Best teams of 2001-2005
The 2004 Red Sox broke a historic jinx and claimed first place on this list
New England sports fans will never forget the 2004 Red Sox, the team that secured Boston’s first World Series title since the end of World War I — and thereby extinguished an 86-year jinx.
Those Sox not only reigned as the best team of their particular season, but they also outperformed every other big-league club during the half-decade from 2001 to 2005.
That’s according to my calculations of team scores, which are plotted on a 100-point scale. (Click here to read about the TS formula.) The 2004 Red Sox finished with a score of 84.936 points, nearly three points better than the runner-up for the period, the 2001 Seattle Mariners at 81.959.
I’m unveiling my five-year rankings of the Modern Era’s best teams on successive Mondays. Click here to see the previous rankings: 1961-1965, 1966-1970, 1971-1975, 1976-1980, 1981-1985, 1986-1990, 1991-1995, and 1996-2000.
Third through fifth places on today’s list are occupied by the 2004 St. Louis Cardinals, 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks, and 2002 San Francisco Giants.
Scroll below to see the list of the 10 best teams from 2001 to 2005. Each is shown with its win-loss record and the share of all 1,656 Modern Era clubs (1961-2022) that it outperformed, based on TS comparisons.
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1. Boston Red Sox (2004)
Record: 98-64
Team score: 84.936 points
Modern Era percentile: 98.7%
Manager: Terry Francona
Stars: Curt Schilling paced the pitching staff with a 21-6 record, complemented by Pedro Martinez at 16-9. Left fielder Manny Ramirez and designated hitter David Ortiz hit 43 and 41 home runs, respectively.
Bottom line: This version of the Red Sox brought Boston its first world championship since 1918, though it was a close thing. The Sox famously trailed the New York Yankees by three games to none in the American League Championship Series, only to rebound for a seven-game triumph. The World Series was a breeze by comparison, a four-game sweep over the St. Louis Cardinals.
2. Seattle Mariners (2001)
Record: 116-46
Team score: 81.959 points
Modern Era percentile: 97.9%
Manager: Lou Piniella
Stars: Right fielder Ichiro Suzuki led the American League in hits (242), stolen bases (56), and batting average (.350). He was rewarded with the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player Awards. Three other batters topped .300: second baseman Bret Boone (.331), designated hitter Edgar Martinez (.306), and first baseman John Olerud (.302).
Bottom line: The Mariners seemed unbeatable. The second-place Athletics racked up 102 wins, yet Seattle still finished 14 games ahead of Oakland in the American League West. But the playoffs were a massive disappointment, with the Mariners falling meekly to the Yankees in the AL Championship Series.
3. St. Louis Cardinals (2004)
Record: 105-57
Team score: 81.249 points
Modern Era percentile: 97.5%
Manager: Tony La Russa
Stars: First baseman Albert Pujols smacked 46 homers, drove home 123 runs, and batted .331. He finished third in the balloting for the National League’s MVP Award. Third baseman Scott Rolen drove in 124 runs and won a Gold Glove.
Bottom line: The Cardinals breezed through the National League, winning the Central Division by 13 games, then defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros in the playoffs. But St. Louis had the misfortune of running into the red-hot Red Sox in the World Series, which Boston won easily.
4. Arizona Diamondbacks (2001)
Record: 92-70
Team score: 81.168 points
Modern Era percentile: 97.5%
Manager: Bob Brenly
Stars: Arizona depended heavily on its pitching staff, especially its two aces, Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, who finished first and second in the voting for the NL’s Cy Young Award. Johnson went 21-6 with a league-leading 2.49 ERA, while Schilling finished at 22-6 and 2.98.
Bottom line: The Diamondbacks were only four years old, so it seemed crazy to expect them to contend in 2001. Yet they outdueled the San Francisco Giants for the NL West title, then dispatched the Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, and Yankees in the postseason, the latter in a seven-game World Series.
5. San Francisco Giants (2002)
Record: 95-66
Team score: 77.832 points
Modern Era percentile: 96.3%
Manager: Dusty Baker
Stars: Left fielder Barry Bonds won his second consecutive MVP trophy (and the fifth of his career). He batted .370, hit 46 homers, and piled up 110 RBIs. Second baseman Jeff Kent chipped in with 108 RBIs and a .313 average.
Bottom line: The Giants duplicated their 2001 regular season by again finishing second to Arizona in the NL West in 2002. But the playoffs went somewhat better, with San Francisco defeating St. Louis in the Championship Series, only to lose to the Anaheim Angels in the World Series.
Next five
6. Anaheim Angels (2002), 99-63, 96.1%
7. St. Louis Cardinals (2005), 100-62, 95.6%
8. New York Yankees (2003), 101-61, 95.3%
9. Chicago White Sox (2005), 99-63, 94.8%
10. Atlanta Braves (2003), 101-61, 92.9%