"We went behind the bar, starting passing out free beers" - Kevin Millar on 2003 Red Sox team doing the 'coolest thing' any MLB team has ever done
It has been 20 years since the iconic 2004 Boston Red Sox team won the World Series and broke the curse. To commemorate the iconic team, Netflix released a special documentary called The Comeback, which provides fans with an inside look at the roster's journey and how they achieved greatness.
As a build-up to the main story, the documentary also followed the Red Sox team that fell short in the ALCS the year prior but ignited the feeling that the bunch of players could ultimately win it all.
Former first baseman Kevin Millar recalled that the Red Sox threw a big party at a local bar near Fenway Park to celebrate getting into the postseason. While some of his teammates have no recollection of the event, Millar detailed that around 16 to 17 players made their way to the bar and distributed free drinks to the fans who had gathered.
"Coolest thing, that's every been done to this day. I don't think there's a team that's done anything cooler than we did. We clinched and we went full spikes, full uni," he said.
"Click, click. Running down the street with around 16, 17 of us, across the street, jump into a bar, and they had to close the doors, because all of the fans were coming in. Went behind the bar and started passing out free beer to everyone."
The Comeback's director Colin Barnicle discusses importance of '03 Red Sox
In a special interview with MLB, Colin Barnicle, the director of The Comeback, was asked why the first episode of the three-part series featured just the 2003 season. Barnicle explained that the Red Sox's loss in 2003 motivated them to improve the following year.
"The core of that team in 2003 was really the core of the team in 2004, and I felt like you had to see them overexert themselves, go to their max and still lose to doubt the fact that they could do it again in 2004," Barnicle said.
Boston would lose out in the American League Championship Series to the Yankees in seven games, a matchup that would be repeated in 2004 but with the outcome reversed.