THE "IDIOTS" REVERSE THE CURSE

September 30, 2004 ... No game scheduled ... By winning four of their last five games, the Sox finished September 18-10, good enough to clinch a playoff berth after their 21-7 August snapped a run of midseason mediocrity. The Sox enter October with the best record in the majors since Aug. 1 (39-17). Schilling (4-0 with a 2.61 ERA) and Arroyo (3- 0, 4.24) led the pitching staff in September. Damon led in RBIs with 23, followed by Ortiz and Ramirez with 22 each. Ortiz and Ramirez also led the team with seven home runs and 20 runs apiece. Millar had the highest batting average among Sox regulars at .305, just ahead of Cabrera (.304). Nixon, who came off the DL Sept. 7, hit .429.  Martinez (227 strikeouts) and Schilling (203) are the first pair of Sox pitchers in history to each fan more than 200 batters in a season.