Maxbialystock

Look at the box scores of the games the Sox have won. Most of them show that the Sox pitching has yet again carried the day. So my biggest concern is the pitching because I know we don't have much of a lineup. If the pitching is good, we got a shot. If it ain't, we don't. And it sure helps the pitching when the defense makes great plays as Duran did last night with the bases loaded and 2 outs.

If he starts tomorrow, he would normally not pitch until Friday and thereby miss the first postseason round. If he doesn't start tomorrow, he will be well rested for the first game of the postseason.

2 ER in 5 IP ain't too shabby. Kind of a dull game with all those regulars getting a day of rest--which was a good idea.

Nope.

Duran's grab combined with how well he has been fielding in the last 3 months or so are why the Sox have the best defensive outfield in MLB now that Abreu is back. Lowe is our best defensive 1b this season.

The last thing I would call MLB is an ethical standard bearer for the American people. Teams have been stealing signals or trying to for over a century. Heck the Sox did it in 2017 with a smartwatch with Dustin Pedroia happily contributing. So have pitchers been doctoring the baseball. There is absolutely, positively no "honor system" in MLB. Cora was justifiably nailed because the Astros were so successful at sign stealing and because they were using technology (video camera in CF seats) to enable them to. In a 2019 article in The Athletic, Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich wrote that technological sign-stealing was an MLB-wide problem. I think the Commissioner or someone decided that the Astros needed to be made an example of--a decision with which I completely agree. I also agree with banning Cora from MLB for a year. However, I also agree with allowing Cora to return to MLB in 2021. I believe John Henry made it clear after the 2017 season that he did not want the Sox stealing signals via technology. Thanks to technology sign-stealing today is a lot harder to do. As for pitchers doctoring the ball, umpires check every pitcher when he comes off the mound. Do I need to bring up all the steroid use by pitchers and hitters?

I go by OPS, not BA, but agree with your points. Story has had one heckuva season.

Not as huge as the Rockies were forced to wait for the 2007 WS. It's a tad under 96 hours from last night's win to Tuesday's start. The three Sox with the most games are Story, Duran, and Rafaela. Of those I think Story could use an extra day or two. As for the rest, I think just Bregman could use a break. Plus skip Giolito on Sunday. Your point is not to lose the edge the Sox have shown against the Jays and now the Tiger--and it's a good one except that I think Story's recent bunch of errors are due to fatigue.

Not sure about "of their own doing," but completely agree this team is different. Also agree the playoffs are wide open. Heckuva point about which team to face and the importance of the first game. Based on that, I'd prefer the Jays in the wild card.

Meh. I agree it was a mistake, but the enduring reality of MLB is that starters pitch way, way more innings than relievers. So of course managers are interested in converting relievers to starters. On top of that Whitlock actually has the repertoire of a starter--which, I hasten to add, Tolle absolutely does not have. Also, since you didn't notice, may I point out that the key reliever tonight wasn't Whitlock or for that matter, Chapman. It was little old and much maligned Slaten, who replaced Harrison in the 4th after Harrison had allowed 3 runs and had runners on 2d and 3d with nobody out,. Slaten astounded all of us by retired the side without giving up another run. That probably won the game for the Sox.

I will believe Cora has made a mistake the moment you declare a bad move before anything happens--and explain why it's a bad move. The simple fact is that you can't. You need that ever-reliable 20-20 hindsight. JH has never hesitated to fire a manager. He fired his first one A year after buying the Sox. He fired Francona after the 20`11 season even though the Sox won WS in 2004 and 2007 under Francona. He fired his replacement Bobby V after one year. And he fired Farrell after he won the WS in 2013 and won the AL East title in 2016 and 2017. Cora was booted out of MLB for one year, 2020, and JH rehired him in 2021 and kept him despite no postseason in 2022, 2023, or 2024. This is the first Sox season I can remember in which success has relied so much on the pitching, and pitching is where the manager has his biggest impact as we saw yet again tonight. He did another thing you've overlooked. Despite your caterwauling about what a terrible hitter Rafaela is and always will be, Cora recently moved Rafaela from batting 8th to batting 6th because he was once again making good contact with the ball. That one little move made that dramatic game-winning hit possible. Don't get me wrong. Rafaela, not Cora, made that amazing drive of the CF wall,. But, had he batted 8th, he wouldn't have had the chance.

Breslow won me over with Crochet, Chapman, Bregman, and Narvaez. Cora continues to have my support because this season has been daunting, and no month more so than September with Anthony going on the IL, Bregman in a slump,. Abreu on the IL, Rafaela still in a slump (until recently), Bello in a slump, Crochet hit hard, etc. To me 2025 is kind of unique in that the pitching has been the key to winning--see especially the three winning streaks of 6 in June, 10 in July, and 7 in August. When you think about it, pitching is where Cora and Breslow have had their biggest impacts. Thus the huge win tonight thanks mostly to an absolutely brilliant bullpen shepherded by Cora.

Thank goodness for saying that!. Seriously. Now that you've said it, we know Cora will remain manager forever unless/until he gets a better offer. Now recite again your favorite mantra, "Rafaela stinks, Rafaela stinks . . "

We've known how good those 4 acquisitions--Crochet, Chapman, Bregman, and Narvaez--were since April. Yes, he made some mistakes. Who doesn't in that job? But overall he has been good--and so have some of the guys CB brought into the fold. Even Yoshida and Story, but also Abreu, Duran, Rafaela, Anthony, Mayer, Bello, Giolito, Early, et al.

I've been saying keep Cora all season long and I also saw the strength of Sox pitching way back in June in that 6 game winning streak. Than we saw it again in the July 10 game winning streak. Weren't you watching? None of the problems this season were managerial and there were a boatload of them.

Yep.

Why am I reading headlines that the Sox have clinched a playoff berth with the win tonight?

I share your pissedoffness even though I do get stupide, rotten, terrible Apple +. And because of that I will no join the clamor (if there is one). This was a game for the ages. And if you can't see Alex Cora's genius in this game, you never well. The biggest share of the credit always goes to the players, but he made a bunch of good moves, not the least of which was moving Rafaela--the guy who swings at everything and hits nothing according to you--up to 6th place in the lineup. 37,052 attended and everyone of them deserves a shoutout.

Well said.

Judge's OPS is 1.136. Raleigh's is .959. Judge's WAR is 9.3, Raleigh's 7.2.

Interesting. Bello's ERA in September so far is 5.85.

Can't disagree that the Sox are a longshot for the WS, but disagree vehemently that should have been the goal for this season. I say that because Breslow in fact brought in four excellent players--Crochet, Chapman, Bregman, and Narvaez--more than any CBO I can remember doing in one season. In fact, this is the best Sox pitching staff since at least 2018. The hitting has been up and down, but that's because Devers and his .905 OPS as DH were traded away after refusing to move to 1b, Bregman was out for 7 weeks and then went into a slump. Anthony, the Sox best hitter, went on the IL on Sep 2, Abreu has missed 40 games because of 2 visits to the IL, And let's not forget that in the Sox four WS seasons--2004, 2007, 2013, and 2018--the Sox payrolls were 2d, 2d, 3d, and 1st in MLB. This year their payroll is 12th. The Sox payroll in 2019 was 1st when the Sox didn't make the postseason.

Looks like you are about to see results in the form of the postseason and that's primarily because on July 31 the Sox already had the starters they needed to get to the postseason.

Cora had it right.