Watch ‘Three Kings’: The story of Pedro Martinez, David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, and the 2004 Red Sox
Their impact went far beyond the field.
The 2004 Red Sox made baseball history. They were the first team to come back from a 3-0 deficit in a seven-game series to win. They broke an 86-year-old curse that plagued the franchise. They ushered in a new era of success for Boston, setting the stage for three more titles over the next 16 years.
But for Boston’s Dominican community, the impact that team had went far beyond the field. And it had everything to do with its three stars: Pedro Martinez, David Ortiz, and Manny Ramirez.
“It is no secret that Dominicans have baseball in their blood,” said Junior Pepén, the Spanish-language radio broadcaster for the Red Sox.
The sport is part of the fabric of the country. But for the hundreds of thousands of Dominicans who call Massachusetts home, their adopted team didn’t always seem like a natural fit.
That is until Martinez came to Boston via trade in 1997.
“Prior to Pedro’s welcome, we didn’t feel like we arrived,” said Amaury Arias, who was at Martinez’s Fenway Park debut on April 11, 1998 — a nine-inning shutout win over the Mariners.
Ramirez quickly followed in 2001, and Ortiz in 2003. Their presence brought a new life to Fenway Park, with legions of fans making the pilgrimage to watch their countrymen play.
And the Red Sox’ success in 2004 — led in large part by the three men — birthed a generation of Dominican Red Sox fans not just in New England, but around the country.
Learn more about how Martinez, Ramirez, and Ortiz changed the Dominican community in New England in The Boston Globe’s new documentary “Three Kings,” available to watch for free here.
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