Not a lot of people in the MLB sphere had the Red Sox going anywhere last March and boy were they wrong. This Sox team brought fun and resilience to the city of Boston at a time when it needed it most.
Everyone remembers the Orioles sweep of the Sox at the beginning of the season quite vividly. That’s when the bandwagon lost a lot of members. Then the Sox got hot and swept the Rays and Orioles. They finished April with a record of 17-10 (shoutout Section 10 Podcast) and looked primed for a playoff appearance.
The Red Sox had a decent May highlighted by series wins against the Tigers, Angels, Blue Jays, Phillies, and Marlins. Many will remember the Shohei Ohtani go-ahead home run in the 9th inning against Matt Barnes to lose that Sunday afternoon matchup. Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts especially got hot in May on their way to All Star Game appearances.
The Sox had a brilliant June where they swept the Yankees in the Bronx and Fenway, walked off the Blue Jays twice, and swept the World Series bound Braves. This was the month of Alex Verdugo and Garrett Whitlock where both youngsters got their name into the baseball world and won over the hearts of many Boston fans who remained on the wagon.
Boston fell off a cliff during the summer months of July and August and had a record of 25-28 over those months. During this rough patch, they lost a ton of ground to the Rays, Yankees, and Blue Jays and for a time found themselves in fourth place in the American League East. There were some highlights, however, including a comeback in the eighth inning against the Yankees after being no-hit by Domingo German, a Jonathan Arauz 3-run home run against the Indians to turn the tides of the season, and two comebacks against the Twins at Fenway.
Once fall hit the New England air, the Sox refocused on reaching October baseball. They won crucial series against the Mariners, Indians, Mets, and Orioles. However, late September was a very gray area. The Sox got swept at home by the Yankees and lost two out of three to a terrible Orioles team. They finished the campaign strongly with a clutch sweep of the Nationals and earned the number one American League Wild Card Spot.
The Sox continued their season and ended that of the Yankees in a one-game playoff at Fenway Park where they got to Gerrit Cole early. They then took on the Rays where they eliminated them with a pair of electrifying walk-offs. The Sox met their demise against the Astros when the offense went silent after hitting three grand slams in a span of twelve innings.
Overall, it was a hop, skip, and a jump in the right direction for the Sox after a rough 2020 season. The Sox are a couple of moves away from a late October run as early as next season. See you in February Red Sox Nation!
Photo: NBC Sports
