It seemed for certain that after the All-Star break, the Red Sox were doomed to miss the postseason. The starting pitching wasn’t getting it done, the offense went to sleep when they needed it, the relief pitching would give up leads that the offense had built… it was a mess.

But then, Chaim Bloom and Alex Cora made some changes. At one point, the Sox were 10 games out of first place, and it was essentially a universal consensus that Boston would need quite a lot to go their way in order to even make the Wild Card game. Then… things started to go their way. They brought in Kyle Schwarber, brought back Travis Shaw, pitchers Austin Davis and Hansel Robles, and when Covid drifted its way through the locker room, they brought back José Iglesias to fill in at shortstop. Oh, and I almost forgot, Chris Sale came back too.

The Sox qualified for the Wild Card game by the skin of their teeth by beating the Washington Nationals at the death, only to find out that they’d be playing those Yankees from New York in the Wild Card game. Is this game just what baseball needed? I think it’s exactly what baseball needed. Did it live up to the hype? Well… not quite. Gerrit Cole decided to pitch a terrible game and get pulled after three innings, the Yankees third base coach apparently mistook Aaron Judge for Usain Bolt and cost them a vital run, and Boston’s offense decided it was time to hit the Yankees all the way back to the Bronx.

Then, the Red Sox faced the Rays. 100 wins on the season, the best team in the American League with the best no-name pitching staff you’ve ever seen. The Sox decided they’d let Tampa think they were going to roll over them by getting shut out in game 1 losing 0-5, and then completely blow them out in game 2 winning 14-6, with Kike Hernandez having a spectacular offensive performance. Game’s 3 and 4 took some October postseason magic, and boy oh boy did it remind us all why postseason baseball can be something special. Two late walk-off wins, the first in the 13th inning of game 3, and the second in the 9th of game 4 to send the Red Sox to the ALCS.

Who are the Sox set to face for a spot in the World Series you may ask? Oh, it’s just the easy to love fan favorite Houston Astros. Is this the best postseason drama you could’ve asked for? Yes, I think so too. Right now, the Red Sox seemingly have a ton of momentum and a true belief that they can make a statement here. The Astros are undeniably a good team, and this should turn out to be a hard-fought, gritty, beautifully ugly series. I’m here for it.

Baseball is a game of runs, both literally and figuratively, and the Red Sox are on one right now. This should be good.

• Uncategorized