5GoldGlovesOF,75

The 12 made by the '04 Sox. The following sacrificed themselves to the baseball gods so that Boston could end a century-old curse and have the greatest comeback in history vs. the New York Chokees along the way: Pokey Reese -- 6 times -- which gave him the mojo to make the final play that won the pennant in the Bronx, and also allow him to be on the field for the final out of the World Series in St. Louis. Others who also sacrificed themselves once each for an opportunity to play in that historic title game: Derek Lowe, Bronson Arroyo, Orlando Cabrera, Gabe Kapler and Mark Bellhorn. One other sacrificed himself once during the season, so he could have the most memorable non-hitting moment of any position player in Red Sox history -- Dave Roberts.

Sacrifice bunts (officially called sacrifice hits) are going out of style, but I have a theory why. In ancient times, when batters choked up and made contact with dead balls, it made sense to bunt runners into scoring position, because guys with bat control could be trusted to poke a grounder to the right side and plate the run. Nowadays, however, bunting a runner to 3rd base doesn't guarantee anything. If you're a Red Sox fan of the second-best statistical offense in baseball, it's more likely the next two batters will strike out, thus rendering the sac bunt as a wasted out. Teams like Boston would just rather let three hitters swing from the heels and hope one of them will connect with an RBI knock. Three outs gives them better odds than two outs. Correlations, with a few MLB season stats for the average team -- starting with 1954, when sacrifice flies were officially counted, separate from sac bunts (in case there was any confusion): 1954 sh 83 Ks 638 1968 75 957 2004 58 1061 2024 15 1373

Maybe the miracle is his boss dumped the teama donna and his whole salary in exchange for Hicks and his.

When did any team ever have a great 5th starter? But is it too much to ask for a mediocre one, a win some/lose some .500 kind of guy? ERod in 2018, and Bronson Arroyo in 2004 each had 2.6 WARs with ERAs hovering around 4.00. Rodriguez' was actually 3.82, while Bronson had a 4.03 in the ROID Era. Not great, but not bad...

Certainly didn't expect the worst offense in baseball -- the Pirates (had to clarify) with the lowest runs per game and OPS in the majors -- to come in here and OWN our $12.5 million dollar reliever who we will also owe $12.5 million next year and another $12.5 million the year after that.

Expectations are our weakest area.

His facial expressions are just like Tolle's, only opposite. Tolle dares batters to try and hit him, while May pitches like he hopes no one will swing.

Let's see if they still hit 15 home runs a game when they face teams with major league pitchers, as soon as the calendar turns to September Monday.

Great breakdown. Usually, the Red Sox offense at Fenway has always learned how to take advantage of The Monster -- and not for homers. An article comparing the impact of rookie debuts for Anthony and Fred Lynn shows the latter tailored his swing early for easy opposite-field doubles, averaging 43 per season in his Beantown career. Wade Boggs, another lefty batting champ, was even better with 45 per. Research also shows this: the last time Boston didn't lead the league in team doubles was 2017. Yes, even in all those crappy last place seasons, the Sox had more doubles than anyone... this will be the eighth straight year they are Two-Bag Kings. Just wait until Anthony starts regularly feasting off the wall.

Bregman's slump only lowlights what is always a very shaky offense. Bregman and Anthony are the only reliable Sox hitters that provide consistent at bats... When one is down, it basically cuts team production in half, because even when they don't come through, working and stressing out pitchers increase the chances they'll make mistake pitches to subsequent batters. Great contributions by batters #3-9 have helped all year, but come crunch time vs elite stuff, we know we can't count on a Duran-Story heart of the order, on even contact by Rafaela and the rest. We all know the Red Sox starting pitchers and relievers have to be the beacons to and through the postseason.

too obvious... plus, at an event where (let's just say) a few fans get primed at pregame bars and never make it to their seats, shouldn't guys like us who don't work for Kennedy round down?

Tolle may not have six pitches like Skenes, but his arm extension and release point make it hard for hitters to even see his fastball before it's halfway to the plate. Tolle's explosive potential hasn't been seen by a Red Sox pitching prospect for decades and maybe more. Scribes are calling him the most exciting homegrown lefty since Lester, who wasn't a star until 2008, his third (and first full) season because of obvious health issues. As far as any homegrown pitchers, righty Clay Buchholz threw a no-hitter the month he got called up at the end of '07. But he then he struggled for two more years before finally figuring it out. The best homegrown Boston pitcher since Clemens in the past four decades was easily Jonathan Papelbon. Fans and media seem to forget how dominant Pap was when he agreed to become closer in his first full season in '06 when he earned 5 WAR at age 25. According to fangraphs, at the time it was the 5th best reliever season ever.

Perspective on the Boston offense: some think it's good, some think it sucks... stats can show both. The Red Sox are second in the AL in runs per game, runs scored, and hits -- but they also have a team batting average of .252. That means fans watch Sox batters make outs an average of 3-out-every-4 at bats, all season long. A playoff-bound club, where hitters fail 75% of the time. The league average is even worse: .245. Compared to all Sox pennant winners since 1967, the 2025 version has the lowest team batting average -- including the Impossible Dreamers who led the AL at .255 in a decade when the mound was 50% higher than today. Basically, we're rooting futilely, witnessing a sport of failure. There are only five qualified batters in the majors hitting .300 or higher, including only one in the National League -- Freddie Freeman, who is exactly at .300. This could be the first year in MLB history where someone with an average in the .290s is crowned as the batting champion.

Says the Red Sox, who just promoted Sogard today to start at second base over Hammy.

The Sox are doing Walker a solid. Released means he can rejoin the Dodgers before Sept. 1. If so, he'll be on a mound in a meaningful moment this autumn... hopefully, not vs. Boston, where few have the patience to take a base on balls.

This game, on screen... ballparks are now paperless! I know, because when my kid wanted concessions, I had to concede my debit card -- so he could use it, abuse it, and lose it (for a minute).

Sogard's a better infielder than Hamilton, and Ceddanne's a better centerfielder than second baseman. The Sox D tonight is as tight as they could make it, behind the rookie and any weak contact he causes.

You just made Rich's Little League son, Benny, feel old.

I just have a feeling if the Sox wind up close to winning it all this October, that they'll be willing to fork over some Devers' dough to sign another top starting pitcher -- I think they'd prefer that over trading the farm again for one. The thing is, this front office relies heavily on the odds, and lately, that's about 50-50 that whatever ace stud you ink, he's going to shred his elbow ligaments by Memorial Day. How do you feel about Framber? WAR shows he's as good as ever, but you'd know how effective he really is because you're closer to the action.

Alonso is a guaranteed 30-40 home run man -- the Red Sox have no one they can say that about. Most of Boston's best winning weeks this summer were keyed by the longball, but a consistent power threat would boost their status for sure. We've seen how most of this batting order fares vs. elite pitching, and postseasons often feature showdowns where one or two big swings make the difference in contenders advancing. Everyone has the right to bear arms, but the Sox could use a few more grizzlies in their well-regulated militia.

Work is just something to do in the daytime while awaiting what really matters: under the lights. Fenway Park. Friday night. Wearing green.

The big worry is that he may ruin the Pirates for life!

Someone correct me if I'm wrong: taking out the 14 Ks... when he made contact, Anthony went 11-for-18 on the road trip... for a .611 BABIP.

This might be better on an Unrealistic thread: the Red Sox just went 7-1 on a road trip to New York and Baltimore. Most of us were hoping to go 4-4 and just stay in the race. Some said they'd be happy with 3-5. My kid predicted 2-6 or 1-8. Let's not forget how just a week ago, the season was teetering, coming off a three-game skid that began with the Isaiah Campbell Game (when he didn't pitch), and then two losses at home to the O's when the Sox went 1-for-789 with runners in scoring position. Praise the pitching staff, and Trevor Story, and Cora for using the right line-ups and match-ups. Big hits by many, including Romy and Ref, Ceddanne and Jarren, Connor and Carlos, Hammy and Nate, and Justin Sin (his first). And then there was this guy: 11-for-32 = .344, 8 runs, 6 RBI, 1 double, 3 home runs, 3 bbs, and 14 Ks. Imagine what will happen when Anthony starts making better contact?

Don't worry if the Sox are pitching a rookie making his MLB debut vs. the NL Cy Young favorite tomorrow night. It will also be a Friday with the good guys wearing GREEN!!!!!! The match-up should be fun, but we all know both starters will be long gone by the time Boston walks it off in the 9th...