Red Sox win World Series

BOSTON (AP) -- The old ballpark was packed for a celebration nearly a century in the making.

Players danced around the infield with their families.

Fans remained in the stands, savoring a long-awaited moment generations of New Englanders had never been able to witness.

Turmoil to triumph. Worst to first. A clincher at Fenway Park.

David Ortiz and the Boston Red Sox, baseball's bearded wonders, capped their remarkable turnaround by beating the St. Louis Cardinals 6-1 in Game 6 on Wednesday night to win their third World Series championship in 10 seasons.

When it was over, Ortiz took a microphone on the field and addressed the city, just as he did a week after the marathon bombings last April.

''This is for you, Boston. You guys deserve it,'' the Series MVP said. ''We've been through a lot this year and this is for all of you and all those families who struggled.''

And the Red Sox didn't even have to fly the trophy home. For the first time since Babe Ruth's team back in 1918, Boston won the title at Fenway. The 101-year-old stadium, oldest in the majors, was packed with 38,447 singing, shouting fans anticipating a party building for more than nine decades.