The
Curse of the Bambino was a
superstition evolving from the failure of the
Boston Red Sox baseball team to win the
World Series in the 86-year period from 1918 to 2004. While some fans took the
curse seriously, most used the expression in a
tongue-in-cheek manner. This misfortune began after the Red Sox sold star player
Babe Ruth, sometimes called
The Bambino, to the
New York Yankees in the off-season of 1919–1920. Before that point, the Red Sox had been one of the most successful professional baseball franchises, winning the first
World Series and amassing five World Series titles. After the sale they went without a title for decades, even while the Red Sox won four American League championships from 1946 to 1986, as the previously lackluster Yankees became one of the most successful franchises in North American professional sports. The curse became a focal point of the
Yankees–Red Sox rivalry over the years.
