Journalist’s note: I stumbled across this idea while researching the Minnesota Twins playoff history. I am well aware that the Red Sox have been gift-wrapped four World Series titles since 2004, but I was in shock at how much World Series pain the Red Sox had between 1919 and 2003.
Between 1919 and 2003, the Boston Red Sox went to four World Series. Despite winning zero championships, the Red Sox won 12 World Series games combined.
For those that are good at math, that means the Red Sox won three games on each trip, losing all four series in a Game 7. While Bill Russell and the Celtics were renowned for their ability to win Game 7s (going 10-0 in Game 7s), the Red Sox were the polar opposite. The World Series in 1946, 1967, 1975, and 1986 all went to a Game 7. All four saw the Red Sox add another painful loss to their history. Here is a look at those four World Series.
1946
28 years after winning their last World Series and 27 years after selling Babe Ruth, the Red Sox finally made it back to the Fall Classic. This Red Sox team featured Ted Williams and Dom DiMaggio, two of the greatest hitters of the era. Williams is arguably the greatest hitter to ever live, and DiMaggio would likely be in the Hall of Fame had he not lost three years to war service. Williams had an absurd 1.164 OPS in the regular season and was named AL MVP in his first season back from war service. DiMaggio finished ninth in MVP voting and was an All-Star for the third time.
Despite Williams and DiMaggio struggling throughout the series, the Red Sox held the series lead three separate times: 1-0, 2-1, and 3-2. In Game 6, the Sox could only scratch one run across as the Cardinals won 4-1. In Game 7, the Red Sox took a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the second before surrendering a run. Moving deeper into the game, the Red Sox scored a pair in the eighth to tie the game at 3-3. In the bottom of the eighth, an Enos Slaughter single followed by a pair of outs seemed to give hope to the Red Sox. However, a Harry Walker drive landed for a double, scoring Slaughter and putting the Red Sox in a 4-3 hole. In the top of the ninth, the Red Sox singled twice off Harry Brecheen (the Cardinals’ version of 2014 Madison Bumgarner). A groundout gave the Red Sox runners on the corners. A popout followed by a groundout ended the season for the Red Sox.
Side note: While researching that Game 7, I stumbled across Harry Brecheen. In the World Series, Brecheen went 3-0 with two complete games and a shutout. Brecheen had an ERA of 0.45. The idea of World Series MVP had not been created yet, but Brecheen likely would have won the award with his phenomenal pitching.
1967
The 1967 Red Sox featured yet another league MVP: Carl Yastrzemski. He won the Triple Crown with a .326 average, 44 home runs, and 121 RBI. The Red Sox also had Elston Howard, a former MVP and 12-time All-Star. The Cardinals sported future Hall of Famers in Lou Brock as Orlando Cepeda as well as two-time MVP Roger Maris. The Boston rotation was not as decorated as the Cardinals pair of future Hall of Famers in Steve Carlton and Bob Gibson, but Carlton and Gibson had yet to ascend to two of the greatest pitchers of all-time.
The Red Sox had a chance.
In Game 1, Bob Gibson slammed the door on the Sox, striking out 10 over nine innings, allowing a single run.
In Game 2, the Red Sox unveiled their version of Bob Gibson: Jim Lonborg, the 1967 AL Cy Young winner. Lonburg won two legs of the triple crown, and he had an all-time outlier season in 1967, his only season that ended with him in the All-Star game. Lonburg pitched a one-hit shutout to tie the series. The Cardinals opened up Game 3 with three runs in two innings. The Cardinals eventually won 5-2, taking a 2-1 series lead. In Game 4, Bob Gibson again shut down the Red Sox, allowing five hits and zero runs over nine frames, leading the Cardinals to a 6-0 win and a 3-1 series lead. The Cardinals unveiled Steve Carlton in the hopes of clinching the series. Carlton went six innings, allowing three hits and an unearned run. He was matched pitch-for-pitch by Lonburg who tossed a three-hit, one-run masterpiece in a 3-1 win for the Red Sox.
After five pitching masterclasses, Game 6 opened up as the Red Sox prevailed 8-4, forcing a Game 7 at Fenway Park. In a battle of Bob Gibson and Jim Lonburg, Gibson continued to dominate, holding the Red Sox to three hits and two runs in nine innings. Lonburg was chased after allowing seven runs (six earned), including a home run to Gibson. After leaning on Lonburg all season, he slipped in the most important game for Boston in two decades.
1975
The 1975 World Series was littered with stars on both teams. The Red Sox featured future Hall of Famers in Carl Yastrzemski and Carlton Fisk as well as 1975 AL MVP Fred Lynn and multi-time All-Star Dwight Evans. The Reds had 1975 MVP Joe Morgan to go along with Hall of Famers in Johnny Bench and Tony Perez. Alongside Morgan, Bench, and Perez, the Reds had stars in Pete Rose, George Foster, Ken Griffey Sr., and Dave Concepcion.
In Game 1, former All-Star Luis Tiant locked down the Reds’ electric lineup, surrendering only five hits in nine shutout frames, engineering a 6-0 win for Boston. In Game 2, the Red Sox held the lead with two outs in the ninth, an 87% chance that the Red Sox would win. An RBI single, a Concepcion steal, and an RBI double flipped the win probability in favor of the Reds, giving the Reds a 3-2 lead that they would not surrender. The Red Sox had their turn at clutch hitting in Game 3, rallying for four runs in the later innings after falling behind 5-1. The ninth-inning heroics of Dwight Evans (a two-run home run to tie the game) were for naught as the Reds loaded the bases in the bottom of the tenth, and a Joe Morgan single brought home the winning run.
In Game 4, Luis Tiant pitched his second complete game, scattering nine hits and four runs after a five-run fourth inning for the Sox gave them an insurmountable lead. Game 5 saw a pair of Tony Perez home runs drive in four of Cincinnati’s six runs in a 6-2 win. Game 6 has a reputation for being one of the greatest games in MLB history. Returning to Fenway, the Red Sox opened the scoring with a three-run home run from Fred Lynn in the first inning. Entering the fifth inning, the Reds had very little in the way of offensive production. In the fifth, the Reds brought three runs to the plate, stemming from three hits and a walk. A George Foster double in the seventh added a pair of runs, pushing the Reds to a 5-3 lead. To open the eighth, Cesar Geronimo launched a home run, chasing Luis Tiant.
With a 6-3 lead, the Reds had a 91% chance to win the World Series. In the bottom of the inning, Lynn and Rico Petrocelli reached base before a strikeout and a lineout pushed the Red Sox to the brink. With the pitcher spot up, Bernie Carbo drilled a pinch-hit, three-run homer to center to tie the game. After a clean top of the ninth, the Red Sox loaded the bases. A Fred Lynn flyball to left turned into a double play as Denny Doyle was gunned down at home. A Petrocelli grounder ended the inning and brought about extra innings. In the 10th and 11th innings, the Reds put runners on base, but they could not score. In the 12th, the Reds put two runners on before making the final two outs of the inning. Two pitches later, Carlton Fisk launched a ball down the left-field line. The ball stayed fair, giving the Red Sox a walk-off victory and a chance to with the World Series at home.
In Game 7, the Red Sox opened the scoring with three runs in the third inning. Entering the sixth, the Reds still trailed 3-0, but a Tony Perez homer cut the lead to one. A Pete Rose RBI single in the seventh tied the game. A scoreless eighth pushed the game into the all-important ninth inning. Ken Griffey got on with a six-pitch walk before advancing to third on a pair of groundouts. After a Pete Rose walk, Joe Morgan lined a single to centerfield, giving the Reds a 4-3 lead. Despite falling behind, the Red Sox had the top three of their order coming up. A flyball and a groundball pushed the Red Sox to the brink of another agonizing playoff disappointment. On the fourth pitch to Carl Yastrzemski, Will McEnaney evoked a flyball, ending the World Series.
1986
As with the last three trips to the World Series, the Red Sox once again featured the AL MVP. For 1986, the man was Roger Clemens who had put together a dual MVP/Cy Young campaign, winning 24 games and posting an ERA of 2.48. Their adversary, the New York Mets, had former Cy Young winner Dwight Gooden, former MVP Keith Hernandez, a future MVP in Kevin Mitchell and a future Hall of Famer in Gary Carter. The Red Sox had their host of talent including Dwight Evans and future Hall of Famers in Jim Rice and Wade Boggs.
In Game 1, Bruce Hurst and Ron Darling battled as Hurst struck out eight over as many scoreless frames, and Darling struck out eight over seven innings of one-run ball. The Red Sox held on for a 1-0 win to take a 1-0 series lead. In Game 2, the Red Sox blitzed the Mets for nine runs, securing a 9-3 win and a 2-0 series lead. Going to Fenway, the Mets scored four runs in the first inning, leading to a 7-1 win. In Game 4, Ron Darling returned to the mound, posting seven scoreless innings in a 6-2 win for the Mets, tying the series at 2-2. In Game 5, the Sox rocked Dwight Gooden early, tagging him for four runs in four innings. Scoring settled down until the Mets struck for one in the eighth and ninth, reducing the lead to 4-2.
The Red Sox and Mets returned to Shea Stadium with the Red Sox leading 3-2. The Sox took an early lead, scoring in both the first and second innings. In the bottom of the fifth, the Mets scratched a pair of runs off Roger Clemens to tie the game. Dwight Evans had an RBI groundout in the seventh, giving the Red Sox a 69% chance at winning their first World Series in 68 years. After Roger Clemens was pinch-hit for in the top of the eighth, Calvin Schiraldi stepped onto the mound for Boston. Schiraldi let back-to-back runners reach base before recording an out. After an intentional walk to load the bases, a Gary Carter sacrifice fly scored the tying run. After a scoreless ninth, the Red Sox opened with a Dave Henderson home run. After a pair of strikeouts, back-to-back hits gave the Red Sox a 5-3 lead. Schiraldi retired the first two batters in the bottom of the 10th. With a 1% chance at winning Game 6, Gary Carter lined a single to left field. Two pitches later, Kevin Mitchell lined a single to center. Ray Knight added a third consecutive single, bringing the deficit to just one. A wild pitch on new pitcher Bob Stanley’s seventh pitch to Mookie Wilson brought in the tying run. Three pitches later, Wilson hit a “little roller up along first” which escaped under the glove of Bill Buckner, winning the game for the Mets.
In Game 7, the Red Sox scored three runs in the third inning. The Mets scored a trio of runs in the sixth to tie the game. A Ray Knight home run to open the bottom of the seventh gave the Mets a lead. Two batters later, Rafael Santana drove in the go-ahead run before Keith Hernandez drove in the third run of the inning, giving the Mets a 6-3 lead. In the eighth, the first three Red Sox reached base, scoring a pair on a Dwight Evans double. In the bottom of the frame, a Darryl Strawberry lead-off homer and a Jesse Orosco (the pitcher) single gave the Mets a three-run lead leading into the ninth. Ed Romero, Wade Boggs, and Marty Barrett were retired in order by Orosco, and Boston failed to win their fourth consecutive Game 7.
The pains of the 1946, 1967, 1975, and 1986 World Series have been washed away by World Series wins in 2004, 2007, 2013, and 2018, but the Red Sox were eerily close to ending their title drought before 2004.
