Red Sox Have Given Fans Plenty To Cheer About At Fenway Park This Postseason
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Red Sox will look to inch closer to a spot in the World Series on Tuesday night with a Game 4 win over the Astros in the ALCS. While nothing is certain on the field, there is one certainty off it: The Fenway Park crowd is going to be rocking.
Red Sox fans have been electric so far this postseason, and they have been treated to four incredible home games. If you haven't been part of the party at the ole ballyard, you no doubt have heard them -- and likely felt their energy -- from your couch.
The fans are just feeding off the buffet of offense that the Red Sox have been serving at Fenway throughout the postseason. It started with a 6-2 ousting of the Yankees in the Wild Card game, continued with a pair of walk-off wins over the Rays in the Divisional Series (including the series-clincher), and most recently, featured a 12-3 bashing of the Astros on Monday.
Sitting has been optional in the stands, with the seats usually going unused for all nine (or 13) innings. Making noise, on the other hand, has been mandatory. Decibel levels reached a new peak Monday night when Kyle Schwarber launched a second-inning grand slam to put Boston ahead 6-0. Sox fans were so loud that it gave Schwarber a headache as he rounded the bases.
Just to be clear, Schwarber was not complaining that the fans were too loud. He was just making sure to properly illustrate just how frantic the crowd can get within the walls at Fenway.
"That gave me a headache, and I loved it," Schwarber said after the victory. "I loved every second of it. Like I said, this is what you live for, right? This is it."
Boston has scored 30 runs at home this postseason, leading to that perfect 4-0 home record. The team has enjoyed a plus-16 run differential in those games.
And nothing gets the fans into a game like a long ball. The Red Sox have sent plenty of souvenirs into the stands over their four home wins, clubbing 10 homers. Schwarber has been the home run king so far, accounting for three of those blasts. Boston has launched at least two homers in three of the four games, with Game 4 against the Rays the lone exception. The Sox hit four dingers on Monday night.
It has all led to some truly magical moments for both the team and the fans. They're connected in a wonderful symphony that is known as October baseball.
It has no doubt led to some rather hoarse voices the following day, too. But most importantly, it has all led to four straight wins, and the Red Sox are now two victories away from a return to the Fall Classic.
Going back to the team's World Series run in 2018, the Red Sox have now won seven straight playoff games at Fenway Park. It's the franchise's longest streak in the ballpark's history, and the Red Sox can now become just the sixth team in MLB postseason history to win eight straight playoff games. They would join a select group that includes the 1998-2000 Yankees (10 straight home wins), 1987-96 Cardinals (9), 1927-36 Yankees (8), 1995-96 Braves (8), and 2008-09 Phillies (8).
To join that group, Boston needs to win Tuesday night and take a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Astros. Then they'd have another chance to continue that streak in what would be a potential series-clincher Wednesday night.
The days may be shorter and the nights a lot colder, but Fenway Park is still one of the hottest places in town. The Red Sox would love to keep that going into November.