Red Sox History: Ranking every squad of the 21st century

18 of 23

BOSTON – OCTOBER 6: Jason Bay #44 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates after scoring the winning run against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for the American League Division Series at Fenway Park on October 6, 2008 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images) /

No. 6: 2008 Red Sox (95-69)

This team really should have gone back-to-back. Terry Francona said that this was the best Red Sox team he ever managed, and they had all their pieces back from their World Series run.

Dustin Pedroia earned MVP honors, hitting .326 and leading the league in runs and stolen bases, while Kevin Youkilis wasn’t far behind (.312/.390/.569, 29 HR, 115 RBIs). J.D Drew bounced back from a disappointing Red Sox debut to post a .408 OBP, and Jason Bay provided some thump after being acquired mid-season.

The rotation was even better than in 2007, as Daisuke Matsuzaka (18-3, 2.90 ERA) and Jon Lester (3.21 ERA in 210 innings) took significant steps forward. Again, the bullpen was a strength, with Manny Delcarmen, Hideki Okajima, and Javier Lopez all posting ERAs under 3.50 and Jonathan Papelbon saving 41 games.

The only blemishes on this Red Sox team were the declines of David Ortiz and Mike Lowell. Ortiz, who dealt with a wrist injury for most of the season, played in just 109 games and saw his OPS drop nearly 200 points from 2007, while Lowell hit 50 points lower than the previous season.

The Red Sox grabbed the Wild Card after finishing two games behind the surprising Tampa Bay Rays and lost to them in a hard-fought, seven-game ALCS.

Home/Red Sox History