On October 27, 2004, the Boston Red Sox accomplished something that few of their devoted fans believed would occur in their lifetimes — the famously cursed team won the World Series. To commemorate the euphoric 2004 Red Sox season, here is an expanded edition of Red Sox Century, a “book [that] has all that anyone would care to know about this accursed yet lovable franchise” (Sports Illustrated). From Cy Young to Curt Schilling, Teddy Ballgame to Manny mania, this narrative history features not only a lively, authoritative text and more than 275 photographs, but also personal essays by some of the team’s most famous chroniclers — Peter Gammons, Dan Shaughnessy, Bill Littlefield, and Charles P. Pierce.

Acknowledgments xvi

Introduction xix

1901 | 1902 The Americans

1903 The First Champions

1904 | 1911 Red Stockings and Red Faces

1912 Invincible Summer

1913 | 1916 From "Rough" to Ruth

1917 | 1918 The Last Champions

1919 | 1922 Harry Frazee and the Truth About Ruth

1923 | 1932 Embers in the Outfield
Green Light, Green Monster by Luke Salisbury

1933 | 1935 The Richest Boy in the World

1936 | 1938 Yawkey's Ways

1939 | 1941 Enter the Kid

1942 | 1945 Of Front Lines and Color Lines

1946 | 1949 Three-Time Losers
Rooting for the Red Sox by Elizabeth Dooley

1950 | 1960 Teddy Ballgame
Knock Downs by Howard Bryant

1961 | 1966 The Country Club
The Dead Zone by Charles P. Pierce

1967 Incredibly Beautiful People
Summer of '67 by Dan Shaughnessy

1968 | 1975 "If it stays fair . . ."

1976 | 1978 Death, Disappointment, and Dent
How Friendly Is Fenway? by Tim Horgan

1979 | 1986 From Ruin to Rocket and Back Again
The Autumn of the Rat by Bill Littlefield

1987 | 2000 The Public Trust
Musical Chairs on Yawkey Way by Peter Gammons

2001 | 2004 History
The 2004 World Championship: Your Story

Appendix A: Red Sox Century Teams Pre- and Post-World War II
Appendix B: The Red Sox Record