Tuesday, July 17, 2018

At The Break: The Red Sox Are Poised For Historic Achievements In 2018

The Red Sox at the All-Star Break are enjoying some historic records. Here are a few examples:

• The most wins (68) by any team ever before the break;
• For the first time in Red Sox history, the team has four starters with at least 10 wins.
• The Red Sox have three separate streaks of eight or more wins.
• The Sox are on pace for 112 wins. Only three teams in MLB history have ever won over 112;

Of course, we all remember the 2011 Red Sox—that "juggernaut" that was dubbed The Greatest Red Sox Team Ever. Adding Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford the previous off-season, people were actually comparing them to the 1927 Yankees. At the end of July, the 2011 team had 66 wins. Then, they went 17-12 in August and an abysmal 7-20 in September to gag away a playoff spot. That kind of collapse will likely never happen again—but, hey, who knows? The Red Sox have a favorable schedule in the second half—with more games at home than on the road. But, the teams they have to play at the end are some of the other elites in the American League (three more with Houston and six more with The Evil Ones). Plus, our Interleague matchups feature two of the most surprising teams in the National League—two with the Phillies and three with the Braves. Still, the make-up of this team seems to suggest that they can weather those kinds of storms and make a legitimate run at their third straight AL East division title. We expect thatand a long play-off run.