In the epilogue of “The Curse Breakers,” we turn to the fans. Red Sox Nation’s unwavering loyalty fueled the team's historic run in 2004. This episode brings their unforgettable stories to life: a daughter surprises her father with World Series tickets gifted by a Red Sox player. A husband shares how his wife, who was battling cancer, found much-needed escape in watching each night. We also hear the incredible story of a baby born during Game 4 of the World Series as the Sox secured their first championship in 86 years — symbolizing both new life and renewed hope.

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In the second installment of “The Curse Breakers,” follow the 2004 Red Sox from spring training to an unforgettable finish. With a team of scrappy players, the Sox embraced their "Idiots" persona and faced adversity head on. The drama peaks in the American League Championship Series, when the Sox mounted an impossible comeback against the archrivals Yankees in one of the greatest playoff battles ever. From heartbreak to hope, the Red Sox finally win the World Series, breaking the “Curse of the Bambino” and claiming their first title in 86 years.

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The debut episode of “The Curse Breakers” chronicles the history of the Boston Red Sox, from the start of the ball club and the trade of Babe Ruth — “The Great Bambino” — through the decades of painful losses leading up to 2003. From humiliating defeat to near misses, the “Curse of the Bambino” haunted the team and its fans with bitter memories of crushing defeats. The episode dives into the Sox's most agonizing moments, setting the stage for the team’s epic comeback. Hear from fans, journalists, and players as they recount the weight of the heartbreak before everything changed.

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For nearly a century, the Boston Red Sox were defined by futility and near misses. From crushing losses in the 1940s to the heartbreak of 1975, from Bucky Dent in 1978 and the infamous "Buckner Game" in 1986 to Aaron Boone’s blast in 2003, Red Sox fans knew what it meant to lose painfully. All of it was blamed on the “Curse of the Bambino,” a hex said to have haunted the team ever since they traded Babe Ruth to their archrivals in 1920. The Yankees flourished, while the Sox struggled to escape the curse's grip.

But in 2004, everything changed.

“The Curse Breakers” relives the unforgettable journey of the 2004 Red Sox — a team of misfits and underdogs known as "the Idiots" — who defied the odds to break the curse that had loomed over Fenway Park for 86 years. With insights from key players, coaches, die-hard fans, and Boston Globe journalists, the series takes you behind the scenes of one of the greatest sports stories ever told.

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On Sept. 12 1974, after a landmark court case forced Boston Public Schools to desegregate, big yellow school buses drove slowly through crowds of anti-busing protestors yelling slurs and hurling rocks.

Earline Pruitt, one of the plaintiffs of the lawsuit, decided to send her daughter Denise on one of those school buses. 50 years later, in an this emotional recounting of that time, Denise and Earline shared their memories with reporter Ivy Scott and reflected on how this period that came to be known as Boston's 'busing crisis' affected them then and now.

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An occasional podcast from The Boston Globe. Listen for news that hits home.

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