My family appeared in Netflix’s Boston Red Sox documentary series The Comeback

The Return: 2004 Boston Red Sox is one of Netflix’s new October releases and chronicles the Red Sox victory in the 2004 World Series and the end of the infamous Curse of the Bambino. When my aunt, grandmother and father realized they had a brief appearance in The returnthey were amazed, as Bostonians and longtime Red Sox fans. My father’s side of the family has been in the Boston area since the late 1800s, so to say that the Curse of the Bambino was personal to my family would be a huge understatement.

Although I was barely out of elementary school when the Boston Red Sox finally beat the curse, I remember well the energy surrounding that victory. My house used to be divided, split between supporting the Red Sox, the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Baltimore Orioles. No matter what team we were rooting for, one rule about baseball became very clear as a kid: we didn’t like the Yankees. I still didn’t understand the magnitude of this rivalry, but Comeback, which could easily be considered one of the best sports documentaries on Netflix, is a wonderful exploration of this story.

The baby curse was very real for Boston fans

Boston’s 86-year battle to defeat the Yankees was no small feat

It is said that the Curse of the Bambino began with the Boston Red Sox’s fateful decision to trade baseball legend Babe Ruth (whose nickname was Bambino – among many others) to the Yankees. The trade took place between late 1919 and early 1920. This was a truly shocking move by the Red Sox and one that, even at the time, many felt made little sense.

With Babe Ruth on their team, the Red Sox brought home several World Series victories, in 1915, 1916, and 1918. This was in addition to the Red Sox’ World Series victories in 1903 and 1912, before Ruth joined the team. in 1915. Given his history with Ruth, it was a surprise that the Red Sox made this move.

It was believed that the Curse came along with this trade, which is why the curse was named after Ruth. After 1918, the Red Sox did not win another World Series until 2004. (which is the focus The return). The Yankees, on the other hand, have won a shocking 27 World Series titles, many of which were during the same years that the Red Sox had their 86-year drought. To make matters worse, the Red Sox often struggled to beat the Yankees, even in games less important than Game 7 of the American League Championship Series (ALCS).

It is important to note that not all Bostonians actually believed in this superstition. For some, the Curse of the Bambino was only mentioned sarcastically after a loss to the Yankees. As my father said:

“The curse wasn’t something I really believed in, but it seemed impossible for the Red Sox to keep it together, even in great years with great teams. Then I started thinking it was possibly a thing.”

Given that the curse lasted nearly a century, it’s not that difficult to imagine why Bostonians’ logic would change. The Red Sox’s brutal 2003 loss to the Yankees, also depicted in The returnconsolidated this even further.

The Red Sox reached Game 7 of the ALCS that year and only needed one more victory to clinch a spot in the 2003 World Series and end the curse by defeating the Yankees. It ended up being a disastrous game. After being projected to win by a very large margin, former Red Sox manager Grady Little was unable to take pitcher Pedro Martínez out of the game long after many felt he was tired. Fans continue to blame Little for the loss, and he was fired after the game.

The Garciaparra trade in 2004 was truly shocking

Nomar Garciaparra’s departure from the Red Sox felt like history repeating itself

The year the Red Sox finally won the World Series after defeating the Yankees in the ALCS, the team made another controversial commercial decision, this time with beloved player Nomar Garciaparra. For many Bostonians, this felt like history repeating itself in the worst way. My father explained:

“Given that the ‘curse’ began with the Babe Ruth trade, every time a great player was traded, like Nomar, it felt like the same mistakes all over again.”

The return also highlights this event in great detail and the anguish that many inside and outside the team in Boston felt following this news.

In fact, this was directly linked to the moment my family members appear on the screen in The returnholding a sign that says “Garciaparra for president.” In addition to being an emotional moment for my family that took everyone by surprise, this signal represents the general sentiment towards Garciaparra at the time, which had major implications for this trade. It looked like the Red Sox had made a bad move, creating problems for the future, but obviously, the opposite proved to be true.

The Red Sox’s 2004 World Series victory changed Boston forever

The baby curse was officially broken in 2004

The Red Sox finally defeated the Yankees and won the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals in 2004. As in 2003, the Red Sox faced the Yankees and reached Game 7. This time, however, they learned from the previous year’s mistakes and took home the victory. They also got a clean sweep against the Cardinals, winning four consecutive World Series games.

To say there was fanfare in Boston following these victories would be a significant understatement.. The return documents well how electric the feeling was in the city, with fans lining the streets to cheer on the Red Sox buses as they headed home. Both my father and grandmother remember this momentous occasion well.

My dad called it “one of the most exciting sporting moments in [his] life.” My grandmother also explained:

“That was 20 years ago and my memory is clear. I’ve never seen so much emotion at Fenway. The memories still give me goosebumps today. It was worth the wait.”

Like many in The returnfor my grandmother, it was like a family victory. In the documentary series, clips of tombstones covered with memorabilia from the World Series champions were shown alongside interviews with Bostonians who spoke about what this victory meant to their families. For my grandmother, the victory was equally profound. She said:

“The 2004 World Series was truly the greatest moment in Red Sox history. I was raised my entire life as part of Red Sox Nation. My parents applauded them years before I ever heard of Babe Ruth. The only song my father knew how to play on the piano was ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame’, which we unfortunately heard after every defeat! My mom celebrated, which I was grateful for.”

Based on my own family history, it’s amazing how The return captured the experience of the Curse of the Bambino and the 2004 victory. There have been other documentaries about this World Series over the years, including the well-known 2004 film The reverse of the Curse of the Bambino. The Return: 2004 Boston Red Sox it’s truly a standout among the rest – and not just because my family shows up.