Boston Red Sox: A franchise-first as Wild Card looms large
It’s only fitting that the first-ever Wild Card Game for the Boston Red Sox is against the New York Yankees. Rivals for over 100 years, it’s hard to find many firsts in this long-storied rivalry but here we are.
For only the fifth-time — six, if you want to count the A.L. East tiebreaker in 1978 — the two teams will meet up in the postseason. The most recent was the 2018 ALDS, where the Red Sox defeated the Yankees in four games.
A return to a normal 162 game season in 2021 also meant the Red Sox and Yankees returned to jockeying for playoff position. While the Tampa Bay Rays pulled away from the herd to claim the A.L. East, Boston and New York needed until the final day to secure spots.
Boston will host New York at Fenway Park on Tuesday, thanks to winning the season series 10-9. It was a tale of two halves in the games between the teams, with Boston bringing out the broom in multiple series in the season’s first-half.
Boston Red Sox: Runs, bullpen need to return
The Yankees returned the favor in the second-half and Boston has lost six straight to the Yankees.
Two of the things that carried the Red Sox for much of the season, bullpen work and hitting, seemed to disappear for stretches in the season’s last two months.
Timely hitting returned just in time, delivering four runs in the ninth inning to help secure a clutch win for Boston on Saturday. And hitting was more impressive in Sunday’s clincher as the Red Sox posted six runs after the fifth inning.
The highlight was Rafael Devers and his big two-run blast in the ninth, his second home run of the game. He was one of the more consistent players down the stretch, picking up at least one hit in nine of his last ten games.
Scoring runs was a struggle at times in September for the Red Sox. In a seven-game stretch prior to the final two games, the Red Sox went 2-5 and only scored 23 runs.
More concerning, in the six-game losing streak to the Yankees the Red Sox have only scored 14 runs. This after scoring 36 in the first six games against New York this season.
While the hitting has been a struggle, games this time of year tend to be of the low-scoring variety. Which means the spotty bullpen work will need to rise up.
Up-and-down for Boston Red Sox pitching
The starting rotation was inconsistent for most of the season’s first-half. Nathan Eovaldi was the most consistent, and that’s one reason he’ll be getting the nod in the Wild Card Game.
Once Chris Sale returned, the rotation seemed to pitch better and find more consistency. And for Tuesday’s game, it could very well be all hands on deck.
Garrett Richards and his move to the bullpen has proved wonders for this team.
One glaring question was seemingly answered when Garrett Whitlock was activated prior to Sunday’s game. Having not pitched since September 19, there was question as to how effective he might be.
Whitlock made an appearance on Sunday, striking out two in an inning of work. His work has been spectacular in 2021 and hopefully he can carry that 1.96 ERA over to the postseason.
If Eovaldi can give the Red Sox six innings (or, even a combination of Eovaldi and Sale), then a Richards, Whitlock, and Adam Ottavino order would be nice.
Of course, the Red Sox lost at least three games to the Yankees where Boston led in the 8th inning. So, even a straight forward plan like above could be thwarted.
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The bullpen as a whole was Boston’s saving grace for the season’s first-half. If the Red Sox can get help beyond the top three relievers and the timely hitting stays intact, a win is in the cards. While the season has already been an accomplishment for this overachieving club, let’s hope they can keep it going a little bit longer.