Boston Red Sox: Satisfaction with playoff qualification proved to be their demise
Historically, the Red Sox have thrived in the playoff atmosphere of Fenway. However, players and manager alike seemed disinterested in home-field advantage.
On the morning of September 27, 2016, the Boston Red Sox were in the midst of an eleven-game winning streak, and laid claim to the American League’s top record at 92-64. Home-field advantage throughout the playoffs was theirs to lose, as both Cleveland and Texas were one game behind in the “loss” column.
Suffice it to say, the Red Sox lost what “was theirs to lose”; ceding home-field to both Cleveland and Texas in no time flat. Admittedly, home-field advantage does not yield nearly the equivalent significance in baseball, as it does in football and basketball. Nonetheless, I would argue that for one specific baseball team, the Boston Red Sox, home-field advantage rivals that observed in the aforementioned two sports.
Owning the tiebreaker against the Cleveland Indians meant that the Red Sox effectively maintained a two-game lead on the Indians with merely six games remaining on the schedule. Unfortunately, the Red Sox lost five of their remaining six contests; Cleveland won three of their next five games, and, while unbeknownst at the time, our postseason hopes evaporated more quickly than a beaker of Acetone in a hot laboratory.
Cleveland’s September 28 contest against Detroit was rained out; however, the game would be played on Monday, October 3, were there any seeding implications for Cleveland or playoff implications for Detroit. Perhaps the greatest indictment of the Red Sox “collapse,” was that Cleveland did not even require that final game to assume home field advantage in their series against the Red Sox.
Fenway Park: Things would have been different
Many fans will claim that the Red Sox only won one more game at home than on the road this season, which, although an accurate statement, does not take into account the raucous, playoff environment inside Fenway Park. Such fans do not comprehend how loud and intimidating Fenway Park can be in October; especially to a young team like the Indians.
Upon reviewing the events that transpired at Progressive Field in Games 1 and 2 in Cleveland, it is rather improbable that said events unfold in a similar fashion were both games played in Boston. Price’s performance was likely venue-independent, meaning he would have performed poorly in any ballpark. However, many of the negative events would not have occurred were the games played at Fenway Park.
Is there anyone reading this who thinks that the Indians would have smashed three home runs in an inning off Porcello were Game 1 played in Boston? I must remind our audience that Porcello was 13-1 with a 2.97 ERA at Fenway, while 9-3 with a 3.31 ERA on the road. In addition, were Games 1 and 2 played at Fenway, what is the likelihood that Betts, Bradley, and Bogaerts would have been a combined 2-for-20 with 10 K’s as they were during the two games in Cleveland?
Similar to the way our young players were rattled in Cleveland, the Indians’ young players would have been equally rattled at Fenway. Unfortunately, Farrell and the Red Sox players seemed satisfied to qualify for the playoffs, unable to see the proverbial forest through the trees.
Red Sox demonstrate that home-field advantage was not a priority
It is still incomprehensible to me how unimportant John Farrell and the Red Sox players deemed the acquisition of home-field advantage. Being swept by the Yankees with home-field advantage at stake is unacceptable. Craig Kimbrel’s implosion against the Yankees on the night the Red Sox clinched the AL East, allowing four earned runs, three walks and a hit, without retiring a batter, may have been one loss too many and that defeat falls squarely on the players’ shoulders.
However, the line-up that John Farrell sent out the following night, in what would result in another defeat at the hands of the Yankees, was Farrell’s contribution to our failure to secure home-field advantage against the Indians.
First, Farrell tapped Henry Owens to make the start. That bit of information, in and of itself, indicates the importance, or lack there-of, that Farrell placed upon home field advantage. Second, our line-up featured Ortiz for a single at-bat, which is one more at-bat than the cumulative total of at-bats for Pedroia, Betts, Leon, and Ramirez.
If Kimbrel had not choked in the second game against the Yankees and Farrell had not rolled out a Little League squad in the third game, the Red Sox likely win both games. In addition, they likely secure home-field against the Indians, and are likely now battling Toronto, with home field advantage, for a World Series berth.
Red Sox mindset vs. Cubs mindset: Emblematic of the team still competing
The stark contrast between the Red Sox’s, “it was an honor just being nominated” attitude, and the Cub’s, “Veni, Vidi, Vici” attitude, is no better exemplified than each team’s behavior upon capturing their respective divisions.
On Wednesday, September 28, minutes prior to a Kimbrel implosion, that ultimately set the stage for a Mark Teixeira walk-off Grand Slam, Baltimore defeated Toronto, rendering Boston American League East champions.
Despite clinching the AL East crown due to a Toronto defeat, one might think that after a seemingly painful loss in which the Red Sox possessed a 3-0 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth inning, any celebrations would be postponed. Much to my surprise, the Red Sox players partied that night “as if it was 1999.” That celebration should have alerted everyone all that was needed to know regarding the postseason aspirations of this ball club.
On Thursday, September 15, the Cubs, in a similar situation to the Red Sox, lost to the Brewers; however, were crowned division champions as the Giants defeated the Cardinals. The Cubs, however, were thinking about a much bigger prize, and recognized that “celebration” and “defeat” are two mutually exclusive activities.
Perhaps said mindset is the reason that the Cubs are still playing baseball, while the Red Sox are merely watching baseball.
In a September 16, 2016, article by Carrie Muskat of MLB.com, Cubs catcher Miguel Montero is quoted as saying, “We want to come back here [Friday] and we’ll be together and celebrate the way you’re supposed to after a win.”
Muskat also writes, “Last year was exactly the same,” Montero said. “Regardless, we have to come back [Friday] and win the ballgame. We’ve been playing good enough to not quit now. We want to keep rolling.”
Examples of “Fenway Magic”
Fenway Park’s mythical aura is incontrovertible. It is the site of some of the greatest comebacks and legendary performances by past Red Sox teams.
Fenway hosted the most improbable Red Sox playoff victory, or any victory, for that matter, that I can recall. In Game 5 of the 2008 ALCS, the Red Sox were down 3 games to 1 in the series, and 7-0 in the game with only seven outs remaining, to the Tampa Bay Rays. The Red Sox scored eight runs before the Rays could collect seven outs, as the Red Sox forced a Game 6 by defeating the Rays 8-7. Were the immortal Jack Buck with us and broadcasting this game, there is no doubt that upon its conclusion, Buck would have uttered those words that he once exclaimed after a Kirk Gibson home run off of Dennis Eckersley in the 1988 World Series: “I don’t believe what I just saw!”
In no way does such a comeback occur in Tampa. Terry Francona, our manager at the time, said, in explaining how Fenway Park went from quiet to as boisterous as any stadium in America, “This place became unglued.” The playoff atmosphere at Fenway is unique and gives the Red Sox much more of an advantage than the typical home team.
In the 2007 ALCS, the Red Sox found themselves down three games to one to the Cleveland Indians. The consensus was that if the Red Sox could win Game 5 in Cleveland, Games 6 and 7 in Boston would be a lock. Josh Beckett tossed a gem, brought the series back to Boston, and the Red Sox took care of business at Fenway.
Lastly, who can forget the greatest comeback in American History: the 2004 ALCS against the New York Yankees. The Red Sox were down three games to none. Obviously, Games 4 and 5 at Fenway were prerequisites to a series victory. Both games went extra innings, with Big Papi homering to win Game 4, and fighting off a tough Esteban Loaiza pitch into center field to win Game 5. The Sox would go on to win the final two games at Yankee Stadium to secure the unprecedented comeback. Were Games 4 and 5 at Yankee Stadium, is there any doubt that the series would have ended in New York?
Red Sox players and manager felt, “It was an honor just to be nominated”
The Red Sox entered the 2016 postseason similarly to that of a Grammy Award nominee who did not win the Grammy. Whereas the Grammy nominee states, “It was an honor just to be nominated,” the Red Sox conveyed a similar sentiment via their actions and performance: “It was great just to qualify for the playoffs.”
Ultimately, securing home-field advantage against the Indians was of little significance to John Farrell and the Red Sox players, as both played major roles in ensuring that the Red Sox would open the postseason in Cleveland. Given the incalculable advantage that playing at Fenway confers upon the Red Sox, especially in the postseason, I find such a blatant miscalculation indefensible.
John Farrell knows all about “Fenway Magic.” What could possibly be his reason(s) for entering round one of the 2016 postseason as the “Road” team? The only possible answers that I have been able to come up with are, overconfidence, lapse-in-reasoning, or, after two last-place finishes, maybe there was a sense of satisfaction in merely qualifying for the playoffs.
I like Farrell, I really do. He seems like a very likeable man. However, he is the captain of the ship, and when the ship goes asunder, one does not blame the cook; the captain is always culpable.
Next: Red Sox may revisit Napoli experiment
The Red Sox’s celebration after the September 28 walk-off loss to the Yankees, courtesy of Craig Kimbrel and Mark Teixeira, was not indicative of a team that was “all in.” Nonetheless, perhaps the greatest harbinger of our postseason nightmare was the Little League line-up that John Farrell sent out the following night, in what I felt was a “must-win.” I hope that John Farrell recognizes that it is decisions of that ilk that often result in unemployment.