The Boston Red Sox have been the hottest teams in baseball, if not one of the hottest teams in sports, for over a month. After their August 5 win against the American League Central's first place Chicago White Sox, the Red Sox have won their ninth straight series and 30 of their last 35 games.
Boston has been so hot for so long it's hard to remember where its success truly began. The Red Sox's season-altering 15-game winning streak began on July 3, but they got hot two series before. The New York Yankees were in town from June 25-28 and Cam Schlittler delivered a now-hilarious quote in response to Sox fans roasting him.
“They can say whatever they want, but they’re not really in a position to be talking, considering how the standings are. Whatever they want to say, it’s just kind of useless. It just goes in one ear and out the other,” Schlittler said (subscription required).
Boston had a 32-45 record on June 23, the day before it swept New York in four games at Fenway Park. The Yankees were in first place then and the Red Sox in last, over 15 games behind them in the Wild Card race. If Schlittler and Yankees fans check the standings on August 6, less than three weeks after the pitcher's comment, they'd see the Red Sox just one game behind them in the Wild Card race with a 62-51 record.
Red Sox just one game behind Yankees in Wild Card race less than a month after Cam Schlittler's standings comment
The Red Sox often use defeating the Yankees as a motivational tool and their late-June four-game sweep has worked wonders for Boston's summer. New York could've staved off a sweep in the final game, but Fernando Cruz allowed three runs in the 10th inning and the seriously-struggling Jarren Duran walked it off.
The Yankees haven't exactly performed poorly since the Red Sox's hot streak that has brought the two teams so close. New York has gone 16-16 since its series against Boston ended on June 28. But the Red Sox have done the impossible in that time, going 26-5. They beat some quality competition, including the first-place White Sox (twice), the Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Schlittler, who grew up a Red Sox fan, should know by now that the Sox use their wins over the Yankees as the best kind of motivation. When the rivals' most recent season began, this winning streak was unfathomable for one of the worst Red Sox offenses most fans had ever seen. Boston has, of course, taken off winning on its own merit, but New York deserves some credit for boosting its confidence at a critical time.
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