The Boston Red Sox defeated the New York Yankees in the ALCS in 2004 in one of the most memorable comebacks, and the 2022 NLCS teams should find motivation in that.
The Championship Series for each league is heating up as the 2022 World Series approaches. On this day, October 20 in 2004, the Boston Red Sox had one of the most iconic ALCS comebacks in history that the NLCS teams fighting for the World Series should remember as motivation.
The Red Sox were almost guaranteed elimination in the ALCS when they were at a 0-3 deficit against the New York Yankees and just one loss away from being eliminated. However, they bounced back and became the only team in MLB history to come back from a 0-3 deficit in a seven-game series.
They’re truly an example of hope and a solid reminder that anything can happen in the postseason. Overcoming that deficit brought them to the World Series, and that appearance allowed them to win their sixth title.
They also persevered over their biggest rival, which is a feat in itself. Though the Red Sox weren’t necessarily underdogs and only finished three games behind the Yankees in the AL East that season, they were coming off a rough time in the franchise that wasn’t necessarily expected to beat out the Yankees. The Yankees were a much more solid team and had more postseason success within the two decades prior than the Red Sox did.
The Yankees had won three consecutive World Series championships just a few years prior (1998, 1999 and 2000). They also made World Series appearances in 2001 and 2003 but lost each. Before 2004, the Red Sox hadn’t appeared in the World Series since 1986 and had only made the playoffs six times in between. They missed the playoffs 10 times in that span.
This was the beginning of a brand new era for the Red Sox that would go on to win another World Series just three seasons later in 2007, another in 2013 and yet another in 2018. They’ve won the most World Series in the 2000s, truly a pivotal achievement for the franchise.
The team had a new legendary leader, David Ortiz. Ortiz is still considered one of the most iconic and impactful players in franchise history, and his part in turning the team around will be remembered forever.
Boston’s story is extremely similar to the dynamic of the NLCS this season in the sense that the underdogs rose above their more successful division rivals.
The 2022 NLCS teams share similarities with the 2004 ALCS Red Sox
The San Diego Padres and the Philadelphia Phillies came into the playoffs appearing to have no shot of making it to the NLCS. Defying all odds, the two teams are now playing each other and one underdog is guaranteed a spot in the World Series.
Sure, there was no crazy 0-3 deficit they overcame, nor is there going to be considering they’re now tied 1-1. However, the Phillies took down the defending World Series champions, the Atlanta Braves, and the Padres took down both the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers to get to this point.
The Mets and the Braves battled down to the wire for the top NL East spot in the regular season, with the Braves finally taking over during the last week of the season. Things looked good as they approached their second consecutive World Series, only for the third-place team in the NL East to knock them out of the playoffs entirely. The Phillies weren’t even considered contenders, and now they have a real shot at winning the World Series.
The feat is quite incredible considering they hadn’t been to the playoffs since 2011. They’ve clearly gone through a lot of development, similar to the 2004 Red Sox, but their talent was undermined.
The Padres hadn’t been to the playoffs since 2006 (aside from the partial 2020 season) and hadn’t been to the NLCS since 1998. They also finished a whopping 22 games behind the Dodgers this season. They failed to beat the Dodgers in a series during the entire regular season, despite having five chances to do so. The Dodgers had the best record in the league in 2022 and historically one of the bests of all time, so all odds seemed stacked against the Padres.
The most likely matchup for the NLCS seemed to be the Braves vs the Dodgers, and if not the Dodgers then the Mets. Hardly anyone could’ve predicted a Phillies vs Padres matchup. Though their wins weren’t quite as large or their comeback wasn’t as dramatic as the 2004 Red Sox, they followed the same underdog road that eventually lead the Red Sox to the most iconic Championship Series and World Series wins of all time.
With so many similarities, the Phillies and Padres could find motivation from the beautiful story of the 2004 ‘underdog’ Boston team.