Boston Red Sox officially eliminated from postseason contention
BOSTON -- The Red Sox have been officially eliminated from postseason contention.
That has seemingly been a foregone conclusion for a little over a month, but it was made official after Boston got trounced by the Rangers in Texas, 15-5, Wednesday afternoon, followed by a Blue Jays win over the New York Yankees later in the evening.
The Red Sox are now postseason spectators for the second straight season and the fourth time in the last five years.
It's somewhat fitting that Boston was eliminated the same day the team allowed a season-high 15 runs. It was the third time this season that Boston has lost a game by 10 or more runs.
The Red Sox have now dropped 12 of their last 15 games and sit in last place in the AL East.
While the Red Sox were seen as a borderline Wild Card contender ahead of the season, they were in the mix for a playoff spot leading up to MLB's trade deadline. They won eight of nine ahead of the All-Star break to finish the unofficial first half at 48-43, and were 57-50 on Aug. 1.
The holes in the starting rotation (which was decimated by injuries and ineffectiveness) and cracks in the Boston defense were clear for all to see at that point, but Chaim Bloom decided not to invest in the team at the trade deadline. The Sox brass could have made a move to help keep the team afloat in the Wild Card race, but opted to hold steady and just let the season play out.
It was discouraging for the clubhouse and a tailspin followed, with the Red Sox going 18-28 since Aug. 1. The team now sits at 75-78 on the season with nine meaningless games to play. Bloom was fired as the team's chief baseball officer last week, and a new leader of the front office will try to turn the franchise around next season
No one expected the Red Sox to win a World Series in 2023. Many fans would have settled for a competitive team that stayed relevant into September, a team that showed something toward the end of the season rather than falling to pieces for the second straight year.
Instead, the Red Sox are fighting a losing battle with the Yankees to stay out of the AL East basement.