Heading into Game 6 at Boston's Fenway Park, the Red Sox know that a win on home soil tonight will secure a third World Series victory in the space of a decade.
They currently lead St Louis Cardinals 3 - 2 in the series and with Game 6 and Game 7 taking place in Boston, they will be heavy favourites.
But that feat looked like an impossible dream as recently as a year ago.
Last night Off The Ball spoke to Boston sportswriting legend and retired Boston Globe writer Bob Ryan about the problems which plagued the team and how they turned things around.
"The team in 2011, in the month of September, won seven games, lost 20 and performed abominably. There were also clubhouse shenanigans involving players not in action eating chicken and drinking beer. It didn't go down very well with the public," explained Ryan.
"In 2012, it was a horrendous season with 69 wins, 93 losses and a last place finish. So they had a lot of making up to do with the populace. I must say they have done a good job of it to be one game away from winning the World Series."
The players' decision to all grow beards has been seen as a sign of strong team spirit within the Red Sox roster
So how have they turned their fortunes around so dramatically?
"The General Manager Ben Cherington had a lot of money at his disposal due to a wonderfully magnificent trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the summer of 2012 when he was able to send highly unproductive but expensive players westwards. That freed up an enormous sum of money - over $200 million - and he had to spend that wisely. He signed seven free agents and every one of them has been productive. They were not just chosen for their expertise but for their personalities to create a better camaraderie in the clubhouse. All of it has worked to perfection. Mr Cherington will never have a better year even if he lives to be 197."
But they also had a strong core of players to build around including veteran star David Ortiz who has assumed a leadership role, encapsulated by his speech at Fenway Park in the wake of the Boston marathon bombing.
Listen to the full interview with Bob Ryan below or download the Off The Ball Highlights podcast on iTunes:
Main Image: David Ortiz
