Thirty-one thousand, four hundred and fifty-eight days have passed and finally the 86-year wait is over. The curse has been lifted.
Less than two weeks ago, the Boston Red Sox stood on the brink of elimination. They were down to their last out with the greatest postseason closer of all time, Mariano Rivera, on the mound. The Sox haven't looked back since.
They won four straight against the Yankees and another four to sweep the Cardinals for the World Series title. Derek Lowe shut down the Yankees in Game seven and the Cardinals Wednesday night to win the championship.
Johnny Damon's leadoff home run put the Red Sox ahead. Later, with a 3-0 count and bases loaded, Trot Nixon knocked in two runs with a double that put the Sox ahead for good.
The World Series Most Valuable Player trophy could have gone to a number of players, but Manny Ramirez won it by batting .412 with one home run and four RBI. He extended his postseason hitting streak to a record-tying 17 games Wednesday.
Lowe, who was not even in Boston's starting rotation when the playoffs began, pitched seven innings and gave up just three hits. He retired 13 straight batters from the first inning to the fifth.
The National League Champion St. Louis Cardinals came into the series with the best offense in baseball and a league-high 105 wins during the regular season, but the Red Sox got unbelievable pitching out of their starters.
In games two through four, Curt Schilling, Pedro Martinez and Lowe pitched 20 innings of shutout baseball and gave up only 10 hits.
The Cardinals were unable to muster any type of offense at all. The Cardinals four, five and six hitters-Scott Rolen, Jim Edmonds and Reggie Sanders-which includes two possible MVP candidates, went a paltry 1-38 in the series, with the only hit coming on an infield single by Edmonds.
On the other side of the ball, the Cardinal pitchers were unable to put the Sox away. In the first three games of the series, the Cardinals allowed 10 two-strike hits, nine two-strike RBI and nine two-out runs.
Not only has the curse been lifted, but it seems to have been reversed. Since Game four of the American League Championship Series, multiple plays that could have gone against the Sox have gone in their favor.
The Yankees were unable to score, despite Tim Wakefield's three passed balls in Game five. The umpires reversed Mark Bellhorn's home run from a ground rule double. A-Rod's slap on Bronson Arroyo was changed from an RBI single to an out.
Then, in the World Series, the Cardinals made countless baserunning errors which kept them from scoring, and all the Red Sox fielding errors could not deter them from sweeping the Cards.
Red Sox fans can forget all the names and moments that have haunted them for years. No more Babe Ruth, Enos Slaughter, Johnny Pesky, Joe Morgan, Bucky Dent, Bill Buckner, Roger Clemens, Grady Little or Aaron Boone.
No more 1918 and no more curse. Congratulations Boston, the Red Sox are World Series Champions and the Babe can finally rest.
