Why the Curse of the Bambino lives on

After a championship dearth of 86 years, the Boston Red Sox won the World Series in 2004, and again in 2007 [edit: and again in 2013]. Curse reversed? Nope, no way - of course, I'll tell you why.

The Standard

Between 1903 and 1918, the Boston Red Sox had won more World Series Championships (five, in five appearances) than any other team in the league (Philadelphia appeared in five, winning three of them). Meanwhile, the Yankees had yet to even appear in a championship, let alone win one. 

Babe Ruth joined the Red Sox in 1915. They had already won two, and he helped them win three more by 1918.

The Red Sox were the elite, the standard of championship excellence in MLB.

Red Sox 5 - Yankees 0

And then Ruth was traded…to the Yankees.

The After Math

Within three seasons of the trade, the Yankees would win their first World Series Championship (1921). But they didn't "just win one." They "three-peated," winning in 1921, 1922 and 1923.

They repeated the feat, three-peating again in 1926, 1927 and 1928, and won one more time with Ruth in 1932.

Babe retired in 1935 with the Boston Braves, after winning seven championships with the Yankees, three with the Red Sox and putting up what many argue as the greatest baseball career ever.

And then, after Ruth retired, a funny thing happened to the Yankees…

They four-peated championship wins in 1936, '37, '38 and '39. Then they three-peated appearances from '41-'43, picked up championships in '41 and '43 sandwiching a loss in '42. The Red Sox actually made a World Series appearance in '46 losing to the Cardinals; but the Yankees answered by winning in '47 and then ripping off a five-peat (terrible word, I know, sorry about that, but it's still better than saying "back to back to back to back to...") of championships in '49, '50, '51, '52, and '53.

This rhythm would go on for another fifty years, eventually leading to the New York Yankees amassing 27 World Series Championships and becoming the winning-est franchise - not just in baseball, but in all North American team sport (Montreal Canadiens in the NHL are in second with 24 Stanley Cups).

The Yankees had become the standard of championship excellence.

As of the date of this post, the score is Red Sox 7 - Yankees 27

[edit: Red Sox won in 2013 over the Cardinals again, make it Red Sox 8 - Yankees 27]

As a matter of fact, Babe Ruth won 7 World Series Championships with the Yankees in the 15 years he spent with the Yankees, as many as the Red Sox in their entire franchise history. Add to that the three he won in Boston before the trade and Babe still has three two more Championships than the Red Sox franchise.  No player will ever be able to say he has more wins than the Yankees.

The Upshot

The Curse of the Bambino is more than just "the Boston Red Sox hadn't won a Championship since 1918" - entwined in the curse is the utter reversal of fortunes of two franchises to opposite ends of the spectrum, pivoting on the trade itself:

• the Red Sox didn't just not win for a long time – they fell from their perch as the standard of championship excellence in baseball; 

• conversely, the Yankees didn't just win a World Series with Babe Ruth –they went from a team that had never won to the team that would become the winning-est team in baseball during Babe's tenure, and continuing the winning ways over the next 90 years to become the winning-est team ever.

 

The Bottom Line

So, yes, sure, the Red Sox have won Championships in the last ten years. They've won two, just like the Toronto Blue Jays (oops, sorry, not "just like" the Blue Jays, who won consecutive championships in the early 90s). And, yes, the Red Sox have become perennial playoff contenders. They spend a lot of money and there is an expectation that they ought to be around and dangerous come playoff time. That's fine. Enjoy it, Red Sox fans.

It is even worth noting that the Red Sox in 2004 were down 0-3 to the Yankees before winning four straight games and then rolling on to sweep the Cardinals - yes, they won the World Series for the first time in 86 years, riding an eight-game win streak: a most dramatic and emphatic exclamation point on an emotional and historic Championship win. All due respect, by all means.

But, be that as it may, until they regain the position they lost, and once again become the winning-est team in baseball, and overtake the team that switched places with them (it will never be that the Yankees are the team with the fewest Championships in the league), the impact of the trade has not been, and will not ever be, reversed.

Sorry, but it is what it is.