Tradition Abounds In Red Sox Vs. Cardinals World Series Matchup

Wednesday night, the Boston Red Sox host the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 1 of the 2013 World Series. Both the Red Sox and Cardinals come into the series with some interesting similarities. Each club won 97 regular season games (best records in baseball), with each winning their LCS series in six games, over the Tigers and Dodgers respectively. Game 1 features a pitching matchup of the Red Sox Jon Lester and the Cardinals Adam Wainwright.

These franchises are no stranger to the World Series. This is the Cardinals 19th trip to the Fall Classic (fourth since 2004), while the Red Sox are appearing in their 13th (third since 2004). These teams have met four times in October (1946, 1967, 2004, 2013), with the Cardinals taking two of the first three. During the last meeting, back in 2004, the Red Sox swept the Cardinals, breaking their 86-year championship drought.

The Cardinals have won 11 total World Series, which is second all-time to the Yankees 27. The Red Sox have won 7, which places them tied for fourth all-time.

In this classic matchup of two of baseball's most historic teams, fans have an opportunity to see a well played series that could easily go six or seven games.