The 2026 Boston Red Sox are officially in the past, and what a roller coaster it was. There were incredibly low lows and incredibly high highs, and I imagine if you asked 10 Red Sox fans how they felt about this season, you would get 10 different answers.
This is my stance: this season had a really, really fun stretch (mostly late-June into early-August; they went 32-5 during that time and tied their franchise record with 15 consecutive wins), and they should get a ton of credit for ultimately making it to the playoffs despite being 14 games under .500 at one point.
For a pretty sizeable stretch, the Red Sox were the hottest team in baseball, and they were a ton of fun to watch.
Unfortunately, their season not only ended on a sour note, but it ended just about as poorly as it possibly could have, and fans don't have many reasons to feel confident in their outlook for next season... if there even is a next season, depending on what happens with a seemingly inevitable lockout.
The story of the 2026 Red Sox ended in a nightmare
You would think that there was no way for the Red Sox' season to end in so much disappointment, considering how things went during their red-hot stretch. Even if they made it to the playoffs and lost in the Wild Card round, at least they made it that far to begin with.
Yet, somehow, someway, it's almost like Boston would have been better off missing the playoffs entirely.
The Red Sox were completely embarrassed by the New York Yankees in the Wild Card round, getting outscored 18-2 and getting swept by their heated rivals. They managed to upset both Sonny Gray, who is clearly unhappy with Chad Tracy's decision to pull him in the fifth inning after he threw just 70 pitches and allowed just two earned runs and is likely on his way out, and Willson Contreras, who wouldn't give an honest answer about what went wrong down the stretch.
And on top of all of that, Roman Anthony (who is supposed to be the face of the franchise) injured his right hand again in Game 1 and is once again proving that the Red Sox can't rely on him to stay healthy, which is obviously a big concern. Even though Boston was fine without him this season, he is its most talented hitter, and he is meant to help the team stay competitive for years.
In a couple of years, we'll probably look back at the 2026 Red Sox and think of their resilience and incredible stretch in the middle of the season. But right now, they are nothing short of a disappointment and an embarrassment, and any silver linings they were likely to have heading into the offseason now seem to be gone.
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