On Opening Day, we peek into a future full of hope and champagne.
September 27, 2024: Red Sox 7, Rays 5
With that, the Red Sox clinched the American Least East at Fenway Park for the first time since 2017. Wait, really? Yes, really. The kids turned out just fine.
The game, and team, changed before our very eyes. Some teams took steps to embrace the new rules by getting younger and more athletic. Others (New York) stayed stuck in their ways, clinging to the three true outcomes approach and falling flat as a result.
The Red Sox fell into the former, led by Trevor Story and Ceddane Rafaela. Triston Casas also improved defensively while Vaughn Grissom grew into the second base position. Fly balls appeared to be suspended from the ceiling. Duran, Rafaela, and O’Neill running them down seemingly every time. While the pitching staff lacked star power, the defense held things together by making the plays you’d expect them to and countless others.
Speaking of pitching, Brayan Bello took the ball on opening day in Seattle and didn’t look back. He dialed in his slider, pushing his strikeout rate over 23% while continuing to use his sinker for quick outs. With his more polished arsenal, Bello routinely pitched into the sixth, seventh, and sometimes even eighth inning.
Behind him, Kutter Crawford unlocked his potential and made a habit of making hitters look foolish with his fastball/slider combination. Nick Pivetta came out of the gate slowly as he struggled with command, but eventually warmed up with the weather. Andrew Bailey worked his magic at the back end of the staff, coaching Garrett Whitlock to his best season since his rookie year.
Offensively, the team was the least surprising. Devers and Casas carried the load, ranking among the best duos in the league. Trevor Story finally stayed healthy and continued his torrid spring training by hitting 25 home runs, stealing bases, and improving his strikeout rate. Jarren Duran set the table all season, wreaking havoc on the bases, and Tyler O’Neill had his best season since 2021.
Yet, despite the early success, fans had difficulty buying in. The bullpen scuffled early and the New Englanders who were paying attention waited for Craig Breslow to pull the plug, trading veterans for future assets. In the days leading up to the deadline, the Red Sox found themselves three games out of the division, and two games up on the final wild card spot.
On July 27th, something happened. It wasn’t a switch-flipping moment for the Fenway faithful, but the dimmer started to rotate. In a tightly contested game against the Yankees, Chris Martin was unavailable, and the Yankees were threatening in the eighth. Liam Hendriks made his debut, striking out two hitters with the tying run on second base. He came off the mound screaming obscenities that could be heard from the Truly Terrace and fans started to believe. Two days later, Breslow added a starter, Tanner Houck moved to the bullpen, and the chase was on.
In September, Devers turned in one of the best months of his career, carrying the offense on nights when the offense struggled, Rafaela made game-saving catches in the outfield on multiple occasions, and Brayan Bello threw a seven-inning, one-hit gem against Baltimore to take the division lead for the first time since April. Alex Cora did what Alex Cora does, managing each game like there was no tomorrow, piecing games together with anything available. By September, the fans were back in full force, in part due to the team, and in part due to the new, larger beers being sold in the concourse. Much to the chagrin of opposing outfielders, the bleachers became a melting pot of inebriated college students, inebriated young professionals, and inebriated Boston townies. On September 27th, Hendriks once again closed the door, celebration ensued, and “full throttle” took on a whole new meaning.