This year, just being in isn’t enough
A round of polite applause to the Red Sox for winning the American League East, but they can do better than that.
And to be blunt, if they can’t, then winning the division won’t mean diddly squat.
As it should be, the bar is set high for the 2017 Red Sox. That is always the case in this town, but after winning the division last year, the Red Sox were embarrassed in a threegame sweep by the Indians.
The loss sent the deep-pocketed Red Sox and their deep farm system scrambling for answers. The response they came up with came at an extremely high price, but Chris Sale was not only worth it, he was also chiefly responsible for another division title.
Good for him and good for them. It took them 161 games. It wasn’t easy.
It also wasn’t nearly enough. The Red Sox need to win more than a single game in October this year. They need to win three against the Astros, then four more against the next foe.
They have sacrificed their future to trade for pitchers and players to help them in the present. This is their window to win: Here they are, but still, they’re not that close to where they need to be.
We have three full days to dissect and analyze this matchup with the Astros, a formidable opponent who hold a clear edge in offense, an arguable edge in the rotation, home-field advantage, and a disadvantage on defense. (It’s a toss-up when it comes to the bench and the bullpen.)
What might help make the Red Sox chances to succeed is most everyone from last year’s team, with the glaring exception of David Ortiz, is back for a second try this year.
Based on the fact that the team did not celebrate its division title clincher on Saturday with a bacchanal of epic proportions, the likelihood is real that they understand have done nothing yet.
The sting from 2016 is still felt.
“I don’t know that it can be added drive, because there’s a tremendous amount of that down there right now,” manager John Farrell said yesterday. “There has been, but I think the fact that we have experienced it last year, in retrospect it serves as a stepping stone hopefully that a lot of the firsts are out of the way, including disappointment.
“Knowing that disappointment, what it felt like, the bitter taste it leaves, we felt like that was an added incentive as we approached spring training at the start of this year. So, we become what our experiences give us. We’re eager and really looking forward to starting this one off.”
The preparation for Farrell, the coaches and the minds in the baseball operations department has been ongoing for some time. They have been scouting the Astros for weeks, as well as the Indians, Yankees and the Twins.
Not every secret was exposed in this four-game set here. The Astros still have not seen a pitch from Sale this year, just as the Red Sox haven’t seen Game 2 starter Dallas Keuchel. The Red Sox did face Game 1 starter Justin Verlander twice this season, but he was a Tiger then — he shut them down once and got roughed up the other time.
The task ahead of the Red Sox is tall. Nothing suggests a walkover by either team. What’s not in question are the stakes.
Whether or not the Red Sox’ collective experience last October means something this October remains to be found out.
“We’ve just got to go out there and try to win. Last year, we didn’t win. (The Indians) were the American League champs for a reason, they played good, they were rolling, we couldn’t seem to catch a break,” said Xander Bogaerts. “This is a new year, a different team, a different lineup we’re throwing out there. Anything can happen, this is baseball.”
Anything can happen all right, but the Red Sox need, simply put, to win.
They seem to grasp that. “Eleven more wins,” said Hanley Ramirez on Saturday. “We go about it step by step. We’ve been in this position before, last year. We want to go to the second round. It’s a new year, and we’re stronger.”
Strength against strength, Boston Strong against Houston Strong.
It’s no time for weak results.