Best 50 — 2004 Boston Red Sox (#36)
The Sox transform a wild-card berth into Best 50 immortality
Our countdown of baseball’s 50 greatest teams — a list known as the Best 50 — rolls today to No. 36, the 2004 Boston Red Sox. The rankings come from my new book, Baseball’s Best (and Worst) Teams.
Here’s a quick boilerplate explanation that I’m appending to every story in this series:
I compiled the Best 50 by analyzing 2,544 major-league teams from 1903 to 2024. Those clubs have been ranked by their team scores (TS), which are plotted on a 100-point scale. (A given club’s all-time percentile is the percentage of the other 2,543 teams that it outperformed.)
See my book for an explanation of my TS calculations. The book also offers separate breakdowns of the best and worst clubs for every decade and franchise, comprehensive profiles of the Best 50 (including position-by-position lineups and much more information than you’ll find in this newsletter), and similar summaries of the 10 worst teams of all time.
Now on to today’s profile.
Facts and figures
Team: 2004 Boston Red Sox
Team score: 86.128 points
All-time rank: 36 of 2,544
All-time percentile: 98.62%
Season record: 98-64 (.605)
Season position: Second place in American League East
Final status: World champion
Season summary
The Red Sox rode a peculiar streak into 2004. They had finished second in the American League East every season since 1998 — six years and counting.
There were reasons to hope for better things in ’04. Boston featured a powerful batting order that generated 5.86 runs per game, leading both leagues. And the pitching staff’s ERA of 4.18 was third-best in the AL. The Sox vaulted to an early divisional lead, but their nemesis — the club that had claimed every AL East crown since 1998 — vaulted past them in June. The New York Yankees stretched their lead to 10 games by August 16.
That’s when the Sox hit the accelerator, going 33-12 the rest of the way. They didn’t catch the Yanks, though they did claim a wild-card postseason berth. Critics chided Boston’s players for celebrating — they had finished second, after all, for the seventh straight year — but manager Terry Francona defended his troops. “If they’re excited to be in the playoffs, they have a right to be excited,” he said. “What’s the big deal?”
Baseball’s Best (and Worst) Teams
Get the complete lowdown on the 50 greatest (and 10 weakest) clubs of all time
Postseason summary
The Red Sox carried their momentum into the American League Division Series, sweeping the Anaheim Angels. But they suddenly went dead in the AL Championship Series, losing the first three games to the dreaded Yankees. “Soon it will be over,” wrote Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan, “and we will spend another dreary winter lamenting this and lamenting that.”
The Sox eked out a pair of extra-inning wins to make the series respectable, then finished off the Yankees with 4-2 and 10-3 victories in Yankee Stadium. It was the first postseason comeback from a three-game deficit in baseball history. “This is as big as the World Series,” exulted pitcher Tim Wakefield.
The final round proved to be shockingly easy. The Sox swept the Cardinals by a composite score of 24-12, bringing Boston its first World Series trophy since 1918.
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Lineup summary
No other American League club could match Boston’s one-two punch of left fielder Manny Ramirez and designated hitter David Ortiz.
Ramirez led the AL in home runs (43) and slugging percentage (.613). Opponents raved about his dedication. “When it comes to his craft, his art, his skill, he’s as smart as anyone,” said Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez. Ortiz was the only batter in either league to exceed 40 homers and 135 RBIs. The eight-year veteran had learned how to reach pitches anywhere in the strike zone. “He used to have holes on the inside. You’d go outside,” said New York closer Mariano Rivera. “Holes? Now they’re not there anymore.”
Center fielder Johnny Damon infused the lineup with power and speed. He swatted 20 homers and stole a team-leading 19 bases. Gritty catcher Jason Varitek cemented his reputation as a proven winner. He became one of only three players ever to appear in the championship games for separate World Series at the Little League, collegiate, and big-league levels.
An offseason trade with Arizona added Curt Schilling to Boston’s starting rotation. The 37-year-old Schilling was famous for his durability and irascibility. Those qualities inspired Philadelphia general manager Ed Wade to refer to Schilling as “a horse” on the mound and “a horse’s ass” elsewhere. The Red Sox were nothing but pleased with his league-leading 21 victories.
Pedro Martinez didn’t look like a power pitcher, not with his slender 170-pound frame. Yet he flashed a remarkable fastball, offsetting it with an exceptional changeup. Martinez finished second in the AL with 227 strikeouts.