Boston Red Sox

If you had been a Boston Red Sox fan in the early 1900s, the future must have seemed inevitably bright. As the Boston Americans, the team had not only captured the first-ever official modern World Series in 1903 in a best-of-nine (!!) series over the Pittsburgh Pirates in eight games, but after changing their name to the Red Sox had gone on to win four more titles by the time the First World War ended in 1918, led by a fellow named Babe Ruth, a pitcher who was also unusually nifty with a bat in his hands. An owner with questionable scruples sold “the Bambino” to the New York Yankees in December 1919, igniting one of the greatest sporting rivalries of all time and instigating the so-called Curse of the Bambino, under the thrall of which the Red Sox would not win another World Series in the 20th century. Led by MVP Ted Williams, perhaps the greatest hitter of all time (Williams batted .406 in 1941, a record that still stands and seems unlikely ever to be broken), the Sox seemed destined to win the title in 1946, but lost to the St. Louis Cardinals, who came from two games down to break Sox hearts with a 4-3 win in Game Seven with a single run scored on a close play at the plate. The Red Sox faced the same opponents in their next World Series in 1967, led by a new league MVP in Carl Yastrzemski, and came back from three games to one down only to be blown out by the Cardinals 7-2 in Game Seven. Red Sox fans’ hopes were raised against the Cincinnati Reds in 1975 and again in 1986 versus the New York Mets, but were subsequently dashed, incredibly, in two more heartbreaking Game Seven losses (both the Reds and Mets made late rallies in the final innings). The Curse of the Bambino, it turned out, had long legs. Thus it was with no more than nervous apprehension and dread (and perhaps just a single tattered thread of hope?) that Sox fans went into the 2004 World Series against the Cardinals, who had of course twice vanquished them so cruelly in years past. Buoying Boston confidence somewhat, however, were the outstanding performances of Manny Ramirez, who had helped the Red Sox overturn a three games to zero series deficit in the ALCS, becoming the only MLB (to date) ever to do so. Moreover, the victory had been achieved over the New York Yankees, their age-old rivals and the originators of “the Curse” all those years ago (the Yankees had also beaten the Sox in seven the previous season). Making history seemed in the cards, somehow, and so it proved to be, with the Red Sox not only defeating the Cardinals to win their first World Series in 86* years, but sweeping them in four straight. With the burden of history shifted off their shoulders, the Boston Red Sox have gone on to win three more World Series, nearly doubling the franchise’s total haul of titles in just a decade and a half after nearly nine decades of waiting. With expectations now raised, the BoSox will be looking to add number ten in the years to come. Incredibly, fans who go watch the Boston Red Sox will get the chance to see the team play in the same stadium where they won all but their first World Series: historic Fenway Park, which first opened in 1912, the oldest venue still in use among any of North America’s major professional sports leagues. 

Boston Red Sox Rivalries

No rivalry in North American professional sports can stand against the enmity between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, which dates back over a century into the earliest days of professional baseball itself. And unlike other long-standing rivalries in Canada and the US that have been watered down in recent years by divisional or league restructuring, the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry has, if anything, continued to heat up in recent years. The Sox have also developed a modern rivalry with the Tampa Bay Rays through their playoff meetings in recent years. Matchups with divisional competitors like the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles also tend to generate plenty of heat in Boston. Finding tickets to any of these games (especially Sox-Yankees) can be tricky, so get onto TicketX early to find the most affordable tickets to the most exciting Boston Red Sox games.

*The Red Sox’s 86-year drought is the third longest in MLB history to date, after the Chicago White Sox (88 years) and Chicago Cubs (107 years). The current drought kings are the Cleveland Guardians (75 years). Read more about our tips on "How to Get Cheap Red Sox Tickets Today" on TicketX Magazine.