The streak... is over (cue Michael Cole), but the Boston Red Sox did prove something during their near franchise-record 15-game winning streak: they can make some noise in October, and they might be legitimate contenders.
To be clear, one monstrous winning streak doesn't automatically make any team in any sport a legitimate contender, and that's especially true in baseball. 15 games is about 9.3% of one MLB season, so just because the Red Sox got hot when they did for as long as they did doesn't make the rest of the season any less important.
However, there actually are reasons to think the Red Sox legitimately figured things out after a poor start to the season, and if this streak taught the fans anything, it's that they should have some faith in the team and maybe feel confident that this was the start of something special.
The Red Sox were always a solid team on paper
Boston's biggest problem earlier in the season was its offense. There were no real power hitters on the team (Willson Contreras sort of established himself as one eventually), and the offense would constantly go stagnant because of it.
That seems to have figured itself out now that players like Wilyer Abreu (five home runs in July) and Caleb Durbin (nine home runs since June) are finding their groove alongside Contreras (four home runs in 12 games in July).
And even though there were questions about Boston's lack of power, those same questions didn't really exist anywhere else.
Everybody knows the Red Sox' pitching staff was elite (Aroldis Chapman made another All-Star appearance as a closer, Ranger Suarez earned All-Star honors in his first season with the team -- Sonny Gray definitely should have --, and players like Payton Tolle, Connelly Early, and Jake Bennett have also looked incredible this year). Plus, they have one of the best fielding teams in the majors.
Boston didn't make a big trade or signing. They fired most of their staff, brought in some fresh faces, and eventually turned things around. But the roster has largely been the same. Maybe they were never actually as bad as they seemed to be at the beginning of the season.
The Red Sox can go far from here
It's still early to comfortably call the Red Sox real World Series contenders. Even in the midst of a red-hot July, they are 52-49, own the third spot in the AL East, and are just two games ahead of the Seattle Mariners for the third AL Wild Card spot.
And, while I guess crazier things have happened, I find it incredibly hard to think they're going to go on another 15-game winning streak or anything close to that the rest of the way.
But this team clearly has talent, good chemistry, and a real desire to win. And it was only a matter of time before all of that clicked.
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