After stomping the Rays 7-3, the Sox improved to 87-36, once again displaying traits of a World Series team. The Boston Red Sox are on pace for 115 wins. The major league record for wins in a season is 116, set by the Chicago Cubs in 1906. Currently, the Red Sox have a winning percentage of .707, which would make them only the third team in MLB history to have a winning percentage greater than .700 over 162 games. What the 2018 Boston Red Sox are doing could potentially be one of the greatest regular seasons in the history of baseball. It’s World Series or bust for the Sox.
Postseason Struggles
The Red Sox are well on route to their third straight AL East crown. However, they are 1-6 in postseason play over that span. In two straight seasons, the Sox have been overwhelmed by the bright lights of October. It’s known that the Red Sox are the best regular season team in baseball. Emphasis on regular season because the playoffs are a whole new game. There will be no Orioles or Rays that the Sox can blow out even when they play poorly. Every at-bat matters down to the last pitch. Right now, no one on this Red Sox team has proven they can perform in October. Heading into a postseason where anything short of winning it all is a bitter disappointment, the pressure could not be higher for a team that has not handled pressure well in the past.
The Defining Moment of Dombrowski’s Career
If asked whose legacy would be most impacted by winning a World Series, the first person has to be Dave Dombrowski. Dombrowski has been criticized for his inability to build a team that can win it all. In Detroit, he sacrificed the organization’s future for a shot at a championship and failed. In Boston, he has done the same constructing a historically good team. As a result, he has decimated the once great farm system of the Red Sox. The team has one glaring hole, the one spot Dombroski did not address at the deadline. The bullpen has been a train wreck all season and may be Dombrowski’s undoing just as it was in Detroit.
With all the money and assets that has been invested in this team, even losing in Game 7 of the World Series would be considered a failure of a season. Consequently, it’s all or nothing for the Sox and Dombrowski.
