit by a home run ball, they would give a free "Crunchy Beef Taco" to everyone in the United States.<ref>{{cite web | last= Footer | first= Alyson | title = Game 3 brings out Cards greats| work = MLB.com | url = http://www.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20041026&content_id=905850&vkey=news_stl&fext=.jsp&c_id=stl | date = October 27, 2004 | access-date =July 17, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050207071736/http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/news/mlb_news.jsp?ymd=20041026&content_id=905850&vkey=ds2004news&fext=.jsp | archive-date = February 7, 2005 | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = Will the World Series feed America?| publisher = CNNMoney | url = https://money.cnn.com/2004/10/25/news/fortune500/tacobell_baseball/ | date = October 25, 2004 | access-date =October 30, 2016}}</ref>

Once again, the Red Sox took the lead in the first inning when Ramírez hit a home run off former Red Sox pitcher [[Jeff Suppan]]. [[Pedro Martínez]] was the starting pitcher for the Red Sox, and in the bottom of the first inning, he allowed the Cardinals to load the bases with one out. Edmonds then hit a fly ball towards Ramírez in left field, who caught it on the run and threw to catcher [[Jason Varitek]] at home plate. Varitek tagged out Walker, who was attempting to score from third, ending the inning.<ref name="report">{{cite web | title = Pedro leaves Cardinals running on empty| publisher =ESPN| url = http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=241026124 | date = October 26, 2004 | access-date =July 17, 2008 }}</ref>

In the bottom of the third inning, the Cardinals had two runners on base with no one out. Walker hit a ground ball towards first base, and Cardinals [[third base coach]] [[José Oquendo]] signalled to Suppan on third to run to home plate. However, halfway towards home, Suppan "suddenly stopped".<ref name="report"/> [[Édgar Rentería]], who had been running from second base towards third, was forced to return to second when he saw Suppan had stopped. After stepping on first base, [[David Ortiz]] began moving toward Suppan, who had turned back toward third, Ortiz threw to [[third baseman]] Mueller, who tagged Suppan out. After the next batter, [[Albert Pujols]], grounded to Mueller, the inning ended.<ref name="report"/>

[[Trot Nixon]] extended the Red Sox lead to two in the top of the fourth, hitting a single to right field that scored Mueller, who had started the rally with a two-out double to left-center. [[Johnny Damon]] then led off the Red Sox's fifth inning with a double to right. Singles by [[Orlando Cabrera]] and Ramírez, to right and left respectively, scored Damon to make it 3–0. With two out, Mueller singled along the first base line, enabling Cabrera to score the Red Sox's fourth run. Suppan was replaced by [[Al Reyes]], which meant none of the Cardinals three starting pitchers had finished five innings during the series.<ref name="report"/>

[[Mike Timlin]] relieved Martinez in the bottom of the eighth inning. He finished with six strikeouts, three hits allowed and [[Glossary of baseball (R)#retire the batter|retired]] the last 14&nbsp;batters he faced. The Cardinals avoided a [[shutouts in baseball|shutout]] when Walker hit a home run to center field off Foulke in the ninth inning, but Foulke retired the other three batters he faced in the inning to secure the win for the Red Sox 4–1.<ref name="report"/><ref name="game3">{{cite web|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/boxscore?gameId=241026124|title=Red Sox 4, Cardinals 1|publisher=ESPN|date=October 26, 2004|access-date=March 3, 2011}}</ref>

On the same day the Red Sox won Game 3, ''The Boston Globe'''s [[Dan Shaughnessy]] wrote that, as this win brought the Red Sox on the verge of winning a World Series, he wondered how many people in New England were thinking about loved ones who had spent their entire lives rooting for the Red Sox and hoping that one day, they would see the Red Sox win a World Series.<ref name="FOX4"/><ref name="LovedOnes"/>

===Game 4===
{{Linescore|
|Date=October 27, 2004
|Time=7:25{{nbsp}}pm (CDT)
|Location=Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri
|Road='''Boston'''|RoadAbr=BOS
|R1=1|R2=0|R3=2|R4=0|R5=0|R6=0|R7=0|R8=0|R9=0|RR=3|RH=9|RE=0
|Home=St. Louis|HomeAbr=STL
|H1=0|H2=0|H3=0|H4=0|H5=0|H6=0|H7=0|H8=0|H9=0|HR=0|HH=4|HE=0
|RSP=|HSP=
|WP=[[Derek Lowe]] (1–0)|LP=[[Jason Marquis]] (0–1)|SV=[[Keith Foulke]] (1)
|RoadHR=[[Johnny Damon]] (1)
|Attendance=52,037
|BoxURL=https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2004/B10270SLN2004.htm
|Other={{convert|61|F|C}}, Cloudy}}

[[File:Manny Ramírez 2.jpg|thumb|upright|left|alt=Batter in black hat red top and white pants, batting during spring training for the Red Sox.|Ramírez, seen here during [[spring training]] in 2007, was named the series MVP.]]
[[Country music]] singer [[Gretchen Wilson]], a lifelong Cardinals fan, performed "The Star-Spangled Banner".<ref name="before4">{{cite web| last= Footer | first= Alyson |url=http://www.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20041027&content_id=906687&vkey=ds2004news&fext=.jsp&c_id=null|title=Stars align at Game 4|work=MLB.com|date=October 27, 2004|access-date=August 9, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050209030346/http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/news/mlb_news.jsp?ymd=20041027&content_id=906687&vkey=ds2004news&fext=.jsp|archive-date=February 9, 2005|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Creed (band)|Creed]] lead singer [[Scott Stapp]] sang "God Bless America" during the seventh-inning stretch. [[Barry Bonds]] and [[Manny Ramírez]] received the [[Hank Aaron Award]] for the National and American Leagues, respectively.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/columnist/serieswatch/2004-10-27-in-stlouis_x.htm|title=Wednesday, Oct. 27|work=USA Today|date=October 27, 2004|access-date=July 10, 2009}}</ref>  Former Cardinals players [[Lou Brock]] and [[Red Schoendienst]] threw out [[ceremonial first pitch]]es along with Rashima Manning, from the [[Herbert Hoover]] [[Boys & Girls Clubs of America]].<ref name="before4"/> A [[October 2004 lunar eclipse|lunar eclipse]] was visible during the game – the first lunar eclipse to take place during a World Series game.<ref name="Game4-Shaughnessy">{{harvnb|Shaughnessy|2005|pp=225–226}}</ref><ref name="LunarEclipse">{{cite news|title=YES!!!: Red Sox complete sweep, win first Series since 1918|date=October 28, 2004|first=Dan|last=Shaughnessy|newspaper=The Boston Globe|page=A1|url=http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2004/10/28/yes/| access-date= June 20, 2011}}</ref> The game was also played on the 18th anniversary of Game 7 of the [[1986 World Series]], which the Red Sox had lost at [[Shea Stadium]] to the [[New York Mets]], despite taking a 3–0 lead into the sixth inning.

Damon hit a home run to right field in the first at-bat of the game on a 2–1 count to give the Red Sox the lead in the first inning for the fourth straight game;<ref name="Game4-Shaughnessy"/> it proved to be the game-winning run. Ramírez singled in the third inning to give him a hit in 17&nbsp;consecutive postseason games.<ref name="LunarEclipse"/> Doubles to right by [[David Ortiz]] and to center by [[Trot Nixon]], who narrowly missed a grand slam after swinging on a 3–0 count, scored two more runs for the Red Sox to give them a three-run lead.<ref name="Game4-Shaughnessy"/><ref name="game4">{{cite web|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/playbyplay?gameId=241027124&full=null&date=null&refresh=null|title=Red Sox 3, Cardinals 0|publisher=ESPN|date=October 27, 2004|access-date=August 9, 2008}}</ref> Cardinals starter [[Jason Marquis]] went six innings and allowed just the three runs. Marquis was the only Cardinal pitcher who went past five innings.

{{Quote box |quoted=true |bgcolor=#FFFFF0 |salign=center
|width=25%
|align=right
|quote=Back to Foulke, Red Sox fans have longed to hear it: The Boston Red Sox are World Champions!
|source=[[Joe Buck]], calling the final play of Game&nbsp;4.<ref name="FOX4"/>
}}
{{Quote box |quoted=true |bgcolor=#FFFFF0 |salign=center
|width=25%
|align=right
|quote=Swing and a ground ball stabbed by Foulke! He has it, he underhands to first – and the Boston Red Sox are the World Champions! For the first time in 86 years, the Red Sox have won baseball's world championship! Can you believe it?
|source=Joe Castiglione calling the final play of Game&nbsp;4 for WEEI in Boston.<ref name="WEEI">WEEI Radio broadcast of Game 4, October 27, 2004</ref>
}}
In the top of the eighth, Mueller led off with a single to right and Nixon followed with his third double of the game. [[Jason Isringhausen]] came in to pitch for the Cardinals with the [[bases loaded]] and nobody out, and was able to finish the inning without allowing a run to score.<ref name="game4"/> [[Kevin Millar]] pinch hit for the Red Sox starting pitcher [[Derek Lowe]] during this inning. It was the third straight game in which the Red Sox starting pitcher had not allowed an [[earned run]].<ref name="game4"/>

Red Sox closer Foulke came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth. Pujols led off the inning by hitting a single through Foulke's legs and into center field. After Foulke induced Rolen into a fly out and struck out Edmonds, Pujols took second base, but no [[stolen base]] due to [[fielder's indifference]].<ref name="FOX4"/> [[Édgar Rentería]] then hit a [[ground ball]] that bounced back to Foulke on the mound. Foulke threw it underhand to [[Doug Mientkiewicz]] at first base to end the game, and the Red Sox drought.<ref name="FinalOut">{{harvnb|Shaughnessy|2005|p=3}}</ref>

The series win was the Red Sox's first title in 86&nbsp;years. They were also the fourth team to win a World Series without trailing in any of the games in the series,<ref name=2004WorldSeriesVideo/> and the seventh to win it having previously been three outs away from elimination. With the [[Win (baseball)|win]], pitcher Lowe became the first pitcher to ever win three series-clinching games in a single postseason having also won Game 3 of the ALDS against the Angels and Game 7 of the ALCS against the Yankees.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/baseball/mlb/specials/postseason/2004/10/27/bc.bbo.worldseries.star.ap/index.html |title=Derek does it |work=Sports Illustrated |date=October 28, 2004 |access-date=September 5, 2009 |agency=Associated Press |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071222003001/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/baseball/mlb/specials/postseason/2004/10/27/bc.bbo.worldseries.star.ap/index.html |archive-date=December 22, 2007 }}</ref> Although the series was won in St. Louis, 3,000&nbsp;Red Sox fans were present at the game, and many stayed after the final out to celebrate with the team, including going on the field when the team came back out of their dugout with the World Series trophy.<ref name="FinalOut"/><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oK6gr48i-A Faith Rewarded – Part 8] YouTube (produced by NESN)</ref> Ramírez, who was named the [[World Series MVP Award|Most Valuable Player]] (MVP) of the series, said afterwards "I don't believe in curses, I believe you make your own destination. {{sic}}"<ref name="Game4-Shaughnessy"/> [[Kevin Millar]] said that it was important to finish off the Cardinals in four and not let it go to a fifth game given the team's history.<ref name="FOX4"/>

The Cardinals offense struggled to find spark in the final three games.  Pujols, Rolen, and Edmonds, the normally fearsome 3-4-5 hitters for the Cardinals, were six-for-45 with one RBI.  The club batted .190 with a .562 OPS overall.  Walker was one of very few exceptions, batting .357 with a 1.366 OPS.  His two home runs accounted for the only two home runs hit by the entire Cardinals team.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/2004_WS.shtml#all_post_batting_STL |title=2004 World Series: Boston Red Sox over St. Louis Cardinals (4–0) |work=Baseball-Reference.com |access-date=April 8, 2017}}</ref>  In the 2004 postseason, Walker scored 21 percent (14 of 68) of Cardinal runs.<ref name=mlbbio/>

==Composite line score==
2004 World Series '''(4–0): [[2004 Boston Red Sox season|Boston Red Sox]] (A.L.)''' beat [[2004 St. Louis Cardinals|St. Louis Cardinals]] (N.L.).

{{Linescore
|Road='''[[2004 Boston Red Sox season|Boston Red Sox]]'''
|R1=8|R2=0|R3=5|R4=3|R5=2|R6=2|R7=2|R8=2|R9=0|RR=24|RH=39|RE=8
|Home=[[2004 St. Louis Cardinals season|St. Louis Cardinals]]
|H1=0|H2=1|H3=1|H4=4|H5=0|H6=2|H7=0|H8=3|H9=1|HR=12|HH=24|HE=1
|TotalAttendance=174,088 |AveAttendance=43,522
|WinPlayerShare=$223,619.79 |LosePlayerShare=$163,378.53<ref name="wsshares">{{cite web|url=http://www.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20041130&content_id=917156&vkey=pr_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160211154527/http://www.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20041130&content_id=917156&vkey=pr_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 11, 2016|title=2004 World Series shares announced|date=November 30, 2004|access-date=July 15, 2009|work=MLB.com}}</ref>}}

==Broadcasting==
The series was broadcast by [[Major League Baseball on Fox|Fox]], and the [[Sportscaster|announcers]] were [[Joe Buck]] and [[Tim McCarver]]. [[Jeanne Zelasko]] covered the pre-game build up to all four games and the presentation of the [[Commissioner's Trophy (MLB)|World Series trophy]].<ref name="FOX4" /><ref name="FOX1">{{cite video|title=Major League Baseball on Fox: Game 1 of the 2004 World Series|medium=television|publisher=Fox|date=October 23, 2004}}</ref>
An average of 23.1&nbsp;million people watched Game 1. This was the highest television ratings for the opening game of a World Series in five years and had the highest average number of viewers since 1996. It was also the highest rated broadcast on any network in the past ten months.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/baseball/mlb/specials/postseason/2004/10/24/tv.ratings.ap/ |title=Game 1 gets highest TV ratings since '99 Series |date=October 24, 2004 |access-date=June 28, 2009 |work=Sports Illustrated |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025013238/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/baseball/mlb/specials/postseason/2004/10/24/tv.ratings.ap/ |archive-date=October 25, 2012 }}</ref> The ratings for the first two games were also the highest average since 1996,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2002072754_seriesnotes26.html |title=World Series notebook: Boston may use Schilling again |date=October 26, 2004 |access-date=June 28, 2009 |publisher=Web Citation.org (Originally from [[The Seattle Times]]) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041205184017/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2002072754_seriesnotes26.html |archive-date=December 5, 2004 |url-status=live |df=mdy }}</ref> and the average for the first three games was the highest since 1999.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-7139891_ITM |title=Fox scores in ratings game despite the one-sided Series. |date=October 27, 2004 |access-date=June 28, 2009 |publisher=Access my library.com (Originally from St. Louis Post-Dispatch) |archive-url=https://archive.today/20090722202213/http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-7139891_ITM |archive-date=July 22, 2009 |url-status=live |first=Dan |last=Caesar |df=mdy }}</ref> Game 3 had the highest average number of viewers with 24.4&nbsp;million, since 1996 when 28.7&nbsp;million watched the [[Atlanta Braves]] and [[New York Yankees]]. It was also the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] network's highest rating for a Game 3 of a World Series ever.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20041027&content_id=906411&vkey=pr_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb |title=First 2004 World Series game in St. Louis dominates network TV competition |date=October 27, 2004 |access-date=June 28, 2009 |work=MLB.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170819191351/http://www.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20041027&content_id=906411&vkey=pr_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb |archive-date=August 19, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Game 4 posted an 18.2&nbsp;national rating giving the series an overall average of 15.8. This was the highest average in five years, and the average number of viewers of 25.4&nbsp;million was the highest since 1995.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/martzke/2004-10-28-martzke_x.htm|title= Fox cleans up in Series ratings despite sweep|last=Martzke|first=Rudy|date=October 28, 2004|access-date=June 28, 2009 |work= USA Today}}</ref>

In terms of local radio, Joe Castiglione and Jerry Trupiano called the series for [[WEEI (AM)|WEEI]] in Boston while [[Mike Shannon]] and [[Wayne Hagin]] announced for [[KMOX]] in St. Louis.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; width:300px; height:150px;"
|-
! Game !! [[Audience measurement|Rating]] !! [[Share (television)|Share]] !! Audience (in millions)
|-
! 1<ref name="mon">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.medialifemagazine.com/news2004/nov04/nov01/1_mon/news3monday.html |magazine=Media Life Magazine |date=November 1, 2004 |first=Toni |last=Fitzgerald |title=Put a number on NBA's broadcast days (source input from Nielsen Media Research) |access-date=June 28, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080605071222/http://www.medialifemagazine.com/news2004/nov04/nov01/1_mon/news3monday.html |archive-date=June 5, 2008 }}</ref>
| 13.7 || 25 || 23.17
|-
! 2<ref name="mon"/>
| 15.9 || 24 || 25.46
|-
! 3<ref name="wed">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.medialifemagazine.com/news2004/nov04/Nov08/3_wed/news4wednesday.html |magazine=Media Life Magazine |date=November 10, 2004 |first=Diego |last=Vasquez |title=For CBS, a Monday fix for 'Raymond' (source input from Nielsen Media Research) |access-date=June 28, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080405194859/http://www.medialifemagazine.com/news2004/nov04/Nov08/3_wed/news4wednesday.html |archive-date=April 5, 2008 }}</ref>
| 15.7 || 24 || 24.42
|-
! 4<ref name="wed"/>
| 18.2 || 28 || 28.84
|-
! Average
| 15.8 || 25.25 || 25.47
|}

==Aftermath==
With the win coming eight months after the [[New England Patriots]] victory in [[Super Bowl XXXVIII]], the event made Boston the first city to have a Super Bowl and World Series winner in the same year since Pittsburgh in 1979.<ref name="Pittsburgh"/> A number of players from both teams won awards for their performances during the season. [[Manny Ramírez]] won the [[Hank Aaron Award]] and, along with [[Albert Pujols]], a [[Silver Slugger Award]], while [[Rawlings Gold Glove Award|Gold Glove]] awards were won by [[Mike Matheny]], [[Scott Rolen]] and [[Jim Edmonds]].<ref name="09awards">{{cite web|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/awards/y2004/index.jsp|title=2004 MLB Awards|publisher=[[Major League Baseball]]|access-date=January 16, 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100119201517/http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/awards/y2004/index.jsp| archive-date= January 19, 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref> The American sports magazine ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' honored the Red Sox with their [[Sportsman of the Year]] award a month later, making them the first professional team to ever win the award. For pitcher [[Curt Schilling]], it was the second time he had won the award, having shared it with then-[[Arizona Diamondbacks]] teammate [[Randy Johnson]] in 2001.<ref>{{cite news|title=Red Sox named 'Sports Illustrated' Sportsmen of the Year|work=USA Today|date=November 29, 2004|url = https://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/al/redsox/2004-11-29-si-sportsmen-of-year_x.htm?csp=34|access-date =May 3, 2009|agency=Associated Press}}</ref>

This World Series win by the Red Sox continued a history of Boston teams beating St. Louis teams to win championships.<ref name="BostonStLouis"/> Previously, in [[Super Bowl XXXVI]], the [[New England Patriots]] had upset the [[St. Louis Rams]]' "Greatest Show on Turf" to win their first Super Bowl and herald a dynasty led by [[Tom Brady]] and [[Bill Belichick]], the [[Boston Bruins]] had swept the [[St. Louis Blues]] in the [[1970 Stanley Cup Finals]] (with Game 4 being remembered for Bobby Orr's Cup-winning overtime goal that sent him flying), and the [[Boston Celtics]] – when Bill Russell was still just a rookie – had beaten the [[St. Louis Hawks]] to win their first [[List of NBA champions|NBA championship]] in {{nbafy|1957}}.<ref name="BostonStLouis">{{harvnb|Shaughnessy|2005|pp=212–213}}</ref> With championship showdowns between teams from Boston and [[St. Louis]] seen in [[Major League Baseball]], the [[National Football League|NFL]], [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] and [[National Hockey League|NHL]], it is the only showdown between teams from two specific locations, that has been seen in each of these four leagues.<ref name="BostonStLouis"/><ref name="1918Posters">{{cite news|url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/print/595101438/Curse-86d-Red-Sox-end-86-years-of-frustration-futility-with-clean-sweep-of-Cardinals.html|title=Curse 86'd!|date=October 28, 2004|first=Ben|last=Walker|agency=Associated Press|access-date=March 8, 2011|archive-date=March 7, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150307001209/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/print/595101438/Curse-86d-Red-Sox-end-86-years-of-frustration-futility-with-clean-sweep-of-Cardinals.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> St. Louis would finally end Boston's dominance against them when the [[St. Louis Blues]] defeated the [[Boston Bruins]] in the [[2019 Stanley Cup Finals]].

===Red Sox===
The Red Sox's win in the World Series ended the "[[Curse of the Bambino]]", which supposedly had afflicted the team ever since the Red Sox sold [[Babe Ruth]] to the [[New York Yankees]] in 1919.<ref name="SanFran">{{cite news|first=John|last=Shea|title=Ain't no mistake: Red Sox up 2–0|work=San Francisco Chronicle|date=October 25, 2004|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/10/25/SPGB49FNSM1.DTL|access-date=March 2, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Red Sox beat the curse|work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |date=October 29, 2004|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/2389139/Red-Sox-beat-the-curse.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/2389139/Red-Sox-beat-the-curse.html |archive-date=January 12, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=March 2, 2009}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Pitcher [[Derek Lowe]] and other players said that the team would no longer hear "1918!" at [[Yankee Stadium (1923)|Yankee Stadium]] ever again.<ref name="NoMore1918!"/><ref>{{cite news|last=Curry|first=Jack|title=Kiss That Curse Goodbye|newspaper=The New York Times|date=October 28, 2004|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/28/sports/baseball/not-a-work-of-art-but-red-sox-finish-their-masterpiece.html?pagewanted=print|author-link=Jack Curry| access-date= March 8, 2011}}</ref><ref name="ChantsOf1918!">{{cite news|title=At Last! No More '1918' Chants|date=October 28, 2004|first=Michael|last=Morrissey|newspaper=New York Post|page=87}}</ref> [[Kevin Millar]] said to [[Red Sox Nation|all Red Sox fans]]: "We wanted to do it so bad for the city of Boston. To win a World Series with this on our chests, it hasn't been done since 1918. So rip up those '1918!' posters right now."<ref name="FOX4"/><ref name="1918Posters"/><ref name="ChantsOf1918!"/> Members of previous Red Sox teams who had fallen short immediately acclaimed the 2004 team, including Pesky – who had been the shortstop responsible for a fatal checking error that had allowed the Cardinals' [[Enos Slaughter]] to complete his "Mad Dash" to score the winning run in Game 7 at the old Sportsman's Park in 1946. Pesky watched the game from the visiting clubhouse and was immediately embraced by Millar, Wakefield, Schilling and others as a living representative of those previous teams as he joined the celebrations.

It also added to the recent success of Boston-area teams, following the Patriots wins in Super Bowls XXXVI and [[Super Bowl XXXVIII|XXXVIII]]. With the Patriots having won Super Bowl XXXVIII the previous February, the Red Sox winning the World Series marked the first time since 1979 that the same city had a Super Bowl and World Series winner in the same year – the last city to accomplish the feat had been [[Pittsburgh]], when the [[Pittsburgh Steelers|Steelers]] and [[Pittsburgh Pirates|Pirates]] had won [[Super Bowl XIII]] and the [[1979 World Series|World Series]] respectively.<ref name="Pittsburgh">{{cite news|first=Leonard|last=Shapiro|title=Patriots Grab Share of NFL History|newspaper=Washington Post|date =February 7, 2005| url =https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3727-2005Feb6.html?nav=rss_sports/leaguesandsports/nfl/20002001/sanfrancisco49ers|page=A1| access-date= October 30, 2016}}</ref> The city would go on to record a decade of sports success from 2001 to 2011 with seven championships in the four major North American sports leagues (MLB, the NFL, the NBA and the NHL), including one in each league after the Patriots won two more Super Bowls, the [[Boston Celtics|Celtics]] won the 2008 NBA championship and the [[Boston Bruins|Bruins]] won the Stanley Cup in 2011. Following the Bruins winning the [[2011 Stanley Cup Finals]], ''Boston Globe'' columnist [[Dan Shaughnessy]] ranked all seven championships and chose the Red Sox' 2004 World Series win as the greatest Boston sports championship during the ten-year span.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.boston.com/2011-06-17/sports/29670955_1_red-sox-piece-of-championship-hardware-greatest-comeback |title=How great is this? |date=June 17, 2011 |first=Dan |last=Shaughnessy |newspaper=The Boston Globe |page=C1 |access-date=June 29, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406093142/http://articles.boston.com/2011-06-17/sports/29670955_1_red-sox-piece-of-championship-hardware-greatest-comeback |archive-date=April 6, 2012 }}</ref>

Red Sox Manager [[Terry Francona]] became the third manager in four years to win a World Series in his first year as manager, following [[Bob Brenly]] of the [[2001 Arizona Diamondbacks season|2001 Arizona Diamondbacks]] and [[Jack McKeon]] of the [[2003 Florida Marlins season|2003 Florida Marlins]].<ref name=2004WorldSeriesVideo>{{cite video|title=2004 World Series|publisher=Major League Baseball Productions|date=2004|medium=DVD}}</ref>

Massachusetts [[United States Senate|US Senator]], Boston resident and future [[United States Secretary of State|Secretary of State]] [[John Kerry]], who had been named [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] [[2004 United States presidential election|presidential nominee]] in Boston that summer, wore a Red Sox cap the day after the series ended.<ref name="Politics"/> He also said that the Red Sox had "[come] back against all odds and showed America what heart is".<ref name="Politics"/> His [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] opponent, incumbent President [[George W. Bush]],<ref>{{harvnb|Shaughnessy|2005|p=53}}</ref> made a phone call from the [[White House]] to congratulate the team's owner [[John W. Henry]], president [[Larry Lucchino]] and manager [[Terry Francona]].<ref name="Politics">{{cite news|title=Kerry and Bush bask in Red Sox win|first=Mary|last=Dalrymple|agency=Associated Press|newspaper=Salt Lake Deseret News|date=October 29, 2004|page=A8}}</ref> The team also visited Bush at the White House the following March, where he gave a speech honoring their presence, in which he asked "what took [them] so long?"<ref>{{cite news|first=Gordon|last=Edes|title=Bush honors world champions|newspaper=Boston Globe|date=March 3, 2005|page=C3|author-link=Gordon Edes}}</ref> A future Presidential candidate, [[Mitt Romney]], at the time Massachusetts Governor, ceremonially helped remove the Reverse Curve road sign on Storrow Drive that had been famously spray-painted to read "Reverse the Curse" as a further marking of the end of the Curse.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archive.boston.com/news/local/articles/2004/10/31/curse_sign_comes_down____and_traffic_backs_up/|title=Curse sign comes down – and traffic backs up|first=Mac|last=Daniel|date=October 31, 2004|newspaper=[[Boston Globe]]}}</ref>

The day after the Red Sox win, the ''Boston Globe'' more than doubled its daily press run, from 500,000 to 1.2 million copies, with the headline, "YES!!!" right across the front page.<ref name="LunarEclipse"/><ref>{{harvnb|Shaughnessy|2005|p=5}}</ref>

[[File:Manny Ramirez Parade.jpg|thumb|left|240px|alt=Group of men on a raised platform. One holds a sign that reads "[[Derek Jeter|JETER]] is playing GOLF today" and "THIS IS BETTER!"|Ramírez at the victory parade, with a sign that one of the spectators handed him.]]
The Red Sox held their World Series victory parade on the following Saturday, October 30. The team was transported around on 17 [[duck boat]]s equipped with loudspeakers so the players could talk to the spectators. Due to large interest in the parade, it was lengthened by officials the day before to include the [[Charles River]], so that fans could watch from the Boston and [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]] river banks. The parade did not however, include a staged rally. The parade began at 10&nbsp;a.m. local time at [[Fenway Park]], turned east onto [[Boylston Street]], then west onto [[Tremont Street]] and [[Storrow Drive]] before entering the river. One of the lanes on [[Massachusetts Avenue (Boston)|Massachusetts Avenue]] had to be closed to accommodate members of the media filming the parade as it passed under the [[Harvard Bridge]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Thank you; Millions Turn Out to Salute Red Sox for a Season to Remember|first=Brian|last=MacQuarrie|newspaper=The Boston Globe|date=October 31, 2004|page=A1}}</ref> Ramírez was handed a sign by one of the spectators part of the way through the parade, which read, "[[Derek Jeter|Jeter]] is playing golf today. This is better!"<ref name="Jeter">{{harvnb|Shaughnessy|2005|p=233}}</ref> He held on to this sign for the rest of the parade, in a similar way to what [[Tug McGraw]] said after the [[Philadelphia Phillies]] won the [[1980 World Series]].<ref name="Jeter"/><ref>{{cite news|title=For once, we take a bite out of the Big Apple|date=December 15, 2010|first=Frank|last=Fitzpatrick|newspaper=Philadelphia Inquirer|page=C3}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.villagevoice.com/content/printVersion/187108/ |title=Curses! |date=October 26, 2004 |first=Allen |last=Barra |journal=Village Voice |author-link=Allen Barra |access-date=March 8, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120114111300/http://www.villagevoice.com/content/printVersion/187108/ |archive-date=January 14, 2012 }}</ref> Over three million people were estimated to have attended the parade, making it the largest gathering ever in the city of Boston.<ref>{{harvnb|Shaughnessy|2005|pp=12, 230}}</ref>

[[File:Boston Red Sox George W. Bush 2005.jpg|thumb|right|250px|alt=Group of about thirty men wearing suits in front of a white building|The Boston Red Sox were honored at the White House by President George W. Bush following their 2004 World Series victory.]]
The Red Sox were presented with their [[World Series ring]]s on April 11, 2005, at a ceremony before the team's first home game of the [[2005 Boston Red Sox season|2005 season]]. Former Red Sox players [[Bobby Doerr]], [[Dom DiMaggio]], [[Johnny Pesky]], and [[Carl Yastrzemski]] were all present, as were the [[Boston Symphony Orchestra]] and the [[Boston Pops Orchestra]]. During the ceremony, five red [[Pennant (sports)|pennants]] were first unfurled at the top of the [[Green Monster]], showing the years of each of the Red Sox' previous World Series wins. A much larger banner was unfurled that covered the entire wall and read "2004 World Series Champions". [[James Taylor]], himself a Boston native and a Red Sox fan, performed "[[America the Beautiful]]", and 19 members of the [[United States Army]] and [[United States Marine Corps|Marine Corps]] who had fought in the [[Iraq War]] walked onto the field. Moments of silence were held to honor the deaths of [[Pope John Paul II]], who had died nine days earlier, and former Red Sox [[relief pitcher]], [[Dick Radatz]]. The rings were handed out by the team's owner, [[John W. Henry]]. Former Red Sox players Lowe and [[Dave Roberts (outfielder)|Dave Roberts]], who had joined the [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] and [[San Diego Padres]] respectively during the [[Offseason|off-season]], were also present to collect their rings.<ref>{{cite web | first = Mike | last = Petraglia | title = Red-letter day for World Series champs | work = MLB.com | date = April 11, 2005 | url = http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20050411&content_id=1012195&vkey=news_bos&fext=.jsp&c_id=bos | access-date = February 18, 2009 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110607011307/http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20050411&content_id=1012195&vkey=news_bos&fext=.jsp&c_id=bos | archive-date = June 7, 2011 | df = mdy-all }}</ref> The ceremony, which lasted around an hour, ended with stars from other Boston sports teams, including the [[Boston Celtics|Celtics]]' [[Bill Russell]], the [[Boston Bruins|Bruins]]' [[Bobby Orr]] and the [[New England Patriots|Patriots]]' [[Tedy Bruschi]] and [[Richard Seymour]], throwing [[ceremonial first pitch]]es.<ref>{{cite news| first = Kevin Paul | last = Dupont | title = Ceremony had the right ring|work=Boston Globe  | date = April 12, 2005 | url = http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2005/04/12/ceremony_had_the_right_ring/| access-date =February 18, 2009 }}</ref> The presence of Bruschi and Seymour made evident the recent success of Boston-area teams.<ref name="Pittsburgh"/> The day after the Red Sox won the Series, Shaughnessy and the rest of the news media said of the Red Sox home opener: "The team in the third-base dugout? The New York Yankees, Sweet."<ref name="LunarEclipse"/> In a sign of respect, the Red Sox rivals came to the top step of the visitors dugout and gave the Red Sox a standing ovation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20050411&content_id=1012094&vkey=news_nyy&fext=.jsp&c_id=nyy|date=April 11, 2005|title=Yankees take in Red Sox celebration|first=Mark|last=Feinsand|work=MLB.com|access-date=October 23, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120114170816/http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20050411&content_id=1012094&vkey=news_nyy&fext=.jsp&c_id=nyy|archive-date=January 14, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> The Fenway Park crowd burst into cheers when Yankees pitcher [[Mariano Rivera]] was introduced, breaking from the tradition of fans [[booing]] opposing players, due to him having blown [[Save (baseball)|save]] opportunities in Games 4 and 5 of the 2004 ALCS. Rivera was a good sport about it and laughed while waving his arms in mock appreciation of the fans.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20050411&content_id=1012575&vkey=news_nyy&fext=.jsp&c_id=nyy|title=Rivera has some fun with Sox fans|date=April 11, 2005|access-date=October 23, 2011|first=Mark|last=Feinsand|work=MLB.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103060653/http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20050411&content_id=1012575&vkey=news_nyy&fext=.jsp&c_id=nyy|archive-date=November 3, 2013|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

{{Quote box |quoted=true |bgcolor=#FFFFF0 |salign=center
|width=25%
|align=right
|quote=All right...Forget about ending the curse and having 86 years of baggage erased in one fell swoop. If you don't get emotional watching a group of guys celebrating and hugging when you feel like you know them, when you suffered all the same highs and lows, when you spent the last seven months with them...I mean, why even follow sports at all? (Translation: It's getting a little dusty in here.)
|source=Bill Simmons' entry in his Game 4 running diary at 8:42 PM Pacific Time, 1 minute after the final out<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/041028|title=The Nation's destination: Destiny|date=October 28, 2004|access-date=October 26, 2014|first=Bill|last=Simmons|website=ESPN Page 2|publisher=ESPN}}</ref>
}}
The following August, [[Simon & Schuster]] published ''[[Faithful (book)|Faithful]]'', a book which collected e-mails about the Red Sox between [[American literature|American writer]]s and Red Sox fans [[Stephen King]] and [[Stewart O'Nan]] during the [[2004 Boston Red Sox season|2004 season]].<ref>{{cite web | title = Faithful: Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the Historic 2004 Season | publisher = Barnes and Noble.com | url = http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Faithful/Stephen-King/e/9780743267533 | access-date = October 4, 2009 | archive-date = March 27, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080327110514/http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Faithful/Stephen-King/e/9780743267533 | url-status = dead }}</ref> In March 2005, Houghton Mifflin Company published ''Reversing the Curse'', a book by Shaughnessy, author of the bestselling ''The Curse of the Bambino'', chronicling the 2004 Red Sox season. ESPN's [[Bill Simmons]] published ''Now I Can Die In Peace'', a collection of his columns with updated annotations and notes, including columns for each of the last four games of the ALCS and each World Series game – with Game 4 being a running diary.<ref>{{cite news|title='Reversing the Curse' is a winning tale|date=March 28, 2005|first=Bill|last=Nowlin|newspaper=Boston Globe|page=B5|url=http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2005/03/28/reversing_the_curse_is_a_winning_tale/| access-date= July 4, 2011}}</ref> The Farrelly Brothers altered the ending of their 2005 film ''[[Fever Pitch (2005 film)|Fever Pitch]]'' – which includes appearances by Damon, Nixon and Varitek – to coincide with the actual end of the series. They and their crew, plus stars [[Drew Barrymore]] and [[Jimmy Fallon]], flew to St. Louis and Barrymore and Fallon attended Game 4 in character, complete with the two of them running onto the field at Busch Stadium and kissing once the final out was made.<ref>{{cite magazine |title = Sox Change |url = http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,767456,00.html |magazine = [[Entertainment Weekly]] | first=Whitney |last=Pastorek |date=November 12, 2004}}</ref><ref>[http://www.traileraddict.com/fever-pitch/featurette-the-curse ''Fever Pitch'' – "Breaking The Curse" Featurette] TrailerAddict.com (produced by 20th Century Fox)</ref>

On May 28, 2014, the team reunited at Fenway Park as the Red Sox celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the historic championship as they hosted the [[Atlanta Braves]]. Ramirez threw out the first pitch to Varitek but was cut off by Damon in a reversal of Ramirez once cutting off Damon's throw from center field during a game.<ref>[http://m.mlb.com/video/v33250653/atlbos-red-sox-honor-2004-world-series-team/ Braves @ Red Sox: Red Sox honor 2004 World Series team] MLB.com</ref>

===Cardinals===
[[File:Tony La Russa May 2008.jpg|right|thumb|upright|The loss by the Cardinals in the series meant Tony La Russa failed to join Sparky Anderson as managers of World Series championship teams in both leagues. He would however achieve this in 2006.]]
On the Cardinals' side, the media expressed disappointment at the team's failure to win a game in the Series after recording the team's best regular season in over 60&nbsp;years.<ref name="SanFran"/><ref>{{cite web| title = Cards' season should be celebrated | work = MLB.com | date = October 28, 2004 | url = http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20041028&content_id=907073&vkey=perspectives&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb | access-date =March 2, 2009 |first=Jim|last=Molony|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100119100705/http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20041028&content_id=907073&vkey=perspectives&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb|archive-date=January 19, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> Many [[reporters]] believed that the Cardinals had not played up to their usual standard, and much of the blame was directed at Rolen, Edmonds and [[Reggie Sanders]], three of the Cardinals' best hitters, who had combined for one [[Hit (baseball)|hit]] in 39&nbsp;[[at bats]] in the series.<ref name="SanFran"/><ref>{{cite web | first = Jim | last = Molony | title = Booming bats silenced in Series | work = MLB.com | date = October 28, 2004 | url = http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20041028&content_id=907079&vkey=news_stl&fext=.jsp&c_id=stl | access-date = February 18, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100119100505/http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20041028&content_id=907079&vkey=news_stl&fext=.jsp&c_id=stl | archive-date = January 19, 2010 | url-status = dead | df = mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web| first = Matthew | last = Leach | title = Cardinals shut out in clincher | work = MLB.com | date = October 27, 2004 | url = http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20041027&content_id=906939&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=stl| access-date =February 18, 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101208100423/http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20041027&content_id=906939&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=stl | archive-date=December 8, 2010 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

It also marked the last time that Busch Memorial Stadium would host a World Series.<ref name="BuschStadium"/> The Cardinals moved to the new [[Busch Stadium]] in their championship season of {{wsy|2006}},<ref name="BuschStadium">{{cite journal|url=http://cnnsi.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=A+STATISTICAL+NOD+TO+THE+FRANCHISE%2C+PLAYERS+AND+EVEN+THE+-+11.08.06+-+SI+Vault&expire=&urlID=412755452&fb=Y&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsportsillustrated.cnn.com%2Fvault%2Farticle%2Fmagazine%2FMAG1115818%2Findex.htm&partnerID=289881|title=By the Numbers|journal=Sports Illustrated|date=November 8, 2006|first=Andrew|last=Lawrence| access-date= March 8, 2011}}</ref> which was their first since {{wsy|1982}}.<ref>{{cite web|title=World Series and MLB Playoffs|work=Baseball-Reference.com|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/|access-date=March 13, 2022}}</ref>

===2005 season and beyond===
Both the Red Sox and Cardinals made the playoffs the following season. The Red Sox lost to the eventual champions the [[2005 Chicago White Sox season|Chicago White Sox]], in the [[2005 American League Division Series|American League Division Series]], who would go on to end their own curse in the [[Curse of the Black Sox]]. The Cardinals, in a repeat meeting of the previous season's [[2005 National League Championship Series|National League Championship Series]], lost to the [[2005 Houston Astros season|Houston Astros]].<ref>{{cite web| title = 2005 Post Season| work = MLB.com | url = http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/schedule/ps.jsp?y=05| access-date =February 18, 2009 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090307094008/http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/schedule/ps.jsp?y=05| archive-date=March 7, 2009| url-status= live}}</ref> However, the city of Boston would see more success when the [[New England Patriots]] won [[Super Bowl XXXIX]], three months after the Red Sox won the World Series, giving the [[greater Boston]] area its third championship in 12 months, making it the first time since 1980 that any city had two [[List of Super Bowl champions|Super Bowl winners]] and a [[List of World Series champions|World Series winner]] in a period of the same length.<ref name="Pittsburgh"/>

Both teams also won one of the next three World Series in successive years; the Cardinals, as noted above, in {{wsy|2006}}, beating the [[2006 Detroit Tigers season|Detroit Tigers]] in five games, becoming the first team since the [[1923 New York Yankees season|New York Yankees]] in {{wsy|1923}}, to win a World Series championship in their first season in a new stadium (which the Yankees themselves would also do in {{wsy|2009}}).<ref name="BuschStadium"/> Tony La Russa would achieve the distinction that he could not achieve in 2004 of managing World Series winners in both leagues.<ref name="LaRussa"/><ref name=Anderson/> He would continue to wear number 10 to pay tribute to [[Sparky Anderson]] afterwards.<ref name=Anderson/> 

The Red Sox won the World Series the [[2007 World Series|following year]], [[Whitewash (sport)|sweeping]] the [[2007 Colorado Rockies season|Colorado Rockies]] in four games.<ref name="World Series"/> [[Tom Werner]], chairman of the Red Sox, and team president [[Larry Lucchino]] said that the 2004 championship was "for the parents and grandparents who had suffered through the [[Curse of the Bambino]]", while 2007 was "for children, grandchildren, and for [[Red Sox Nation]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071028&content_id=2285700&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=bos|title=Twin peaks: Sox are champs|date=October 29, 2007|access-date=February 19, 2011|first=Ian|last=Browne|publisher=redsox.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110209133449/http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071028&content_id=2285700&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=bos|archive-date=February 9, 2011|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

Both teams would meet again in the [[2013 World Series]], with the Red Sox winning the championship in six games. It was the first time Boston clinched the World Series at its home field, Fenway Park, since 1918.<ref>{{cite news |last=Waldstein |first=David |date=October 31, 2013 |title=Red Sox Rout Cardinals to Win World Series |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/31/sports/baseball/boston-red-sox-rout-st-louis-cardinals-to-win-world-series.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=May 30, 2018}}</ref> Boston would win an additional title in [[2018 World Series|2018]] when they defeated the [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] 4 games to 1.

[[2016 World Series|Twelve years after this World Series]], the [[2016 Chicago Cubs season|Chicago Cubs]] would end their own championship drought at [[Curse of the Billy Goat|108 years]], defeating the [[2016 Cleveland Indians season|Cleveland Indians]] in seven games. In doing this, [[Theo Epstein]] is now credited with helping to end two of the most famous curses in all of professional sports.<ref>{{cite news |last=Witz |first=Billy |date=April 28, 2017 |title=Theo Epstein, Conquering Hero, Returns With Chicago Cubs to Fenway Park |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/28/sports/baseball/theo-epstein-chicago-cubs-boston-red-sox.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=May 30, 2018}}</ref> Coincidentally, the losing manager in that year's World Series was [[Terry Francona]], who had managed the Red Sox to both the 2004 and 2007 championships.<ref>{{cite news |last=Castrovince |first=Anthony |date=October 25, 2016 |title=History between Theo, Tito brings intrigue |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/epstein-francona-meet-in-world-series/c-205874604 |work=MLB.com |access-date=May 30, 2018}}</ref>

In the [[2021 National League Division Series]], 2004 Red Sox members faced off against each other as managers, as [[Dave Roberts (outfielder)|Dave Roberts]]' [[2021 Los Angeles Dodgers season|Los Angeles Dodgers]] beat [[Gabe Kapler]]'s [[2021 San Francisco Giants season|San Francisco Giants]] in five games.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dodgers vs. Giants - MLB Game Summary - October 14, 2021 |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/game/_/gameId/401361960 |website=ESPN |language=en}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Baseball}}
*[[2004 Japan Series]]

==Sources==
* {{cite video|title=2004 World Series|publisher=Major League Baseball Productions|date=2004|medium=DVD}}
* {{cite book|last=Shaughnessy|first=Dan|title=Reversing the Curse|year=2005|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Company|location=Boston|isbn=0-618-51748-0|author-link=Dan Shaughnessy|url=https://archive.org/details/reversingcursein00shau}}
* {{cite book|last=Shaughnessy|first=Dan|title=The Curse of the Bambino|year=1990|publisher=Dutton|location=New York|isbn=0-525-24887-0|author-link=Dan Shaughnessy|url=https://archive.org/details/curseofbambino00shau}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{commons category|2004 World Series}}
{{WSExtLinks|year=2004}}

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