The Boston Red Sox: Hopeful March, Disappointing October
Photo courtesy of Rickmunroe01/Wikimedia Commons
Every March, when the Major League Baseball (MLB) season starts, baseball fans everywhere have high hopes for their teams, believing that this could be the year. For Boston Red Sox fans, including myself, that optimism has become an annual ritual—one that often fades by the time October rolls around.
The Red Sox clinched their playoff berth and were set to play in a best-of-three rivalry showdown in the American League Wild Card series against the New York Yankees. Now, everyone went into this match-up knowing that the stakes were sky-high. These two teams have one of the greatest rivalries in sports, with generations of fans eager for a repeat of the 2004 American League Championship Series.
Alas, the 2025 postseason was not the same as the 2004 postseason. When it came down to it, the Red Sox failed to recreate that same magic. The bats that carried them through the regular season went quiet, and the pitching that was steady all year struggled against the Yankees’ lineup. A few costly mistakes, a couple of missed opportunities, and suddenly Boston’s postseason run was over just as quickly as it started.
The Game One performance out of the Red Sox was something of a dream come true; they managed to defeat the Yankees 3-1—in the Bronx, no less. Pitcher Garrett Crochet put out an impressive performance, throwing a total career high of 117 pitches, 78 being strikes, with 11 total strikeouts. The southpaw only gave up one home run out of the four hits he surrendered, and then proceeded to retire—ending the inning(s)—17 batters in a row. Crochet was throwing like a future Hall of Famer that night, and it was exactly what the Red Sox needed to prove that they could hold their own in the postseason, or so they thought.
Heading into Game Two, the Red Sox held all the cards. They had shown in Game One that they had the defensive and offensive edge needed to beat a dominant New York Yankees team. Then, when the time came, they choked.
New York’s batting line-up came out swinging early. With gamechanging hits from first baseman Ben Rice, right fielder Aaron Judge, infielder Jazz Chishom Jr., and catcher Austin Wells, the Yankees were immediately able to put pressure on Boston’s bullpen. The Red Sox tried to rally behind shortstop Trevor Story, who accounted for all three of Boston’s runs with a clutch homerun and a pair of timely hits, but it just was not enough.
In a win all or go home Game Three, it was anyone's game. Both New York and Boston each had rookie starting pitchers who were making their first postseason appearance. Boston’s Connelly Early had a 2.33 Earned Runs Average (ERA) during the regular season, but during Game Three he had a 7.36 ERA. However, one cannot blame Early for the loss; in the end it was poor fielding and even poorer hitting that sealed the Red Sox 2025 postseason run.
On the other hand, Yankee rookie Cam Schlittler was a star. He threw for a total of 107 pitches, with 12 strikeouts, zero walks, and allowed just four singles in eight innings. While Early had the better arsenal of pitches, he lacked the sheer power that Schlitter brought to the mound—and if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.
Boston’s Chief Baseball Officer, Craig Breslow, had some digging to do regarding what is plaguing the Red Sox’s ability to make deep runs in the playoffs. His conclusion? Powerhitting, or rather, lack thereof.
According to Gordo on X, “Craig Breslow says other teams that are still alive right now hit the ball out of the ballpark more than the Red Sox do, and that is how teams score in the postseason. Says they are open to everything to try and get more home run power.”
Now of course, the Red Sox definitely were able to generate offensive power at the beginning of the season, but as October loomed closer they hit a snag. In April, the Red Sox were batting at a .445 with 37 home runs in 27 games, they kept that momentum going into July with 31 home runs in 24 games with a .472 slugging percentage. Then, they lose third baseman Rafael Devers in a trade to the San Francisco Giants in June, and one of their only reliable hitters in outfielder Roman Anthony to injury. To say that they have been struggling offensively for a while would be an understatement.
If Boston wants to make another playoff run in 2026, they will need to rediscover the consistency that once defined their lineup. Powerhitting might be part of the fix, but it will take more than that to bring postseason success back to Boston. Still, hope never really dies in Boston. By the time March rolls around again, that familiar optimism will return, because if there is one thing Red Sox fans know how to do, it’s belief.