The month of August has not been a great start for the Red Sox’s final push toward the playoffs, and they are starting to resemble their 2011 counterparts.
A nice finishing touch to commemorate one of the worst collapses in baseball history. If you are a fan of the Yankees, the collapse was both historically significant and hilarious.
Boston went 7-20 in September, lost a nine-game lead in the Wild Card, saw their pitching collapse and manager Terry Francona deteriorate into a shell of his former self.
Older supporters like myself did find one little silver lining in this ignoble failure: at least they were in a position to crumble.
The similarity between 2011 and 2021 is that pitching is typically where baseball failure occurs. High hopes are dashed all too frequently by performances that resemble the 1927 Yankees’ batting practice.
Both the rotation and the bullpen diligently compete with one another in pitching camaraderie, which adds to the gloom. The Red Sox hired a staff that raised red flags before the season even began.
Unfortunately, a lot of the bad characteristics have been on exhibit all too frequently. Chris Sale’s potential comeback as a “stopper” is the last glimmer of hope.