Red Sox: Top five MLB September collapses prove playoffs are still possible

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HOUSTON, TX – OCTOBER 17: (L-R) Mookie Betts #50, Andrew Benintendi #16, and Jackie Bradley Jr. #19 of the Boston Red Sox celebrate after defeating the Houston Astros 8-6 in Game Four of the American League Championship Series at Minute Maid Park on October 17, 2018 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

The Boston Red Sox face long odds to make the playoffs but history shows that it’s still possible. These five September collapses are proof.

The reigning World Series champions are in danger of missing the postseason, depriving the Boston Red Sox of the chance to defend their throne.

We’re nearly a week into September and the Red Sox sit 6.5 games behind the Oakland A’s for the second Wild Card spot. The Tampa Bay Rays are half a game ahead of Oakland for the rights to host the one-game playoff while the Cleveland Indians lurk one game back of a Wild Card spot.

Boston needs to leap over at least two of those teams to qualify for the postseason, a seemingly impossible task with the clock winding down on the 2019 season. FanGraphs projects the Red Sox to win only 87.7 games while the other three Wild Card contenders are pegged for 92+ wins. Boston’s playoff odds have dwindled all the way down to 3.5 percent.

An improbable challenge to overcome? Yes. Impossible? No.

We know an epic comeback at this stage of the season can happen because there are at least a handful of similar scenarios that have occurred throughout MLB history. These are obviously outliers but they provide reasons to hold on to hope as we head into the home stretch.

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