Remembering the 2004 World Series at Fenway with My Dad

If you were lucky enough to see any of the 2004 World Series at Fenway, you probably have quite the story to tell. I know I do.

October of 2004 was a roller coaster, a series of sleepless nights, a euphoric blur. I watched the messy start to the ALCS at a bar in Worcester. I landed at Logan on a flight home from Philly just in time to witness the Sox vanquish the Yankees in Game 7.

My buddy Mat gave me the play-by-play over the phone as I made my way off the plane and through the terminal. Once the game went final, I called my dad immediately. Cliffy is the biggest Sox fan I know. And little did we know, we were about to share a big Sox moment.

My brother-in-law Kevin worked for Capital One in '04. They were an MLB sponsor, so he ended up with a pair of tickets to Game 1 and Game 2 at Fenway Park. He was planning on flying to Boston from his home in Richmond to take me to a game and his sister--my wife, Meghan--to a game.

Then something strange yet wonderful happened.

Kevin couldn't make the trip. He overnighted the tickets to us. Meghan, not being much of a baseball fan or a Red Sox fan, said: "why don't you take your dad to a game and your brother to a game? I don't need to sit outside in the cold in October." Selfless. Generous. Iconic.

20 years on, the moments from that magical night of October 23, 2004 reside in my mind like faded Polaroids. My dad and I making our way through the crowded concourse to our seats in the Grandstand. Papi's first inning bomb. The Bellhorn homer clanging off of Pesky's Pole.

But the clearest memory? My dad repeatedly turning to me in his seat, grabbing my leg or my shoulder, looking me right in the eye and saying: "We're at the World Series!" with the pure, unbridled joy of a young child taking in their first Fenway game as a Red Sox fan.

I was back at Fenway on the 24th for Game 2 with my brother Nate. Another all-timer, another Red Sox win. The memories for that one were even fuzzier, though. Must've been those ice cold beers we were crushing in between innings.

October of 2004 was the pinnacle for generations of Red Sox fans. And thanks to the generosity of my brother-in-law and wife at the time, the 2004 World Series at Fenway is a core memory for me, Cliffy, and Nate. A heartfelt thanks to all of them, and to you for reading this. Go Sox.

Fred Toucher and Jon Wallach went head-to-head in this 2004 Red Sox Players contest. Find out which Sports Hub seamhead won and play along.

We're kicking the nostalgia machine into overdrive this week as we mark the 20-year anniversary of the 2004 World Series Champion Boston Red Sox. There's even a new Nexflix docuseries called The Comeback that celebrates the storied team.

I can't wait to dig into the doc. I was lucky enough to get into Fenway Park for Game 1 and Game 2 of the '04 Series. Jon Wallach was as well. Perhaps we'll tell our stories on the show later this week, as we look back on those magical October days, 20 years on.

In an effort to shoehorn some '04 Red Sox talk into the show, I devised a fun game for the hosts to play. Jon Wallach is as big of a Red Sox fan as they come. And Freddy T loves his St. Louis Cardinals. So I decided to pit the two and their baseball acumen against each another.

I gave Hardy a list of players from the '04 Sox and '04 Cards rosters. Not star players. Bench guys. Bullpen guys. Mid-season acquisitions. Fred had to say if the Cardinals players appeared in the World Series. Jon had to do the same with the Sox. Only one man was triumphant.

If you'd like to play, too, don't listen to the podcast. Yet. Below, you'll find the five Sox players we quizzed Jon on. Scroll down nice and slow and see if you can say if they made the '04 World Series roster. Then, come back up and see if it's Fred or Wallach that won the day!

Did the Red Sox OF defensive replacement play in the '04 World Series?

YES! He appeared in all four games and, as Jon Wallach pointed out, was on the field for the final out. Can you find him in the scrum above?

Did the ex-Cincinatti Red put his Red Sox on in the '04 Fall Classic?

YES! Pokey played all four games, pinch-running and subbing in for Mark Bellhorn at 2B.

Did the man responsible for "The Steal" make the Series roster?

NO! Ironically, the man who saved the season did not appear in the Series.

Did the brash Red Sox rookie make it to the end of October?

NO! Youk had to wait until '07 to make his World Series debut?

Did the journeyman arm pitch in to the Sox '04 World Series run?

NO! Curt's ALCS heroics weren't enough to land him a spot on the roster.