BOSTON -- The inner belief that the Red Sox would end a three-year postseason drought started the instant the 2024 season ended.
“Where we are as an organization, it’s going to be fun again. I truly believe this is the last struggle,” manager Alex Cora said last Sept. 30.
Struggle turned into euphoria on Friday night, when Boston clinched a playoff berth on Ceddanne Rafaela’s walk-off triple in the bottom of the ninth inning, leading to a 4-3 win over the Tigers. The team’s latest postseason quest will start Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium in a best-of-three, rivalry showdown between American League Wild Card entries.
Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow set the tone for the team’s resurgence in the offseason, acquiring an ace in Garrett Crochet, a stud closer in Aroldis Chapman and a veteran right-handed bat in Alex Bregman.
“It’s important we establish that the expectation is to play meaningful games in September and the postseason,” said Breslow in a champagne-soaked clubhouse. “I look at this as a step in the progression. We made it to the postseason, of course, but we have goals to do more. The team believes in each other, and hopefully this is step one in that progression.”
Here is a nuts-and-bolts look at what is ahead.
What could the postseason roster look like?
Catcher (2): Carlos Narvaez, Connor Wong
First baseman (1): Nathaniel Lowe
Second baseman (1): Romy Gonzalez
Shortstop (1): Trevor Story
Third baseman (1): Alex Bregman
Outfielders (4): Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, Rob Refsnyder
Designated hitter (1): Masataka Yoshida
Utility (3): David Hamilton, Nate Eaton, Nick Sogard
Starting pitchers (3): Garrett Crochet, Brayan Bello, Lucas Giolito
Relief pitchers (9): Aroldis Chapman, Garrett Whitlock, Justin Slaten, Justin Wilson, Greg Weissert, Steven Matz, Zack Kelly, Connelly Early, Payton Tolle
How did the Red Sox fare against the Yankees this season?
Very well, in fact. The Sox took the season series, 9-4, going 5-2 at Yankee Stadium.
What injuries are the club monitoring as the postseason draws near?
All eyes are on Roman Anthony, the star rookie who suffered a left oblique strain on Sept. 2 that sidelined him for the rest of the regular season. Anthony won't play in the Wild Card Series. His status should be monitored closely in the event Boston advances.
The team has a plethora of pitchers who went on the injured list in September, including Dustin May, Brennan Bernardino and Jordan Hicks. Of the three, May seems to be making the most progress, creating at least a possibility he could be a reliever at the start of the postseason.
How will the rotation line up?
Crochet, a candidate for the American League’s Cy Young Award, will get Game 1. It remains to be seen how Cora will line up Giolito and Bello. Giolito made his last start of the regular season on Tuesday. Bello started Thursday. It is unclear if that will factor in Cora’s decision.
How many Sox players remain from the 2021 postseason team?
As hard as it is to believe, key setup man Garrett Whitlock is the only active player left from the team that went deep into the postseason four years ago. Tanner Houck would have been in that class, but he underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this season. Boston’s biggest star in ‘21, slugger Rafael Devers, was traded to the Giants on June 15.
Why is Boston a Wild Card entry that has a chance to go deep into October?
In Crochet and Chapman, the Red Sox have arguably the best ace/closer combination of all the teams in the postseason. Both power lefties have mowed through the opposition all season, giving Boston the confidence the duo can continue to get the job done in October.
In Crochet, the Red Sox have an ace who can set the tone at the start of a series, save the season in the middle of a series or punch the team’s ticket to the next round at the end of a series. Chapman, at age 37, has finally put it together from a command standpoint while maintaining his triple-digit fastball and lethal slider.