Fall for St. Louis; Classic for Boston

BOSTON — Getting to baseball’s biggest stage had never been the Boston Red Sox’ strong suit. Generations passed without World Series appearances. Seasons were too often marred by misfortune, blunders, collapses — an 86-year curse.

Even though they recently won two titles — in a span of nine years — success has been so coveted that the Red Sox still greet the World Series with what seems like an unquenchable thirst. Entering Wednesday, they had not lost in eight straight World Series games, a streak dating to 2004. They had barely even trailed.

The streak never seemed threatened Wednesday night as they seized on multiple defensive miscues by the St. Louis Cardinals in the early innings and steamrollered to an 8-1 win in Game 1 at Fenway Park in front of a capacity crowd.

The Red Sox flipped the calendar back to 2007 — or maybe more like 2004, when they swept St. Louis as their Cowboy Up crew of misfits and mangy stars banded together in a memorable October run. Only one Red Sox player remains from that team (David Ortiz), but the ingredients are echoed in this year’s roster — not just with the players’ beards, either, but with their play.

Wednesday was the ninth anniversary of the beginning of that series, and in the lead-up to the game, figures like Curt Schilling, Pedro Martinez, Kevin Millar and Keith Foulke were around, in roles with the news media or just lingering. Boston trotted out other celebrated players from its history, too, like the Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski, who threw out the first pitch, and the former pitcher Luis Tiant, who delivered the game ball.

But as gray skies gave way to a brisk and hazy night, the Red Sox needed no help from their past.

From the start, the Red Sox put pressure on St. Louis’s ace, Adam Wainwright, who walked the leadoff hitter, Jacoby Ellsbury, on seven pitches. 

Read More: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/24/sports/baseball/boston-red-sox-beat-st-louis-cardinals-in-game-1-of-world-series.html