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Red Sox's franchise-tying winning streak proves Boston has become a legitimate playoff contender originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Last night, the Boston Red Sox suffered a bit of a heartbreak.
Boston was unable to break their franchise record of 15 wins in a row, but they were able to tie it, something that hadn’t been done since 1946. Because of their streak, they brought themselves from the depths of the AL to one of their top teams.
The Red Sox had a dominant last month
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Over the past month, the Red Sox were almost unbeatable. Since June 25th, Boston was 20-2, which matches their best 22-game span in franchise history. Since June 19th, they were 23-5 in 28 games, which is only the third time they’ve done that well this century, behind the 2004 and 2018 seasons.
To cap it all off, Boston just finished a streak of 15 wins in a row, which ties the record from the aforementioned 1946 Red Sox team, which was led by MVP Ted Williams to the World Series. This streak took them from literally the worst team in baseball, to a top five team in the AL.
What could’ve caused the change?
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The most likely two things that could’ve caused this turnaround are new coaching staff, and Boston not focusing on analytics as much.
The coaching staff is now led by interim manager Chad Tracy, who has totally managed to win the new players over. According to Boston Globe’s Alex Speier, right before the streak, Tracy texted the team a heartfelt message which resonated with the players. Now, the “Tracy Turnaround” has helped elevate Boston into a contender, and maybe even find their next manager.
The other thing is Boston parted with the analytics company Driveline, created by Kyle Boddy, a week before the streak started. With Driveline, Boston doubled down on analytics, which rewarded them with a mediocre 199-196 record in a little over two years.
Where they go from here is obvious
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Now, it’s pretty clear where GM Craig Breslow and Boston will go from here, as long as they win their next two series: they’re going to buy at the trade deadline. They need a slugger, and they have plenty of options to upgrade at catcher and the middle infield.
Hopefully, Boston rides the high of their season-defining streak, and keeps these vibes all the way to October.
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