Red Sox Break Jinx, Sweep Cards In World Series

It was 86 years in the making and it came at the Cardinals’ expense. The Red Sox beat the Redbirds 3-0 on Wednesday night to complete a four-game sweep of St. Louis and win their first World Series title since 1918. Johnny Damon set the tone for Boston, by leading off with a home run in the first inning. Trot Nixon’s two-run double in the third inning completed the scoring for the night. Red Sox starter Derek Lowe was in command, allowing no runs off three hits. Jason Marquis was stuck with the loss, allowing all three runs. Marquis, like Jeff Suppan the night before, got no help from his teammates. St. Louis went 8-for-59 and scored just one run—a Larry Walker home run—in Games 3 and 4 at Busch Stadium. Scott Rolen and Jim Edmonds were a combined 1-for-30 with one RBI during the World Series. Manny Ramirez was named World Series MVP—he hit .412, with a homer and four RBI’s. Surprisingly, Ramirez also had some crucial plays in the field. He threw Larry Walker out at the plate in Game 3 to end a Cardinal rally. For Tony LaRussa, the loss means a spot in the record books. LaRussa is now the only manager to have been swept in two different World Series—his Oakland A’s in 1990 lost the first four to the Cincinnati Reds.