The Boston Red Sox could have failed to reverse the curse without Kevin Millar.
Former Red Sox pitcher Bronson Arroyo named the former Boston public services man as the differencemaker on the Red Sox World Series winning team. Millar hit .297 with 18 home runs and 74 RBIs in 2004, but his positive influence on the club far exceeds his remarkable statistical contributions. Here is why Arroyo thinks that is the case.
“He made everyone hatch and changed the feeling of the whole team,” Arroyo told The Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham this week in an interview. “From David (Ortiz) and Manny (Ramírez) and some other guys who were tough asses, we all stood up and did what we did. I always think about it, the difference a boy can make.
“We were as close as a group. I still love seeing any of those guys. ”
Despite spending only three seasons with the Red Sox (between 2003 and 2005), Millar has been an iconic figure in Boston for over 15 years because his personality infused the 2004 Red Sox with a joyous confidence that drew them to fans. and neutral. same.
Although Millar named Mark Bellhorn the “unrecognized hero” of the 2004 Red Sox, Arroyo has refocused attention on Millar as an integral part of the team that ended the 86-year drought of the franchise’s World Series.
Someone should probably buy lunch and dinner for Millar next time he’s in Boston.
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara / USA TODAY Sports Images
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