In the 2004 postseason, Ortiz elevated his play to a new level. He had multiple game-winning hits to help Boston advance through the rounds. In the 2004 AL Division Series, he hit a series-winning walk-off home run off Jarrod Washburn in the 10th inning of Game 3 to knock out the Anaheim Angels. In the AL Championship Series against the New York Yankees, the Red Sox quickly fell behind 0 games to 3, a deficit that had never been surmounted in baseball history. Ortiz almost single-handedly paved the way for history, as he hit a walk-off two-run home run against Paul Quantrill in the 12th inning of Game 4 and a walk-off single off of Esteban Loaiza in the 14th inning of Game 5. His heroics - namely batting .387 with three home runs and 11 RBI in the series - earned him AL Championship Series MVP honors, the first time a DH had ever won that award, as the Red Sox came back to win in seven games. In the 2004 World Series vs. the St. Louis Cardinals, Ortiz set the tone for the four-game sweep as he hit a three-run home run off of Woody Williams in the first inning of Game 1 at Fenway Park. He hit .308 in the series with a home run and 4 RBI as the Red Sox swept the Cardinals to end the Curse of the Bambino by winning their first World Series Championship in 86 years. Overall, Ortiz batted .400 in the 2004 postseason with five home runs and 23 RBI.