The Streak That Almost Was
You would have bet your last dollar the Boston Red Sox would pull off another miracle. They had done it before. They had done it often. Instead, the dream died on a solid lineout to center field. The team loaded the bases against Athletics reliever Hogan Harris after scoring a run. Then Ian White stepped up. He hit the ball hard, but right at a fielder. The bid for a second 10-game win streak in the same season ended right there. It is the first time in team history this has happened. The final score was a 7-3 loss on Saturday afternoon at Fenway Park.
This loss breaks a run that felt unstoppable. The Red Sox were just 14 games under .500 on June 24. Now, they sit at 64-52. That is a massive climb for any club. Per ESPN, the team became just the seventh squad since 1920 to win 27 or more games in a 30-game span. They are the only club to start that run while below .500. The stakes were high. They were chasing a mark set by the 1946 club led by Hall of Famer Ted Williams. That 15-game streak ended just over two weeks ago. This new streak started on July 29 after a loss in West Sacramento.
Hope on the Bases
The rally that ended the game started with two outs and a runner on second. Interim manager Chad Tracy watched from the dugout. He knew the odds were against them. “That we might actually win the game the way it’s gone,” Tracy said. He was asked about the moment the tying run stood on third base. He did not sound defeated. He sounded proud of the fight. “It was a great effort to get the tying run to plate and give ourselves a shot, which was awesome,” Tracy said.
The team has been living on comebacks all year. Entering Saturday, 12 of Boston’s past 19 wins came in a comeback style. They even became the first team in modern MLB history to score in the final five innings from the ninth inning on in a single game. That happened in a wild 12-11 victory over the White Sox on Thursday. Infielder Andruw Monasterio felt the energy. “We had that hope, that big hope,” he said. The hope was real. The execution just fell short this time.
Identity Under Fire
Does this loss change who the Red Sox are? The players say no. Boston DH Jahmai Jones believes the heart of this team is built for trouble. “I think that’s our identity. I think that’s who we are as a team,” Jones said. He pointed to the many late-inning rallies they have pulled off. “We’ve seen comebacks for us, we’ve seen a lot of late-inning rallies,” Jones added. The final out was just bad luck. “Unfortunately, it was hit on the screws right at somebody,” he said of the play that ended it all.
The stats back up the claim of a resilient squad. This group has won its past nine series. They are chasing a franchise record. The Red Sox won a franchise-record 11 consecutive series in 1912. That was the year Fenway Park opened. They have not matched that feat since. This loss hurts, but it does not erase the work they have done. The team is still above .500. They are still in the hunt. The streak is gone, but the season is far from over. The fans saw a team that refused to quit until the very last pitch. That spirit is worth more than a single win streak.
