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2024 marks the twentieth anniversary of the 2004 Boston Purple Sox World Collection championship workforce. All year long, NESN.com will mirror on a number of key moments from that historic season.
Half 3: A comeback for the ages that shocked the New York Yankees within the 2004 American League Championship Collection.
The Boston Purple Sox dominated through the earliest days of the World Collection. They received 5 titles in 16 years. They had been synonymous with profitable and laid the groundwork as one among baseball’s historic franchises.
That got here to an abrupt halt after 1918, when the Purple Sox moved baseball icon Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees, beginning a flip to the flawed aspect of historical past for the subsequent 86 years.
The Yankees received 26 World Collection championships, turning into far and away the category of the game. The Purple Sox fell to lulls of mediocrity, sprinkled with gut-wrenching losses that crushed championship goals.
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The Yankees performed into the Purple Sox’s ache, spoiling runs in 1978, 1999 and 2003. There was no finish in sight for Boston. And that the story as soon as once more in 2004, when the groups met within the ALCS for the third time in six seasons.
The Yankees rolled by way of the Purple Sox to take a 3-0 sequence lead, a mark that was beforehand insurmountable in Main League Baseball historical past. All hope appeared misplaced. Everybody wrote off Boston. However simply because the Yankees ready to seal the deal, ending the identical outdated story, the Purple Sox ripped away the pen. A brand new chapter of the storied rivalry was to be informed.
Talking solely with NESN.com 20 years later, former Purple Sox gamers Johnny Damon, Jason Varitek, Invoice Mueller and Dave Roberts, in addition to broadcasters Joe Castiglione and Chris Myers, recounted the best comeback in baseball historical past.
“It’s actually overwhelming to have noticed one thing so historic,” Myers, FOX’s sideline reporter for the 2004 ALCS, stated. “Not simply with the Purple Sox and the 86 years and the curse and the followers. That’s the opposite factor about spending time in Boston. Being round followers at the moment and getting an actual really feel for a way they felt, which was a part of what they wished me to do with some aspect tales. It was endearing virtually to this ache of Purple Sox followers. Then, in fact, the mighty Yankees. You like them or hate them across the nation.”
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“It was the Purple Sox-Yankees rivalry at its top,” Castiglione, the workforce’s longtime radio voice, stated.
THE MINDSET
The Purple Sox shortly fell behind in a sequence that appeared over earlier than it began. The Yankees held off a late, livid Boston rally for a 10-7 Sport 1 win. Pedro Martinez pitched nicely in Sport 2, however the Yankees did sufficient for a 3-1 victory.
When the sequence shifted to Fenway Park, New York unloaded with an unstoppable offensive assault that rocked Boston and crushed any hope with a 19-8 win.
“I believe it was what that workforce’s mentality all the time is: Handle enterprise in the present day,” Varitek stated. “Then, we acquired punched within the face.”
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“My solely thought was, ‘The Yankees aren’t that good and the Purple Sox are too good to be swept in 4 video games.’ I had no thought they might win it,” Castiglione stated.
The identical outdated story was nearly full: A promising season for the Purple Sox falls brief by the hands of their biggest rivals. The 2004 season confirmed no indicators at that time of fixing destiny.
Boston took the sector with a selected aim: To win one recreation, lengthen the sequence and see what occurs. Kevin Millar famously provided the rallying cry of “don’t allow us to win in the present day” in a pregame dialog with The Boston Globe’s Dan Shaughnessy.
“I give loads of credit score to Kevin Millar. I actually do,” Roberts stated. “I do know there was loads stated about it. Kevin was the one which sort of saved everybody constructive — extra targeted on sooner or later at a time. He saved the power up. With that, everybody sort of rallied round him. It was true.”
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Whereas that turned the mantra for the Purple Sox to the general public eye, Boston’s eventual captain knew the sentiment existed lengthy earlier than Millar’s monologue.
“Millar can’t all the time take that,” Varitek stated. “That was instilled from Jimy Williams a very long time in the past.”
The Purple Sox had vital comebacks within the postseason lately, underneath Williams within the 1999 ALDS and underneath Grady Little within the 2003 ALDS. One other likelihood introduced itself within the 2004 ALCS.
The sequence continued in Boston a day later than anticipated, after a rainout postponed Sport 3. And that aura appeared to encompass town after the disastrous begin to the sequence.
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“I did some report earlier than that recreation that turned the tide for the Purple Sox once they had been able to be swept,” Myers recalled. “It was one thing about being wet, dreary and damp and gloomy. It virtually felt like a funeral. I didn’t say the Purple Sox had given up, however there was sort of a sense there. Possibly that was our perspective.”
Myers remembered a selected response within the aftermath of that report with Purple Sox supervisor Terry Francona, which informed him all he wanted to know concerning the workforce’s mentality.
“Francona got here as much as me and stated, ‘Hey, I respect your work. I do know you’re right here every single day round us. They might look gloomy,’ ” Myers added. “It was a honest stare within the eye. He didn’t say they had been going to show round and win it. He was like, ‘We’ve acquired battle in us left.’ “
Derek Lowe, who went to the bullpen after a tumultuous common season as a starter, acquired the ball for Sport 4. Tim Wakefield surrendered his begin to take one for the workforce and eat innings for the Purple Sox within the Sport 3 onslaught.
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“I assume there was no panic,” Damon stated. “I assume we had been in shock. For us to win, we now have to be nice. Offensively, defensively, pitching, we must have some luck on our aspect. Quite a few issues. Quite a few components. All of it got here collectively.”
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THE STEAL
The Purple Sox got here to the plate within the ninth inning of Sport 4, three outs away from elimination and one other lengthy offseason.
The situation solely grew tougher with a generational nearer, Mariano Rivera, on the mound for the Yankees. Rivera in October was practically computerized, making an uphill climb even steeper for Boston.
The Purple Sox, nevertheless, cracked the nearer’s armor earlier than. Boston overtook Rivera for a walk-off win in July at Fenway, earlier than beating him once more in September at Yankee Stadium.
Breaking by way of within the postseason was unlikely — however removed from unimaginable. Millar labored a leadoff stroll. The Purple Sox, who wanted a dynamic spark, turned to Roberts as a pinch-runner.
“You’re in Fenway,” Roberts recalled. “It’s October. It’s freezing chilly. The dugouts are tiny. How do you put together and get your self prepared for that second in time? It was principally realizing that Tito (Terry Francona) let me know that if anyone will get on base, be able to run. Thankfully for me, it was Millar, who just isn’t actually fleet of foot. He had a fantastic at-bat in opposition to Mariano, who doesn’t stroll guys. I used to be on the finish of the bench. Helmet on. Batting gloves on. Prepared for that second. As soon as he acquired ball 4, Tito checked out me and I do know he winked at me like, ‘OK, you’re up.’ I simply trotted on the market.”
Roberts instantly knew his job: steal second base. Each individual within the ballpark knew it. Rivera clearly did, too, as he threw over to first base thrice earlier than he delivered a pitch to Mueller.
“It’s a type of issues the place I ready all through the postseason and towards the tip of the common season for that position,” Roberts stated. “To come back in, be able to steal a base when referred to as upon. It was one thing I had by no means executed earlier than. It took me time to get used to it.
“Everybody within the ballpark is aware of you’re going to steal second base. You’re going to. You’ll be able to’t be afraid to take that likelihood. That’s one thing that actually weighed closely on my thoughts.”
Roberts wasted no time when Rivera delivered a pitch. He broke for second base and beat a remarkably fast change from catcher Jorge Posada. The speedy runner slid headfirst, simply in time forward of the tag by shortstop Derek Jeter. The Purple Sox had a person in scoring place and the Fenway Trustworthy had life.
“That, to me, in my thoughts, modified all the things,” Myers stated. “Stealing second off of Mariano Rivera, that doesn’t occur.”
Roberts did his job. Now, it was as much as Mueller (who clubbed the walk-off dwelling run in July) to do his. He hit an RBI single to middle subject. Roberts crossed the plate, deflated the Yankees and energized Purple Sox Nation.
“You all the time simplify,” Mueller stated. “You get to the weather you can management. You all the time have your one cue phrase that helps your chain of command that’s linking all the stuff you do on the plate collectively. You block all the things else out. One of many few issues I do miss is whenever you get these large hits, working up the road is tremendous quiet after which midway up the road, you lastly hear the gang. You’re simply so in that second and concentrating on that efficiency half that blocks all the things else out. It’s fairly wonderful.”
The sport went into additional innings. And earlier than lengthy, one Purple Sox slugger started his path towards baseball lore.
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THE HERO
David Ortiz already had impression postseason hits on his Purple Sox résumé when Boston took the sector for Sport 4.
He helped Boston take the lead in opposition to the Oakland Athletics in Sport 4 of the 2004 ALDS, as an illustration. Plus, he already had one large hit in Sport 4 when he put the Purple Sox in entrance with a two-out, two-run single within the fifth inning.
However Ortiz stepped to the plate within the twelfth inning in opposition to reliever Paul Quantrill with the possibility to increase the ALCS — and he did simply that.
Ortiz blasted a 2-1 pitch over the fitting subject wall for a Purple Sox win within the early hours of the morning, sparking a memorable name from Joe Buck on the FOX broadcast.
“Ortiz into deep proper subject. Again is Sheffield, we’ll goodbye tonight.”
“I bear in mind with the Ortiz homer with him working round and we had been late to get off the air,” Myers recalled. “They wished me to run to get to him and he’s out of breath at dwelling plate. I’m sort of out of breath working as much as speak to him. I couldn’t perceive something he stated in his pleasure.”
The groups reconvened for Sport 5 after a fast turnaround for one more marathon duel. Ortiz once more discovered himself proper in the course of the motion.
The Purple Sox designated hitter singled in a run within the first inning earlier than he smacked his second homer of the sequence, going to the other subject over the Inexperienced Monster within the eighth inning to chop Boston’s scoreboard deficit to at least one. Boston tied the sport in that body on a Varitek sacrifice fly in opposition to Rivera that scored Roberts — a real déjà vu second.
This time, the groups clashed into the 14th inning in a recreation that almost exceeded the six-hour mark. Ortiz earned the chance to save lots of the Purple Sox once more. He fought his manner to take action on a pitch he muscled into middle subject to carry dwelling Damon for a second consecutive walk-off hit.
“Getting on base, particularly for a man like Huge Papi,” Damon stated. “We had a deep, protected lineup. Trying again, the Yankees can say, ‘Let’s not pitch to Huge Papi in any respect’ as a result of he was an absolute beast throughout that sequence. It simply appeared like everyone on our workforce pitched in.”
“That’s who David was for us,” Varitek stated. “He developed from being a platoon participant to our different essential cog apart from Manny (Ramirez) in our lineup. David’s knack for the massive hit was nicely earlier than that. In large moments, he continued to all the time have the massive hit.”
Ortiz took it upon himself to carry the Purple Sox following Sport 3 and willed them again to New York with an unimaginable sequence of clutch hits at Fenway Park. The sequence was removed from over, with Ortiz as the primary motive why.
“At that time, you may simply see that the Yankees began to really feel the stress,” Roberts stated. “As soon as we received Sport 5, I simply felt that there was no manner we had been going to lose.”
“It was exhilarating to win that Sport 4,” Castiglione stated. “You then began to consider after Papi hit the walk-off bloop single within the 14th inning of Sport 5. I bear in mind the exhilarating feeling that gave us getting on the bus to return to New York.”
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THE FALL OF THE EMPIRE
The Purple Sox nonetheless wanted two wins in baseball’s most hostile setting to increase their season, rewrite historical past and go to the World Collection for the primary time in 18 years.
“I believe you reside on adrenaline,” Castiglione recalled. “You hope for video games like that as a result of most individuals don’t get to expertise them of their careers.”
“In these moments, there was hope,” Myers stated. “There was one thing magical taking place after that one recreation turned. You began to really feel like possibly we’d get a full sequence. Possibly the Purple Sox can pull this off. It’s wonderful they saved going the best way they did.”
The 2004 ALCS got here right down to heroics, which continued in Sport 6 at Yankee Stadium.
Mark Bellhorn delivered a three-run dwelling run to left subject that deflected off a fan. Umpires confirmed the decision, and later overturned one other name when Alex Rodriguez slapped the ball out of Bronson Arroyo’s glove whereas working up the primary bottom line.
“Baseball is a humorous recreation, and I’m simply glad the celebrities aligned for us in that recreation and the video games afterwards,” Damon stated. “You gotta bear in mind in Sport 6, we acquired lucky the umpires got here again and reversed calls. … I requested (umpire) Joe West to try Mark Bellhorn’s hit. He stated he couldn’t do something until (Francona) requested him to convene with different umpires. I stated, ‘Tito, go speak to him! They’re not listening to me, however they’ll hearken to you.’ “
“That every one turned on the identical time,” Varitek stated. “We began executing what we had been doing and put that in a distinct spot. Much less errors and fewer missed alternatives in shut video games.”
On the mound, Curt Schilling responded from a disastrous Sport 1 begin to intestine out seven innings of one-run ball with a bloody sock from his tendon surgical procedure. The Purple Sox acquired Schilling for a motive the earlier winter and he delivered the efficiency Boston wanted.
Boston had one last heart-stopping sequence within the ninth inning. Tony Clark confronted Keith Foulke because the potential profitable run. Foulke struck him out, stranded the runners, closed the sport and willed the Purple Sox to Sport 7.
No workforce had ever compelled a Sport 7 after trailing 3-0 in a best-of-seven MLB postseason sequence, however the job nonetheless wasn’t completed for Boston.
“Issues had been beginning to flip,” Roberts stated. “We felt that. At that time limit, we had been like, ‘We acquired these guys.’ “
The Purple Sox and Yankees met in New York for Sport 7 for the second consecutive October. Boston had all the momentum however nonetheless had 27 outs to go. To finish the comeback, the Purple Sox wanted their leadoff hitter, Damon, to get proper after a brutal sequence (3-for-29) to that time.
“I used to be working my tail off making an attempt to get my swing proper,” Damon stated. “On the finish of the day, the one factor that was flawed with my swing (was) I used to be taking the great pitches. They had been getting forward of me within the depend, and I needed to battle each time. … Come Sport 7, I used to be just a little aggressive.”
Damon singled off of Kevin Brown to start the competition. He then acquired thrown out at dwelling plate, thrilling Yankees followers, however fortunately for the Purple Sox, Ortiz got here to the rescue on the very subsequent pitch. Ortiz launched a two-run rocket of a house run to proper subject, instantly silencing the gang and capping his ALCS MVP candidacy as Boston struck first.
Damon’s evening was removed from over. Baseball always gives possibilities to embrace the second. Damon acquired that chance with the bases loaded within the second inning, getting sufficient of Javier Vazquez’s first providing to carry a grand slam to proper subject and thrust the Purple Sox to a 6-0 lead.
“Clearly, a grand slam was the most effective situation,” Damon stated. “I additionally stated we needed to get one run throughout for the worst situation. Fortunately, I acquired sufficient of it. Obtained just a little bit jammed on that pitch, it was simply sufficient on the within nook. A lot completely different than the one I hit the subsequent (at-bat) which was on the surface a part of the plate.”
The Purple Sox knew complacency was unacceptable and acted accordingly. Lowe made pitch after pitch on the mound, Damon and Bellhorn flexed extra dwelling run energy, and Boston took a 10-3 lead into the ninth inning.
“I wasn’t actually certain, despite the fact that we had an enormous lead, as a result of you realize Purple Sox historical past,” Castiglione stated. “When Damon hit that second dwelling run, I believe that was large. You’re form of simply counting it down.”
Alan Embree compelled a floor ball from Ruben Sierra. Pokey Reese smothered it, tossed to Doug Mientkiewicz and made baseball historical past on the only of performs.
The Purple Sox accomplished the comeback, received the American League pennant and created a second baseball will always remember.
“I referred to as it an important win in Purple Sox historical past,” Castiglione stated. “That was the largest recreation they received and I wished to convey that. I bear in mind saying, ‘Transfer over, Babe!’ I attempted to maintain it easy. In fact, the gang, we had been on the highway. It’s a very completely different factor whenever you’re dwelling. It was nonetheless a pinch your self second when it occurred.”
“It was simply the relentless focus we needed to have, proper?” Varitek stated. “The earlier video games from being down three to persevering with that. Our bench, our total workforce pushed that focus and pushed one pitch at a time. No one ever took their foot off the fuel. That’s a tough factor to do as a result of the emotional components of video games sway you completely different instructions. … That final out was fairly gratifying.”
“At that time limit, we’d by no means been to the World Collection with that group, clearly,” Roberts stated. “That win proper there felt like we received the World Collection.”
The Purple Sox lastly beat the Yankees, surprising New York and the baseball world. Boston stood as much as baseball’s longtime kings, defied historical past and shocked the game’s most profitable franchise.
“Disbelief, shocked, shocked,” Myers stated. ” ‘How does this occur to us?’ There was nothing pretend about it. They’d recognized. It had taken some time for them and their followers. That’s the opposite factor for the Yankees is to have it settle in. It did. It will definitely did.”
The Purple Sox wanted to complete the story correctly, with a World Collection win, to formally break the Curse of the Bambino. However no problem would high what Boston simply went by way of, setting the stage for one last postseason surge.
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