The Boston Red Sox were
founded in 1893, as the Toledo, Ohio franchise in the minor
Western League. The team moved to Boston when the Western
League became the American League in 1900. The name Red Sox,
chosen by owner John I. Taylor in 1907, is based on an form
of socks, as in the red footwear worn by the team. The
Boston Red Sox won the first ever World Series, which began
in 1903 and have been known as the Boston Americans (1901),
as well as the Boston Somersets (1902). The Red Sox were
owned by Joseph Lannin from 1913 to 1916 and it was he who
signed Babe Ruth, commonly seen as the best player in
baseball history.
Babe
Ruth joined the Boston Red Sox in 1914, when he was nineteen
years of age. Babe Ruth would later go onto be seen as the
best player in baseball history, while playing for the
Yankees he became the greatest power hitter the game has
ever known. He led the Boston Red Sox to two World
Series titles in 1916 and 1918. After trading Babe Ruth "the
great Bambino," to the New York Yankees, it is often said
that the team went down hill from there and have not been
able to pick a championship since 1918. Some say it is the
"Curse of the Bambino," the sale of Babe Ruth, but the real
reason has been their historical weakness in pitching, and
some poor luck. Another great player is pitcher Cy Young. Cy
Young One of baseball’s greatest pitchers, set several
major-league career records that still stand, including the
most wins, most innings pitched, and most complete games.
Young, who played with the Red Sox from 1901 to 1908, won
511 games during his 22-year career. In 1956 Major League
Baseball established the Cy Young Memorial Award, which is
given annually to each league’s best pitcher. The Red Sox
are the first team to have back-to-back batting champion and
ERA champions in the same years. Nomar Garciaparra and Pedro
Martinez pulled the "double-double" in 1999-2000. Some Hall
of Famers includes Luis Aparicio, Lou Boudreau, Jesse
Burkett, Orlando Cepeda, Jack Chesbro, Jimmy Collins, Joe
Cronin, Bobby Doerr, Rick Ferrell, Carlton Fisk and Jimmie
Foxx. The Boston Red Sox have won five World Series in,
1903, 1912,1915, 1916, and 1918, they have been American
League Champions ten times, have won the Division
Championships five times (1975(AL East), 1986(AL East),
1988(AL East), 1990(AL East), and 1995(AL East)) and have
been Wild Card three times (1998, 1999, 2003(AL)). 
The Red Sox uniform color
consists of red, white, navy Blue and scarlet; the logo
design is two hanging red socks. The Boston Red Sox play in
Fenway Park (1912- present), which has a seating capacity of
33,871 and is located in Boston, Massachusetts. The Red Sox
moved on to the 2004 World Series against the St. Louis
Cardinals, a team that had posted the best record in the
major leagues and the team that had defeated the Red Sox in
the 1946 and 1967 World Series. Game 1 set a new record for
the highest scoring World Series opening game (breaking the
previous record set in 1932). The Sox defeated the Cardinals
twice in Boston and twice in St. Louis to sweep the World
Series, making this their first and last Series win since
1918. In an altogether appropriate end to the "Curse of the
Bambino," the final out of the game was made on Cardinals
shortstop Edgar Rentería, who wore Babe Ruth's old uniform
number, 3.
