The Boston Red Sox clinched their second consecutive playoff berth Sunday and their third since 2021.
It was a season with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows in Boston as they started the season 10-17 before firing longtime manager Alex Cora.
In June, the Red Sox found themselves 14 games under .500 at a record of 32-46. This is when everything changed.
They swept the New York Yankees before losing two out of three games to the Washington Nationals.
The Red Sox went on the road and swept the Los Angeles Angels, Chicago White Sox and New York Mets to sit at 46-48 heading into the all-star break.
After nine straight road wins, the Red Sox headed home to face the 56-38 Tampa Bay Rays. Tampa has had Boston’s number in the past few seasons, but this weekend was different.
In the first game of a doubleheader after the break, the Red Sox took care of business 10-0. Then in the night cap, Tampa Bay Rays took an early 2-0 before outfielder Wilyer Abreu decided the next 24 hours were all about him. He hit two home runs on the way to a 5-3 Red Sox win.
The next game was the defining game of the winning streak. The Rays were matching the Sox in scoring all-game before Abreu stepped to the plate down 6-5 in the seventh. Abreu crushed a two-run homer to right field, sending himself and Fenway Park into a frenzy. His fourth home run in 24 hours put Boston up 7-6, a lead they would hold for 12 consecutive wins.
They swept Tampa the next day before taking the first two games of the series versus the Orioles to tie a franchise record 15 straight wins. That first win did not come without drama. A back-and-forth game was knotted up in the eighth when Caleb Durbin smacked a game winning homerun to left field. The “Durbinator” had a rough start to the season but became one of the centerpieces of this win streak.
The streak would end at 15 but just a week later, Boston would rip off another nine straight wins. Durbin hit a walk-off single in an instant classic 12-11 victory against the White Sox. Ceddanne Rafaela became the king of LA for a few days after smacking four home runs in three games against the back-to-back champs.
So here we are, the Red Sox are 84-72 with a firm grip on the second wild card spot in the American League. Now, the New York Yankees stand in their way.
The Yankees beat the Red Sox 2-1 in the three-game wildcard series last year, and Boston is looking for revenge this season.
The pitching will be the key for both teams. Payton Tolle, Sonny Gray and Ranger Suarez will toe the rubber for Boston against the Yankees’ Gerritt Cole, Max Fried and Massachusetts’ own Cam Schlittler in the series.
In his first full season in the MLB, Tolle hit his stride. The southpaw posted a 3.02 ERA and a 10.4 K/9. He is also peaking at the right time, sporting a 0.75 ERA in two starts during September.
In a complete 180 from Tolle, Gray has been dominant in what may be his swan song in the majors. After being acquired via trade in the offseason, Gray has won 17 games, a career high for the veteran. He pitched 7.1 innings of one hit baseball while striking out nine in a June win over the Yankees.
Suarez signed a 5-year $130 million dollar contract with Boston in the offseason and has been solid as a member of the Sox. However, the 2026 all-star struggled in all three of his starts against the Yankees. The Bronx Bombers were 3-0 against Suarez.
Despite great performances by the Yankees, Suarez is a playoff pitcher. He had a 1.48 ERA in 42.2 postseason innings as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies. In Philadelphia’s 2022 run to the World Series, the Phillies won all five games Suarez pitched in. He only allowed two earned runs in 14.2 innings pitched in 2022.
Along with the starters, the back of the bullpen has been nails for Boston. Erik Miller, Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman handled the seventh, eighth and ninth innings for interim manager Chad Tracy and the Red Sox. Miller came over at the trade deadline and did not allow an earned run in his first 10 appearances. Whitlock has been a staple in the Red Sox bullpen since 2021 and is possibly having his best year yet. He has a 1.75 ERA in 53 appearances. Chapman continues to age like fine wine. The 38-year-old was named an all-star for the second straight year and is 34/36 in save situations this year.
The rest of the hitters for the Red Sox will need to do some heavy lifting if they want to compete with the Yankees. Boston acquired Adley Rutschman at the deadline, and the catcher will be required to switch hit and catch in the playoffs. Wilson Contreras and Trevor Story will add postseason experience to the lineup while former top prospect Roman Anthony and local legend Mickey Gasper will look to provide during their first playoff at bats.
If the standings hold, the Red Sox and Yankees will battle in the Bronx on Tuesday for the wildcard series, a statement no Red Sox fan would have believed in June.