Boston Red Sox History

The Boston Red Sox are a Major League Baseball team in the Eastern Division of the American League (AL). The name of the team was inspired by the original red stockings worn by the early Red Sox players, and the team nickname is the "BoSox." The Boston Red Sox are infamous for suffering from the "Bambino Curse as well as for their intense, long-lived rivalry with the New York Yankees. The Red Sox draw a crowd wherever they play, and they led all of the major-league teams in road attendance in 2007.

Formation

The Boston Red Sox team was established in 1893 as the Toledo, Ohio, franchise of the minor Western League. In 1900, Byron "Ban" Johnson changed the name of the Western League to the American League and moved the Toledo team to Boston to compete with the National League's Boston Braves. Many teams in the new American League earned the unofficial nickname "Americans." This was true for the Boston baseball team, which didn't adopt an official nickname until 1907.

Team Name

The team was called many things before it adopted an official name, including the Boston Somersets, the Boston Collinsites, the Beaneaters and, most often, the Boston Americans. The team jerseys simply read "Boston." When the National League changed to an all-white uniform in 1907, Red Sox owner John I. Taylor saw the chance to make a statement. He announced that the team's new color was red and the team's new uniform included red stockings. Newspapers shortened the word "stockings" to "sox," and the Boston team finally had an official nickname. The team has been called the Boston Red Sox ever since.

Playoffs

The Boston Red Sox won the first ever World Series in 1903, and won again in 1912, 1915, 1916 and 1918. The Red Sox have won the American League Championship Series 10 times, the Division Championship Series five times and the Wild Card spot three times. But from 1918 on, the BoSox did not win a World Series. Then came the 2004 playoffs, in which the Red Sox were losing badly to the favored New York Yankees. Boston came from behind to win the series, and then swept the St. Louis Cardinals to win the World Series. Boston returned to the Fall Classic in 2007 and beat the Colorado Rockies.

The "Bambino Curse"

George Herman "Babe" Ruth, also called "The Bambino," was signed by the Boston Red Sox in 1914. Ruth led the Red Sox to two World Series titles in 1916 and 1918. Then Red Sox owner Harry Frazee sold Ruth to the New York Yankees so he could finance a Broadway musical. This sale changed the course of two teams for more than 80 years. Before the Ruth deal, the Boston Red Sox had won five World Series, and the Yankees had won none. After Babe donned pinstripes, however, the Yankees won 26 Fall Classics, while the BoSox didn't win for 86 years.

Famous Players

Cy Young, one of baseball's greatest pitchers, played for the Boston Red Sox from 1901 to 1908. He hurled the first perfect game in AL history on May 5,1904, and inspired the Cy Young Award in 1956. Hall of Famers who played for the Red Sox include Ruth, Young, Ted Williams, Jimmie Foxx, Carl "Yaz" Yastrzemski, Carlton Fisk, Wade Boggs and Lou Boudreau.

Stadium History

The Red Sox played at Huntington Avenue Grounds in Boston from 1900 to 1912. Owner John I. Taylor built a new stadium specifically for the Red Sox on land he owned in the Fenway part of Boston. The 1912 season opener was delayed for two days because of heavy rain, and the New York Highlanders---later called the Yankees---were Fenway Park's first victims as the BoSox beat them 7-6. Fenway Park is a small stadium, and every game since May 15, 2003, has been sold out.