The World Champion Boston Red Sox have had a rough start to their 2019 season as they look to repeat as champions. They opened the season with too many road games on a West Coast trip that saw them dropping somewhat in the always competitive AL East. This was the longest opening road series in Red Sox history as our hometown heroes looked to start this 2019 season. By the time they finally returned to beautiful Fenway Park on April 9th they were much more relaxed, relieved, and ready to receive their 2018 World Series Championship Rings.
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Last year was undoubtedly a dream season for the Red Sox. After leading the AL East pretty much April through September they impressively rolled through the playoffs beating strong teams, ultimately winning the World Series Championship against LA. Red Sox Nation was rejoicing all season long.
Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez put up career years and both made a strong run for MVP with Mookie Betts deservedly getting the award. All indications and opinions have said that these two fearsome hitters have shown up to spring training with even better attitudes. Their focus is now on repeating; a feat that hasn’t happened for a while in baseball.
Manager Alex Cora has wisely invited many Red Sox living legends like David Ortiz, Pedro Martinez, Jason Varitek, and yes Dustin Pedroia (still active) to be around the young flourishing team as mentors and veteran leadership. The old guys have all been remarking how down to earth the team is in focusing on repeating and not merely resting on their laurels!
And it’s not only Betts and Martinez; Benintendi, Bradley ,Pearce, Devers, and Bogaerts are returning too, all looking to contribute even more to the long-term success of the Red Sox team! Spring training at beautiful JetBlue Park has been mostly experimental with Alex Cora shuffling lineups and trying different combos.
After winning the 2018 World Series, the Boston Red Sox will be tasked with defending their title in 2019. But going from hunter to hunted in sports is always difficult, and even more so in Major League Baseball. Boston will have some serious challenges to overcome if they want to get themselves back on top of the heap in baseball again in the upcoming season, with these three issues, in particular, poised to make their lives difficult.
The last time the Red Sox and Yankees met in the AL playoffs the year was 2004 and the Red Sox had not won a World Series in 86 years. Of course they came back to win 4 straight after being down 3-0 and losing game 3 by more than 10 runs! The rest was history as they would go on to reverse the curse and win the 2004 Championship!
Times have surely changed as the Sox have captured two more championships 2007 and 2013 and have been the perennial favorites to win the AL East year after year! This year was astounding though as the won 108 games with only 54 losses. Yet somehow they had to face the 2nd place Yankees who also won triple digit games at 100-62 and the Wild Card. Not exactly an easy first round opponent and many Boston fans were wringing their hands before the series began.
Chris Sale eased Red Sox Nation’s fears by pitching amazingly during Game 1 at Fenway. However, the next day the New York Yankees roughed up David Price as he couldn’t go past the second inning and the Red Sox lost putting them in the precarious position of having to win in New York to bring it back to Fenway! Home field advantage was lost and the Red Sox would have to come up big and get at least one game in New York to salvage the season and return to Fenway. The first round after all is only best of five!
These 2018 Red Sox outdid themselves and went on to win back to back games in the Bronx to close out the series and advance to meet the defending champion Houston Astros in the next round. Online bookies could not predict such outcome, so now Red Sox are going to face Houston and are favorites, according to online betting sites seen on BettingTop10.
In game three Manager Alex Cora shuffled the lineup inserting Devers, Holt, and Kinsler to the already packed with power batting order! The result was a whopping 16-1 victory that silenced the obnoxious New York crowd as Nathan Eovaldi pitched brilliantly also. Red Sox up 2 games to 1!
Still nobody could count out a Yankee comeback as they hit a large amount of HRs this year at home and could explode any game. Game 4 saw Rick Porcello take to the mound and shut down the Yankee bats as Christian Vasquez hit the game winning Homer into the short porch of the Yankees stadium. Chris Sale pitched out of the bullpen before Craig Kimbrel earned the save after the Yankees bats suddenly woke up!
With bases loaded the Yankees grounded to third base and a close call putout at First nabbed by a super stretched out Steven Pearce at 1B sealed the deal. Of course Yankees challenged the play but upon further review they saw that the ball was in the fielder’s glove before the runner stepped on the bag. The call stood and the runner was out, The Yankees were finally out of innings and the Red Sox went on to win 4-3! This ended the ALDS and the Red Sox were the ones to advance!
Cora managed masterfully when the Red Sox had their back against the Wall after Game 2. Now he and the Red Sox will have to do even better as the rookie manager goes against the team he won last year’s World Series with… The Houston Astros! The Red Sox have their work cut out for them in this matchup but hopefully they can win in spectacular fashion as they have all season…. all 111 wins and counting! Go Red Sox Go!
The Sox are headed to the playoffs and broke the 100 Win mark- needless to say, these are awesome times for sox fans.
Red Sox Nation has every reason to be super excited as the team surpassed the 100 win level on Wednesday September 12th and this after David Price pitched a gem of a 1-0 victory/
The Red Sox are riding high after securing yet another playoff appearance for the 2018 season…..Rookie manager Alex Cora’s first managerial triumph/
They appropriately clinched the playoff berth on Tuesday September 11, 2018 at home and after moving pre-game ceremonies commemorating the tragedy and the subsequent heroic activities that ensued.
Boston also remembers what it’s like to be hit with a terror attack and much of the response was the 2013 Championship drive; nobody can forget that year and the message was sent loud and clear… Don’t Mess With Boston!
These record setting 2018 Red Sox are looking to create new and fresher Red Sox memories as they propel towards another AL East Crown. They have 9 more games against New York teams…it will be the Yankees and the Mets that will likely decide who gets the Pennant but at least we know when it comes to the all important playoff season we are already in!
Remarkably, few teams can pass the 100 win mark and the last time it happened for the Red Sox the year was 1946 and Ted Williams played in the outfield. Sadly the Red Sox did not go on to win the Championship that year in a heartbreaking last minute loss to the St.Louis Cardinals. However, this years team finds themselves not only unstoppable but also on pace to win 112 games.
Lots of baseball is left to be played and this impressive 2018 Red Sox squad will need plenty of fan support. With awesome players to watch like Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez, Xander Bogaerts, Brock Holt, Chris Sale, David Price, Craig Kimbrel, and company, it also is going to be a ton of fun.
This Red Sox is season is not only super it is nothing short of Spectacular! The Red Sox just crossed over the 90 Win level; a plateau that usually assures a playoff appearance with only 30+ games remaining.
Can you remember when a team pulled of this feat? Of course you can’t because it hasn’t happened before!
These Boston Red Sox are breaking barriers down and setting records folks!
The writer of this article knew the Red Sox would be strong contenders this year as they are always expected in New England, but none of us could have predicted that the team would be this good.
No matter the final result and we have October on the horizon….this is truly a season to remember for Red Sox fans.
A collective sigh encompassed Red Sox nation early August when Chris Sale went on the DL with an injury yet he has bounced back to pitch better than ever.
Rick Porcello and David Price have been rounding out the starting staff as Craig Kimbrel has solidly closed the door on any opponents late inning rallies!
The hitting has been equally astonishing.
Mookie Betts is having another career season, while J.D. Martinez quietly puts up MVP stats.
Much kudos to Alex Cora in having an awesome managerial rookie debut.
He has steered the Red Sox ship rightly thus far and is hopefully aware that what really counts is the team’s performance in October as a Red Sox World Series Championship is well within a strong possibilty.
Lots of baseball left to play! Have fun Red Sox Nation and Go Red Sox Go!!
Considering that baseball teams play a 162 game season (the longest schedule in sports), when a team crosses the 80 win plateau they essentially assure themselves of a successful season.
At the very least they have won half of their games and are guaranteed of finishing with a .500 winning percentage or better.
In their absolutely surprising 2018 season, the Boston Red Sox are 80-34 on August 7 after a win over another AL East rival the Toronto Blue Jays.
Most teams don’t reach this level until late August at the earliest and sometimes not until the September pennant runs.
With 80 wins and only 34 losses…..This puts the Red Sox at a winning percentage of .702!
This is a team on a mission.
Accumulating amazing win after win as this team day after day continues to play the best baseball and climb into the #1 position in the power rankings.
They just finished a sweep of the New York Yankees over the past weekend where they won all three in dramatic fashion to knock them 8 1/2 games back in the standings and this excellent play puts the Red Sox in complete control of their 2018 destiny.
Heroes Rick Porcello and Steve Pearce propelled the squad to victory. Pearce hit three homers vs. the yanks in the opening Friday night game at Fenway Park joining an elite club that has pulled off that difficult feat.
Rick Porcello steadied the pitching staff by pitching a one hitter and all this after rookie manager Alex Cora was ejected for the first time in his career after protesting the Yankees throwing a brushback pitch at the head of the hottest batter in baseball… Mookie Betts.
And of course, Betts has been on a hitting spree…. knocking the cover off the ball.
The Red Sox are poised to pull off one of the greatest seasons in the history of the game of baseball. It really is a treat to watch this team play with remarkable consistency and efficiency.
Looks like there will be October baseball in Boston again as it should be and let’s hope the winning ways continue through those fun times too!
The Red Sox are playing through this second half of the 2018 season while definitely in the Driver’s seat of the AL East Division!
104 games have been played and the Boston Red Sox are off to their best record at this point of the season ever! They are an amazing 40 games above .500 as they maintain a steady lead over the Yankees. A 100 win season seems easily within reach as they look to top the Yankees in the race for the AL East Pennant!
Coming off a hard fought win for the American League in the All-Star Game….that saw the Red Sox contribute 5 solid players to the All-Star team…..the Red Sox resume what looks to amount to their best record ever.
Manager Alex Cora has shuffled the high octane offense a bit putting Mookie Betts at lead-off to get as many productive at bats as possible while J.D. Martinez sets records as the best batting Red Sox DH since the awesome David Ortiz.
Even Xander Bogaerts is hitting grand slams as he defensively holds down the fort from the Short Stop position!
The pitching is regaining top notch form as Chris Sale anchors the staff as Rick Porcello bounces back and David Price regains some consistency. One more starter for good measure may be obtained before the trading deadline at the end of July but most likely the Sox will obtain some relief pitchers to bolster the bullpen in the stretch run and through the playoffs.
There are some matchups with the Yankees left that will certainly count towards settling this years champion but everything in Red Sox Nation is not only alive and well but shall we say….Fenway frankly… times couldn’t be better!
The Boston Red Sox are currently 66-29 and in first place of the always tough AL East by three and a half games. The Sox are riding an amazing ten game winning streak and looking to continue to be the team with the best record in baseball!
The Midsummer Classic takes place next Tuesday and matches the American League vs. the National League in this Nation’s Capital of Washington D.C.
Five Red Sox players have secured spots on the honorable AL All-Star squad…..Mookie Betts, Mitch Moreland, J.D. Martinez, Chris Sale, and Closer Craig Kimbrel.
Unfortunately Andrew Benintendi missed out on the final vote for a last minute injury addition.
J.D. Martinez needs to be especially mentioned as in last night’s victory he hammered his 28th HR so far this season in a towering shot over Fenway’s fabled Green Monster!
It was a sight to behold as no other Red Sox player has had so many HR’s at this point in the season…ever!
The Red Sox have struggled to overcome a void at power hitter since David Ortiz retired.
While he can never top Ortiz’s stature as a player, hitter, and leader (unless he gets 3 or more championships) he is finally a pickup player that is lighting up the stat sheet on a regular basis and more importantly it’s translating into wins.
J.D. Martinez is batting .329 with 28 Homeruns and 77 RBI’s.
It’s been a sight simply amazing to witness and there is still another half of baseball left for this season.
If the Red Sox can continue this winning pace they could easily finish the season with 110 wins.
Manager Alex Cora has been spectacular in organizing this mostly young group of players into a winning ball club in only his first season.
The Red Sox are the best team in MLB!
Let’s enjoy it for all that it is worth, as this season looks to be one that is going to be very special.
So, let’s hope it leads to a Red Sox Championship.
We all knew Mookie Betts was good. But did we know he was this good?
Through 48 games (not quite a third of the season), Betts is batting .359, with 17 HR, 37 RBI, and an earth shattering OPS of 1.187.
Extrapolate those numbers over a full season, and Mookie is on pace to put up a tremendous season–if he continues even close to this pace, he could be looking at a 50 HR, 120 RBI type season. Oh, and we don’t even care if he participates in the home run derby.
What has been the most shocking thus far, really has been the power that Betts has shown this season. His highest HR total has been 31 HR back in 2016, and that was with Betts getting 672 AB (the most in the league), good for a homerun roughly every 22 at bats.
This season, he has 17 homers in only 184 at bats, good for a homerun every 11 at bats, nearly double the power prowess he showed in 2016. Thus it has been a very good year for Mr Betts.
Now, Betts adominal strain does put a bit of a wrench in our MVP plans, but news today hit that he would return for Monday’s game against the Orioles.
So hopefully Betts can return to tip top shape following the injury. The fact that is an abdominal strain is slightly concerning, as it could be an injury that Betts might easily re-aggravate. But, if I were a betting man (and unfortunately I am), Betts is a wise wager for those looking to plunk down a few duckets on our main man Mookie winning the MVP.
The unfortunate part of all this, is that Mookie Betts’ odds to win the 2018 AL MVP award have recently improved from +2300 at the start of the season to a very favorable +300 across different sites. Unbelievably, Mike Trout, is the odds on favorite at +200, despite
Trout’s lesser performing season thus far
With news today that Shohei Ohtani would be opting for Tommy John surgery, we’re feeling just a bit of sadness for the poor guy, who has brought some added excitement to Major League Baseball this year. Here he is throwing absolute gas (101mph reached) against the Astros.
Ohtani, who at only twenty-three years old, had become both a pitching and batting sensation for the Angels this year, might not return to baseball until 2020. And we know the fate of those who have Tommy John, and well, the results haven’t been all that great.
We know from past studies that on average roughly 4 out of 5 pitchers who have had Tommy John surgery actually return to playing baseball. And even if they can make it back, there is usually no guarantee that they can even come close to the form they had previous to the surgery. As the aforementioned article from fangraphs notes, age is important, and the fact that Ohtani is only 23, makes it for a much higher probability of full recovery than if he were say 30 or 31 even.
I find these numbers enlightening, but also quite staggering: In the most recent complete decade (2000-2009), the median result for a major league pitcher returning from Tommy John surgery is appearing in about 60 games or logging about 100 innings pitched over the rest of his major league career. That’s about the number of appearances we would expect from a typical healthy reliever in one season. It’s roughly the number of innings pitched a healthy starting pitcher would amass in half a season. That’s not the sort of post-surgery career one might envision.
The amazing 2018 Boston Red Sox now find themselves atop the rest of the league in baseball’s power rankings. After an historic start in April and a stellar May, the team has an overall record of 44-21, for a winning percentage of .677.
Manager Alex Cora has gained a lot of respect throughout the Major League Baseball world as the team has strung together victory after victory for their rookie manager.
Cora was hired with the condition that he would bring Boston back to the World Series after being on the coaching staff that saw the Houston Astros triumph over the L.A. Dodgers in last year’s 2017 World Series.
After an awesome comeback in 2013… several strong and well-balanced Red Sox teams have been unable to make back into the World Series.
Thus when the Sox dropped the Opening Day game, along came the worries that this would be just another middling year. But, Alex Cora took a no-nonsense approach with this young team and it has paid off with much improved play.
Many of these youngsters have not played any games deep into the playoffs. Of the veteran core, only Pedroia has any championship trophies, whereas the rest of the team can be bucked as the youthful generation with a lot to learn.
Mookie Betts plays outfield solidly while challenging the rest of the league for the HR and RBI titles. Rick Porcello has regained Cy Young pitching form on his quest for a title. Two-time world series champ Dustin Pedroia continues to provide leadership while trying to bounce back from difficulties. And we’d be amiss not to mention newcomer JD , who has hit some massive home-runs and helped strengthen the overall lineup.
All in all everything looks good and bright for the future of Red Sox Nation. Although with the loaded Yankees in the same division we know that gaining another pennant won’t be easy… there’s a tough road ahead and many a fight.
Let’s all root for the Red Sox to fight the good fight and make 2018 another great season for the fans and all of baseball. Here’s to keeping the good times rolling.
Over and out.
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