The Curse of Bambino ( Eng. Curse of the Bambino ) is one of the most famous baseball superstitions explaining the failures of the Boston Red Sox for decades. At the end of 1919, Boston, who won 3 of the last 5 World Series , sold one of the best baseball players of all time, Babe Ruta (Bambino), to the New York Yankees . Over the next 84 years, the New Yorkers who never qualified for the finals became champions 26 times, the first 4 of them with Ruth. The Red Sox has never managed to win the title during this time, losing four times in the World Series with a minimal gap in the 3: 4 series and suffering a number of other annoying defeats. A series of failures led to the appearance of the belief that their reason lies in a curse caused by the sale of Ruth. The constant defeat of “Boston” in the decisive matches became the object of numerous jokes, and the fans of the team were considered voluntary sufferers. It is believed that the curse was lifted in 2004, when the Red Sox won an unprecedented willful victory over the Yankiz in the American League Championship Series , and then defeated the World Series St. Louis Cardinals .
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The origin of the curse
The modern era of the World Series dates back to 1903, and in 1918 the Boston Red Sox set a record, winning its sixth title. In 1914, the team debuted 19-year-old pitcher Beib "Bambino" Ruth . He won 3 league titles with Boston and established himself as a great baseball player. However, Ruth had problems with discipline on and off the field, and after the unsuccessful season for the club in 1919, a crisis moment arrived. Babe demanded to double his salary, up to 20 thousand dollars, [1] and the team owner, theater director Harry Fresey, decided to trade him. American League President Baine Johnson disliked Frazey, and blocked the latter’s contacts with all clubs except Vice-Champion “ Chicago White Sox ” and the second-rate New York Yankees [2] . Boston rivals Chicago offered 60 thousand dollars, Yankees - 100 thousand. Frazee began negotiations with the New Yorkers, with whom he eventually agreed on 125 thousand dollars of a lump sum payment, three bills for 25 thousand and receiving a 300 thousandth loan [3] . Much later, a legend appeared that Frazey sold Bambino to finance his successful musical No, No, Nanette . This story is fiction, this musical appeared only in 1925. However, the proceeds from the sale of Ruth really went to the production of Freis - the unobtrusive play by My Lady Friends , which debuted on Broadway in December 1919 [4] .
In the following 84 seasons, the Yankees, who soon became the worst enemies of the Red Sox, traveled to the World Series 39 times and scored 26 victories there. The four first victories of the New Yorkers were won along with Babe Ruth, who turned into an outfielder , and after retirement was repeatedly recognized as the best baseball player in history. At the same time, “Boston” played only 4 times in the World Series and each time lost in the seventh match. Twice he shared first place in the league with another team, after which he lost her an extra match. The Red Sox were often defeated in decisive matches when they were scoring. The non-charter status of the team was practically recognized as a fact, and in 1990 it was named. That year, sportsman of The Boston Globe, Dan Shaughnessy, published the book The Curse of the Bambino. She received recognition and even entered the mandatory program of some schools in New England [5] . In the same year, the term "The Curse of Bambino" was used by the Boston newspapers and the New York Times .
Memorable failures
- In 1946, for the first time since 1918, Boston reached the World Series finals, where he was confronted by the St. Louis Cardinals . After the Boston matches, the Red Sox were led in the 3-2 series, although their leader Ted Williams played with injury. The Cardinals won the sixth game and won before the eighth inning of the final match 3-1. The guests attacked first, and the blow of House Dimaggio allowed them to even the score. When the player went home, Harry Walker , his partner Enos Slaughter, was at first base. Walker fended off shortly to the left of the center, and his teammate made the so-called Slaughter's Mad Dash to the house. The third-base player Johnny Peski, who received the ball, fell into a stupor and allowed Slaughter to run, which brought the Cardinals victory.
- In 1948, Boston shared the first place in the American League with Cleveland Indians , and at home played against them the first ever golden match in the history of the League. The result was a defeat 3: 8.
- In 1949, for Boston to enter the World Series, Boston needed to win at least one of the last two matches of the regular season against the Yankees. New Yorkers won both matches, and then won the first of five consecutive wins in the World Series.
- After the failed season of 1966, Boston pulled out a victory in the American League 1967 in the last match. In the World Series, the result of 1946 was repeated: the defeat of the Cardinals 3: 4.
- In 1972, Boston suffered as many defeats as the winners of the American League Detroit Tigers , but won one less match: one of the Red Sox games was canceled due to rain, and it was decided not to hold it. In the penultimate match of the season against the Tigers, the Bostonians had to step forward, but the jogging Luis Aparicio stumbled and fell; Detroit won 4: 1.
- In 1975, Boston met in the World Series with Cincinnati Reds . Losing 2: 3 after the away match, the Red Sox won the 12th inning of the 6th meeting. In the middle of the final match, the Boston team led 3-0, but the guests pulled out a victory in the 9th inning.
- In 1978, “Boston” was ahead of the “Yankees” for 14 victories, but they first caught up with them, winning 4 in-person meetings on the Boston field, and then went into the lead. The Red Sox managed to catch up with the opponents, after which they played the second “golden match” in the history of the American League. The Boston team won 2-0 at home, when in the 7th inning, New Yorker Bucky Dent hit the ball into the top edge of the Green Monster , from which he flew off the court. The guests stepped forward and kept the victory.
- In 1986, Boston won the New York Mets 3: 2 in the series and 5: 3 in the 10th inning of the sixth game of the World Series . However, the sluggishness of Bill Buckner at first base brought the New Yorkers 3 points and a victory. In the seventh game the Red Sox won 3-0, but again did not hold the lead.
- In 1988 and 1990, "Boston" was inferior in the Champions Series of the American League " Oakland Athletics " 0: 4. In 1995, the playoffs lengthened by one stage, the Divisional Series , where the Red Sox lost to Cleveland 0: 3. The 13-match series of defeats in the playoffs ended in 1998, when in the Division Series "Boston" won against the Indians the first match; the rest of the meetings were for Cleveland. In the season of 1999, the Red Sox still conquered the first stage, but lost to the Yankees 1: 4 in the next.
- In 2003, Boston won against principal rivals from New York 5: 2 in the eighth inning of the seventh game of the Championship series. The Yankees equalized the score and snatched the victory in the 11th inning.
Break Curse
Fans of the Red Sox tried to break the curse in a variety of ways, from hoisting up a team baseball cap on Everest to searching for a piano in a pond at the Beiba Ruth farm in Sudbury , Massachusetts . On August 31, 2004, some fans decided that the curse was lifted. On this day, outfielder “Boston” Manny Ramirez during a home match cut the ball to the podium with a bat, and he knocked out two teeth to a 16-year-old fan, Lee Gavin. Gavin was notable for the fact that his favorite player was Ramirez, and he lived on the Ruta farm in Sudbury [6] . On the same day, the Yankees suffered the biggest defeat in their history, 0:22 at home against Cleveland [7] . The opportunity to check the action of the curse appeared in the same autumn, as “Boston” went into the playoffs. Having overcome the first stage, he got to rivals in the Yankees Championship Series. The first two matches in New York were won by the hosts; after moving to Boston, the Yankees defeated rivals 19: 8. Never in the history of the playoffs of the Major League Baseball teams could not win, losing in the series 0: 3. Before the 9th inning of the fourth match, the guests won, but the Red Sox pulled out a victory in the 12th inning. In the 8th inning of the next match, “Boston” won 3 points, and the decisive one scored in the 14th inning. The two remaining Red Sox guest games confidently won, and then went into the World Series . The historically inconvenient St. Louis Cardinals waited for them there, but Boston beat them dry. This victory forced the screenwriters of the Red Sox fan movie “ Baseball Fever ”, which was being shot at the same time, to change the ending [8] .
See also
- Curse of Billy the Goat
- Curse of billy penn
Notes
- ↑ Ruth Demands $ 20,000 .; Business Manager Says Home-Run King Has Returned Contract. (December 25, 1919). The appeal date is August 31, 2009.
- ↑ Frazee to Answer Johnson's Threat; Boston Owner Is His Expected To Sell His Club. Feud Will Reach | Climax, Issue May Renew Fight for Oneman Commission for the Two Major Leagues (December 16, 1918). The appeal date is August 31, 2009.
- Uth Ruth Bought New Yorkers For Americans $ 125,000, Highest Price In Baseball Annals, The New York Times (January 6, 1920). The appeal date is March 13, 2009.
- ↑ Montville, Leigh. The Big Bam: The Life and Times of Babe Ruth. - Random House, 2006. - P. 161–164.
- ↑ Kernan, Kevin . Ding-Dong, Curse od Dead (October 28, 2004), p. 86.
- ↑ McGrory, Brian . Taking teeth out of curse? (September 2, 2004).
- ↑ Blum, Ronald . Indians 22, Yankees 0 , Yahoo! Sports (September 1, 2004).
- ↑ Sox Change
Literature
- Shaughnessy, Dan. The Curse of the Bambino. - New York: Dutton, 1990. - ISBN 0-525-24887-0 .
- Shaughnessy, Dan. Reversing the Curse. - Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2005. - ISBN 0-618-51748-0 .
Links
- A 'Curse' born of hate on ESPN.com
- Devilry some! (Rus.)
- The Curse of the Bambino HBO Documentary (2003)
- The Curse of the Bambino The Musical (2001)