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Babe with the Sox
(Rookie portrait, 1915)
The Curse of the Bambino is a tongue-in-cheek explanation for the failure of the Boston Red Sox baseball team to win the World Series since 1918 - a period coinciding with the sale of Babe Ruth by Red Sox owner Harry Frazee to the New York Yankees in late 1919 (though the sale was not made public until January 5, 1920). Ruth, whose many nicknames included "the Bambino", considered by many to be the greatest player in baseball history, went on to achieve unparalleled success with the Yankees while his former team, the Red Sox, have not won a World Series since. The curse refers to "acts of God" (such as funny bounces of the ball) and not decisions made in front offices (such as the acquisition of a player).
The idea that the Red Sox were cursed has been enhanced off and on since 1920 by numerous occasions in which the Red Sox seemed poised to win the World Series, yet failed to do so.
Prior to Ruth leaving Boston, the Red Sox had won five World Series, with Ruth an important part (as a pitcher) of the 1915, 1916, and 1918 championships, whereas the Yankees had never even been in the World Series. The Yankees have since won 26 World Series (15 more than any other team), with Ruth being an essential part of the 1923, 1927, 1928 and 1932 championships.
Since Ruth's departure, the Red Sox have been to the World Series four times, each time losing 3 games to 4. The most dramatic defeat came in 1986 when, in game 6, the Red Sox squandered three leads in what would be their deciding victory, only to lose the game in the bottom of the 10th inning on a fielding error by Bill Buckner.
In another episode of the alleged curse, the Red Sox had a 14-game lead over the Yankees on July 18 of the 1978 season. By season's end, however, the teams were tied for first. A one-game playoff took place at Fenway Park on October 2nd. In the 7th inning, Boston led 2-0, but Bucky Dent, a .240 hitter with only 4 home runs all season, hit a home run over the Green Monster with two runners on base to secure the Yankee win.
In 2003, the Yankees prevented the Red Sox from getting to the World Series once again. Tied at three games apiece in the American League Championship Series, Boston had a 5-2 lead going into the 8th inning. Two Yankee doubles and a single later, the game was tied. The game went into extra innings and was decided by a first-pitch lead-off home run by Aaron Boone.
The phrase "Curse of the Bambino" was coined by New York journalist George Vecsey and came to national attention after Buckner's gaff in 1986. The term was later used as the title of a 1990 novel written by Boston Globe journalist Dan Shaughnessy. Shaughnessy and other media members frequently fall back on this 'curse' when referring to the Red Sox. The media sometimes will bring up the idea of the curse when the Red Sox are doing notably well (or notably poorly), rather than focusing on the current team and its strengths and weaknesses. Media references to this alleged curse brought it to mainstream status, including the development of a musical play in 2001, directed by Spiro Veloudos.
See also: Billy Goat curse, List of legends and myths.How the myth is propogated
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