Game 3 of the 2004 World Series gave Boston Red Sox fans something they hadn’t felt in 86 years: confidence.
Fueled by timely offense and an excellent Pedro Martinez, the Red Sox rolled into Busch Stadium and earned a 4-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. The victory gave Boston a 3-0 series lead while also putting the Curse of the Bambino on life support.
Most fans remember Manny Ramirez’s home run in the first inning, but there were more than a few noteworthy moments from a game that often is overlooked but nevertheless was a joy to watch.
NESN’s latest “Red Sox Encore” series continues at 8:30 p.m. ET on Thursday night with Game 3 of the 2004 Fall Classic against the Cardinals. Here’s what you might have forgotten about that game:
1. Pedro’s final game with the Red Sox
Martinez’s final outing in a Red Sox uniform was one to remember. No longer capable of overpowering every hitter, Martinez relied on his devastating curveball and changeup to carve up St. Louis over seven shutout innings. The right-hander gave up three hits while walking two and striking out six.We could go over his many accomplishments with the Red Sox, but this story never would end. That Martinez was able to make a significant contribution in the World Series made the championship that much sweeter for the Red Sox and their fans.
2. More first-inning damage
After earning first-inning leads in their previous three contests, the Red Sox continued the trend in Game 3. Right-hander Jeff Suppan, a former Red Sox, retired the first two batters of the game and had two strikes on Ramirez, but Boston’s star outfielder squared up a mislocated fastball and launched a solo homer over the left field fence. It was the first postseason homer since Game 1 of the American League Division Series for Ramirez, who went on to win World Series MVP. By the way, did you know he registered at least one hit in every game during the 2004 playoffs?
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3. Red Sox sluggers make impact on defense
To be fair, these plays were more about the Cardinals screwing up than Ortiz and Ramirez looking like Gold Glovers. The Cardinals loaded the bases with one out against Martinez in the first inning and seemed poised to at least tie the game if not take the lead. But Jim Edmonds lifted a soft fly ball to Ramirez, who caught it and then threw a bullet to home plate to gun down Larry Walker, whom Martinez slapped on the back after the play (lol). Interestingly, Bill Mueller attempted to cut off Ramirez’s throw because Albert Pujols was wandering too far off second base. Who knows what would’ve happened if he actually caught the ball? As for Ortiz’s web gem, it occurred in the third inning when the Cardinals had runners on second and third with no outs. After Walker was retired on a grounder to second base, Ortiz fired the ball to third, which inexplicably was vacated after Suppan kinda-sorta ran for home. Martinez retired the next batter to escape the inning unscathed.
4. Keith Foulke pitched… again
Fans understandably were worried about Foulke after the Red Sox closer pitched in seven of the team’s first 10 postseason games, with four those outings requiring more than one inning of work. Well, after pitching 36 and 19 pitches in Games 1 and 2, respectively, Foulke took the ball again in Game 3. He gave up a one-out homer to Walker in the ninth to lose the shutout but retired the next two batters to seal the victory. Overall, Foulke went 1-0 with three saves and a 0.64 ERA in the 2004 postseason. He appeared in 11 of 14 games and totaled 14 innings. What a horse.
