It was literally written in the stars.

Twenty years ago tonight, October 27, 2004, the Red Sox took the field at the old Busch Stadium in St. Louis with a chance to end one of the longest title droughts in history of American professional sports. That night, a full moon shone over the land, and midway through the fourth game, a total lunar eclipse bathed its surface in a blood-red glow.

After 86 years, it would finally be Boston’s night.

The Red Sox’s 2004 championship was a seismic event. Generations of Bostonians have spent their entire lives wondering if they would ever live to see this day. Every time the club got closer, something went wrong, so for this group, turning the tables on the hated New York Yankees – becoming the first and still only team in MLB history to overcome a 3-0 series deficit – it felt like more than just a win.

It was like a deliverance.

The magnitude of this team’s accomplishments has not diminished over time, even as the city enjoyed an unprecedented string of successes. Tom Brady and Bill Belichick led the Patriots to six Super Bowl championships. The Red Sox proved their historic breakthrough was no fluke, winning four total titles in 15 seasons. The Bruins and Celtics each won a title, and last June the C’s finally managed to bring Banner 18 home again.

All these successes left their mark and, looking back, it was in the fall of 2004 that things really changed.

These Red Sox not only pulled off an epic comeback and won a championship, they also changed the culture of a city. When I was growing up, the experience of Red Sox fandom was defined by pain and disappointment. For people of my parents’ generation, those who lived through the near misses of 1975, 1978 and 1986, that’s all they knew.

As a child of the 90s, I grew up with these stories. I’m old enough to remember what it was like before “The Curse” was broken. Yet I was also young enough that this story hadn’t taken root, so even after experiencing the pain of failing in 2003, I was convinced that 2004 would finally be the year.

I must have seemed hopelessly naive to the older people in my life, but among my peers I was hardly alone. Even after the Yankees kicked the Red Sox 19-8 in Game 3 of the ALCS, the overriding feeling the next day at school was one of hopeful optimism. This team, this journey couldn’t really end like this. Is this possible?

Decades of Red Sox history suggest that would be the case. But this time, the story finally had a happy ending.

Twenty years later, there is now an entire generation of young Bostonians who know nothing but success. Our faith has been rewarded time and time again, and where we once expected disappointment, we now demand excellence.

This is the world the Red Sox live in today, which is part of why the last five years have been so difficult for many to digest. It’s only been six years since the Red Sox last won a title, but that glorious night seems like an eternity after a prolonged rebuild and the unceremonious trade that sent franchise face Mookie Betts to the Dodgers, where he’s already won one championship and could soon capture another.

There was a time when all of this seemed to be part of the natural order, but that is no longer the case. Boston has changed, and where the Red Sox were once haunted by their past failures, they are now haunted by their past successes.

It’s hard to imagine a future championship leaving such a lasting mark, but 20 years later, it’s clear that 2004 has stood the test of time and become a historic moment in Boston sports history .

Breslow talks about the title

Even though Craig Breslow wouldn’t join the Red Sox family for another year, the 2004 championship still left an impression on the club’s future director of baseball. Speaking to the Herald in a recent interview, the Red Sox manager described his memory of the 2004 World Series and how watching the club’s triumph changed the way he viewed the game.

“I was in the minor leagues in 2004,” Breslow said. “I had actually been released by the Brewers while playing independent ball before I made my debut in 2005. I remember being in New England and following all the playoffs and rivalries between the Red Sox and the Yankees at that time, it was of the highest intensity and it attracted a lot of attention.

“I remember following the show, I remember, like everyone, putting a lot of doubt on that team, and at that time I had no loyalty. I was actually a Mets fan growing up, so I was kind of the third wheel who never got a chance to have a lot of fun,” he continued. “But it was the team for me that really crystallized the importance of chemistry, culture and camaraderie, because at the time there seemed to be no other explanation for their success.

“I think now that I’m in this role and 20 years later, it’s really important that I don’t lose sight of the humans who participate in these games and how emotions can ultimately impact performance.”

Among the most important of all time

There have been 119 World Series champions crowned since the dawn of the 20th century, and while the Red Sox’s four-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2004 wasn’t the most fascinating in terms of action On the field, the end of Boston’s 86’s two-year title drought made it one of the most important fall classics ever played.

In the annals of baseball history, only a small handful truly compare.

Trying to rank every World Series would be a daunting and unnecessarily subjective exercise, but there are clearly some that stand out above the rest. Some, like the Red Sox in 2004, matter because of the historical ramifications at stake. Others featured unforgettable endings. Some had both.

Which World Series belongs in the pantheon?

In terms of historical significance, the first and perhaps best comparison to Boston in 2004 is the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1955. The Dodgers had never won a World Series although they had won the NFL pennant seven times. National League before, and each of their previous five defeats had come. against the Yankees. But this time, the Dodgers finally finished the job, recovering from a 2-0 series deficit to win in Game 7 and clinch the franchise’s first World Series title just two years before the club moved in Los Angeles.

You also have the Philadelphia Phillies in 1980, who won the first championship in the club’s 97-year history to become the last original MLB franchise to win a World Series, and of course the Chicago Cubs in 2016, whose History as a historic team playing in a historic ballpark enduring a drought that spans generations paralleled the Red Sox.

Game 7 of the 2016 World Series also makes the short list of greatest games in MLB history, featuring a dramatic game-tying home run by Rajai Davis in the eighth, a 17-minute rain delay before the innings extras and Ben Zobrist’s shot. -ahead RBI double in the 10th to help the Cubs fend off Cleveland and finally end the Windy City’s 108-year wait.

There have been 40 World Series that ended in a deciding Game 7 (or Game 8, as happened thanks to a tie in 1912.) This list includes some of the most exciting in baseball history, including Jack Morris’s 10. -a one-inning complete-game shutout to lead the Twins past the Braves in 1991, Marlins shortstop Edgar Renteria’s single to beat Cleveland in 1997 and Luis Gonzalez’s knockout hit against Mariano Rivera to help the Diamondbacks to stun the Yankees in 2001.

There have also been two World Series that ended in a home run. Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Bill Mazeroski, who generally contributed more on defense throughout his Hall of Fame career, delivered what was then the biggest hit in MLB history with his home run to beat the Yankees in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series. Joe Carter scored one for the Blue Jays to beat the Phillies in 1993, giving Toronto back-to-back titles in spectacular fashion.

A future classic?

Time will tell if this year’s World Series lives up to some of the all-time greats, but in terms of star power, it’s already among the best.

Between Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Gerrit Cole and Giancarlo Stanton with the Yankees and Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman with the Dodgers, the teams have seven active players who have a realistic chance of making the Hall of Fame and who possess seven MVPs. and Cy Young Awards between them.

That doesn’t even include the two new MVPs that Judge and Ohtani will likely win next month, nor the MVP and three Cy Young Awards won by injured future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw.

This year’s World Series is probably the most high-profile we’ve seen in the 21st century, but if you go back in history, you’ll find no shortage of stellar matchups.

Ted Williams vs. Stan Musial in 1946, Hank Aaron vs. Mickey Mantle in 1957, Carl Yastrzemski and Co. vs. The Big Red Machine in 1975, and George Brett vs. Mike Schmidt in 1980 all immediately come to mind. The 1932 World Series between the Yankees and Cardinals featured a record 13 future Hall of Famers, and the 1996 Fall Classic between the Yankees and Braves had nine, with Andruw Jones persisting as a possible future 10th .

Not every World Series ends up being must-see TV, but every once in a while, fans are treated to something truly special. Let’s hope this year’s Fall Classic delivers.

Originally published: October 27, 2024 at 6:00 a.m.