Terry Francona led the Boston Red Sox to the 2004 World Series title, ending the “Curse of the Bambino.”
Boston hired Francona before the 2004 season after not renewing Grady Little’s contract. Francona’s club went 98–64, earned the American League wild card, and survived a historic American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees. The Red Sox became the first MLB team to win a postseason series after falling behind 0–3.
Boston then swept the St. Louis Cardinals 4–0 in the World Series, winning its first championship since 1918. The title was popularly described as ending the Curse of the Bambino, a supposed jinx linked to Boston’s 1919 sale of Babe Ruth to the Yankees. Francona was not merely the manager of a single dramatic series: he also led the Red Sox to another championship in 2007. The main mix-up is Grady Little, who managed Boston during the 2003 playoff collapse but not the 2004 title run.