2009 Boston Red Sox | ||
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American League Wild Card Winners | ||
League | American League | |
Division | East | |
Ballpark | Fenway Park | |
City | Boston, Massachusetts | |
Record | 95–67 (.586) | |
Divisional place | 2nd | |
Owners | John W. Henry (New England Sports Ventures) | |
President | Larry Lucchino | |
General manager | Theo Epstein | |
Manager | Terry Francona [1] | |
Television | New England Sports Network (Don Orsillo, Jerry Remy, Dennis Eckersley, Dave Roberts, Buck Martinez, Tony Massarotti, Rance Mulliniks, Rex Hudler, Ron Coomer, Ken Rosenthal, Kevin Kennedy, Dwight Evans, Sean Casey, Jim Kaat, Gordon Edes, Bob Montgomery, Frank Viola, Sean McAdam, Brian Daubach, Rick Dempsey) | |
Radio | WRKO/WEEI (English) (Joe Castiglione, Dave O'Brien, Jon Rish, Dale Arnold) | |
Stats | ESPN.com Baseball Reference | |
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The 2009 Boston Red Sox season was the 109th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished second in the American League East with a record of 95 wins and 67 losses, eight games behind the New York Yankees, who went on to win the 2009 World Series. The Red Sox qualified for the postseason as the AL wild card, but were swept by the American League West champion Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the ALDS.
The team introduced blue alternate jerseys, worn on some road games in place of their traditional gray tops. [2]
The Red Sox opened the season with a postponement due to rain. However, on April 7, the season began at Fenway with the first pitch being thrown by Edward Kennedy, who later died in August. [3] The Red Sox got off to a slow start, going 2–6 in the first eight games. However, the Sox won 11 straight games beginning on April 15. The win streak was Boston's longest since 2006 when they had a 12-game win streak. [4] A highlight of the streak was Jacoby Ellsbury's steal of home on April 26 to cap off a three-game sweep of the New York Yankees. [5] They finished April with a record of 14–8 and tied with the Toronto Blue Jays for the division lead. Also, Jerry Remy, NESN color commentator, had surgery to remove a small area of cancer on his lung. While recovering he also got pneumonia. He also was suffering from fatigue and depression. These are the people who filled in for him: Dennis Eckersley, Dave Roberts, Buck Martinez, Tony Massarotti, Rance Mulliniks, Rex Hudler, Ron Coomer, Ken Rosenthal, Kevin Kennedy, Dwight Evans, Sean Casey, Jim Kaat, Gordon Edes, Bob Montgomery, Frank Viola, Sean McAdam, Brian Daubach, and Rick Dempsey.
The team flattened out in May, going 15–14 in the month and falling to third in the division behind the Yankees and the Blue Jays. Through the first two months of the season, slugger David Ortiz struggled, batting .185 with one home run. Additionally, pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka was placed on the disabled list after just two starts with an injury that manager Terry Francona attributed to his participation in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.[ citation needed ] Off the field, announcer Jerry Remy, of NESN television, was replaced by Dennis Eckersley beginning on May 6 as Remy began undergoing cancer treatment.[ citation needed ] Despite these struggles, the Red Sox set an American League record, tying the Major League record, on May 7 by scoring 12 runs without recording an out during the 6th inning of a game against the Cleveland Indians. [6]
The Red Sox took the division lead, and improved to the second-best record in MLB, during June. Through the first half of the month, the Sox played four division leaders, the Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, and Philadelphia Phillies, winning three of the four series and sweeping both the Tigers and Yankees. By sweeping the Yankees, the Sox improved to 8–0 against the team, the best record against them since sweeping the 14-game season series against them in 1912. [7] At the All-Star break, the Red Sox had the second best record in Major League Baseball and held a three-game lead in the division.
The Red Sox faltered after the All-Star break, losing five of six on the road to the Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers and batting .192 and scoring 13 runs. In response to the poor offensive performance and to make room for Jed Lowrie's return from injury, Julio Lugo was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for cash and two minor-league players were traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Adam LaRoche on July 22, and on July 25 Mark Kotsay was designated for assignment. [8] The Red Sox made a move at the trade deadline, July 31, to acquire catcher Victor Martinez from the Cleveland Indians for pitchers Justin Masterson, Nick Hagadone, and Bryan Price. [9] They also traded Adam LaRoche to the Atlanta Braves for Casey Kotchman. [9] After winning the first eight games of the season against their rival Yankees in the first half of the season, the Red Sox lost nine of the next ten to finish the season 9–9 against them.
One of the stranger victories for the Sox came on August 14 against the Texas Rangers. [10] Going into the top of the 9th inning, the home Rangers were leading 4–2. Jacoby Ellsbury drove in David Ortiz to pull within one run and Jason Varitek was left on second base with no outs. Pitcher, Clay Buchholz came in to pinch run for Varitek with no outs. Dustin Pedroia doubled, but the inexperienced, and potentially tying run, Buchholz, was thrown out at the plate as he hesitated between second and third before attempting to score. All was shortly forgotten when the team scored five more runs to win 8–4. On August 21, Jacoby Ellsbury tied the record for the Red Sox single season record for stolen bases (54), in a game against the New York Yankees, a record previously held by Tommy Harper. Ellsbury then broke the record with his 55th steal on August 25, against the Chicago White Sox.
46 | Jacoby Ellsbury | CF |
15 | Dustin Pedroia | 2B |
34 | David Ortiz | DH |
20 | Kevin Youkilis | 1B |
7 | J. D. Drew | RF |
44 | Jason Bay | LF |
25 | Mike Lowell | 3B |
12 | Jed Lowrie | SS |
33 | Jason Varitek | C |
19 | Josh Beckett | P |
Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
New York Yankees | 103 | 59 | .636 | — | 57–24 | 46–35 |
Boston Red Sox | 95 | 67 | .586 | 8 | 56–25 | 39–42 |
Tampa Bay Rays | 84 | 78 | .519 | 19 | 52–29 | 32–49 |
Toronto Blue Jays | 75 | 87 | .463 | 28 | 44–37 | 31–50 |
Baltimore Orioles | 64 | 98 | .395 | 39 | 39–42 | 25–56 |
AL Wild Card | W | L | Pct. | GB | Strk. | E# |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Boston Red Sox | 95 | 67 | .586 | — | W4 | — |
Texas Rangers | 87 | 75 | .537 | 8 | L2 | E |
Team | BAL | BOS | CWS | CLE | DET | KC | LAA | MIN | NYY | OAK | SEA | TB | TEX | TOR | NL |
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Baltimore | – | 2–16 | 5–4 | 2–5 | 3–5 | 4–4 | 2–8 | 3–2 | 5–13 | 1–5 | 4–5 | 8–10 | 5–5 | 9–9 | 11–7 |
Boston | 16–2 | – | 4–4 | 7–2 | 6–1 | 5–3 | 4–5 | 4–2 | 9–9 | 5–5 | 2–4 | 9–9 | 2–7 | 11–7 | 11–7 |
Chicago | 4–5 | 4−4 | – | 10–8 | 9–9 | 9–9 | 5–4 | 6−12 | 3–4 | 4–5 | 4–5 | 6–2 | 2–4 | 1–6 | 12–6 |
Cleveland | 5–2 | 2–7 | 8–10 | – | 4–14 | 10–8 | 2–4 | 8–10 | 3–5 | 2–5 | 6–4 | 5–3 | 1–8 | 4–4 | 5–13 |
Detroit | 5–3 | 1–6 | 9–9 | 14–4 | – | 9–9 | 5–4 | 7–12 | 1–5 | 5–4 | 5–4 | 5–2 | 7–2 | 3–5 | 10–8 |
Kansas City | 4–4 | 3–5 | 9–9 | 8–10 | 9–9 | – | 1–9 | 6–12 | 2–4 | 2–6 | 5–4 | 1–9 | 3–3 | 4–3 | 8–10 |
Los Angeles | 8–2 | 5–4 | 4–5 | 4–2 | 4–5 | 9–1 | – | 6–4 | 5–5 | 12–7 | 10–9 | 4–2 | 8–11 | 4–4 | 14–4 |
Minnesota | 2–3 | 2–4 | 12–6 | 10–8 | 12–7 | 12–6 | 4–6 | – | 0–7 | 4–6 | 5–5 | 3–3 | 6–4 | 3–5 | 12–6 |
New York | 13–5 | 9–9 | 4–3 | 5–3 | 5–1 | 4–2 | 5–5 | 7–0 | – | 7–2 | 6–4 | 11–7 | 5–4 | 12–6 | 10–8 |
Oakland | 5–1 | 5–5 | 5–4 | 5–2 | 4–5 | 6–2 | 7–12 | 6–4 | 2–7 | – | 5–14 | 6–4 | 11–8 | 3–6 | 5–13 |
Seattle | 5–4 | 4–2 | 5–4 | 4–6 | 4–5 | 4–5 | 9–10 | 5–5 | 4–6 | 14–5 | – | 5–3 | 8–11 | 3–4 | 11–7 |
Tampa Bay | 10–8 | 9–9 | 2–6 | 3–5 | 2–5 | 9–1 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 7–11 | 4–6 | 3–5 | – | 3–6 | 14–4 | 13–5 |
Texas | 5–5 | 7–2 | 4–2 | 8–1 | 2–7 | 3–3 | 11–8 | 4–6 | 4–5 | 8–11 | 11–8 | 6–3 | – | 5–5 | 9–9 |
Toronto | 9–9 | 7–11 | 6–1 | 4–4 | 5–3 | 3–4 | 4–4 | 5–3 | 6–12 | 6–3 | 4–3 | 4–14 | 5–5 | – | 7–11 |
Team | ATL | FLA | NYM | PHI | WSH |
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Boston | 4–2 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–1 |
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April (14–8)
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May (15–14)
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June (18–8)
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July (13–12)
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August (16–12)
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September (15–13)
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October (4–0)
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ALDS vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (0–3)
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Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; AVG = Batting average; SB = Stolen bases
Player | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | AVG | SB |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brian Anderson | 21 | 17 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | .294 | 0 |
Jeff Bailey | 26 | 77 | 14 | 16 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 9 | .208 | 0 |
Rocco Baldelli | 62 | 150 | 23 | 38 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 23 | .253 | 1 |
Daniel Bard | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .--- | 0 |
Aaron Bates | 5 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .364 | 0 |
Jason Bay | 151 | 531 | 103 | 142 | 29 | 3 | 36 | 119 | .267 | 13 |
Josh Beckett | 2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .200 | 0 |
Dusty Brown | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .333 | 0 |
Clay Buchholz | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .--- | 0 |
Chris Carter | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 0 |
Manny Delcarmen | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .--- | 0 |
J. D. Drew | 137 | 452 | 84 | 126 | 30 | 4 | 24 | 68 | .279 | 2 |
Jacoby Ellsbury | 153 | 624 | 94 | 188 | 27 | 10 | 8 | 60 | .301 | 70 |
Joey Gathright | 17 | 16 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .313 | 1 |
Álex González | 44 | 148 | 26 | 42 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 15 | .284 | 2 |
Nick Green | 103 | 276 | 35 | 65 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 35 | .236 | 1 |
Casey Kotchman | 39 | 87 | 9 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | .218 | 1 |
Mark Kotsay | 27 | 74 | 4 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .257 | 1 |
George Kottaras | 45 | 93 | 15 | 22 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 10 | .237 | 0 |
Adam LaRoche | 6 | 19 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .263 | 0 |
Jon Lester | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 |
Javier López | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .--- | 0 |
Mike Lowell | 119 | 445 | 54 | 129 | 29 | 1 | 17 | 75 | .290 | 2 |
Jed Lowrie | 32 | 68 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 11 | .147 | 0 |
Julio Lugo | 37 | 109 | 16 | 31 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 8 | .284 | 3 |
Víctor Martínez | 56 | 211 | 32 | 71 | 12 | 0 | 8 | 41 | .336 | 1 |
Justin Masterson | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .--- | 0 |
Daisuke Matsuzaka | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 |
Hideki Okajima | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 |
David Ortiz | 150 | 541 | 77 | 129 | 35 | 1 | 28 | 99 | .238 | 0 |
Jonathan Papelbon | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .--- | 0 |
Dustin Pedroia | 154 | 626 | 115 | 185 | 48 | 1 | 15 | 72 | .298 | 20 |
Brad Penny | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 |
Ramón Ramírez | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 |
Josh Reddick | 27 | 59 | 5 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 | .169 | 0 |
Takashi Saito | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .--- | 0 |
John Smoltz | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 |
Jonathan Van Every | 7 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .364 | 0 |
Jason Varitek | 109 | 364 | 41 | 76 | 24 | 0 | 14 | 51 | .209 | 0 |
Gil Velazquez | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 |
Tim Wakefield | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .500 | 0 |
Chris Woodward | 13 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .083 | 0 |
Kevin Youkilis | 136 | 491 | 99 | 150 | 36 | 1 | 27 | 94 | .305 | 7 |
Team Totals | 162 | 5543 | 872 | 1495 | 335 | 25 | 212 | 822 | .270 | 126 |
Note: W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; HR = Home Run Allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts
Player | W | L | ERA | G | GS | SV | IP | R | ER | HR | BB | K |
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Daniel Bard | 2 | 2 | 3.65 | 49 | 0 | 1 | 49.1 | 24 | 20 | 5 | 22 | 63 |
Josh Beckett | 17 | 6 | 3.86 | 32 | 32 | 0 | 212.1 | 99 | 91 | 25 | 55 | 199 |
Michael Bowden | 1 | 1 | 9.56 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 16.0 | 17 | 17 | 3 | 6 | 12 |
Dusty Brown | 0 | 0 | 9.00 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Clay Buchholz | 7 | 4 | 4.21 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 92.0 | 44 | 43 | 13 | 36 | 68 |
Paul Byrd | 1 | 3 | 5.82 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 34.0 | 22 | 22 | 4 | 11 | 11 |
Fernando Cabrera | 0 | 0 | 8.44 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 5.1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 8 |
Manny Delcarmen | 5 | 2 | 4.53 | 64 | 0 | 0 | 59.2 | 34 | 30 | 5 | 34 | 44 |
Enrique González | 0 | 0 | 4.91 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3.2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Nick Green | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Hunter Jones | 0 | 0 | 9.24 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 12.2 | 13 | 13 | 3 | 7 | 9 |
Jon Lester | 15 | 8 | 3.41 | 32 | 32 | 0 | 203.1 | 80 | 77 | 20 | 64 | 225 |
Javier López | 0 | 2 | 9.26 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 11.2 | 13 | 12 | 1 | 9 | 5 |
Justin Masterson | 3 | 3 | 4.50 | 31 | 6 | 0 | 72.0 | 38 | 36 | 7 | 25 | 67 |
Daisuke Matsuzaka | 4 | 6 | 5.76 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 59.1 | 38 | 38 | 10 | 30 | 54 |
Hideki Okajima | 6 | 0 | 3.39 | 68 | 0 | 0 | 61.1 | 23 | 23 | 8 | 21 | 53 |
Jonathan Papelbon | 1 | 1 | 1.85 | 66 | 0 | 38 | 68.0 | 15 | 14 | 5 | 24 | 76 |
Brad Penny | 7 | 8 | 5.61 | 24 | 24 | 0 | 131.2 | 89 | 82 | 17 | 42 | 89 |
Ramón Ramírez | 7 | 4 | 2.84 | 70 | 0 | 0 | 69.2 | 26 | 22 | 7 | 32 | 52 |
Dustin Richardson | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Takashi Saito | 3 | 3 | 2.43 | 56 | 0 | 2 | 55.2 | 16 | 15 | 6 | 25 | 52 |
John Smoltz | 2 | 5 | 8.33 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 40.0 | 37 | 37 | 8 | 9 | 33 |
Junichi Tazawa | 2 | 3 | 7.46 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 25.1 | 23 | 21 | 4 | 9 | 13 |
Billy Traber | 0 | 0 | 12.27 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3.2 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Jonathan Van Every | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Billy Wagner | 1 | 1 | 1.98 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 13.2 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 22 |
Tim Wakefield | 11 | 5 | 4.58 | 21 | 21 | 0 | 129.2 | 67 | 66 | 12 | 50 | 72 |
Team Totals | 95 | 67 | 4.35 | 162 | 162 | 41 | 1436.2 | 736 | 695 | 167 | 530 | 1230 |
Starters
| Reserves
Other
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The Class A-Advanced affiliate changed from the Lancaster JetHawks to the Salem Red Sox.
Kelly Brian Shoppach is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Tampa Bay Rays, New York Mets, Seattle Mariners and Pittsburgh Pirates.
The 2005 Boston Red Sox season was the 105th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished second in the American League East with a record of 95–67, the same record as the New York Yankees. The Yankees were deemed the division winner, due to their 10–9 head-to-head record against the Red Sox during the regular season. The Red Sox qualified for the postseason as the AL wild card, but were swept by the American League Central champion Chicago White Sox in the ALDS.
Mark Steven Kotsay is an American professional baseball manager and former outfielder. He is the manager for the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB). As a player, Kotsay appeared in 1,914 MLB games for the San Diego Padres, Florida Marlins, Athletics, Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, and Milwaukee Brewers. He coached for the Padres and Athletics before becoming manager of Oakland for the 2022 season.
Joshua David Bard is an American former professional baseball catcher. He is the bullpen coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB as a catcher for the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, San Diego Padres, Washington Nationals and Seattle Mariners from 2002 to 2011. Bard was a switch-hitter who threw right-handed during his playing career.
Casey John Kotchman is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Anaheim Angels / Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland Indians, and Miami Marlins. Kotchman holds the major league record for consecutive error-less games at first base, with 274, set between June 2008 and August 2010.
David Matthew Murphy is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers, Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Jacoby McCabe Ellsbury is an American former professional baseball center fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox from 2007 through 2013 and then played for the New York Yankees from 2014 to 2017. An enrolled member of the Colorado River Indian Tribes, Ellsbury is the first Native American of Navajo descent to play Major League Baseball.
The 2007 Boston Red Sox season was the 107th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. Managed by Terry Francona, the Red Sox finished first in the American League East with a record of 96 wins and 66 losses. In the postseason, the Red Sox first swept the American League West champion Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the ALDS. In the ALCS, the Red Sox defeated the American League Central champion Cleveland Indians in seven games, despite falling behind 3–1 in the series. Advancing to the World Series, the Red Sox swept the National League champion Colorado Rockies, to capture their second championship in four years.
The 2007 New York Yankees season was the Yankees' 105th. The season started with the Yankees trying to win the American League East championship, a title they had won every season since the 1998 season, but ultimately they came in second place to the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees instead won the American League wild card, beating out the Seattle Mariners and the Detroit Tigers.
The 2004 New York Yankees season was the 102nd season for the team. The Yankees opened the season by playing two games against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in Japan on March 30, 2004. The team finished with a record of 101–61, finishing 3 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox in the AL East. The 2004 season was the Yankees third straight season of 100+ wins, the first such instance in franchise history. New York was managed by Joe Torre. In the playoffs, the Yankees defeated the Minnesota Twins, 3 games to 1, in the ALDS, before losing to the wild card Boston Red Sox, 4 games to 3, in the ALCS. The 2004 Yankees are notable as the only team in MLB history to lose a 7-game playoff series after taking a 3 games to none lead. This was the fourth straight year in which the Yankees lost to the eventual World Series champions in the postseason. Only the Los Angeles Dodgers (2016–19) have duplicated the same feat.
The 2004 Boston Red Sox season was the 104th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. Managed by Terry Francona, the Red Sox finished with a 98–64 record, three games behind the New York Yankees in the American League East. The Red Sox qualified for the postseason as the AL wild card, swept the Anaheim Angels in the ALDS, and faced the Yankees in the ALCS for the second straight year. After losing the first three games to the Yankees and trailing in the ninth inning of the fourth game, the Red Sox became the first team in major league history to come back from a three-game postseason deficit, defeating the Yankees in seven games. The Red Sox then swept the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series, capturing their first championship since 1918.
The 2006 Boston Red Sox season was the 106th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished third in the American League East with a record of 86 wins and 76 losses, 11 games behind the New York Yankees. The Red Sox were eliminated from playoff contention for the first time since 2002. It was also the first time that the Red Sox finished lower than second in the American League East since 1997.
The 2003 Boston Red Sox season was the 103rd season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished second in the American League East with a record of 95 wins and 67 losses, six games behind the New York Yankees, who went on to win the AL championship. The Red Sox qualified for the postseason as the AL wild card, and defeated the American League West champion Oakland Athletics in the ALDS. The Red Sox then lost to the Yankees in the ALCS.
The 1998 Boston Red Sox season was the 98th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished second in the American League East with a record of 92 wins and 70 losses, 22 games behind the New York Yankees, who went on to win the 1998 World Series. The Red Sox qualified for the postseason as the AL wild card, but lost to the American League Central champion Cleveland Indians in the ALDS.
The 1999 Boston Red Sox season was the 99th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished second in the American League East with a record of 94 wins and 68 losses, four games behind the New York Yankees, who went on to win the World Series. The Red Sox qualified for the postseason as the AL wild card, and defeated the American League Central champion Cleveland Indians in the ALDS. The Red Sox then lost to the Yankees in the ALCS.
The 2000 Boston Red Sox season was the 100th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished second in the American League East with a record of 85 wins and 77 losses, 2+1⁄2 games behind the New York Yankees, who went on to win the 2000 World Series. The Red Sox did not qualify for the postseason, as the AL wild card went to the Seattle Mariners, who had finished second in the American League West with a record of 91–71.
The 2001 Boston Red Sox season was the 101st season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished second in the American League East with a record of 82 wins and 79 losses, 13+1⁄2 games behind the New York Yankees, who went on to win the AL championship. The Red Sox did not qualify for the postseason, as the AL wild card went to the Oakland Athletics, who finished second in the American League West with a record of 102–60.
The 2008 Boston Red Sox season was the 108th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox, as the defending World Series champions, finished in second place in the American League East with a record of 95 wins and 67 losses, two games behind the Tampa Bay Rays. The Red Sox qualified for the postseason as the AL wild card, and defeated the American League West champion Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the ALDS. The Red Sox then lost to the Rays in the ALCS in seven games. This was the franchise's fourth appearance in the ALCS in six seasons.
The 2010 Boston Red Sox season was the 110th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. With a record of 89 wins and 73 losses, the Red Sox finished third in the American League East, seven games behind the Tampa Bay Rays. The team failed to advance to the postseason for the first time since 2006.
The 2011 Boston Red Sox season was the 111th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. Before the season, the Red Sox were favored to win the American League East and reach the World Series, with some comparing the team to the 1927 New York Yankees. With a record of 90 wins and 72 losses, the Red Sox finished third in their division, seven games behind the Yankees.