The Boston Red Sox just clinched a Wild Card spot, but holy cow, was it anticlimactic. They literally gave up four runs before recording a single out yesterday against the Rays, never making it a competitive game. They only secured their playoff berth because the Braves beat the Astros. Talk about backing into the postseason, huh? It feels like the whole league is watching this Red Sox squad and scratching its head at what September has been.
This Ain’t the September Baseball We Signed Up For
This Red Sox team is sitting at a pedestrian 9-9 record through September, and they’ve dropped each of their last two series. It’s not exactly the kind of surge you expect from a team fighting for their postseason lives. Their offensive production? Woof. Their OPS+ of 84 this month is the lowest they’ve posted all season, barely even worse than their dreadful April numbers. Think about that, the *playoff-bound* version of this team is putting up stats worse than their early-season struggles. After such a remarkable roller coaster of a season, it feels like they’re in a completely weird spot, honestly. You could call it playoff purgatory, and it wouldn’t be wrong.
Forget the Field, Everything’s Happening in the Trainer’s Room
Here’s the real kicker: in terms of actual on-field results, nothing of consequence has truly happened this month. The big stories for the Red Sox right now? They’re all coming out of the trainer’s room. Everyone’s wondering if Willson Contreras and Ceddanne Rafaela will actually recover in time for the playoffs. Can Roman Anthony find his rhythm after being sidelined with a lengthy injury? And what about Garrett Crochet and Tanner Houck? Can either of them salvage anything from what have been two otherwise lost seasons for them? This whole September stretch has felt less like a playoff race and more like a second spring training. The games just don’t seem to matter, and it sounds like it’s going to be a literal, physical struggle for them to even play the final series of the season.
But hey, the sting of champagne in the clubhouse last night was definitely real for them. Playoff baseball is coming. And the absolute truth of the matter is, if this Red Sox squad gives their fans a memorable October, nobody’s going to care a lick about how weird or anticlimactic September felt. They’ve got their final series ahead of them, and then it’s go-time. Can they flip the switch? That’s the question.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Over the Monster.
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