The 2004 Boston Red Sox were one of the most well-rounded teams in baseball history.
This team accomplished something that no Red Sox team had accomplished in nearly a century.
After 86 years, the Red Sox finished off the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series to break the so-called “Curse of the Bambino.”
No longer was the city or the team haunted by the sale of Babe Ruth.
Several stars made their mark during the ’04 season, especially during the postseason.
One such star was second baseman Mark Bellhorn.
On Twitter, a Red Sox analyst reminded fans of Bellhorn and his heroics in the postseason.
Name a Red Sox player who was only with the team for a short time but had a big impact (on you or the team).
I will start: pic.twitter.com/VCqQrUyXgR
—Red (@SurvivingGrady) February 8, 2023
Bellhorn had been quiet in the Red Sox’s ALDS victory over the Los Angeles Angels, hitting just .091.
Things weren’t much better in the ALCS against the New York Yankees, but he turned it up a notch later in the series when the Red Sox were in the midst of their epic comeback from a 3-0 deficit.
With the team leading by a run in Game 6 and still trailing the series 3-2, Bellhorn broke the game open with a three-run homer that put the Red Sox in the driver’s seat and proved to be the difference.
With Game 7 already well out of hand, Bellhorn went deep again and helped the Red Sox complete a 10-3 blowout victory over the Yankees.
However, his biggest moment came in Game 1 of the World Series.
The Red Sox and Cardinals had traded punches in the game, and St. Louis had rallied from a large deficit to tie the game at nine.
But after an error, Bellhorn came to the plate and took Cardinals reliever Julian Tavarez deep to put Boston ahead 11-9, where they would stay to pick up their first win of the series.
Several stars graced the Red Sox in 2004, and Bellhorn was one of many that often goes underappreciated.
