ST. LOUIS, United States (AFP) - Boston Red Sox players and their devoted fans have spent decades wondering what their emotions would be after the seemingly cursed club won a World Series title for the first time since 1918.
Now they will finally know.
The Red Sox snapped an 86-year drought here Wednesday, blanking St. Louis 3-0 to finish a four-game sweep of Major League Baseball`s best-of-seven final. Instead of contemplating a curse-free future, the Red Sox made it a reality.
"We always wondered how that would feel. We will get the chance to find out," Red Sox pitcher Derek Lowe said. "It`s going to hit home in a week when we all get home and realize what we have done."
Lowe became the first pitcher in baseball history to win the last game in all three playoff rounds, forever banishing the Curse of the Bambino - a jinx dating to the 1919 sale of Babe Ruth to the rival New York Yankees.
"We weren`t alive back then," Red Sox leadoff hitter Johnny Damon said. "Some of our grandparents weren`t even alive. We didn`t care about it. We knew we were able to do something about it."
The Red Sox became the first team in playoff history to win eight games in a row and only the fourth team in 100 World Series to win without ever trailing.
"We reversed the curse," Red Sox pitcher Alan Embree said. "I`m am happy for the people of Boston."
A parade along the streets of Boston is set for Saturday. Mayor Thomas Menino said he expects between 3 1/2 to 5 million people to watch the "Rolling Rally", which will begin at Fenway Park and continue without stopping.
Together with New England`s American football championship last February, Boston joins New York from 1969 and Pittsburgh from 1979 as the only city to claim World Series and Super Bowl winners in the same year.
The Patriots` rally drew a crowd of 1.2 million people.
"I`m very sure this is the best Christmas gift any Bostonian could get," said Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez.
The curse-breaker came four days before Halloween and 18 years to the day after Boston lost the 1986 Series, the most heartbreaking failure of the run because the Red Sox were one out from a title before losing game six when a ground ball rolled between the legs of first baseman Bill Buckner.
Among the signs in the joyous throng of Red Sox fans here was one that read, "We forgive Buckner." For Sox fans, it was a happy ending to a draining drama.
"It`s wonderful for them. They have endured a lot of heartache," said Boston pitcher Tim Wakefield.
"I don`t think words can describe what this means to them," Red Sox standout Jason Varitek said. "There are a lot of people who are going to be able to die happy now."
How long was the wait? In 1918, World War I ended, Nelson Mandela was born and a worldwide flu outbreak killed 25 million people. The World Series was played in September due to the war and players nearly walked out over low pay.
In the past 86 years, more than 140,000 major league games were played, although a labor dispute wiped out the 1994 World Series.
Since 1918, 78 other North American clubs have won major team sport titles and 60 former Red Sox had won World Series crowns with other clubs.
10/29/2004 - 17:24 GMT - AFP