ast Sunday, at the close of play, the Red Sox were in first place in the American League East by five games over the Yankees and their magic number to clinch the division title was just three. Any combination of three Red Sox wins and/or Yankee losses in the last seven games of the season would give the Sox the title.
They had just completed a successful road trip where they had won eight and lost one, beating Tampa Bay two games to one and sweeping three games with Baltimore and Cincinnati in succession, three by shut outs, and had increased their lead over the second-place Yankees from three games to five.
The Red Sox were coming home to Fenway to face the last place Toronto Blue Jays in a three game series before closing out the season with four games against the Houston Astros, who had clinched the American League West title on Sep. 17.
To make things even better, the Sox were coming home and would start the week with their two Aces taking the mound in the first two games. Drew Pomeranz, with a record of 16-6, who had won 10 of his last 11 decisions, would start Game 1. He had faced Toronto three times during the season and won all three games, holding them to four earned runs in 19 innings. Chris Sale, who was 17-7, had faced Toronto three times during the season, also winning all three games and holding Toronto scoreless for 22 innings in the process, would start Game 2.
If you have ever seen a recipe for success, there it was. Boston would come home, win the first two and, either the Yankees would lose one or the Sox would win another of the last five games and would be eastern division Champs. It was time to break out the champagne.
WRONG! Things began to go south for Red Sox nation almost as soon as Pomeranz took the mound on Monday. Josh Donaldson, the second batter in the game for Toronto, hit a solo homer. The Sox came back with one in the last of the first and Red Sox Nation relaxed, their team had come from behind so many times during the year, this was just another example.
Then, after Pomeranz gave up a second inning lead off single, Devers started a double play and there were two out. He then walked Barney and gave up a single to Goins. He got the No. 9 hitter Luke Maile to hit a little pop toward first. The ball fell in front of Hanley Ramirez, who has a well known aversion to bending over, and he watched it spin into foul territory before trying to pick it up and by that time Maile was safe.
That was it, Teoscar Hernandez and Donaldson hit back to back two-run doubles and the game was over. Who knows what would have happened if Hanley and fielded the ball and ended the inning with the score 1-1?
Of course, in the third inning, we had the spectacle of Eduardo Nunez, perhaps the most valuable Red Sox player since he was acquired in midseason, collapsing at the plate in his second at bat after coming off the disabled list, when his bad knee gave out.
Then, when he finally was helped to his feet and could barely stand, he apparently talked John Farrell into leaving him in the game and almost fell on his face again after hitting a line drive out. Sometimes I wonder if anyone, even Farrell, realizes he is in charge. Leaving Nunez in the game was irresponsible.
The next day, Chris Sale gave up four home runs and five runs in five innings while striking out eight more batters. Sale, as everyone knows by now, has, historically, not done well in the late season. His late season problems have been attributed to his being tired and he had thrown 209 innings in 31 starts before this game, a relatively high number in this day and age.
He has averaged 94.76 miles per hour on his fast ball all year. In the first inning Monday, he threw 97 miles an hour several times and, in the fifth after 80 plus pitches, he was throwing in excess of 98, in fact, his 85th pitch to Kevin Pillar was clocked at 98.6 miles per hour. That type of velocity is not a sign of a tired arm.
Sale’s problem is not being tired, it is the age old Real Estate Mantra, Location, Location, Location. No matter how hard you throw to good Major League hitters, if your location is off, they will hit it. This needs to be fixed quickly if the Sox are to do anything in the playoffs.
In addition to their aces not coming through as expected, it was as if the rest of the team had been snake bit all at once. Pedroia is still trying to resolve the problem with his knee, Betts had a problem with his right thumb, now his left wrist is hurt, Nunez is questionable.
On top of everything else, every time you turned around, someone was hitting themselves with a batted ball. It started with Pedroia hitting himself in the face. Benintendi hit himself twice in one at bat Monday and left the game early. Then Devers hit himself with a ball and it looked like he was hurt for few scary moments.
Of course, with things going downhill fast, Farrell started youngsters Marrero at second and Travis at first Monday, when Holt and Moreland were available and they went 0 for 7 with four strikeouts and Travis dropped a ball on a routine play that helped the Jays to a four run eighth inning.
With all this happening, the Yankees won two in a row and moved to three games back while the magic number stayed at three.
What had started out to be a glorious week had turned into what looked like the first two days of a wake.
Then, on Wednesday night, despite Porcello giving up five runs in the first four innings of Game 3, the offense came back and scored nine to lead 9-5 after four. The Sox finally won to finally reduce their magic number to two as the Yankees were winning again.
The last week was a strange week but it has been a strange season for the Red Sox who many people feel made it to the postseason in spite of John Farrell. Last week and all its craziness is behind us. What happened to Pomeranz and Sale to start the home stand means nothing. If they can perform in the postseason as they did during the season, if the bullpen can continue to work its magic and if Mookie Betts and company can produce up to their capabilities, I will still be writing about Red Sox games at the end of this month.
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