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Millions will
tell you they were there at Fenway Park on October 17, 2004—in fact, only 34,826
actually were. Two of your humble
FenwayNation operatives—
Ernie Paicopolos and
Henry Kanter—
were, in fact, there, in their Section 25 grandstand seats. For
five hours and two minutes we sat on the edge of our cramped, splintered, wooden 1912-era seats and watched a
new era of Red Sox baseball being born.
Before the game we had wished only for this
one win against
The Evil Ones—so as not to be completely humiliated
again. Down three-games-to-none in the ALCS, Boston needed a victory to keep the 86-year dream of another World Championship alive. Then, it happened. Down 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth, and facing All-World closer
Mariano Rivera,
Kevin Millar drew a walk. Pinch-runner
Dave Roberts stole second. And
Bill Mueller drove in the tying run with a blistering single to center-field. Much later,
David Ortiz cemented his reputation as the clutchest hitter in Red Sox history by launching a game-winning, 12th-inning two-run home run to right field off former Red Sox pitcher
Paul Quantrill (of
course). Three more ALCS wins followed—and four more in the anti-climactic World Series.
Fourteen years ago tonight, it all began.
