Boston Red Sox: September is the Finest of Months
For the Boston Red Sox, winners of nine straight, the month of September has been one to remember.
Now, with their magic number to clinch the AL East down to four, it’s time for the Boston Red Sox to power through and carry on to October.
The Red Sox, coming into the month, had been jockeying for position in the AL East for most of the season. One week, they’d be sitting in first place. The next, fighting off other teams to remain in the second wildcard position.
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Thanks to their nine-game winning streak, the wildcard is–fingers crossed–an afterthought to this team. Instead, the Red Sox might actually now be focused on something bigger. They currently find themselves in a three-way race with the Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers for the league’s best record.
In September, the Red Sox are relying on much more than their powerful offense. It has been a complete team effort, from catcher Sandy Leon to converted reliever Joe Kelly to the suddenly rejuvenated Clay Buchholz. The combined play has produced a 16-5 record in September and taken the Red Sox to the brink of the AL East title.
September Pitching
The Red Sox, through the season’s first four months, were consistently inconsistent when it came to their pitching staff. Good outings were followed by horrible outings, dominating performances followed by performances better suited to the minor leagues.
The pitchers gained momentum in August, ultimately dialing it in for consistency in September. The staff has combined for a team ERA of 2.71, giving up only 19 home runs in nearly 190 innings while allowing only 2.9 runs per game. Their strikeout to walk ratio has been 5:1 over this same period as well.
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It has been both starters and the bullpen contributing to the success. Both David Price and Buchholz are undefeated in September, with Price picking up four wins and Buchholz three.
Of course, there is unexpected Cy Young candidate Rick Porcello. Porcello is 3-1 in September and will be looking for win number 22 on Saturday night in Tampa Bay.
The bullpen, meanwhile, seems to have finally solidified. Now healthy and appearing to be on the top of their game, the bullpen has seven relievers with at least five appearances that have not allowed an earned run in September.
Offense Staying Hot
Collectively, the Red Sox have not slowed down in the batter’s box. September has sen Boston average 6.1 runs per game while hitting .287, right along their season averages.
Along with the young talent, it has been Boston’s veterans leading the way. David Ortiz, winding down his final season, has cranked up his production this month. Not only has he hit game-changing home runs, he has driven in 22 runs while hitting .359.
Hanley Ramirez, meanwhile, has been everything expected of him when he joined the team in 2015. And September has been more than fine for him. Ramirez is hitting .354, knocking ten home runs with 25 runs batted in.
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The Red Sox have momentum on their side. They have distanced themselves from the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles, now focusing on punching their ticket to the playoffs and possibly home field advantage.
Then it’s on to October, where hopefully the Red Sox and their fans will do more than just dancing in the outfield.