In a season in which the Red Sox set the franchise record for wins, there were countless great moments. But these ten moments stand out as some of the best.
After dishing out $110 million to free agent J.D. Martinez and bringing in a whole new coaching staff that included new manager Alex Cora, the Boston Red Sox came into this season with very high expectations.
Right away in Spring Training, you could already sense a different energy in the Red Sox that they didn’t have in past seasons. They were having fun, getting along, and bonding before the season even started. Joe Kelly’s ‘Jim Buchanan’ skit is a perfect example of how loose the team was.
Then on March 29, the 2018 season was underway. The Red Sox had an unbelievable start, winning 15 of their first 17 games, including three sweeps. Plus, one of their biggest weaknesses from last season, home runs, was already much improved. The Red Sox hit 19 HRs in their first 16 games this season. At that point in 2017, they only had 7 home runs.
By the All-Star break, they were 68-30 — the best record going into the All-Star break since the 1969 Orioles. They got their 100th win for 1st time since 1946 on September 12 and clinched the division a week later.
So obviously a season like this was filled with exciting moments. Walk-offs and grand slams, amazing comebacks and big hits, incredible catches and clutch strikeouts, brilliant pitching performances, and crazy blowouts, and much, much more. But let’s get into the 10 moments that stand out as some of the best: