Well at least we were better than Bobby.
The Red Sox 2014 season came to an end Sunday afternoon with the Sox dropping a 9-5 decision to the equally lackluster Yankees. The Sox finished 25 games out of first place in the AL East with a record of 71 and 91. For those keeping track, that is just two more wins than were amassed by the self-deprecating 2012 Red Sox.
For those who have watched this season, the apparent similarities between the two campaigns would be seen to go far beyond the win-loss records. The Red Sox lost great pitching cornerstones this season in John Lackey and Jon Lester just a few months after letting Jacoby Ellsbury drop into a mega money contract with New York. Though good at times, the overall pitching capabilities of the Sox were unimpressive this year. Boston logged a team ERA of nearly 4.00 while chucking wildly inaccurate attempts at sly pitches.
Their offence was no better, hacking at pitches all year long and evidently loosing that never-say-die attitude that won them the World Series last season.
Such were common themes from day one of the 2014 regular season just as they were in 2012. Such were also common themes in day 180 of the 2014 season, just as they were in 2012.
The Red Sox began their final game of 2014 with a lengthy ceremony honoring the retiring Yankee captain – Derek Jeter. The ceremony included many of Boston’s top cops of sports the most notable of which being the greats Bobby Orr, Troy Brown and Paul Peirce of the Bruins, Patriots and Celtics respectively.
Following the ceremony, Boston fell behind in swift fashion (cue first theme) when they allowed a two run triple to Ichiro Suzuki. Immediately following that, in Jeter’s final at bat an understandably non devout effort by Mookie Betts to snag a low chopper allowed the Yankees to sneak in an extra run.
Jeter left following the RBI to a standing ovation, hugs from his teammate and a lingering farewell with Red Sox first basemen Mike Napoli.
Sox pitcher, Clay Buchholz exited the game 4 innings later, closing out his season with an 8-11 record. That winning percentage of 42.1% was his worst as a starting pitcher.
Hitting behind Buchholz were new Red Sox, Mookie Betts and Dan Butler who, in the 7th inning broke the Yankees shutout with a combined 5 RBI’s on two doubles.
Then it all ended. The Sox were handed their 27thout of the ball game and, as Derek Jeter said goodbye to baseball, the Red Sox said goodbye to many of the fans who signed on this year expecting more than a last place finish.
After 6 months of shortcomings and 5 months of knowing that the season was going nowhere the 2014 Red Sox season ended without fanfare.
“Dan Butler flies out to left fielder Chris Young,” read the scorebook from Sunday’s game. The 2014 Sox jumped off the bat with all the potential in the world. They died, fell from the sky and found themselves tucked away in baseball lore, an afterthought of epic proportions.
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