Elizabeth Muirhead ’20 | Assistant Sports Editor
With the start of the school year and the beginning of the fall sports season, it’s easy to forget that the summer sports season is approaching its end.
After months of play on humid summer nights, the major league baseball season begins to draw to a close. We have the playoffs and the Baseball World Series to look forward to.
As of Sunday, five teams have clinched spots in the playoffs, including the New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros, Boston Red Sox and the Cleveland Indians, which only leaves room for seven other teams. Surprisingly, the Boston Red Sox sits at the top of this heap.
While the Sox are a wealthy, high profile team with the reputation of having an extremely dedicated fan base, they don’t have a great historical record with the world series.
Back in the early days of major league baseball in the 1900s, the Sox won several world series titles. But following the sale of Babe Ruth to the Yankees in 1919, the Sox began an 86-year dry spell, called the curse of the Bambino after Babe Ruth’s nickname.
Then in 2004, the Sox finally won the world series, sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals in the final round. The franchise and the fanbase were energized by the breaking of the curse. They have gone on to win two more titles since, in 2007 and 2013.
During the 2017 season, the Sox won their division, the American League East and placed fifth in the entire MLB for the regular season, which granted them a spot in the playoffs. Unfortunately for Boston fans, the Sox were knocked out in their first series against the Houston Astros, who went on to win the world series.
This season, their record looks more promising. Fans are also optimistic about the Sox’s shot at a world series title. Boston has already clinched the winning spot in their division, with the Yankees sitting nine and a half games behind as of Sept. 23.
Not only have they won their division, the Sox also sit at the top of the entire MLB this season. They’re the only team to have hit the 100-win mark so far, and the next closest team, which happens to be the Astros, sits seven and a half games behind.
So what has changed from last season to this season that is making the Sox more successful?
The Sox have had most of their success because of their offensive muscle, which includes acquiring J.D. Martinez before the start of the season. According to ESPN, Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez, who both bat for Boston, have the two best batting averages in the MLB, with 0.339 and 0.329 respectively. Additionally, J.D. Martinez is ranked second in the league for homeruns and first for runs batted in.
Beyond these standout athletes, Boston’s success can be tracked at a team level. Boston’s battling ranks first overall, their pitching ranks fifth and their fielding ranks seventh.
Their respectable defensive performance this season paired with their powerful offensive performance make the Red Sox the best team in the MLB right now. But can they translate that success into a world series victory?
