Watch the trailer for Netflix's upcoming 2004 Red Sox documentary

October 9th, 2024

Netflix's upcoming documentary “The Comeback: 2004 Boston Red Sox” will take fans on an unforgettable journey through the Red Sox’s historic run to the 2004 World Series title, as told by those who lived it. You can watch the trailer now in advance of the documentary's premiere on Oct. 23.

Directed by Colin Barnicle, the three-episode series will not only chronicle Boston's 2004 season but also delve into the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry while exploring the defining events that led up to the team's historic comeback from a three-games-to-none deficit against New York in the 2004 American League Championship Series.

The comeback erased years of frustration and heartbreak for the franchise and set the stage for the Red Sox to end the “Curse of the Bambino” once and for all as they won their first World Series championship in 86 years.

“[The 2004 ALCS] is the ending,” said Barnicle, a lifelong Red Sox fan. “As fans we know what happened. I want them to know how it happened -- how an organization changed with new ownership, how the team was built from the front office and how the clubhouse came together. It’s not a straight line from 86 years of losing to champions.

"Sometimes, it's funny. Sometimes, it's heart-wrenching. There were considerable bumps along the way. But, how those trials and tribulations defined the decision-making and the chemistry of the team is how they were able to come back from three games down in the ALCS. It didn’t start with Game 4 of the ALCS. It started much earlier.”

Pedro Martinez, David Ortiz, Kevin Millar, Terry Francona and Theo Epstein are among the many key figures who will share their unique perspective in the documentary, providing a behind-the-scenes look at the team's quest for baseball immortality.

“The interviewees were extremely candid,” Barnicle said. “A major theme we came across was how this organization worked through doubt. Whether at the plate or on the mound or making a decision in the front office. We look back 20 years later and all these decisions make sense because the Red Sox won. But, in that moment, it wasn’t so clear. Should you hire the youngest general manager ever? Should you trade Nomar Garciaparra? Can you hit Mariano Rivera when the game is on the line? Can you get the ball down in the strike zone when your knee is hurting? What were you thinking when the team lost the last game in 2003 or was underperforming in the middle of the season in 2004?

"That fear of losing and the doubt that follows and how you overcome it is a major part of the series and it’s because the players and the front office and ownership were extremely honest with us.”

The Red Sox's ALCS comeback against the Yankees and subsequent sweep over the Cardinals in the 2004 World Series proved to be a turning point in the history of the franchise. Three more World Series championships (2007, 2013, 2018) have followed, making Boston the team with the most titles since the turn of the millennium.

"My brother [Nick Barnicle, one of the documentary's executive producers] and I always felt the historic comeback against the Yankees in the 2004 ALCS was just the tip of the iceberg to a much deeper story about a team changing their identity from sore-luck losers to champions," Barnicle said. "This series is really about what it takes for a group of people-- from ownership to baseball operations to players -- to change that narrative.

"What were the conversations in the owner’s box? What were the decisions in baseball operations? What were the dynamics of the clubhouse that culminated in the Red Sox being able to do something no other team in MLB history could, that allowed them to break an 86-year curse? That was what we were interested in and that’s what we got."

Check out the trailer now and watch “The Comeback: 2004 Boston Red Sox” exclusively on Netflix on Oct. 23.