Lynch: The poorest World Series ever
From SABR member Mike Lynch at The National Pastime Museum on January 23, 2014:
When the Boston Red Sox defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2013 World Series, Beantown witnessed something it hadn’t seen since 1918 — a Fall Classic championship won on its home soil.
The Red Sox broke the supposed “Curse of the Bambino” in 2004, ending an 86-year championship drought, and swept the Cards in four games but won the Series in St. Louis. They did it again in 2007, this time sweeping the Colorado Rockies, but won the final game in Denver.
When they won Game 6 of the 2013 Series, they did so at Fenway Park in front of 38,447 rabid fans, with thousands more lining the streets of The Fens, and the capital of Red Sox Nation went crazy for the first time since the Wilson administration.
The days following the victory were filled with parades, duck boats, reveling, speeches and tributes to the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings. It was a far cry from the 1918 Series, which saw only 15,000 fans attend the final game and players collecting the worst payoffs ever. In fact, they almost were playing for free — and almost went on strike by way of protest.
Read the full article here: http://www.thenationalpastimemuseum.com/article/poorest-world-series-ever
Originally published: January 23, 2014. Last Updated: January 23, 2014.