BOSTON -- Fenway Park buzzed with electricity for five days coming out of the All-Star break, and with good reason. The Red Sox inched toward setting a new franchise-record winning streak, turning around what once seemed like a lost season in the process.
But after tying their 1946 predecessors by stretching their winning streak to 15 games with a 6-3 victory over the Orioles in Game 1 of Wednesday’s day-night doubleheader, the Sox fell in the nightcap, 5-1.
Though they fell just shy of getting that sweet 16th straight victory that would have put them alone in franchise lore, it was a run that won’t be forgotten anytime soon.
Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley, stationed in the Fenway Park Legends Suite the past few days, loved every second of what he witnessed.
“This energy here is as good as it gets,” said Eckersley, who pitched for the Red Sox from 1978-84, and again in ‘98, and was a team broadcaster for two decades. “I love it. And the fans, they deserve it.”
The man known throughout the baseball universe as "Eck" was part of a 14-game winning streak with the 1988 A’s, but he noted the difference between that team and this one.
“We won the [AL pennant],” said Eckersley. “But we didn't start 14 below [.500].”
Though the streak is over, the good vibes should linger for a team that has found its groove, going 20-3 since June 25.
Before that run started, interim manager Chad Tracy’s squad was 32-46 while trailing by 15 1/2 games in the American League East and six in the Wild Card standings.
Backed by their sudden surge, the Sox have given the front office reason to add pieces instead of sell them, assuming things continue to go in a positive direction leading into the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline.
With a chance to make history, a crowd of 38,005 crammed into Fenway Park.
But the night started in ominous fashion. During the day, in Game 1, it was the Red Sox who took a 4-0 lead in the first inning.
The Orioles did the same in Game 2 on a tough night for lefty Eduardo Rivera, who didn’t make it out of the first inning while filling in for the injured Ranger Suarez.
Despite trailing for the entire game, the crowd cheered loudly every time there was even the potential for a momentum turn. Down by four runs with one out in the eighth, they cheered “Let’s go, Red Sox” with Ceddanne Rafaela up after a single by Anthony Seigler.
After Rafaela flew out, Wilyer Abreu belted one toward the wall in left-center and there was a roar of anticipation. That’s what the Red Sox have conditioned their fans for in these last few improbable weeks. But Abreu’s drive landed on the warning track, in the glove of center fielder Colton Cowser.
Though the streak ended, the memories of it should last for a long time.