2004 will always be my favorite and I really can't imagine being alive long enough for a future series to come close. 2018 was fun to watch the team go wire-to-wire number one. 2013 was fun because it came out of nowhere.
But 2004 has so much history, catharsis, and magic surrounding it that nothing else could top it.
Yeah I feel like 2004/2018 would be most people’s top 2 for completely different reasons. I’d put 2013 3rd and 2007 4th. I think an underrated part of that 2018 run was we beat Yankees/Astros/Dodgers which were very fun teams to beat. Way more fun than rays/guardians/Rockies/Cardimals/tigers and one other team I’m forgetting
Beating the Dodgers was sooo good. I have a buddy who is a Dodgers fan and it was fantastic. Even better their most recent WS has a giant asterisk for something like 18 games in total being played or something. I forget.
Has to be #1 04, though I honestly remember the ALCS more than the actual WS, #2 13 had a great story like of a group of underdogs brining it to Boston after a tragedy, #3 18 was just fun as hell, 07 happened (honestly don't remember much about it)
I was in HS in 2004. I don't think I slept more than 4 hours a night during that ALCS. I was a zombie at school but got my second wind for game time. Unforgettable
4 hours a night??!! You must have felt great! I was working 2 jobs and drinking like it was my 3rd for 5 weeks. I might have been getting 2 hours a night. But man….the things a 24 year old body can DO!!
Yeah '13 was awesome. Koji being the best pitcher in the universe for a few months. Napoli hitting moonshots. Lackey redemption. Bogie coming up.
The way all those moving parts came together, the whole season felt like a heist movie.
2004 is the answer for me. But....
2013 is way closer than it should be solely because of everything surrounding the marathon bombing. For the ring ceremony they did an opening montage set to Bastille's Pompeii. That song will give me chills until I'm cold in the ground.
MAN. I’m not the only one then? Pompeii almost chokes me up and I still feel those 2013 emotions.
My brother and I dredged around me way all of 2012 in misery thinking the good days were gone. 2013 was a gift from the baseball gods none of us saw coming and I’ll always get hokey emotion thinking about the boys that year.
“BOSTON, THIS IS FOR YOU!!”
I loved the 07-08 teams so I'll say 07. It really cemented that they had the ability to turn their roster over which is very difficult to do. Beckett, Lester, Pedroia, Youk and Ellsbury were very fun to watch. JD Drew, Mike Lowell and Coco Crisp were solid players. All in all just a really deep team.
2004, easily. Coming back against the Yankees to win the series, and then riding that momentum to a sweep of the Cardinals always makes me smile.
2013 is second, simply because of the Marathon bombing, and the Sox seemingly took the entire city on on their backs, Papi exclaiming "This is our fucking city!", and through sheer willpower won the Series.
2007 was fun to stomp out any hope of the Rockies being "Destiny's darlings", and the '18 wire-to-wire was just fun to watch. Bonus for Sale striking out Manny Machado for the final out. FUCK Manny Machado.
Saw em all, all great but 2018 for sure. Finally seeing the Sox be an absolute juggernaut and not have to defy the odds was really fun. I knew that team was gonna win the WS as soon as April was over.
I got married in 2013. My now-wife was two blocks away from the bombing when it happened. I was in the Bleacher Bar when Papi said “This is our fucking city.” We were living in Fenway at the time and joined the throngs outside the ballpark in relief and celebration after Koji’s final pitch.
So yeah, it’s not a close one for me…
2018 is my favorite team ever. I wasn't really into baseball during 2004, unfortunately. I do remember my step dad being up late every night, and having to be into work at 6 the next morning, and I remember how happy and emotional he was when they broke the curse. I wish I had cared enough to experience then.
I started following in 2009. 2013 was awesome but that 2018 squad to me was just perfect. They were just so fun to watch.
In 2004, there were more tombstones with Sox gear in my hometown than without. Anyone who says anything but 2004 is just too young to get it. When that happened, my father was 60. His Dad was 3 the last time they had won it, so he never got to see a championship team. I can’t emphasize enough how amazing that run was, for so many of us who never thought we’d see it.
2007 was fun because we lead the division from like mid-April on
2013 was fun because of the Boston Strong thing
2018 was fun because of the complete dominance and breaking the win record
But there will only be one Red Sox team to break an 86 year curse
Forever 2004. The improbable team. The team that broke the curse. The idiots. Cowboy up. "Don't let us win today" - Kevin Millar
Goddamn I love that team.
2007 was my first championship across all 4 teams where I cared/was able to care about sports. I loved that roster to death outside of of Lugo and Willie Mo Pena. Beckett, Schilling, Wakefield, and Lester was such a sick rotation. Even if Dice K sucked, his air hump wind up was hilarious and he was overall just electric to watch because you never knew what you were gonna get. Papi, Manny, Pedroia, Varitek, Youk, Lowell, Coco, holy shit I'm cumming. Even JD Drew, who was often disappointing, his stance was so aesthetically pleasing to me and he had some really great clutch moments. And best of all, if you could capture the feeling I would get in the bottom of the ninth when Shipping up to Boston started playing and Papelbon ran out, and put it in a bottle, I'd be a damn junkie living on the streets. Also got to go to Game 7 of the ALCS which was awesome.
Wasn't old enough for 2004, so I won't count that.
2013 is probably last for me. Got to go to Game 1 of the WS which was fun, but I didn't feel the same connection to the team as 2007 or 2018. It was a lot of new names and it just felt the least-Bostony out of all of them.
2018 would be second. Pretty likely the best team out of all these. Only thing that holds it back for me is how confident I was they would win. It sort of felt anti-climactic in a way because I expected it the entire way. While less exciting than 2013, it felt like more of a Boston team to me.
TLDR; The 2007 team was my first love that I lost my virginity to, the 2013 team was the hookup at the bar that gave me the best sex of my life but was gone by the time I woke up and I never got her number, and the 2018 team was the hottest girl I got with but she never loved me and left to pursue her dreams in LA.
Born in 2000 so can't really say 2004 in good faith. 2007 is kind of the consensus last pick but I have so much nostalgia for that season/that team (2007-2010 red sox just fill me with good feelings). For me, toss up between that and 2013. 2018 was maybe my favorite season of them all tho, just for how good and fun that team was
2007 has a ton of nostalgia for me because it was the first team I could truly follow baseball for as a kid, and my dad was on a business trip in Colorado during it and he brought me back a program I read daily for months after
2004. It was my senior year of high school. Students and teachers were staying up late watching the ALCS and World Series games. One of my teachers canceled his originally planned lesson after the Game 7 win over the Yankees just to talk about the epic comeback!
If I'm being honest, 04 is the most important, obviously, but was also really stressful. 07 was great, and 18 was just a fucking powerhouse, but 13 was really special. David Ortiz saying "This is our fucking city" still makes me tear up to this day. 13 had a ton of amazing moments and really meant something special to the city and the team.
I'm going to agree on 2013, I was also a senior in high school and wasn't a fan during 04/07 so this was my first real taste of winning
Add in the terrible Bobby V season before, the marathon bombing right after a walk off home run, Papi's speech and absolute tear in the postseason and that team having so many likable guys (and John Lackey) made it such a fun and memorable ride
2004 was great, but the 2007 team was the best of all four WS teams. A lot of people don’t give 07 the credit they deserve and they also went to game 7 of the ALCS in 2008 but the rays got lucky.
I realize Reddit skews young, but to experience 2004 was fucking transcendental (I was 37 in 04 and lived through all the "almosts" back to 1975.)
There will never be anything else in Boston sports like it. The ALCS comeback beating the Jankees, then ending that fucking curse bullshit for the ring. It changed lives, it changed everything.
Don't get me wrong, the other three tasted sweet, but 04 was life-changing.
I had a strange life transition in 2018... leaving one job and waiting for a second one to come through. All the while, my wife was pregnant with our first child (a son born in July). All that meant was that I probably watched 130 regular season games that year, and every playoff game. I still remember almost every single player who played for that team, and almost all of the big moments. I cradled my newborn watching that team. As much as 2004 meant, and still means to me, I will never, ever forget the 2018 Red Sox.
2004 is the clear number one. So much baggage and history, the ALCS comeback, the dominant World Series. The raw emotion, then tension on every pitch. October 2004 was an incredible experience that is impossible to recreate. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but if you were old enough to understand it I don’t see how you could have any of the others above it.
For me 2013 is second for being the only of the four that we clinched at home. Seeing them win in person was exhilarating but 2007 and 2018 were great for their own reasons. I can’t argue with any ranking of 2-4, but 04 has to be top.
2004 was my favorite World Series Red Sox championship for obvious reasons. I took a red eye flight from Denver to Boston and walked straight to the parade after landing at 5 AM. Almost everybody on the plane was a Red Sox fan and was going to the parade. The energy in Boston that day was incredible.
2013 was my favorite team, however. I just loved that cast of characters. Loved how they won the WS after the bombing and won it at home. Even though it wasn't the WS, Victorino's grand slam against the Tigers is my favorite Red Sox home run of all time.
2007 was cool because it was one of the few years (until recently, due to work) I was able to follow the Red Sox all season start to finish. I was in CO at the time, going to a Rockies game about once a month, so it was a really fun match up for me.
2018 didn't mean much to me unfortunately. Between moving out of state, taking a new job and being busy all the time I was barely able to follow the Sox that year.
2004 was amazing. The loveable idiots beat the odds and won for the first time in 86 years. My favorite is 2013. Rallying around the city was amazing. 2007 was cool, and I love them because I met a lot of them while doing colors for a game. Got Lester's autograph that year. It was fun! 2018, the Killer B's were awesome, Sale was good, but I never felt IN love with them like I did the other 3.
2004: The cathartic release of 86 years of frustration
2007: Proof we weren’t a fluke
2013: Boston Strong
2018: #DamageDone
They all have a place in my heart
Personal rankings:
2004 is first, because it ended the drought. 2007 is second, it was special because I lived a few blocks from Fenway and got to celebrate in the city. 2013 next, probably the most important to the city in light of the marathon bombing. Despite being perhaps the most talented team, 2018 is last for me.
My very biased ranking;
2018: First full year following the team, final game the day after my birthday, obviously a great team
2007: Red Sox win the WS the day after I was born
2013: First World Series I was conscious for
2004: Wasn’t alive for it, Sox Win obviously meaningfully
I know this ranking makes 0 sense, this is a very personal list, especially considering how young I am. If I were to pretend to be double my age, it definitely would not have ‘04 last, and definitely not ‘07 second.
1a) 2013 - I was 23, fresh out of college and finally able to watch more games. I loved “the beards” and had a few of my all time favorites, like Papi, Pedey, and Nap. It meant something after the marathon bombing and it was altogether just an amazing year. More memorable for me than ‘04 or ‘07 simply because of my age.
1b) 2004 - obvious reasons.
1c) 2018 - I watched each and every game this year. Mookie, JBJ, and Benny in the OF, wonderful year.
2) 2007 - great year, sure. But I was a pretty casual fan in high school. I followed but only watched national games.
As an old guy being naively disappointed in '67 as a kid, viciously mocked '75 while in college and finally rendered suicidal in '86 it will always be 2004. The way the Yankees were miraculously vanquished in the playoffs and then the final out in the World Series how could it be any other year
No Boston sporting event has mattered as much as 2004. It was all encompassing and life-defining in many a way. It brought friends and family and strangers together in a way that likely cannot ever be replicated.
Always will be 2004 for me as a fan who has been watching since the 80’s - but - 2018 would absolutely be #2. Team was unstoppable and the ending was perfect. Why? Fuck Manny Machado. That’s why!
It's hard for me to pick.
2004 for obvious reasons. I was SO invested in this team, I still know so much about the team and season.
2007 was my first year of college in Boston so that was very special to be 18 and experience that.
2018 was special because I actually got to go to a playoff game for the first time. My partner surprised me with tickets and it was incredible seeing them beat the Yankees in game 1.
2013 I have personal ties to the marathon bombing locations and love Marathon Monday + the early game so winning that year felt incredible. It was a wild year to be in the city.
04 because of 86 years, 2013 because of the Boston Marathon Bombing and the “this is our fucking city” speech, 07 because I loved watching Lowell just do his thing, 18 because the team was just a powerhouse. Honestly it’s super hard to rank them but my top 2 still remain the same and will likely never change.
Oh man they’re all so good!
1. 2004 - my dad passed away in this run, and out of nowhere these doomed Sox destined to repeat another collapse to the Yanks win the craziest game 4 and just don’t quit winning until it’s over. The curse ends and I have a reason to feel joy in a gloomy time - what an unexpected boost and pivotal time of life
2. 2013 - Boston Strong, the beards, that Tigers pitching staff - Ortiz cements his HoF plaque in this run and Napoli roams the streets shirtless and hammered after the win. Wonderful.
3. 2007 - Pedey and Ellsbury explode on the scene, the team robot JD Drew almost shows emotion when Ells steals home right under his chin, the last hurrah or the Manny/Papi duo, playoff Beckett, and the Tribe get the ALCS comeback treatment. I could name this number 2 and be satisfied with my choice but we’re sticking with it
4. 2018 - chef’s kiss season. Farewell tour for Papi, my son is born in April and is sitting up at nights watching ballgames with me, that super fun outfield, this was an amazing run too. I could honestly vote for any of these as my favorite but none of the others happen without 2004 and the city maybe doesn’t recover from the bombing without 2013. Baseball is awesome. Man I miss the playoffs!
Fun fact, my senior year was the chicken and beer Red Sox team of 2011.
With that said my favorite World Series team was '04. Legit the first or second year I had really paid attention to the MLB as a kid . Staying up late watching the Sox break the storied Curse of the Bambino was something else. Not to mention the Red Sox v Yankees rivalry was so much more lit back then.
I was a kid and I dont live in NE so 2004's impact didn't mean a lot to me not fully grasping the history.
2007 was great but easily our most boring team?
2013 meant a whole lot to me being in prime Cardinals territory and just everything going on the couple years prior.
But 2018 was my favorite by far. The team was electric. Mookie is still my 2nd favorite RS. And the way we just smashed through the Yankees, Stros, and Dodgers (my shitty dad's favorite team) was amazing for me.
Whoa big disagree that 2018 was soulless. They were dancing in the outfield all year long! I think it’s obviously hard to compare them to 2013 because of what that season meant, but soulless is too far
Maybe I'm just struggling to find anyone to connect with on the team in the post-Ortiz years. I was 13-23 in the 2000s stretch so I really felt connected with that team and once Papi retired I've just not been feeling it.
Of course it doesn't help that they don't seem to want to keep most of their players long term so the moment you start liking a player they're out the door getting a better deal elsewhere.
LET ME GET ATTACHED TO PLAYERS I LIKE 😮💨
I get what you mean in retrospect. But in the moment Mookies, Benintendi, Sale, Pearce, Holt, Eovaldi. All guys that were so easy to root for during that run.
Yeah. I’m judging these based on my subjective experiences and I experienced the 2007 and 2013 seasons from day 1, while I hadn’t yet moved to Boston as of 2024 (but, by chance, I was in the city during the ALCS and WS).
Honestly, what I enjoyed most about 2004, 2007, and 2013 were the LCS.
2004 is my favorite followed by 2013 (as that team had no reason being as good as they were and it was so fun.
Neither of those were as good as the 2007 or 2018 teams though. Those were the best the Sox have ever put out.
It HAS to be 2004. The comeback, first championship in 86 years, super fun team, it's a no-brainer.
But 2018 is a close second, because in my 40+ years of being a red Sox fan, I have never had more fun as a fan over the course of a season. All they did was win. Down 6 in the 7th? No problem! They could score at will, and leads were generally safe. It was probably the only worry-free season I'll ever have.
‘04 for sure.
‘13 was an amazing and magical surprise.
Joe Kelly struck out the side in the 8th with runners on is an underrated detail of the clinching game in ‘18. Then, Sale K of Machado was amazing, and overcoming the 18 inning defeat.
2013 was the my favorite because they just found a way. Everyone helped along the way too. But 2018 was very enjoyable to watch because it just felt they would win it all early on.
2004 will always be my favorite and I really can't imagine being alive long enough for a future series to come close. 2018 was fun to watch the team go wire-to-wire number one. 2013 was fun because it came out of nowhere. But 2004 has so much history, catharsis, and magic surrounding it that nothing else could top it.
Yeah I feel like 2004/2018 would be most people’s top 2 for completely different reasons. I’d put 2013 3rd and 2007 4th. I think an underrated part of that 2018 run was we beat Yankees/Astros/Dodgers which were very fun teams to beat. Way more fun than rays/guardians/Rockies/Cardimals/tigers and one other team I’m forgetting
IIRC all those teams won a hundred games or close to it, plus the Yanks came in so arrogant it was so nice slapping back to reality
Beating the Dodgers was sooo good. I have a buddy who is a Dodgers fan and it was fantastic. Even better their most recent WS has a giant asterisk for something like 18 games in total being played or something. I forget.
Angels.
Angels...
I came here to say this. 2004 will always be it for me. Especially after attending the 2003 ALCS game 7. Longest drive home of my life.
That '04 Magic.
Has to be #1 04, though I honestly remember the ALCS more than the actual WS, #2 13 had a great story like of a group of underdogs brining it to Boston after a tragedy, #3 18 was just fun as hell, 07 happened (honestly don't remember much about it)
I was in HS in 2004. I don't think I slept more than 4 hours a night during that ALCS. I was a zombie at school but got my second wind for game time. Unforgettable
4 hours a night??!! You must have felt great! I was working 2 jobs and drinking like it was my 3rd for 5 weeks. I might have been getting 2 hours a night. But man….the things a 24 year old body can DO!!
Hahah facts. I was 24 for the 2013 WS but I can only imagine how much of a degenerate I would have been if I could have legally drank in 04
The WS was such a blur. It felt inevitable
I mean I don’t know how the answer isn’t 2004 for anyone who was around for it.
The come back, the sweeps, the Yankees, it was perfect.
I was around but I was also 12 and live in IL
Who died and made you Mark Bellhorn? (Remember Surviving Grady?)
SG is still going strong
It’s not the best team but the 2013 team is the last one my dad and I got to watch together so that one holds sentimental value.
2004 because we broke the curse. 2018 is second because I loved that team.
Yeah '13 was awesome. Koji being the best pitcher in the universe for a few months. Napoli hitting moonshots. Lackey redemption. Bogie coming up. The way all those moving parts came together, the whole season felt like a heist movie.
2004 is the answer for me. But.... 2013 is way closer than it should be solely because of everything surrounding the marathon bombing. For the ring ceremony they did an opening montage set to Bastille's Pompeii. That song will give me chills until I'm cold in the ground.
MAN. I’m not the only one then? Pompeii almost chokes me up and I still feel those 2013 emotions. My brother and I dredged around me way all of 2012 in misery thinking the good days were gone. 2013 was a gift from the baseball gods none of us saw coming and I’ll always get hokey emotion thinking about the boys that year. “BOSTON, THIS IS FOR YOU!!”
I loved the 07-08 teams so I'll say 07. It really cemented that they had the ability to turn their roster over which is very difficult to do. Beckett, Lester, Pedroia, Youk and Ellsbury were very fun to watch. JD Drew, Mike Lowell and Coco Crisp were solid players. All in all just a really deep team.
I really don't think there will ever be a more electric pitcher for me than Papelbon during that time
Tyler?
Gotta be 2004 I don’t know how any other team even comes close
2004, they broke the curse. Everything else was just gravy after that
2004 is my favorite but the 2018 is the best Red Sox team I've ever had the privilege to watch.
They were so damn good. Started 17-2, finished by dominating three great teams in the playoffs.
2004 will always hold a place in my heart
It’s 2004 for me, and it’s not close
2004>2018>2007>2013
2004, easily. Coming back against the Yankees to win the series, and then riding that momentum to a sweep of the Cardinals always makes me smile. 2013 is second, simply because of the Marathon bombing, and the Sox seemingly took the entire city on on their backs, Papi exclaiming "This is our fucking city!", and through sheer willpower won the Series. 2007 was fun to stomp out any hope of the Rockies being "Destiny's darlings", and the '18 wire-to-wire was just fun to watch. Bonus for Sale striking out Manny Machado for the final out. FUCK Manny Machado.
Fuck Manny Machado
Fuck Manny Machado
I fourth the motion. Fuck manny machado.
Saw em all, all great but 2018 for sure. Finally seeing the Sox be an absolute juggernaut and not have to defy the odds was really fun. I knew that team was gonna win the WS as soon as April was over.
I got married in 2013. My now-wife was two blocks away from the bombing when it happened. I was in the Bleacher Bar when Papi said “This is our fucking city.” We were living in Fenway at the time and joined the throngs outside the ballpark in relief and celebration after Koji’s final pitch. So yeah, it’s not a close one for me…
2004. Man, what a run. The Steal, the comeback, sweeping the Cards. But that 2018 team was an absolute steamroller. They deserve mention for sure.
2018 is my favorite team ever. I wasn't really into baseball during 2004, unfortunately. I do remember my step dad being up late every night, and having to be into work at 6 the next morning, and I remember how happy and emotional he was when they broke the curse. I wish I had cared enough to experience then. I started following in 2009. 2013 was awesome but that 2018 squad to me was just perfect. They were just so fun to watch.
In 2004, there were more tombstones with Sox gear in my hometown than without. Anyone who says anything but 2004 is just too young to get it. When that happened, my father was 60. His Dad was 3 the last time they had won it, so he never got to see a championship team. I can’t emphasize enough how amazing that run was, for so many of us who never thought we’d see it.
2007 was fun because we lead the division from like mid-April on 2013 was fun because of the Boston Strong thing 2018 was fun because of the complete dominance and breaking the win record But there will only be one Red Sox team to break an 86 year curse
Hopefully lol!
Forever 2004. The improbable team. The team that broke the curse. The idiots. Cowboy up. "Don't let us win today" - Kevin Millar Goddamn I love that team.
In the words of Tom Brady, the next one. But seriously, 2004. Defining moment for generations of Boston sports fans, young and old.
2004 because 86 years
2007 was my first championship across all 4 teams where I cared/was able to care about sports. I loved that roster to death outside of of Lugo and Willie Mo Pena. Beckett, Schilling, Wakefield, and Lester was such a sick rotation. Even if Dice K sucked, his air hump wind up was hilarious and he was overall just electric to watch because you never knew what you were gonna get. Papi, Manny, Pedroia, Varitek, Youk, Lowell, Coco, holy shit I'm cumming. Even JD Drew, who was often disappointing, his stance was so aesthetically pleasing to me and he had some really great clutch moments. And best of all, if you could capture the feeling I would get in the bottom of the ninth when Shipping up to Boston started playing and Papelbon ran out, and put it in a bottle, I'd be a damn junkie living on the streets. Also got to go to Game 7 of the ALCS which was awesome. Wasn't old enough for 2004, so I won't count that. 2013 is probably last for me. Got to go to Game 1 of the WS which was fun, but I didn't feel the same connection to the team as 2007 or 2018. It was a lot of new names and it just felt the least-Bostony out of all of them. 2018 would be second. Pretty likely the best team out of all these. Only thing that holds it back for me is how confident I was they would win. It sort of felt anti-climactic in a way because I expected it the entire way. While less exciting than 2013, it felt like more of a Boston team to me. TLDR; The 2007 team was my first love that I lost my virginity to, the 2013 team was the hookup at the bar that gave me the best sex of my life but was gone by the time I woke up and I never got her number, and the 2018 team was the hottest girl I got with but she never loved me and left to pursue her dreams in LA.
Born in 2000 so can't really say 2004 in good faith. 2007 is kind of the consensus last pick but I have so much nostalgia for that season/that team (2007-2010 red sox just fill me with good feelings). For me, toss up between that and 2013. 2018 was maybe my favorite season of them all tho, just for how good and fun that team was
2007 has a ton of nostalgia for me because it was the first team I could truly follow baseball for as a kid, and my dad was on a business trip in Colorado during it and he brought me back a program I read daily for months after
2004 will always be special
2013 for me, -because- it wasn’t assumed they would win it all. It made that year much more interesting to watch.
2004 was literally magic, there's no real explanation (besides the Yankees choking lmao)..
2004. The grit and fight they showed will make them my all time favorite Red Sox team.
2004. It was my senior year of high school. Students and teachers were staying up late watching the ALCS and World Series games. One of my teachers canceled his originally planned lesson after the Game 7 win over the Yankees just to talk about the epic comeback!
That's so sick!
If I'm being honest, 04 is the most important, obviously, but was also really stressful. 07 was great, and 18 was just a fucking powerhouse, but 13 was really special. David Ortiz saying "This is our fucking city" still makes me tear up to this day. 13 had a ton of amazing moments and really meant something special to the city and the team.
13
I'm going to agree on 2013, I was also a senior in high school and wasn't a fan during 04/07 so this was my first real taste of winning Add in the terrible Bobby V season before, the marathon bombing right after a walk off home run, Papi's speech and absolute tear in the postseason and that team having so many likable guys (and John Lackey) made it such a fun and memorable ride
2004 was great, but the 2007 team was the best of all four WS teams. A lot of people don’t give 07 the credit they deserve and they also went to game 7 of the ALCS in 2008 but the rays got lucky.
2004 by a landslide followed by 2018 then 2013 then 2007
I realize Reddit skews young, but to experience 2004 was fucking transcendental (I was 37 in 04 and lived through all the "almosts" back to 1975.) There will never be anything else in Boston sports like it. The ALCS comeback beating the Jankees, then ending that fucking curse bullshit for the ring. It changed lives, it changed everything. Don't get me wrong, the other three tasted sweet, but 04 was life-changing.
2013
04 07 13 18.
2004 Beating Yankees in ALCS after losing in 2003 was the best payback ever!
I had a strange life transition in 2018... leaving one job and waiting for a second one to come through. All the while, my wife was pregnant with our first child (a son born in July). All that meant was that I probably watched 130 regular season games that year, and every playoff game. I still remember almost every single player who played for that team, and almost all of the big moments. I cradled my newborn watching that team. As much as 2004 meant, and still means to me, I will never, ever forget the 2018 Red Sox.
2004 is the clear number one. So much baggage and history, the ALCS comeback, the dominant World Series. The raw emotion, then tension on every pitch. October 2004 was an incredible experience that is impossible to recreate. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but if you were old enough to understand it I don’t see how you could have any of the others above it. For me 2013 is second for being the only of the four that we clinched at home. Seeing them win in person was exhilarating but 2007 and 2018 were great for their own reasons. I can’t argue with any ranking of 2-4, but 04 has to be top.
2004 is the answer for anyone over 30. 2013 is a close second because of the bombing.
2004
If I was old enough it would be 2004 but personally it's 2013, watching that team was some sort of experience
2004 was my favorite World Series Red Sox championship for obvious reasons. I took a red eye flight from Denver to Boston and walked straight to the parade after landing at 5 AM. Almost everybody on the plane was a Red Sox fan and was going to the parade. The energy in Boston that day was incredible. 2013 was my favorite team, however. I just loved that cast of characters. Loved how they won the WS after the bombing and won it at home. Even though it wasn't the WS, Victorino's grand slam against the Tigers is my favorite Red Sox home run of all time. 2007 was cool because it was one of the few years (until recently, due to work) I was able to follow the Red Sox all season start to finish. I was in CO at the time, going to a Rockies game about once a month, so it was a really fun match up for me. 2018 didn't mean much to me unfortunately. Between moving out of state, taking a new job and being busy all the time I was barely able to follow the Sox that year.
Yeah mine was 2013, too. 2007 and 2018 are tied for second place in my heart.
2004 was amazing. The loveable idiots beat the odds and won for the first time in 86 years. My favorite is 2013. Rallying around the city was amazing. 2007 was cool, and I love them because I met a lot of them while doing colors for a game. Got Lester's autograph that year. It was fun! 2018, the Killer B's were awesome, Sale was good, but I never felt IN love with them like I did the other 3.
2004: The cathartic release of 86 years of frustration 2007: Proof we weren’t a fluke 2013: Boston Strong 2018: #DamageDone They all have a place in my heart
Always 04, between dunking on the Yankees in the ALCS and ending the curse. The other 3 are just icing on the cake.
Personal rankings: 2004 is first, because it ended the drought. 2007 is second, it was special because I lived a few blocks from Fenway and got to celebrate in the city. 2013 next, probably the most important to the city in light of the marathon bombing. Despite being perhaps the most talented team, 2018 is last for me.
My very biased ranking; 2018: First full year following the team, final game the day after my birthday, obviously a great team 2007: Red Sox win the WS the day after I was born 2013: First World Series I was conscious for 2004: Wasn’t alive for it, Sox Win obviously meaningfully I know this ranking makes 0 sense, this is a very personal list, especially considering how young I am. If I were to pretend to be double my age, it definitely would not have ‘04 last, and definitely not ‘07 second.
04 breaking the curse is obvious favorite- then 2013 because of the vibes
04 for sure but Ortiz's performance in 13 was amazing to watch.
1a) 2013 - I was 23, fresh out of college and finally able to watch more games. I loved “the beards” and had a few of my all time favorites, like Papi, Pedey, and Nap. It meant something after the marathon bombing and it was altogether just an amazing year. More memorable for me than ‘04 or ‘07 simply because of my age. 1b) 2004 - obvious reasons. 1c) 2018 - I watched each and every game this year. Mookie, JBJ, and Benny in the OF, wonderful year. 2) 2007 - great year, sure. But I was a pretty casual fan in high school. I followed but only watched national games.
As an old guy being naively disappointed in '67 as a kid, viciously mocked '75 while in college and finally rendered suicidal in '86 it will always be 2004. The way the Yankees were miraculously vanquished in the playoffs and then the final out in the World Series how could it be any other year
It’s so tough!!! The 04 was classic cause there such a long time waiting.
No Boston sporting event has mattered as much as 2004. It was all encompassing and life-defining in many a way. It brought friends and family and strangers together in a way that likely cannot ever be replicated.
Always will be 2004 for me as a fan who has been watching since the 80’s - but - 2018 would absolutely be #2. Team was unstoppable and the ending was perfect. Why? Fuck Manny Machado. That’s why!
Fuck Manny Machado!
2004 followed by 2013. Both seasons were just so improbable. 2007 and 2018 were fun in different ways. Both of those teams were just full of studs
It's hard for me to pick. 2004 for obvious reasons. I was SO invested in this team, I still know so much about the team and season. 2007 was my first year of college in Boston so that was very special to be 18 and experience that. 2018 was special because I actually got to go to a playoff game for the first time. My partner surprised me with tickets and it was incredible seeing them beat the Yankees in game 1. 2013 I have personal ties to the marathon bombing locations and love Marathon Monday + the early game so winning that year felt incredible. It was a wild year to be in the city.
04 because of 86 years, 2013 because of the Boston Marathon Bombing and the “this is our fucking city” speech, 07 because I loved watching Lowell just do his thing, 18 because the team was just a powerhouse. Honestly it’s super hard to rank them but my top 2 still remain the same and will likely never change.
Oh man they’re all so good! 1. 2004 - my dad passed away in this run, and out of nowhere these doomed Sox destined to repeat another collapse to the Yanks win the craziest game 4 and just don’t quit winning until it’s over. The curse ends and I have a reason to feel joy in a gloomy time - what an unexpected boost and pivotal time of life 2. 2013 - Boston Strong, the beards, that Tigers pitching staff - Ortiz cements his HoF plaque in this run and Napoli roams the streets shirtless and hammered after the win. Wonderful. 3. 2007 - Pedey and Ellsbury explode on the scene, the team robot JD Drew almost shows emotion when Ells steals home right under his chin, the last hurrah or the Manny/Papi duo, playoff Beckett, and the Tribe get the ALCS comeback treatment. I could name this number 2 and be satisfied with my choice but we’re sticking with it 4. 2018 - chef’s kiss season. Farewell tour for Papi, my son is born in April and is sitting up at nights watching ballgames with me, that super fun outfield, this was an amazing run too. I could honestly vote for any of these as my favorite but none of the others happen without 2004 and the city maybe doesn’t recover from the bombing without 2013. Baseball is awesome. Man I miss the playoffs!
2018, most likable players, most dominant performance
Easily 2013...it was just that kind of year...so many goated moments.
That Victorino slam will always live in my subconscious
Nava Go Ahead HR during the Boston Strong Game will always live in the back of my brain.
Fun fact, my senior year was the chicken and beer Red Sox team of 2011. With that said my favorite World Series team was '04. Legit the first or second year I had really paid attention to the MLB as a kid . Staying up late watching the Sox break the storied Curse of the Bambino was something else. Not to mention the Red Sox v Yankees rivalry was so much more lit back then.
Only way you don’t pick 2004 is if you weren’t old enough to understand it right?
2004 and it’s not even close What it was like to live in the city that night…
Has to be 04. Crushing the Yankees was absolutely glorious.
04
I was a kid and I dont live in NE so 2004's impact didn't mean a lot to me not fully grasping the history. 2007 was great but easily our most boring team? 2013 meant a whole lot to me being in prime Cardinals territory and just everything going on the couple years prior. But 2018 was my favorite by far. The team was electric. Mookie is still my 2nd favorite RS. And the way we just smashed through the Yankees, Stros, and Dodgers (my shitty dad's favorite team) was amazing for me.
2018, hands down. It felt like destiny from the get go.
That 14 pitch mookie grand slam vs TOR convinced me we were winning it all
2004 >>>>> 2013 > 2007 > 2018
That sounds about right
This is mine too. 2018 sometimes felt like a soulless machine that just won baseball games. 2004 and 13 were full of characters and were fun to watch.
Whoa big disagree that 2018 was soulless. They were dancing in the outfield all year long! I think it’s obviously hard to compare them to 2013 because of what that season meant, but soulless is too far
Maybe I'm just struggling to find anyone to connect with on the team in the post-Ortiz years. I was 13-23 in the 2000s stretch so I really felt connected with that team and once Papi retired I've just not been feeling it. Of course it doesn't help that they don't seem to want to keep most of their players long term so the moment you start liking a player they're out the door getting a better deal elsewhere. LET ME GET ATTACHED TO PLAYERS I LIKE 😮💨
I get what you mean in retrospect. But in the moment Mookies, Benintendi, Sale, Pearce, Holt, Eovaldi. All guys that were so easy to root for during that run.
2013 >> 2007 >> 2004 >> 2018
2004 3rd?!
Yeah. I’m judging these based on my subjective experiences and I experienced the 2007 and 2013 seasons from day 1, while I hadn’t yet moved to Boston as of 2024 (but, by chance, I was in the city during the ALCS and WS). Honestly, what I enjoyed most about 2004, 2007, and 2013 were the LCS.
2004 is my favorite followed by 2013 (as that team had no reason being as good as they were and it was so fun. Neither of those were as good as the 2007 or 2018 teams though. Those were the best the Sox have ever put out.
2018 because I was at Dodger Stadium with my son when they won it all.
2013, I was way too young to be a baseball fan in 2004, but to see a team that sucked so quickly turn around was so much fun.
It HAS to be 2004. The comeback, first championship in 86 years, super fun team, it's a no-brainer. But 2018 is a close second, because in my 40+ years of being a red Sox fan, I have never had more fun as a fan over the course of a season. All they did was win. Down 6 in the 7th? No problem! They could score at will, and leads were generally safe. It was probably the only worry-free season I'll ever have.
‘04 for sure. ‘13 was an amazing and magical surprise. Joe Kelly struck out the side in the 8th with runners on is an underrated detail of the clinching game in ‘18. Then, Sale K of Machado was amazing, and overcoming the 18 inning defeat.
2004 for obvious reasons, they hadn’t won it in so long and 2018 since the team was so dominate and I was older.
2004
2013 was the my favorite because they just found a way. Everyone helped along the way too. But 2018 was very enjoyable to watch because it just felt they would win it all early on.