In his first season in Boston, Schilling pushed himself hard, going 21-6 with a 3.26 ERA and 203 strikeouts during the regular season. Schilling began having problems with his right ankle early in the 2004 season and received shots before games of Marcaine, a numbing agent. Then in the postseason, despite an ankle tendon that had been surgically repaired in a groundbreaking procedure, Schilling became a living legend as he won key games against the Yankees and Cardinals and the Sox returned to World Series glory.