 History
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 2001-Present
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| 2001 |
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The Red Sox signed superstar slugger Manny Ramirez off the free agent market. Ramirez's impact was felt immediately. He clubbed a three-run homer in the first pitch he saw in a home uniform at Fenway Park. On April 4, Hideo Nomo pitched Boston's first no-hitter since 1965. The start against the Orioles at Camden Yards was Nomo's first in a Boston uniform. But injuries to Nomar Garciaparra, Pedro Martinez and Jason Varitek decimated any chance Boston had of qualifying for postseason. Manager Jimy Williams was fired on Aug. 16 and replaced by pitching coach Joe Kerrigan. The Red Sox went 17-26 the rest of the way.
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| 2002 |
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The Red Sox began a new era, as the ownership group led by John Henry, Tom Werner and Larry Lucchino officially took over on Feb. 27. The next day, GM Dan Duquette was fired and replaced on an interim basis by Mike Port. On March 5, Joe Kerrigan was fired as manager. He was replaced on March 11 by Grady Little, who had formerly been a coach in Boston under Jimy Williams. The Red Sox went 93-69 under Little, but missed the playoffs for the third straight year. Pedro Martinez and Derek Lowe gave the Sox their first 20-win tandem since 1949. The highlight of the season was Lowe's no-hitter at Fenway on April 27 against the Devil Rays. Manny Ramirez, despite missing six weeks with a fractured left index finger, won his first batting title.
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| 2004 |
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It is a season that will live on forever in the minds of Red Sox fans. After a 98-win regular season -- the most victories posted by the club since 1978 -- the Sox, led by stellar performances from Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Johnny Damon, Pedro Martinez and newly acquired Curt Schilling, went into the postseason as the American League Wild Card entry. They swept the Angels in the Division Series. The Sox were nearly swept out of the American League Championship Series, trailing the Yankees, 3-0, in the best-of-seven series. But that was when they officially became historymakers, becoming the first team in Major League Baseball history to recover from a 3-0 deficit. After thumping the Yankees in seven games, the Sox swept the Cardinals for their first World Series championship in 86 years. Ramirez was named MVP of the Series.
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| 2005 |
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It's tough to follow a dream season, but the Red Sox did their best in 2005. Retooling in the offseason by bringing in veteran starters David Wells and Matt Clement, the Sox were primed to repeat as world champs. After a stop-and-start first two months, Boston reclaimed first place in the American League East on June 24, and held the top spot for most of the second half of the season. David Ortiz was the lynchpin of the offense, putting together a season (.300, 47 HR, 147 RBIs) that would see him finish second in American League MVP voting. Outfielder Manny Ramirez threw together another stellar year, hitting 45 home runs and driving in 144. After hobbling into the playoffs in the final weekend, a banged-up Sox pitching staff couldn't hold off the eventual World Series-winning White Sox, and Boston fell in an AL Division Series sweep.
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| 2006 |
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It looked like the Red Sox were primed to play postseason baseball for a fourth consecutive October. Led by perhaps the best defense in team history, manager Terry Francona’s team bolted out to a 59-36 record and led the American League East by 3 ½ games on July 21. But the bottom fell out of after that, as the team was decimated by injuries to key players such as Jason Varitek, Trot Nixon and Tim Wakefield and went 27-40 the rest of the way. However, the season still had plenty of excitement, none bigger than David Ortiz setting a club record with 54 homers. Jonathan Papelbon (0.92 ERA) established himself as an elite player in his rookie season. Curt Schilling bounced back from his injury-marred 2005 with 15 wins. Boston’s .98910 fielding percentage was the best in Major League history.
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