The Boston Red Sox have been searching all year for a reason to be hopeful. This weekend against the New York Yankees, they found what they have been looking for.
The 2019 season has been emotionally confusing for the Boston Red Sox and their fans. The overarching feeling is that the team simply can’t hold momentum for more than a few games at a time.
At a glance, this weekend’s series against the New York Yankees was a microcosm of this season; some success culminating in disappointment. But even with last night’s loss, the weekend should be viewed as a monumental victory for the Red Sox.
One week ago, the thought of playing the Yankees was enough to send a shiver down my spine. The Bombers entered this weekend 7-3 in their last 10 games, and had positioned themselves like the Spartans — atop a hill that was extremely difficult to ascend. Even if the Red Sox could manage to climb within striking distance, they would still have to battle against a powerful and relentless group of “savages”.
This weekend, though, the Red Sox played like a team with a purpose. They won three of four games and proved they could dismantle the Evil Empire, outscoring their foes 44-22. The best part, though, was that it never felt like the Boston Red Sox wouldn’t win. This weekend gave me a ton of hope.
Foot on the gas
One of the biggest takeaways from this weekend was the relentless nature of the Boston Red Sox offense. They exploded out of the gate with a 23 hit, 19 run performance, and carried that momentum throughout the entire weekend.
The following night, the Red Sox scored ten runs, marking the first time this year with back-to-back double digit runs scored. The next night, they scored nine runs en route to their third straight win. On the fourth and final night, which didn’t result in a victory, the Boston Red Sox scored six runs on ten hits.
Consistent offensive production has been elusive this season, so it was really encouraging to see multiple players stepping up night after night. The hitting is definitely moving on the right track.
Benny Baseball
Andrew Benintendi is more than just a sex-symbol with a great head of hair. As a matter of fact, he’s a really talented baseball player, and he reminded us this weekend.
The month of July had been difficult for Benintendi, who went just 15-66 prior to this weekend’s series. He didn’t look comfortable at the plate and seemed to be floundering. Fortunately, he figured it out in time for the rivalry games.
Benny thrashed the Yankees, going 10-18 with two home runs, three doubles, and six RBI. This is a huge positive for the entire team, who has been fiending for production out of the left fielder. It certainly looks like Andrew Benintendi worked out the kinks in his swing, and my fingers are crossed that his adjustments have longevity.
ENERGY
The Boston Red Sox had some energy this weekend! It’s easy to be lively when you’re scoring 11 runs per game, but that doesn’t take away from the vibes that were floating around the park.
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The players and fans were all feeding off each other, it was a thing of beauty. Fenway hasn’t felt like that for the entire season, and it was good to see the fire in the eyes of the team and fans.
The Yankees walked in with their heads high, sitting atop their temporary AL East throne, and the Red Sox answered the call. The way things had been going, it was completely conceivable that the team would lay down and die at the face of a challenge. That did not happen at all.
We are talented. Everybody knows that. Without the right energy, however, the talent goes to waste. It’s a positive feedback loop, and every ounce of optimism gets fed back into the fire. More energy equals better play, which equals more energy. Once the snowball gets rolling, I would hate to be on the team that stands in its way.
This was the Red Sox’ best series of the season, and there are a ton of positives to take away from it. The only thing left to do is build.