On September 3rd 2011, the Boston Red Sox were 9 games secure of the Rays for the AL wild card win. At that point in time, they had a 99.6 percent chance of making the playoffs but over the next 25 days, the Red Sox won just 6 games and saw their once impenetrable playoff lead evaporate before their very eyes.
Over the ensuing months of disgrace and confusion over what had just happened, Terry Francona was fired, Theo Epsteen departed, and Red Sox fans threatened to give up on the team that broke their hearts....but they didn't. After 2011, those enraged Red Sox fans stuck around willing to give their town one more chance... and Boston blew it. During the off-season, they signed Bobby Valentine as their manager but by the second half of the season they were not better and just 1 year after 2011, they dismantled the team shipping Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett and Adrian Gonzalez out of Boston for good. From then on, the team went into an off-season of rebuilding but nevertheless, by that point in time, the fans were gone.
Until well, April.
On April 15th, 2013, Shane Victorino blasted an unthinkable walk-off double to hand Boston the win on the day. Mere hours later, that city that had given up on their Red Sox was torn apart by a twin bombing that shocked the nation. From then on they used the Sox and Bruins as a rallying point as both teams went on torrent runs that took the Bruins to the cup finals and the Red Sox to a constant position as one of the best teams in baseball.
As it stands, the Red Sox are amidst a crushing pennant race and about 5 games up in the wild card race. They have a 92 percent chance of making the playoffs and realistically only need to go 23 and 29 down the stretch to gain a playoff spot but nevertheless, with even more games left than in 2011 and a smaller lead in the wild card race, what is preventing Boston from falling down to a similar fate to that suffered two years ago?
Realistically speaking well nothing as in 2011 the Red Sox proved to us all that so long as the playoff probability percentage is not 100% anything can happen.
But nevertheless, there is one thing that is working in Boston's favor: their refusal to give up. Through 110 games, the Boston Red Sox are 66 and 44, a wonderful record in it of itself never-mind the fashion that 11 of those 66 victories have been completed. With 11 walk-offs on the season, the Red Sox find themselves just 2 shy of the franchise record that stands at 13. No other baseball team has more walk-offs than Boston and that huge number reflects Boston's brilliance when caught in close games. In September of 2011, Boston lost 11 games by a margin of less than 3 runs. 2 years later, and in the wake of Boston's historic 8-7 comeback win, only 43% of Boston's losses have come in 1 or 2 run games while in September 2011, 55% of their losses came in such a way.
They are an unthinkably resilient ball club and when you compare this team to the one two years before today, the 2011 Red Sox season ended with a heart breaking 4-3 walk off loss to Baltimore, in a game that, coming into the 9th inning they had a chance to seal the deal on. 1 year later, while yeah Boston's bull pen is well, awful, they might allow a game to be tied late but they would not let it go so far as to allow the opposing team to just win it all in come from behind fashion. If this 2013 team was the one that faced the Orioles in the final game of the year, they would not have lost 4-3 in 9 innings.
It’s hard to explain and in fact, it may be impossible, but the aura emanating from this Boston ball club is one far different than that of losing proportions that grew in September of 2011. It’s hard to explain and in fact it may be impossible but the aura emanating from this ball club speaks volumes of words, all repeating one simple phrase.
"This team is going to the playoffs."
"This team is going to the playoffs."
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