NEW YORK -- Amid the aftermath of an elimination game and the sting that comes with it, Red Sox manager Alex Cora tried to put the 2025 season in perspective for his players in the visiting clubhouse at Yankee Stadium.
Most of them were likely numb to it in real time.
But even after being ousted by the rival Yankees, 4-0, in deciding Game 3 of this American League Wild Card Series, the coming days will allow Boston’s young core to appreciate the value of a stepping-stone season in which the team fought through various roadblocks to make the postseason for the first time since 2021.
The general tone of Cora’s message?
“I had a blast this year,” Cora said. “The last few years have been tough with the up and downs, and where we were as an organization, but I think the front office has done an amazing job pushing forward in certain areas. Obviously, we should feel the way we feel right now, because we had bigger goals, but when we have time to reflect how we did things this year, this is what the Boston Red Sox are. And it was a fun season.”
The final game? Not so great. After ace Garrett Crochet pitched a Game 1 masterpiece en route to a 3-1 victory, the Sox couldn’t pull out a close Game 2, losing 4-3.
And in the win-or-go-home Game 3, Yankees fireballing rookie Cam Schlittler shoved Boston right out of the playoffs with eight electric innings in which he allowed five hits and no walks while punching out 12.
“We needed to be perfect tonight, because he was perfect,” Cora said. “The stuff is outstanding. He was under control. That was electric.”
In a different way, Red Sox rookie Connelly Early, making his fifth career start, was electric the first three innings in keeping the Yankees off the board.
But in the fourth, Boston’s electricity was short-circuited by some shoddy defense and some professional at-bats by the Yanks, who defied their reputation as a team too reliant on homers by making consistent contact in a four-run frame.
The anticipation for the 2025 season peaked last offseason, when chief baseball officer Craig Breslow acquired Crochet from the White Sox for four prospects, and again in the spring, when Alex Bregman was acquired via free agency.
The Red Sox had bigger goals than getting to the Wild Card Series, but the journey back to contention had to start somewhere.
“It’s definitely tough,” Bregman said. “It started back in February in Spring Training. We set our goal. We didn’t get there this year, but I’m proud of the fight in the room all year long. I felt like our team got better and better every step of the way and the future is bright.
“Obviously, this sucks right now. This is brutal. We envisioned winning tonight and making a deep run, but I’m proud of the fight in the room. I’m proud of the guys. It was an honor to put on this jersey.”
It remains to be seen if Bregman will exercise the opt-out in his three-year, $120 million contract with deferrals that he signed eight months ago. Those questions will be answered after the World Series.
For the Red Sox, Thursday was about trying to process the finality of a loss that prevented them from flying to Toronto for an AL Division Series that the Yankees will be participating in instead.
“I think we will learn and come back next year,” said center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela, who seemed to have a miscommunication with right fielder Wilyer Abreu on Cody Bellinger’s double that started that game-turning rally for New York.
Boston’s 89-win season included some unexpected turbulence. Rafael Devers, the team’s star slugger for the previous eight seasons, came to camp disenchanted about being moved off third base. The Red Sox made the controversial decision to trade him to the Giants on June 15, but found their footing thanks in large part to the arrival of star rookie Roman Anthony. The starting pitching depth, beyond Crochet and Brayan Bello, was depleted by the end.
Anthony suffered a season-ending injury to his left oblique on Sept. 2, and Boston often struggled to score runs after that. Bregman was lost for seven weeks in the middle of the season with a severe right quad injury and he wasn’t the same offensively after his return.
“Offensively, we know how capable Roman is, and what he brings to the equation,” Cora said. “But throughout the season, we lost a lot of guys. And we kept grinding. And the guys did an outstanding job battling and put us in a situation to win games.”
In particular, veteran shortstop Trevor Story and Bregman did their best to help a young team grow.
“There's a lot of things you can be proud of in this season, team-wise and from a personal standpoint from each guy in here,” Story said. “So, obviously it didn’t end the way we wanted it to. It stings.”
That sting will become motivation.
“Remember the feeling, because it sucks,” Bregman said. “You don’t want to feel it. Take it into your offseason. Continue to get better.”