Donnie Wahlberg Recalls His Dad’s Red Sox Agony in ESPN’s ‘Believers: Boston Red Sox’ Series: ‘His Heart Got Broken Again’

For the amended portion of a century, the Boston Red Sox had the estimation of being cursed with atrocious luck aft then-owner Harry Frazee notoriously traded Babe Ruth successful 1919 to the rival New York Yankees for $100,000 owed to fiscal occupation stemming from his concern endeavors arsenic a shaper of Broadway plays.

The Red Sox had won 5 championships betwixt 1903 and 1918 earlier selling disconnected Ruth — and they didn’t triumph different until 2004 aft they exorcised their demons and became the archetypal squad to travel backmost from a 3-0 shortage successful a seven-game bid erstwhile they bushed the Yankees successful the ALCS. That play of clip without a World Series triumph has been infamously dubbed “The Curse of the Bambino.”

Boston has since won 3 much rings since yet breaking the curse.

But the Red Sox’s cursed past is simply a precise caller representation for beingness fans similar Donnie Wahlberg, of New Kids connected the Block fame, who knows each excessively good astir the heartbreak that came with those lovable losers from Boston.

In an exclusive clip from ESPN’s upcoming three-part docuseries Believers: Boston Red Sox (watch above), Wahlberg tells a communicative astir his father’s absorption to Boston’s heartbreaking Game 6 nonaccomplishment to the New York Mets earlier yet losing the 1986 World Series.

“For immoderate reason, my friends asked maine to spell retired with them that night, and I didn’t enactment location to ticker with my dad,” recalled Wahlberg, who would person been 17 years aged astatine the time. “By the clip I got to the beforehand door, it had each unfolded and I walked successful the beforehand door, and my dada was inactive determination and helium said, ‘You’ll beryllium watching Game 7 alone, goodnight.’ And it wasn’t ’cause helium was huffy astatine maine for going out, it’s conscionable his bosom got breached again.”

Believers: Boston Red Sox premieres connected the ESPN app connected Friday (Sept. 26) and besides features appearances and commentary from different celebrated Red Sox lifers, including Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Katie Nolan, Bill Burr, Uzo Aduba, Sam Jay, Maria Menounos, Doris Kearns Goodwin and Neil deGrasse Tyson, on with members of the 2004 World Series-winning Red Sox roster: Johnny Damon, Curt Schilling, David Ortiz, Kevin Millar and Bronson Arroyo.

Watch the trailer for the bid below: