The Curse II
		July 17, 1920: As a member of the Yankees Ruth breaks the single-season home run record he set with the Red Sox with Nos. 30 and 31 against the Chicago White Sox. 1920-1921: In his first two seasons as an outfielder and first baseman with the Yankees, Ruth hits 109 home runs and averages .847 slugging percentage. 1923-1932: The Red Sox finish last every year but two and, in 1932, lose 111 games. The Yankees win four titles during this span and Ruth sets a new home run record, with 60, in 1927. The record will stand for 34 years. Oct. 15, 1946: In its first World Series appearance since 1918, Boston loses in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals. Though many saw it differently, Boston shortstop Johnny Pesky is vilified for holding onto a relay throw as St. Louis's Enos Slaughter races home from first to score the series-winning run with two outs in the eighth inning. Ted Williams bats .200 with five singles in the series. Oct. 12, 1967: One year removed from a ninth-place finish in 1966, "The Impossible Dream" Red Sox -- after winning the pennant on the last day of a magical season -- lose a seven-game World Series to Bob Gibson (three complete-game wins) and the St. Louis Cardinals. March 22, 1972: Red Sox trade pitcher Sparky Lyle to the Yankees for first baseman Danny Cater. In a Yankees uniform, Lyle goes 57-40 with 141 saves. Cater plays three seasons in a Sox uniform -- 211 games -- and bats .262 with 14 home runs. Oct. 22, 1975: Boston coughs up a 3-0 lead in Game 7 to lose the World Series to the Big Red Machine. Oct. 2, 1978: The Red Sox, who held a 14-game lead on the Yankees in late-July and trailed by 3 1/2 with eight to play, catch up to force this one-game playoff for the AL pennant. Down 2-0 in the seventh, Bucky Dent -- who was batting .140 in his previous 20 games and had only four home runs on the year -- takes a 1-1 Mike Torrez pitch barely over the Green Monster for a 3-2 lead. The Yankees go on to win the game 5-4 and, one series later, their 22nd championship title. Oct. 25, 1986: Maybe you've seen it. "Slow roller down the ..." You know the rest. One strike away from their first World Series title, the Sox blow it in the 10th inning. Oct. 27, 1986: Boston coughs up a 3-0 lead in Game 7 to lose the World Series to the Mets. July 29, 1988: Boston trades Brady Anderson and Curt Schilling for righthander Mike Boddicker. Anderson is would hit 50 home runs in 1996 and is still a productive major league centerfielder, while Schilling remains one of the best power pitchers in baseball, with two 300-strikeout seasand 99 career wins. Boddicker went 29-22 with the Red Sox and started only 18 games with Kansas City and Milwaukee after the 1991 season. Sept. 9, 1988: Oakland sweeps Boston in the ALCS. Former Red Sox pitcher Dennis Eckersley saves all four games and earns the series MVP. Oct. 10, 1990: Umpire Terry Cooney ejects Roger Clemens in the second inning of Game 4 of the ALCS and Boston falls to the A's in another ALCS sweep. Oct. 3, 1995: In baseball's longest postseason game (5 hours, one minute), former Red Sox catcher Tony Pena hits the game-winning home run in the 13th inning to give Cleveland a victory in Game 1 of the Division Series. Three days later, the Indians sweep Boston after sluggers Mo Vaughn (the 1995 AL MVP) and Jose Canseco go hitless in 27 combined at bats. Boston's consecutive playoff winless streak increases to 11 games. Oct. 13, 1999: In Game 1 of the historic ALCS, umpire Rick Reed's blown call in the top of the 10th turns Boston's men-on-first-and-third-with-no-outs into a man on first and one out. Brian Daubach grounds into an inning-ending double play to end the threat and Bernie Williams hits a walkoff homer in the bottom of the 11th to give the Yankees a 1-0 series lead. Oct. 17, 1999: After shelling Clemens in Game 3, the Red Sox disintegrate in Game 4. The game features another blown call and an embarrassing meltdown by the fans at Fenway, who watch the Yankees take a 3-1 series lead. "It's like we're being cheated out there," Darren Lewis says after the game. Two days later the Yankees end Boston's 81st consecutive season without a title. Oct. 27, 1999: The Yankees close out the century by winning their 25th title. Clemens pitches in the World Series finale and earns his first championship ring.
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