The Red Sox have been able to dispatch the New York Yankees and Houston Astros in dominant fashion, setting the stage for a World Series rebirth.
The Boston Red Sox were not satisfied with a franchise-record 108 wins during the regular season. From day one in spring training, this team has had a much bigger goal in mind: Winning the World Series.
With their 4-1 win against the Houston Astros in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series, the Red Sox moved one huge step closer toward achieving that goal. They’re headed back to the World Series for the first time since 2013.
To most franchises and fan bases, five years without a World Series is nothing. To the Red Sox and their fans, it’s five years too many. They expect to compete for championships every single season, but have struggled more than usual in getting back to this point.
The Red Sox went from World Series champions in 2013, to last place in the AL East in 2014 and 2015. Though they bounced back with back-to-back 93-win seasons, they were disappointed with consecutive eliminations in the ALDS both years. That set the stage for a bigger change.
John Farrell was out as manager. Alex Cora was in. It’s debatable whether that’s the biggest reason the Red Sox have taken a big step forward in 2018. But it’s certainly among them. The continued brilliance of Chris Sale and the solidification of Mookie Betts as an MVP candidate are big reasons too.
Here though, we’ll zero in on the postseason and look at five reasons the Red Sox have been able to dispatch the New York Yankees and Houston Astros in dominant fashion, setting the stage for a World Series rebirth.
