How will the regular season end for the 2021 Boston Red Sox

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

So in the above scenario, the Yanks would be club C since they lost series to sox and jays already. That means the Yanks will have a one game win and you're in. What that also means is the Yanks one game win and in would be with their ace on the hill (presumably) while the loser of the A and B game would have burned theirs

 

That would be ideal for the Yanks but the team with the best head-to-head gets to decide whether it wants to be C...

[moonslav59]

Yeah, the C team has one less chance of securing a post season spot, but they also are handed a gift by facing a team who just lost a win and in game and presumably burned their best starter and some of their pen

 

Both teams still have to win.

 

Just because one team lost to get to play in the second game doesn't make that a better spot to be in.

 

Burning your best pitcher hurts. Burning 2 hurts in the next round, too.

[dgalehouse]

There are thirty teams in MLB. Of all the possible combinations , we could not possibly draw up a better scenario than the one we have now. Three games against the Orioles while the Jays and Yankees face off for three. The wild card is there for the taking. No excuse not to take it. ( And it also gives the Mariners a real shot to get in.)

[YastrzemskI]

The Mariners? Post season? Say whaaaa?

[moonslav59]

Haniger is killing the A's.

 

He just homered again.

 

M's up 4-2 in 7th. I can't stay awake to watch.

 

If they hold the lead, we look at this tomorrow:

 

90-67 NYY

88-69 BOS

87-70 SEA

87-70 TOR

 

85-73 OAK (all but dead)

 

Edited September 29, 2021 by moonslav59

[harmony]

Haniger is killing the A's.

 

He just homered again.

 

M's up 4-2 in 7th. I can't stay awake to watch.

 

If they hold the lead, we look at this tomorrow:

 

90-68 NYY

88-69 BOS

87-70 SEA

87-70 TOR

 

85-73 OAK (all but dead)

 

Correction: With Tuesday's win the Seattle Mariners are 88-70, a half game behind the Red Sox, with four games remaining.

[moonslav59]

Correction: With Tuesday's win the Seattle Mariners are 88-70, a half game behind the Red Sox, with four games remaining.

 

My bad.

 

Haniger might get some MVP votes, especially if you make the playoffs.

[jacksonianmarch]

Yanks are 90-67

[Bellhorn04]

Correction: With Tuesday's win the Seattle Mariners are 88-70, a half game behind the Red Sox, with four games remaining.

 

Yanks are 90-67

 

moon's numbers are riddled with mistakes.

[Key2Delock]

Best case for Boston today would be wins by the Red Sox, Toronto and Oakland leading to

 

NYY 90-68

BOS 89-69

TOR 88-70

SEA 88-71

 

Worst case for Boston today would be wins by New York, Seattle and Baltimore leading to

 

NYY 91-67

SEA 89-70

BOS 88-70

TOR 87-71

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

There's no reason the Red Sox can't win the next two vs. the O's. Unless, that is, batters keep bouncing the first pitch to the third baseman. One runner on base per game won't do it.

[Bellhorn04]

Best case for Boston today would be wins by the Red Sox, Toronto and Oakland leading to

 

NYY 90-68

BOS 89-69

TOR 88-70

SEA 88-71

 

Worst case for Boston today would be wins by New York, Seattle and Baltimore leading to

 

NYY 90-69

SEA 89-70

BOS 88-70

TOR 87-71

 

If we can't win games the rest becomes moot LOL

[mvp 78]

Best case for Boston today would be wins by the Red Sox, Toronto and Oakland leading to

 

NYY 90-68

BOS 89-69

TOR 88-70

SEA 88-71

 

Worst case for Boston today would be wins by New York, Seattle and Baltimore leading to

 

NYY 91-67

SEA 89-70

BOS 88-70

TOR 87-71

 

If the Red Sox lose today, the offseason post will be up tomorrow.

[moonslav59]

If we can't win games the rest becomes moot LOL

 

Of all the teams remaining, the Yanks and us are the only two that can say: "win out and we're in."

[mvp 78]

@TomCaron

With each loss it gets tighter, but the math remains simple: IF the Sox go 3-2 the rest of the way, the Mariners need to go 3-1 (they have an off day tomorrow) and/or the Blue Jays need to go 4-1 to force a play-in game Monday. Either would need to go undefeated to knock them out

[notin]

@TomCaron

With each loss it gets tighter, but the math remains simple: IF the Sox go 3-2 the rest of the way, the Mariners need to go 3-1 (they have an off day tomorrow) and/or the Blue Jays need to go 4-1 to force a play-in game Monday. Either would need to go undefeated to knock them out

 

If course, that all depends on the Sox going 3-2…

[mvp 78]

If course, that all depends on the Sox going 3-2…

 

Yes.

[mvp 78]

If the Sox get swept by the O's, I hope I don't have to hear "recency effect bias" as to why they won't sweep the Nats.

[dgalehouse]

Sox are still leading the second wild card. They have five very winnable games remaining. How in the world does anyone want to throw in the towel at this point?

[notin]

If the Sox get swept by the O's, I hope I don't have to hear "recency effect bias" as to why they won't sweep the Nats.

 

You shouldn’t. Recency Bias is a cognitive bias related to a human thought process and has nothing to do with teams playing good or bad baseball…

[moonslav59]

Sox are still leading the second wild card. They have five very winnable games remaining. How in the world does anyone want to throw in the towel at this point?

 

If you read last night's game thread, you'll be shocked at how many posters seem to want us to just lose and get it over with, or they think we are doomed or destined to lose, even if they want us to win.

 

I just don't get it.

 

We've lost 4 in a row so many times, this year, and many times, we followed that with 4 or more wins in a row, even very recently- like last week, but many have given up all hope in that happening again.

 

In some of those turn-arounds, we heard, "well, we played all losing teams." Well, we are now, too.

 

the last month:

win 3

lose 3

win 2 of 3

lose 2

win 7

lose 4

 

I'm not sure why winning 4 out of 5 seems so impossible, to some. Hell, we may squeak in by winning 3 of 5.

[dgalehouse]

You shouldn’t. Recency Bias is a cognitive bias related to a human thought process and has nothing to do with teams playing good or bad baseball…

 

That's why I like TalkSox. The guys down at Clancy's never talk about stuff like recency bias and cognitive thought process.

[Bellhorn04]

Sox are still leading the second wild card. They have five very winnable games remaining. How in the world does anyone want to throw in the towel at this point?

 

Nobody that's posting here today is throwing in any towels.

 

But the facts are that the team has looked like total crap in 4 important games against the Yankees and Orioles, losing by a combined score of 25-11, and it's basically only this rinky-dink Wild Card setup and blind luck that still gives us a chance to scrape into a postseason game.

[mvp 78]

Nobody that's posting here today is throwing in any towels.

 

But the facts are that the team has looked like total crap in 4 important games against the Yankees and Orioles, losing by a combined score of 25-11, and it's basically only this rinky-dink Wild Card setup and blind luck that still gives us a chance to scrape into a postseason game.

 

Which would be only if they still win the WC game.

[moonslav59]

Nobody that's posting here today is throwing in any towels.

 

Old Red seems pretty set on our chances being close to nil.

 

Last night saw this:

 

I said it after the orioles took the lead that this team would go down in flames.

This team is just very unlikeable. They don’t have that grit or mental toughness like past sox teams .

This group doesn’t deserve the benefit of the doubt. d-money

 

This team doesn’t want any part of the post season. They look tired and disinterested.-Yastrzemski

 

We are still a year away from being relevant IMO. -FredLynn

 

This team has already made winter plans….. pack it in! Limping into a wildcard spot seems like a wasted spot for a team that actually wants to be there! -Noles_1335

 

In response to this...

Just for shites and giggles here are two scenarios. Pick the one you dislike the least:

 

1)The SOX make the play-in and JD doesn't opt out.

2)The SOX don't make the play-in and JD does opt out.

 

2-2-2-2-2-2-2-

I have been saying for awhile that this team is not really a playoff type team ready to go through 2 or 3 tough series, so missing the WC game does nothing negative for this group. -vegasbob

 

I would also go with 2. -SPLENDIDSPLINTER

 

Playoffs? Did someone say playoffs? -Old Red

 

Not all of these statements are 100% defeatist or doomsday, but some are, and some are close.

[mvp 78]

They seem just like normal observations and not really defeatist at all.

[notin]

Which would be only if they still win the WC game.

 

The Wild Card game is the postseason, just not the preferred method of getting in.

 

Unlike a game 163 tiebreaker or games played in the A-B-C tiebreaker format, stats accrued in the WC game do NOT count towards the regular season. As they occur after the end of the season, they are by definition postseason…

[Bellhorn04]

Old Red seems pretty set on our chances being close to nil.

 

Last night saw this:

 

I said it after the orioles took the lead that this team would go down in flames.

This team is just very unlikeable. They don’t have that grit or mental toughness like past sox teams .

This group doesn’t deserve the benefit of the doubt. d-money

 

This team doesn’t want any part of the post season. They look tired and disinterested.-Yastrzemski

 

We are still a year away from being relevant IMO. -FredLynn

 

This team has already made winter plans….. pack it in! Limping into a wildcard spot seems like a wasted spot for a team that actually wants to be there! -Noles_1335

 

In response to this...

Just for shites and giggles here are two scenarios. Pick the one you dislike the least:

 

1)The SOX make the play-in and JD doesn't opt out.

2)The SOX don't make the play-in and JD does opt out.

 

2-2-2-2-2-2-2-

I have been saying for awhile that this team is not really a playoff type team ready to go through 2 or 3 tough series, so missing the WC game does nothing negative for this group. -vegasbob

 

I would also go with 2. -SPLENDIDSPLINTER

 

Playoffs? Did someone say playoffs? -Old Red

 

Not all of these statements are 100% defeatist or doomsday, but some are, and some are close.

 

Game thread posts are the worst, of course.

[Bellhorn04]

Which would be only if they still win the WC game.

 

I took particular care not to call it a playoff game though.

[mvp 78]

I took particular care not to call it a playoff game though.

 

And I appreciate you for that.