Boston Red Sox Tickets - Boston Red Sox History

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There really is nothing more American than baseball, and truly nothing more central to incredible baseball lore and history than the Boston Red Sox. Based in Boston, Massachusetts this team was established in 1901, making them one of the oldest teams in professional baseball. Since 1969 the Red Sox have been members of the American League Eastern Division, and have been members of the American League since 1901. The Sox weren't always known under their current name. Known in 1901 as the Boston Americans, the team played at Huntington Avenue Grounds. The Americans were members of the Western League, and in 1900, the league was renamed to the American League and became the second half of the current major league divisions. It didn't take long for this already stellar team to bring home a World Series Championship against the Pittsburgh Pirates home in 1903. The team consisted of several key components from pitcher Cy Young to third baseman Jimmy Collins, and outfielders Chick Stahl and Patsy Dougherty.

The following year, the Americans were considered the same as the previous team and were expected to have a repeat. That is, until a surprise appearance by the New York Highlanders (who later became the New York Yankees) brought about a close race throughout the final games in the season. Dougherty was traded to the Highlanders for Bob Unglaub, a controversial move in Red Sox history. The Highlanders played the Americans during the pennant series games, but during the last game at the bottom of the ninth inning, Lou Criger scored when a pitch got away from Jack Chesboro of the Highlanders. The Americans were scheduled to play the NL New York Giants for the World Series game, but the Giants announced that they wouldn't be playing the winning AL team. The public's reaction caused the World Series to become a permanent game at the end of the season to declare a championship team beginning in the 1905 season.

During the 1906 season, the Americans had a losing season with a record of 49-105. It was after this season that the Boston Americans started being referred to by their nickname the Red Sox by their fans and members of the media. The start of the 1907 season was a rough one for the Red Sox because Stahl who was a player but also acting as a manager of the team took his own life after the end of the 1906 season.

It wasn't until 1912 that the Boston Red Sox were able to bring a World Series win back to Boston. Prior to that, they were only able to get as far as the AL Pennant in 1904. They had a string of World Series wins in the later 1900s, starting in 1912 and again in 1915, 1916 and 1918. Their victories, however, were all about to change with one simple sale in 1920.

Perhaps the biggest moment in Red Sox history occurred on January 2, 1920. Babe Ruth ("the Bambino") played for the Red Sox for three seasons prior, and owner Harry Frazee sold him to the New York Yankees in order to fund the Broadway play No, No, Nanette. The play did not open until 1925. Thus, began the Red Sox and Yankees rivalry. Ruth had been responsible for a number of Yankees wins, and the Red Sox determined the sale of the Bambino was the cause of their drought and dubbed it the "Curse of the Bambino." They did not bring another World Series win home until 2004, almost 100 years later, despite getting close in 1946, 1967, 1975 and 1986. In what seemed like fate, the final minutes of Boston's game against the St. Louis Cardinals during the World Series, a total lunar eclipse colored the moon red above Busch Stadium. When the Red Sox came home, a rally was held that played host to over three million people celebrating one of the greatest wins in baseball history.

The Red Sox had another moment of glory in 2007, when they played the Colorado Rockies during the World Series. Their first game was a no-contest win with a 13-1 victory. They won game two 2-1 and game three 10-5. The defining moment came when the Red Sox swept the Rockies after the fourth game. Owing it to their newfound winning attitude and the fact that they have grabbed so much attention over the last few years, Boston Red Sox tickets are getting more difficult to come by. This historic team has a lot of good things ahead of them!

There have been two stories as to the reason Manager Harry Frazee sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees. The first was that he was slowly spiraling downward in finances and was trading talented Red Sox players to the Yankees to help bring back the funds. The second was that he wanted to help fund a musical, No, No, Nanette in which a friend of Frazee's had a starring role. In the film Fever Pitch, staring Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon, a scene highlighting the many curses of the team included the story of the musical.

From 2002-2005, Johnny Damon played for the Boston Red Sox, helping the team advance to and win the World Series in 2004. In an incredible feat, Damon hit two home runs (including a grand slam) in Game 7 of the 2004 ALCS making him a central part of the Boston Red Sox team. However, on December 20, 2005, Damon signed a 4-year contract with the New York Yankees, vilifying him among many (if not all) BoSox fans. Damon was the third star player in 12 years to "switch sides" (along with Wade Boggs and Roger Clemens). The Yankees forced Damon to cut his long hair and trim his beard owing the change to their strict dress-code rules. He cut them both on December 22, 2005.

The first person to hit a home run over the "Green Monster" (left field wall) was Hugh Bradley in 1912. However, at that point the scoreboard was only 25 feet high. It currently stands at 37 feet. In 1978, Bucky Dent hit a fly ball towards the "Green Monster" which gave the Yankees a 3-2 lead over the BoSox. In honor of the unreachable home-run wall, the Red Sox' team mascot is named Wally and is a furry green monster. New seating was constructed atop the "Green Monster" in the 2002-2003 off-season. They were dubbed the "Monster seats."

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