by: Aron Wallad
As a Yankee fan for over 40 years I have seen many Yankee comebacks. 1978 was a great year. After being down 14 games the Bronx Bombers stormed back to overtake the Red Sox in the one game playoff. Bucky Dent sure had his baseball fantasy.
The 1958 Yanks. The team of Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra were down three games to one. They beat the Milwaukee Braves to redeem themselves for the previous year’s World Series loss. The Braves happened to be the target for another Yankee comeback in 1996 when the New Yorkers stormed back from a 2-0 ( both losses at Yankee Stadium) deficit in games to win four in a row.
Other teams have turned the series around after being down three games to one. The 1968 Tigers did it against the St Louis Cardinals, in spite of Bob Gibson incredible performances. And the 1968 Pirates overturned the Orioles with “Their Family” of stars.
I think the Red Sox team of 2004 takes first prize. In all of sports including baseball, basketball and hockey there have been over 230 times since the playoffs started where one team was ahead of the other team three games to zero. Only twice has the team that was on the short end of the three to nothing deficit come back and won four in a row. Both times it was in hockey.
Now there is a third time.....
I am amazed but not surprised to see the Boston Red Sox defeat the Yankees four straight and then demolish the St Louis Cardinals in four straight games as well. A classic year has been completed by a team for the ages. It’s easy to say they did not give up. It is easy to say they had the right mixture of players. It is also easy to say how well they meshed as a team. Because they flourished at the right time makes the Red Sox of 2004 one of the best teams, of all time. Maybe they are and maybe they are not. There is no denying it was one of the greatest comebacks in baseball history.
Manny Ramirez, Pedro Martinez, and Curt Schilling all came through - big time.
I am tired of writing about the Red Sox. Let's go Yankees.
Wait till next year. Sound familiar?