Editing Boston Red Sox (section)

===="The Idiots": 2004 World Series Championship====
{{Main|2004 Boston Red Sox season|2004 World Series}}
[[File:Ortizpoint.jpg|thumb|upright|[[David Ortiz]] was named 2004 [[ALCS MVP]] and 2013 [[World Series Most Valuable Player Award|World Series MVP]]. His #34 was retired by the club in 2017.]]
During the 2003–04 offseason, the Red Sox acquired another ace pitcher, [[Curt Schilling]], and a closer, [[Keith Foulke]]. Due to some midseason struggles with injuries, management shook up the team at the July 31 trading deadline as part of a four-team trade. The Red Sox traded the team's popular, yet oft-injured, shortstop [[Nomar Garciaparra]] and outfielder [[Matt Murton]] to the [[Chicago Cubs]], and received first baseman [[Doug Mientkiewicz]] from the [[Minnesota Twins]], and shortstop [[Orlando Cabrera]] from the [[Montreal Expos]]. In a separate transaction, the Red Sox acquired center fielder [[Dave Roberts (outfielder)|Dave Roberts]] from the [[Los Angeles Dodgers]]. Following the trades, the club won 22 out of 25 games and qualified for the playoffs as the AL Wild Card. Players and fans affectionately referred to the players as "the Idiots", a term coined by Damon and Millar during the playoff push to describe the team's eclectic roster and devil-may-care attitude toward their supposed "curse".

Boston began the postseason by sweeping the [[American League West|AL West]] champion [[2004 Anaheim Angels season|Anaheim Angels]] in the [[2004 American League Division Series|ALDS]]. In the third game of the series, David Ortiz hit a walk-off two-run homer in the 10th inning to win the game and the series to advance to a rematch of the previous year's ALCS in the [[2004 American League Championship Series|ALCS]] against the [[2004 New York Yankees season|Yankees]]. The ALCS started very poorly for the Red Sox, as they lost the first three games (including a crushing 19–8 home loss in game 3). In Game 4, the Red Sox found themselves facing elimination, trailing 4–3 in the ninth with [[Mariano Rivera]] in to close for the Yankees. After Rivera issued a walk to Millar, Roberts came on to pinch run and promptly stole second base. He then scored on an RBI single by [[Bill Mueller]], sending the game into extra innings. The Red Sox went on to win the game 6–4 on a two-run home run by Ortiz in the 12th inning. The odds were still very much against the Sox in the series, but Ortiz also made the walk-off hit in the 14th inning of Game 5. The comeback continued with a victory from an injured Schilling in Game 6. Three sutures being used to stabilize the tendon in Schilling's right ankle bled throughout the game, famously making his sock appear bloody red. With it, Boston became the first team in MLB history to force a series-deciding Game 7 after trailing 3–0 in games. The Red Sox completed their historic comeback in Game 7 with a 10–3 victory over the Yankees. Ortiz began the scoring with a two-run homer. Along with his game-winning runs batted in during games 4 and 5, he was named ALCS Most Valuable Player. The Red Sox joined the [[1941–42 Toronto Maple Leafs season|1942 Toronto Maple Leafs]] and the [[1974–75 New York Islanders season|1975 New York Islanders]] as the only [[Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada|North American professional sports]] teams in history at the time to win a best-of-seven games series after being down 3–0. (The [[2009–10 Philadelphia Flyers season|2010 Philadelphia Flyers]] and the [[2013–14 Los Angeles Kings season|2014 Los Angeles Kings]] would later accomplish the feat).

The Red Sox swept the [[2004 St. Louis Cardinals season|St. Louis Cardinals]] in the [[2004 World Series]]. The Red Sox never trailed throughout the series; [[Mark Bellhorn]] hit a game-winning home run off [[Pesky's Pole]] in game 1, and Schilling pitched another bloodied-sock victory in game 2, followed by similarly masterful pitching performances by Martinez and [[Derek Lowe]]. It was the Red Sox' first championship in 86 years. Manny Ramírez was named [[World Series MVP]]. To add a final, surreal touch to Boston's championship season, on the night of Game 4 a [[October 2004 lunar eclipse|total lunar eclipse]] colored the moon red over [[Busch Memorial Stadium|Busch Stadium]]. The Red Sox earned many accolades from the sports media and throughout the nation for their season, such as in December, when ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' named the Boston Red Sox the 2004 [[Sportsman of the Year|Sportsmen of the Year]].