The '''Boston Red Sox''' are a Major League Baseball team in the American League. The team competes in the Eastern Division of the American League. Its stadium, Fenway Park, opened on April 20, 1912, making it the oldest major league ballpark still in operation. The Red Sox won the first World Series as the Boston Americans in 1903 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. They won the World Series again in 2004, ending an 86-year drought.
Franchise history
Deadball era championship teams
left|thumb|300px|Crowd outside the 1903 World Series.
After the 1900 season, the minor American League led by Ban Johnson declared its equality with the National League, then the only major league. Competing in the streets, the rival placed franchises in two of the largest and most important National League cities, Philadelphia and Boston. The Boston Americans, as they were often called, finished second and third before capturing their first pennant in 1903 and repeating next year. Those teams were led by manager and star third baseman Jimmy Collins and by pitcher Cy Young, whose 1901 to 1904 seasons rank among the best four-year runs ever. In addition, the Americans received significant contributions from outfielders Chick Stahl, Buck Freeman and Patsy Dougherty. In 1903, the Americans participated in the first modern World Series, beating the favored Pittsburgh Pirates five games to three. The Pirates, with such stars as Honus Wagner, Fred Clarke, and Deacon Phillippe, had run away with the National League pennant, winning it by six and a half games. But the Americans, aided by the modified chants of "Tessie" by the Royal Rooters fan club and by its stronger pitching staff, managed to overcome the odds, winning the first ever World Series.thumb|200px|The Red Sox Logo used in 1908, when they were simply known as "Boston".
The Americans’ 1904 season was almost as good as the previous season, but due to the surprise emergence of the New York Highlanders, the Americans found themselves in a tight pennant race through the last games of the season. A predecessor to what would become a storied rivalry, this race featured such controversial moves as the trade of Patsy Dougherty to the Highlanders for Bob Unglaub. However, perhaps the climax of the season occurred on the last, dramatic doubleheader at the Highlanders’ home stadium, Hilltop Park. In order to win the pennant, the Highlanders needed to win both games. With their 41-game winning ace Jack Chesbro on the mound, the Highlanders seemed to have a good chance of winning the first game. However, with the score tied 2-2 with a man on third in the top of the ninth, a spitball got
