World Series Game 6: Red Sox win title with 6-1 win over Cardinals

The Red Sox started off the celebration at Fenway Park with the Duck Tour boats “bearded up” in preparation for the journey.

Finally, they shipped off to the streets of Boston.

Sometime between the last pitch of the Red Sox winning the World Series at Fenway Park over the St. Louis Cardinals and Thursday morning, photographer Jessica Rinaldi of the Boston Globe took this photo.

Right foot forward, left hand tucked inside his sensible-but-stylish cardigan sweater, and entirely surprised to see the flash of a camera, Cardigan Man was hereby born into this virtual world.

If it wasn’t already Boston’s night, it certainly was after that.

Party switch engaged:

Pull back the camera. Forget Babe Ruth and Harry Frazee and Ted Williams spitting and Johnny Pesky holding the ball. Forget Don Buddin and Dick Stuart. Never mind Dwight Evans’ concussion and Bucky Dent and Bill Buckner and Aaron (bleeping) Boone. None of it matters now. The Red Sox are not just champions, they are baseball’s model franchise. At this point, the rest doesn’t even deserve to be called prologue; it was another entity with the same name. There is only this moment, and all the moments like it yet to come. The Red Sox are no longer a team burying ghosts, they are simply a team that wins.

• World Series: Red Sox win it all in Game 6 | David Ortiz MVP

The lead national analyst spent his last 18 years alongside Joe Buck at FOX, which led to a touching tribute from Buck after Game 6. But McCarver’s response to Buck seemed eerily familiar:

“You were the rock star at the ALCS trophy presentation. You haven’t been to school in a while. You said you were excited for your dad. How proud of your dad are you tonight?”

“Good.”

• World Series: Red Sox win it all in Game 6 | David Ortiz MVP

• Goldman: Red Sox are baseball’s model team

Boston Bullpen Cop turned into a folk hero, for this moment:

Photo via Al Bello, Getty Images