History is usually written by the winners, but in the case of the 2004 World Series, it was written by a bunch of self-proclaimed "idiots" who hadn't seen a trophy in 86 years.
Honestly, if you ask a casual fan about that October, they’ll probably start talking about the New York Yankees. They’ll mention the 3-0 comeback in the ALCS. They’ll talk about Dave Roberts sliding into second base. They might even mention the bloody sock.
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But then they kind of gloss over the actual World Series.
It's weird, right? The Red Sox swept the St. Louis Cardinals. They didn't just win; they steamrolled a team that had won 105 games in the regular season. People treat the Fall Classic like a victory lap, but that’s not really fair to how dominant that four-game stretch actually was.
The Momentum Nobody Could Stop
Coming off that emotional high of beating the Yankees in Game 7, everyone expected a letdown. You’ve seen it before. A team exhausts every ounce of mental energy to win a rivalry matchup, then walks into the championship round looking like zombies.
Not these guys.
The 2004 Red Sox arrived at Fenway Park for Game 1 with a terrifying amount of confidence.
It was a cold night in Boston. October 23rd.
The game was a mess. Pure chaos.
Boston outhit St. Louis 13 to 11. They also committed four errors. Manny Ramirez, usually a vacuum in left field (okay, maybe not a vacuum, but he was a pro), made two errors on consecutive plays in the eighth inning. The Cardinals tied it up at 9-9. It felt like the "Curse of the Bambino" was waking up from its nap, ready to ruin everyone’s life again.
Then Mark Bellhorn happened.
Bellhorn was the kind of player who led the American League in strikeouts that year—177 of them. But in the bottom of the eighth, he hooked a two-run shot off "Pesky’s Pole" in right field.
Sox win 11-9.
Basically, the "idiots" proved they could play a terrible defensive game and still out-slug the best team in the National League.
Curt Schilling and the Reality of Game 2
A lot of people think the "Bloody Sock" game was in the World Series. It wasn't. That was Game 6 of the ALCS against New York.
However, Schilling did pitch Game 2 against the Cardinals with those same stitches holding his ankle tendon together. It wasn't as dramatic as the Bronx performance, but it was arguably more surgical.
He went six innings. He gave up one run.
What’s wild is that the Red Sox defense was still trying to give the game away. Billy Mueller, usually a gold-glove caliber third baseman, set a World Series record with three errors in a single game.
Think about that. You’re playing for a title, your legendary pitcher is literally bleeding through his footwear, and you commit four errors total.
Boston still won 6-2.
At this point, the Cardinals—led by Albert Pujols, Jim Edmonds, and Scott Rolen—must have felt like they were playing against a freight train. No matter what mistakes the Red Sox made, they just kept coming.
Pedro Martinez’s Final Masterpiece
By the time the series shifted to St. Louis for Game 3, the vibe had changed. The Red Sox weren't just the "comeback kids" anymore. They were the bullies.
Pedro Martinez took the mound.
It was his first World Series appearance. It would also be his last game in a Red Sox uniform.
He was brilliant. Seven scoreless innings. Only three hits allowed.
There’s a specific play in the third inning that Cardinals fans still have nightmares about. Jeff Suppan was on third, Edgar Renteria on second. No outs. Larry Walker hits a grounder to first. Suppan starts for home, then stops, then tries to go back to third.
He got caught in a rundown.
David Ortiz, who was playing first base because there was no DH in the National League park, fired a strike to Mueller to tag Suppan out.
The rally died. Pedro retired the next 14 batters in a row.
Boston won 4-1.
The Coronation of Derek Lowe
Derek Lowe is the unsung hero of the 2004 postseason.
Seriously.
He won the clinching game of the ALDS. He won the clinching game of the ALCS. And on October 27, 2004, he took the mound for Game 4 of the World Series.
Lowe was a sinkerballer. When he was on, he didn't strike everyone out; he just made them hit weak groundballs all night. In Game 4, 17 of the 21 outs he recorded were groundouts.
Johnny Damon led off the game with a home run. That was the only run they needed.
Lowe pitched seven scoreless. Bronson Arroyo and Alan Embree did their jobs. Then came Keith Foulke.
At 11:40 PM, Edgar Renteria hit a soft hopper back to the mound.
Foulke tossed it to first.
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Game over. Curse over.
The 2004 World Series ended in a sweep. It was the first time since 1918 that Boston sat on top of the baseball world.
What People Miss About the 2004 Roster
We talk about the stars. Ortiz, Manny, Pedro.
But that team was built on depth and some really smart trades by a young Theo Epstein.
Orlando Cabrera and Doug Mientkiewicz:
When the Sox traded Nomar Garciaparra at the deadline, fans were devastated. He was the face of the franchise. But the defense was leakier than a screen door. Cabrera brought a swagger to shortstop that stabilized the whole infield.
The Bullpen:
Keith Foulke threw 100 pitches over three days in the ALCS. By the time the World Series started, his arm must have felt like a wet noodle. Yet, he was there to close out the final out of the year.
The Mentality:
Kevin Millar coined the "idiots" nickname. It wasn't because they weren't smart; it was because they refused to be intimidated by the "86 years of failure" narrative. They played like guys at a beer league softball game who just happened to be world-class athletes.
Actionable Takeaways for History Buffs and Fans
If you're looking to dive deeper into this specific era of baseball, here's how to actually experience it beyond just reading a box score:
- Watch "Four Days in October": It’s an ESPN 30 for 30 documentary. While it focuses heavily on the Yankees comeback, it perfectly sets the stage for the emotional state of the team heading into the World Series sweep.
- Study the Box Scores of Game 1 and Game 2: Most people forget how many errors the Red Sox made. Analyzing those games shows that they didn't win because they were "perfect"—they won because they were resilient enough to overcome their own mistakes.
- Look at Derek Lowe's Postseason Stats: He is the only pitcher in history to earn the win in all three series-clinching games in a single postseason. That’s a stat that usually gets buried under the "Bloody Sock" headlines.
- Visit the Hall of Fame Online: You can actually see the spikes Dave Roberts wore during "The Steal." It helps bridge the gap between the ALCS miracle and the World Series dominance.
The 2004 World Series wasn't just a championship. It was the moment a city stopped waiting for the other shoe to drop. It changed the culture of the Red Sox from "lovable losers" to a modern dynasty.
You don't get the 2007, 2013, or 2018 rings without the "idiots" proving it could be done first.