Each MLB team's best season ever

Each MLB team’s best season ever

HOUSTON, TX - OCTOBER 29: Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros celebrates with George Springer #4 after hitting a three-run home run during the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game five of the 2017 World Series at Minute Maid Park on October 29, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

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BOSTON, MA – OCTOBER 2: Former Boston Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez hands the 2004 World Series trophy to David Ortiz /

Boston Red Sox: 2004 and 2013

When you have two sons, it’s incredibly difficult to choose which one is your favorite. Many psychologists would probably tell you it’s actually bad parenting to choose a favorite in the first place. So, for the Boston Red Sox fans, who have experienced an unprecedented run of good fortune since the early 2000s, we will not choose between the 2004 team that broke the Curse of the Bambino and the 2013 team that won the World Series following the Boston Marathon Bombings.

These are both very special seasons in Boston sports lore, and choosing which one means more to the city, the franchise and the fans is next to impossible (sorry, 2007 title team — you just weren’t that interesting). Let’s start with the magical 2004 team, the Band of Idiots, that erased a 3-0 deficit in the ALCS against the hated Yankees.

The 2004 season was the real coming out party for David Ortiz. Big Papi had begun receiving regular playing time for the Red Sox in 2003, but was finally a full-time starter in 2004 and hit 41 home runs with 139 RBI. Manny Ramirez joined Ortiz in hitting more than 40 home runs and driving in over 130 runs. The duo was surrounded by a solid lineup that included Johnny Damon, Kevin Millar, Jason Varitek and Bill Mueller. Boston led the American League with 949 runs scored.

Curt Schilling and Pedro Martinez carried the rotation and came up big in the playoffs. Schilling’s effort in Game 6 of the ALCS will always be remembered in baseball lore, especially in New England. After the Red Sox stunned the Yankees, winning the World Series for the first time in 86 years felt like a formality.

The 2013 season was also a special season for Boston, but for different reasons. The Red Sox played out the year with a special energy and focus after the Boston Marathon Bombings in April. They came charging back from a last-place finish in 2012 to win the World Series again. This was a much scrappier team, with David Ross, Johnny Gomes and Shane Victorino all playing major roles.

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