Red Sox: A hot start would go a long way for the 2021 team
Momentum could be key for the Red Sox in a crowded AL East
The Major League Baseball season is a marathon, not a sprint. A 162-game, six-month schedule can lead to plenty of streaks, and teams usually don’t place too much stock in early-season outcomes. That being said, recent history shows that coming out of the gate hot would greatly benefit the 2021 Boston Red Sox.
Let’s start by looking at the past four seasons of April baseball for the Red Sox.
2020 was an anomaly for numerous reasons. Losing Mookie Betts, David Price, Chris Sale, and Eduardo Rodriguez to trade or injury put the Sox in a dreadful position before the 60-game season even began. Once it did start, things only got worse. Boston lost eight of its first 11 games, and endured a nine-game losing streak in August that effectively ended the team’s season.
In 2019, the Red Sox got off to a 2-8 start. The team was pretty streaky all season, and never really hit a groove, finishing in third place and missing the playoffs.
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2018 was, of course, a different story. The World Champions were red-hot to start the season, barreling out to a 17-2 record, finishing April at 21-7. The Red Sox never lost more than three in a row, and dominated from Spring Training through the World Series. To win 108 games in the regular season, a team needs more than a strong start. But there’s no question momentum can be a potent force in baseball.
2017 may be the outlier. The 93-win Sox stumbled through April to the tune of a 13-11 record –– not exactly postseason caliber. But Boston turned things around and won the division.
In theory, a 10-game stretch should hold little bearing on the outcome of a 162-game season. But in the AL East, which in 2021 could have four teams contending for the playoffs, digging yourself into an early hole could prove insurmountable. Playing from behind all season does not lead to success.
Luckily for the Red Sox, the 2021 schedule may cooperate. Boston will play six of their first nine games against the Baltimore Orioles. With all due respect to the Birds, this is a good opportunity for the Red Sox to get off to a good start.
The rest of April, on the other hand, will be no cake walk. The Sox will play the Tampa Bay Rays, Minnesota Twins, Chicago White Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, and New York Mets, all of which very well could be playoff teams this season. Making it through the first ten games with some confidence will be key for Boston.
Standings aside, there is another factor at play as the Red Sox begin their 2021 campaign: the fans. Since fans last entered Fenway Park in September 2019, the team has traded its best player, fired its popular manager for his role in a cheating scheme, broken up the entire homegrown Win-Dance-Repeat outfield, all while continuing to raise ticket prices.
Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy put it bluntly: “If these Red Sox don’t jump out quickly, irrelevance awaits.” A bit harsh, perhaps, but Shaughnessy isn’t entirely wrong. Just three years removed from a World Championship, the Red Sox are far from the most popular team in Boston, and New England fans are not usually too patient through multi-year rebuilds.
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A lot has to go right for the Red Sox to contend for even a Wild Card spot this season. But for an organization that had largely been counted out before Spring Training began, a hot start would go a long way in proving the team’s potential and winning back some fans.