Chaotic MLB Wild Card showcased 2022 Red Sox’ biggest issue
One of the most frustrating things about the 2022 Boston Red Sox was their inability to square up with their division rivals.
Injuries are the No. 1 reason why this team didn’t go anywhere, but falling short against the rest of the American League East is a close second.
The Sox went 78-84 this year, which is by no means a good record, but decidedly middle-of-the-pack. They had the same record as the Minnesota Twins, and 12 teams were worse. But when viewed through a divisional lens, this season is uglier than Cinderella’s step-sisters. The Sox went 26-50 against the Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles, Tampa Bay Rays, and New York Yankees. As Dennis Eckersley would say, “Yuck.”
That record would’ve been even worse if the Sox hadn’t somehow taken three of four from Baltimore at the end of September to win their season series 10-9 and then swept the Rays in the last three games of the season. Of course, they got swept by the Blue Jays in between.
So, the Red Sox weren’t great against their division and that’s why they’re watching at home. But it turns out, their AL East foes didn’t get much farther. Sure, the Jays and Rays actually made it to the postseason via Wild Card, but they got swept right out of it by the Seattle Mariners and Cleveland Guardians in their respective series this weekend. Only the Yankees remain, and so far, that’s simply by virtue of winning the division, which enabled them to bypass the first round.
Could the Red Sox have beaten the Mariners or Guardians in the Wild Card round?
That the Jays and Rays ultimately compiled as many playoff wins as the Sox this year suggests that if the Sox had been good enough to get into the postseason, they might have fared better than their division rivals. Boston was 6-1 against Seattle and 5-2 against Cleveland in the regular season. They outscored the Mariners 45-28 and Guardians 34-26, so in theory, the Sox could’ve at least made it past the first round.
Of course, it’s ultimately a moot point. The Sox were appallingly bad against their division, so this will just go down in franchise history as one of many What Ifs for which there will never be an answer.
Next year, when divisional play reduces to allow for teams to face every inter-league at least once, things should get even more chaotic. It will be interesting to see how playing a wider range of teams impacts the AL East, which is almost always the most stacked, hotly-contested division.
For now, it’s time for four-fifth of the AL East to come together and root for the Yankees to lose.
