# 2004 Major League Baseball season

The 2004 Major League Baseball season ended when the Boston Red Sox defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in a four-game World Series sweep. The Red Sox championship ended an 86-year-long drought known as the Curse of the Bambino. The Red Sox were also the first team in MLB history and the third team from a major North American professional sports league ever to come back from a 3–0 postseason series deficit and win. This happened in the ALCS against the New York Yankees.
The Montreal Expos would play their last season in Montreal, before relocating to Washington DC, becoming the Washington Nationals in 2005.

## Statistical leaders

| Statistic | American League | American League | National League | National League |
| AVG | Ichiro Suzuki SEA | .372 | Barry Bonds SF | .362 |
| HR | Manny Ramírez BOS | 43 | Adrián Beltré LA | 48 |
| RBI | Miguel Tejada BAL | 150 | Vinny Castilla COL | 131 |
| Wins | Curt Schilling BOS | 21 | Roy Oswalt HOU | 20 |
| ERA | Johan Santana MIN | 2.61 | Jake Peavy SD | 2.27 |
| SO | Johan Santana MIN | 265 | Randy Johnson AZ | 290 |
| SV | Mariano Rivera NYY | 53 | Armando Benítez FLA Jason Isringhausen STL | 47 |
| SB | Carl Crawford TB | 59 | Scott Podsednik MIL | 70 |

## Standings
### American League

vteAL East :
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
| $^{(1)}$ New York Yankees | 101 | 61 | .623 | — | 57‍–‍24 | 44‍–‍37 |
| $^{(4)}$ Boston Red Sox | 98 | 64 | .605 | 3 | 55‍–‍26 | 43‍–‍38 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 78 | 84 | .481 | 23 | 38‍–‍43 | 40‍–‍41 |
| Tampa Bay Devil Rays | 70 | 91 | .435 | 30½ | 41‍–‍39 | 29‍–‍52 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 67 | 94 | .416 | 33½ | 40‍–‍41 | 27‍–‍53 |
vteAL Central :
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
| $^{(3)}$ Minnesota Twins | 92 | 70 | .568 | — | 49‍–‍32 | 43‍–‍38 |
| Chicago White Sox | 83 | 79 | .512 | 9 | 46‍–‍35 | 37‍–‍44 |
| Cleveland Indians | 80 | 82 | .494 | 12 | 44‍–‍37 | 36‍–‍45 |
| Detroit Tigers | 72 | 90 | .444 | 20 | 38‍–‍43 | 34‍–‍47 |
| Kansas City Royals | 58 | 104 | .358 | 34 | 33‍–‍47 | 25‍–‍57 |
vteAL West :
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
| $^{(2)}$ Anaheim Angels | 92 | 70 | .568 | — | 45‍–‍36 | 47‍–‍34 |
| Oakland Athletics | 91 | 71 | .562 | 1 | 52‍–‍29 | 39‍–‍42 |
| Texas Rangers | 89 | 73 | .549 | 3 | 51‍–‍30 | 38‍–‍43 |
| Seattle Mariners | 63 | 99 | .389 | 29 | 38‍–‍44 | 25‍–‍55 |

### National League

vteNL East :
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
| $^{(2)}$ Atlanta Braves | 96 | 66 | .593 | — | 49‍–‍32 | 47‍–‍34 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 86 | 76 | .531 | 10 | 42‍–‍39 | 44‍–‍37 |
| Florida Marlins | 83 | 79 | .512 | 13 | 42‍–‍38 | 41‍–‍41 |
| New York Mets | 71 | 91 | .438 | 25 | 38‍–‍43 | 33‍–‍48 |
| Montreal Expos | 67 | 95 | .414 | 29 | 35‍–‍45 | 32‍–‍50 |
vteNL Central :
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
| $^{(1)}$ St. Louis Cardinals | 105 | 57 | .648 | — | 53‍–‍28 | 52‍–‍29 |
| $^{(4)}$ Houston Astros | 92 | 70 | .568 | 13 | 48‍–‍33 | 44‍–‍37 |
| Chicago Cubs | 89 | 73 | .549 | 16 | 45‍–‍37 | 44‍–‍36 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 76 | 86 | .469 | 29 | 40‍–‍41 | 36‍–‍45 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 72 | 89 | .447 | 32½ | 39‍–‍41 | 33‍–‍48 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 67 | 94 | .416 | 37½ | 36‍–‍45 | 31‍–‍49 |
vteNL West :
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
| $^{(3)}$ Los Angeles Dodgers | 93 | 69 | .574 | — | 49‍–‍32 | 44‍–‍37 |
| San Francisco Giants | 91 | 71 | .562 | 2 | 47‍–‍35 | 44‍–‍36 |
| San Diego Padres | 87 | 75 | .537 | 6 | 42‍–‍39 | 45‍–‍36 |
| Colorado Rockies | 68 | 94 | .420 | 25 | 38‍–‍43 | 30‍–‍51 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 51 | 111 | .315 | 42 | 29‍–‍52 | 22‍–‍59 |

## Postseason

2004 was the last postseason until 2020 where both LCS went to 7 games.

### Bracket

| Division Series (ALDS, NLDS) | Division Series (ALDS, NLDS) | Division Series (ALDS, NLDS) | League Championship Series (NLCS, ALCS) | League Championship Series (NLCS, ALCS) | League Championship Series (NLCS, ALCS) | World Series | World Series | World Series |
| 1 | NY Yankees | 3 | | | | | | |
| 3 | Minnesota | 1 | | | | | | |
| 3 | Minnesota | 1 | 1 | NY Yankees | 3 | | | |
| American League | American League | American League | 1 | NY Yankees | 3 | | | |
| American League | American League | American League | 4 | Boston | 4 | | | |
| 2 | Anaheim | 0 | 4 | Boston | 4 | | | |
| 4 | Boston | 3 | | | | | | |
| 4 | Boston | 3 | | | | AL4 | Boston | 4 |
| | | | | | | NL1 | St. Louis | 0 |
| 1 | St. Louis | 3 | | | | | | | NL1 | St. Louis | 0 |
| 3 | Los Angeles | 1 | | | | | | |
| 3 | Los Angeles | 1 | 1 | St. Louis | 4 | | | |
| National League | National League | National League | 1 | St. Louis | 4 | | | |
| National League | National League | National League | 4 | Houston | 3 | | | |
| 2 | Atlanta | 2 | 4 | Houston | 3 | | | |
| 4 | Houston | 3 | | | | | | |
Note: Two teams in the same division could not meet in the division series.

## Managers
### American League

| Team | Manager | Comments |
| Anaheim Angels | Mike Scioscia | |
| Baltimore Orioles | Lee Mazzilli | |
| Boston Red Sox | Terry Francona | Won the World Series |
| Chicago White Sox | Ozzie Guillén | |
| Cleveland Indians | Eric Wedge | |
| Detroit Tigers | Alan Trammell | |
| Kansas City Royals | Tony Peña | |
| Minnesota Twins | Ron Gardenhire | |
| New York Yankees | Joe Torre | |
| Oakland Athletics | Ken Macha | |
| Seattle Mariners | Bob Melvin | |
| Tampa Bay Devil Rays | Lou Piniella | |
| Texas Rangers | Buck Showalter | |
| Toronto Blue Jays | John Gibbons | |

### National League

| Team | Manager | Comments |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | Bob Brenly | Replaced during the season by Al Pedrique |
| Atlanta Braves | Bobby Cox | |
| Chicago Cubs | Dusty Baker | |
| Cincinnati Reds | Dave Miley | |
| Colorado Rockies | Clint Hurdle | |
| Florida Marlins | Jack McKeon | |
| Houston Astros± | Jimy Williams | Replaced during the season by Phil Garner |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | Jim Tracy | |
| Milwaukee Brewers | Ned Yost | |
| Montreal Expos | Frank Robinson | |
| New York Mets | Art Howe | |
| Philadelphia Phillies | Larry Bowa | |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | Lloyd McClendon | |
| St. Louis Cardinals | Tony La Russa | Won the National League pennant |
| San Diego Padres | Bruce Bochy | |
| San Francisco Giants | Felipe Alou | |
±hosted the MLB All Star Game

## Milestones

The following players reached major milestones in 2004:

### Perfect game

Randy Johnson pitched the 17th perfect game in MLB history on May 18, 2004.

### 4000 strikeouts

Randy Johnson struck out Jeff Cirillo on June 29, 2004, for his 4000th strikeout.

### 500 Home Run Club

Ken Griffey Jr. – June 20

### 300 Wins Club

Greg Maddux – August 7, 2004

### Single-Season hits record broken

Ichiro Suzuki – 262 hits (broke George Sisler's 84-year-old record of 257)

### Walk-off home runs

There were a total of 80 walk-off home runs, which was then the MLB single-season record until 2018.

## Awards

Baseball Writers' Association of America Awards :
| BBWAA Award | National League | American League |
| Rookie of the Year | Jason Bay (PIT) | Bobby Crosby (OAK) |
| Cy Young Award | Roger Clemens (HOU) | Johan Santana (MIN) |
| Manager of the Year | Bobby Cox (ATL) | Buck Showalter (TEX) |
| Most Valuable Player | Barry Bonds (SF) | Vladimir Guerrero (ANA) |
| Gold Glove Awards |||||||||
| Position | National League | American League |
| Pitcher | Greg Maddux (CHC) | Kenny Rogers (TEX) |
| Catcher | Mike Matheny (STL) | Iván Rodríguez (DET) |
| 1st Base | Todd Helton (COL) | Darin Erstad (ANA) |
| 2nd Base | Luis Castillo (FLA) | Bret Boone (SEA) |
| 3rd Base | Scott Rolen (STL) | Eric Chavez (OAK) |
| Shortstop | Cesar Izturis (LA) | Derek Jeter (NYY) |
| Outfield | Andruw Jones (ATL) Jim Edmonds (STL) Steve Finley (AZ/LA) | Torii Hunter (MIN) Ichiro Suzuki (SEA) Vernon Wells (TOR) |
| Silver Slugger Awards |||||||||
| Position | National League | American League |
| Pitcher/Designated Hitter | Liván Hernández (MTL) | David Ortiz (BOS) |
| Catcher | Johnny Estrada (ATL) | Víctor Martínez (CLE) Iván Rodríguez (DET) |
| 1st Base | Albert Pujols (STL) | Mark Teixeira (TEX) |
| 2nd Base | Mark Loretta (SD) | Alfonso Soriano (TEX) |
| 3rd Base | Adrián Beltré (LA) | Melvin Mora (BAL) |
| Shortstop | Jack Wilson (PIT) | Miguel Tejada (BAL) |
| Outfield | Bobby Abreu (PHI) Barry Bonds (SF) Jim Edmonds (STL) | Vladimir Guerrero (ANA) Manny Ramirez (BOS) Gary Sheffield (NYY) |

### Other awards

* Edgar Martínez Award (Best designated hitter): David Ortiz (BOS)
* Hank Aaron Award: Manny Ramirez (BOS, American); Barry Bonds (SF, National).
* Roberto Clemente Award (Humanitarian): Edgar Martínez (SEA).
* Rolaids Relief Man Award: Mariano Rivera (NYY, American); Éric Gagné (LA, National).
* Warren Spahn Award (Best left-handed pitcher): Johan Santana (MIN)

### Player of the Month

| Month | American League | National League |
| April | Carlos Beltrán | Barry Bonds |
| May | Melvin Mora | Lance Berkman |
| June | Iván Rodríguez | Jim Thome |
| July | Mark Teixeira | Jim Edmonds |
| August | Ichiro Suzuki | Barry Bonds |
| September | Vladimir Guerrero | Adrián Beltré |

### Pitcher of the Month

| Month | American League | National League |
| April | Kevin Brown | Roger Clemens |
| May | Mark Buehrle | Jason Schmidt |
| June | Mark Mulder | Carl Pavano |
| July | Johan Santana | Russ Ortiz |
| August | Johan Santana | Jake Peavy |
| September | Johan Santana | Carlos Zambrano |

### Rookie of the Month

| Month | American League | National League |
| April | Gerald Laird | Khalil Greene |
| May | Kevin Youkilis | Terrmel Sledge |
| June | Bobby Crosby | Jason Bay |
| July | Robb Quinlan | Jason Bay |
| August | Frank Francisco | Khalil Greene |
| September | Ross Gload | Jason Bay |

## Home field attendance and payroll

| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game | Est. payroll | %± |
| New York Yankees | 101 | 0.0% | 3,775,292 | 8.9% | 46,609 | $184,193,950 | 20.6% |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 93 | 9.4% | 3,488,283 | 11.1% | 43,065 | $92,902,001 | −12.3% |
| Anaheim Angels | 92 | 19.5% | 3,375,677 | 10.3% | 41,675 | $100,534,667 | 27.2% |
| San Francisco Giants | 91 | −9.0% | 3,256,854 | −0.2% | 39,718 | $82,019,166 | −1.0% |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 86 | 0.0% | 3,250,092 | 43.8% | 40,125 | $93,219,167 | 31.7% |
| Chicago Cubs | 89 | 1.1% | 3,170,154 | 7.0% | 38,660 | $90,560,000 | 13.4% |
| Houston Astros | 92 | 5.7% | 3,087,872 | 25.8% | 38,122 | $75,397,000 | 6.1% |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 105 | 23.5% | 3,048,427 | 4.7% | 37,635 | $84,340,333 | 0.7% |
| San Diego Padres | 87 | 35.9% | 3,016,752 | 48.6% | 37,244 | $55,384,833 | 22.5% |
| Seattle Mariners | 63 | −32.3% | 2,940,731 | −10.0% | 35,863 | $81,515,834 | −6.3% |
| Boston Red Sox | 98 | 3.2% | 2,837,294 | 4.2% | 35,028 | $127,298,500 | 27.4% |
| Baltimore Orioles | 78 | 9.9% | 2,744,018 | 11.8% | 33,877 | $51,623,333 | −30.1% |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 51 | −39.3% | 2,519,560 | −10.2% | 31,106 | $69,780,750 | −13.5% |
| Texas Rangers | 89 | 25.4% | 2,513,685 | 20.0% | 31,033 | $55,050,417 | −46.8% |
| Colorado Rockies | 68 | −8.1% | 2,338,069 | 0.2% | 28,865 | $65,445,167 | −2.6% |
| Atlanta Braves | 96 | −5.0% | 2,327,565 | −3.1% | 28,735 | $90,182,500 | −15.1% |
| New York Mets | 71 | 7.6% | 2,318,951 | 8.3% | 28,629 | $102,035,970 | −12.9% |
| Cincinnati Reds | 76 | 10.1% | 2,287,250 | −2.9% | 28,238 | $46,915,250 | −21.0% |
| Oakland Athletics | 91 | −5.2% | 2,201,516 | −0.7% | 27,179 | $59,425,667 | 18.2% |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 67 | −1.5% | 2,062,382 | 21.3% | 25,462 | $27,528,500 | −32.2% |
| Chicago White Sox | 83 | −3.5% | 1,930,537 | −0.5% | 23,834 | $65,212,500 | 27.8% |
| Detroit Tigers | 72 | 67.4% | 1,917,004 | 40.1% | 23,667 | $46,832,000 | −4.8% |
| Minnesota Twins | 92 | 2.2% | 1,911,490 | −1.8% | 23,599 | $53,890,000 | −2.9% |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 67 | −22.1% | 1,900,041 | 5.6% | 23,457 | $50,017,000 | −2.4% |
| Cleveland Indians | 80 | 17.6% | 1,814,401 | 4.9% | 22,400 | $34,319,300 | −29.4% |
| Florida Marlins | 83 | −8.8% | 1,723,105 | 32.2% | 21,539 | $42,143,042 | −14.8% |
| Kansas City Royals | 58 | −30.1% | 1,661,478 | −6.7% | 20,768 | $47,609,000 | 17.5% |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 72 | −4.0% | 1,580,031 | −3.5% | 19,750 | $32,227,929 | −41.2% |
| Tampa Bay Devil Rays | 70 | 11.1% | 1,274,911 | 20.4% | 15,936 | $29,856,667 | 52.1% |
| Montreal Expos | 67 | −19.3% | 749,550 | −26.9% | 9,369 | $41,197,500 | −20.7% |

## Television coverage

This was the fourth season that national TV coverage was split between ESPN and Fox Sports. ESPN and ESPN2 aired selected weeknight and Sunday night games, and selected Division Series playoff games. Fox televised Saturday baseball, the All-Star Game, selected Division Series games, both League Championship Series, and the World Series.