Ranger Suarez is back to having fun after clinching the playoffs. Despite losing on Sunday, the Boston Red Sox clinched their spot in the postseason due to other teams' losses. The Sox took a team picture on the field at Tropicana Field before heading into the clubhouse for the usual champagne showers and beer.
In the team photo, Suarez clearly sticks out. Standing right in the middle, the lefty starter had bright red shorts pulled up well above his waist, and his celebratory shirt tucked in. He was also the only player in the picture with his goggles already covering his eyes. Suarez was known as a fun celebration guy with the Philadelphia Phillies, and it was something the fans there loved about him; Red Sox Nation was just waiting to see in Boston.
While Suarez is all fun and games with good spirits during a celebration, he does a complete 180 once the playoffs start. He's been one of the best playoff pitchers ever. His 1.48 ERA is the sixth-lowest of all time among pitchers with at least 40 innings pitched in the playoffs.
The 31-year-old has pitched in each of the last four postseasons. In 2023, he allowed just two earned runs in 14 2/3 innings. In 2024, he allowed four earned runs in 18 2/3 innings. In 2024, he allowed no runs in 4 1/3 innings. In 2025, he allowed one earned run in five innings. In the regular season, the lefty has a career 8.4 K/9; in the playoffs, it's 9.3
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— Red Sox (@RedSox) September 20, 2026
Ranger Suarez's playoff pedigree should excite fans after last season's playoff rotation
His playoff excellence was part of the reason the Red Sox signed him. While Suarez has been a very solid regular-season pitcher, it was his success in the playoffs that really made him stand out in last season's free-agent pool. After Garrett Crochet, the Red Sox ended up relying on Brayan Bello and Connelly Early. The Sox knew they needed another playoff-tested arm for the postseason and made the splash signing of the lefty to do so.
The Red Sox now head into the 2026 playoffs with a projected Wild Card round rotation that will consist of Suarez, Sonny Gray, and Payton Tolle. While the exact order is yet to be determined, those three arms will instill much more confidence than the three who started the games last year.
Suarez likes to have his fun. He did so in Philly and is doing so again here in Boston. That doesn't mean that opponents should take him lightly. Come playoff time, Suarez turns it on and shuts down the other teams.
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