Curse of the Bambino

The Curse of the Bambino (1918 – 2004) was an urban myth or scapegoat cited as a reason for the failure of the Boston Red Sox baseball team to win the World Series for 86 years after they sold Babe Ruth, sometimes called The Bambino, to the New York Yankees. The flip side of the "curse" was New York's success—after the sale, the once-lackluster Yankees became one of the most successful franchises in North American professional sports. While some fans took the superstition of the Curse seriously, many others used the expression in a tongue-in-cheek manner.

The curse "reversed"

In 2004, the Red Sox met the Yankees in the American League Championship Series. After losing the first three games, including a 19–8 drubbing at Fenway, the Red Sox trailed 4-3 in the bottom of the 9th inning of Game 4, three outs from being swept. But the team tied the game with a walk and a stolen base (not maneuvers the Red Sox were historically known for), followed by an RBI single off Yankee closer Mariano Rivera and won on a 2-run home run in the 12th inning by David Ortiz. The Sox then won the next three games, becoming the first Major League Baseball team to win a seven-game postseason series after being down 3 games to none.

Related Topics:
2004 - American League Championship Series - Fenway - Closer - Mariano Rivera - Home run

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After New York's defeat, the Curse was poked fun at during the Weekend Update segment of Saturday Night Live (based in New York City). In the sketch, the ghost of Babe Ruth (played by Horatio Sanz) appears and explains to Tina Fey and Amy Poehler that he left during Game Four with the ghosts of Mickey Mantle and Rodney Dangerfield to go drinking. Babe says that he drank a few beers, along with gasoline and horse tranquilizers, causing him to pass out for the next four days.

Related Topics:
Weekend Update - Saturday Night Live - New York City - Horatio Sanz - Tina Fey - Amy Poehler - Mickey Mantle - Rodney Dangerfield - Gasoline - Horse - Tranquilizers

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The Red Sox then faced the St. Louis Cardinals, the team to whom they lost the 1946 World Series and 1967 World Series, and won the series in a four-game sweep.

Related Topics:
1946 World Series - 1967 World Series

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The final game took place during a total lunar eclipse—the only post-season or World Series game to do so. The final out of the game was made on Cardinals shortstop Edgar Rentería—who wore Babe Ruth's old uniform number, 3 (which wasn't assigned to him until he joined the Yankees, who introduced uniform numbers).

Related Topics:
Lunar eclipse - Edgar Rentería

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Coincidentally, the last two times that the Red Sox won the World Series, Hockey's Stanley Cup playoffs were cancelled. The 1918-19 Stanley Cup playoffs were cancelled because the Spanish flu pandemic raging at the time had incapacitated members of both teams, and the 2004-05 Stanley Cup playoffs were cancelled with the entire 2004-05 season, resulting from a labor dispute between the NHL owners and the NHLPA.

Related Topics:
Red Sox - World Series - Stanley Cup - 1918-19 Stanley Cup playoffs - Spanish flu - Pandemic - 2004-05 Stanley Cup playoffs - NHL - NHLPA

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