This is the best Red Sox team...ever.

[m0ckduck]

Here's an amusing nugget: the Sox have more come-from-behind wins (43) than the Orioles have wins of any kind (41).

They also have a better winning percentage in games where they're trailing by 3 or more runs than the Orioles have in all games. I posted the numbers a few weeks ago— I believe the updated numbers are 16-33 (.326) for Red Sox when trailing by 3+ versus .293 for the Showalters.

 

[Sam Ray Not]

Own the "Warriors of baseball" moniker, Dombrowski...

• Former role player / cool dude / untested rookie coach takes over team and obliterates longtime franchise and league records like it was nothing? Check.
• Wicked / hella fun to watch on top of being really good? Check.
• Team gratuitously sleepwalks through the first half of games before flipping a switch and breaking opponents' hearts? Check.
• Beating the pants off their evil, longtime tormentor / historic franchise from the big city to the south? Check.
• Going after a fourth title in the 21st century, after a pretty rough patch in the 20th? Check.

 

[uncannymanny]

Their longest .500 streak is 26 games.

 

[Savin Hillbilly]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that 100 wins is not out of the question.

 

[Earthbound64]

• Going after a fourth title in the 21st century, after a pretty rough patch in the 20th? Check.

It really is something else, isn't it?

 

[Reggie's Racquet]

The MFY could win 100 games and NOT finish in first place in their division. Let that sink in. That has rarely happened in MLB history. Seven times by my count since 1892.

 

[m0ckduck]

The MFY could win 100 games and NOT finish in first place in their division. Let that sink in. That has rarely happened in MLB history. Seven times by my count since 1892.

Weirdly, it could also happen to the A’s/Astros. Oakland is on pace for 98 wins currently.

 

[SirPsychoSquints]

The MFY could win 100 games and NOT finish in first place in their division. Let that sink in. That has rarely happened in MLB history. Seven times by my count since 1892.

I see 9:

1. 2001 OAK
2. 1993 SFG
3. 1980 BAL
4. 1962 LAD (no divisions)
5. 1961 DET
6. 1954 NYY
7. 1942 BRO
8. 1915 DET
9. 1909 CHC

 

[uncannymanny]

If the Yankees win every game from now until the final series at Fenway, the Red Sox need only go 9-5 (.643) to make that series irrelevant to the division. Needless to say, the division is about as wrapped up as it can get.

That Fenway series could really affect the Yankees playoff chances. Assuming Oakland stays hot, the Sox can rest guys, but also play them just enough for the Yankees to play at max effort/roster utilization.

 

[EpsteinsGorillaSuit]

I don't care what the Yankees do from here on out. Here's rooting for the A's to catch the Astros!

 

[Sam Ray Not]

I don't care what the Yankees do from here on out. Here's rooting for the A's to catch the Astros!

You really want risk facing the Astros in the first round?

I mean, as the Port Cellar regulars know, I'm all about Oakland teams beating up on Houston, but for practical reasons I'm rooting for Houston to hold onto the division (and for Tito to knock them out of our path).

 

[Max Power]

In the interest of inflicting maximum suffering on the Yankees as possible, I'd like to see them drop behind the A's for the wild card. Then they can travel across the country just to lose one game and go home.

 

[nvalvo]

(Off topic: at 5.0, Jed Lowrie has more 2018 fWAR than anyone on the Yankees. This pleases me tremendously.)

 

[EpsteinsGorillaSuit]

You really want risk facing the Astros in the first round?

I mean, as the Port Cellar regulars know, I'm all about Oakland teams beating up on Houston, but for practical reasons I'm rooting for Houston to hold onto the division (and for Tito to knock them out of our path).

I think the Astros are much scarier in a 7 game series with their rotation lined up than a 5-game series where they burn one of their pitchers in a play-in game. Plus they might actually lose the play-in game in the first place.

 

[PedraMartina]

I think the Astros are much scarier in a 7 game series with their rotation lined up than a 5-game series where they burn one of their pitchers in a play-in game. Plus they might actually lose the play-in game in the first place.

But you have to balance that against the possibility of the Indians taking them out altogether. In a situation like this where there is one possible opponent that seems to present a much greater threat than the others, I think I prefer Yanks/As winner followed by winner of Hou/Cle because of the material chance of avoiding Hou altogether.

EDIT: But maybe that doesn't make any sense b/c of similar chance of Hou getting knocked out in play-in. It just feels like Tito will have a better chance at knocking them out in a 5-game series than the ace-less Yanks would in a play-in.

 

[acf69]

EDIT: But maybe that doesn't make any sense b/c of similar chance of Hou getting knocked out in play-in. It just feels like Tito will have a better chance at knocking them out in a 5-game series than the ace-less Yanks would in a play-in.

Yet if you believe Houston is better than Cleveland and New York, it is better to have them play 1 game rather than a 5 game series statistically speaking. In addition, Cleveland has a worse record than New York and has been feasting on the AL Central.

 

[SirPsychoSquints]

But you have to balance that against the possibility of the Indians taking them out altogether. In a situation like this where there is one possible opponent that seems to present a much greater threat than the others, I think I prefer Yanks/As winner followed by winner of Hou/Cle because of the material chance of avoiding Hou altogether.

But then having a Hou/MFY WC game guarantees you won't face both, and the ALCS is against winner of CLE/OAK. Let's say Home Field Houston is 55% to beat MFY, and Home Field OAK is 55% to beat CLE. You have the following odds of facing these teams:

1. 30% HOU/OAK
2. 25% MFY/OAK
3. 25% HOU/CLE
4. 20% MFY/CLE

In your scenario, let's say Home Team Yankees are 55% to beat OAK, and Home Field HOU is 60% to beat CLE.

1. 33% MFY/HOU
2. 27% OAK/HOU
3. 22% MFY/CLE
4. 18% OAK/CLE

1st scenario guarantees one of the 2 best teams and then one of the other teams.
2nd scenario has no guarantees. Most likely scenario is facing BOTH of the 2 best teams. Least likely scenario is missing both of them.

I guess part of it is how much better than the MFY is HOU? BP thinks a lot, Fangraphs thinks not much.

 

[SirPsychoSquints]

But you have to balance that against the possibility of the Indians taking them out altogether. In a situation like this where there is one possible opponent that seems to present a much greater threat than the others, I think I prefer Yanks/As winner followed by winner of Hou/Cle because of the material chance of avoiding Hou altogether.

EDIT: But maybe that doesn't make any sense b/c of similar chance of Hou getting knocked out in play-in. It just feels like Tito will have a better chance at knocking them out in a 5-game series than the ace-less Yanks would in a play-in.

Regarding your edit - or maybe the Yankees bullpen will mean it doesn't matter that they don't have an ace, in a WC game.

 

[TheoShmeo]

In the interest of inflicting maximum suffering on the Yankees as possible, I'd like to see them drop behind the A's for the wild card. Then they can travel across the country just to lose one game and go home.

I’m all for Yankees pain and suffering. Full stop.

But even if the Yankees were just another team, I’d be rooting hard for the A’s to overtake them. I want the winner of that game — whoever it is — to have to fly across the country on their way to Fenway, and not to take a quick shuttle from NY.

It’s hardly dispositive but any advantage is just that, an advantage.

Plus, back to Yankees hating, it would be humiliating for NY to cough up the WC lead to the A’s, and the more of that, the better.

 

[SirPsychoSquints]

But then having a Hou/MFY WC game guarantees you won't face both, and the ALCS is against winner of CLE/OAK. Let's say Home Field Houston is 55% to beat MFY, and Home Field OAK is 55% to beat CLE. You have the following odds of facing these teams:

1. 30% HOU/OAK
2. 25% MFY/OAK
3. 25% HOU/CLE
4. 20% MFY/CLE

In your scenario, let's say Home Team Yankees are 55% to beat OAK, and Home Field HOU is 60% to beat CLE.

1. 33% MFY/HOU
2. 27% OAK/HOU
3. 22% MFY/CLE
4. 18% OAK/CLE

1st scenario guarantees one of the 2 best teams and then one of the other teams.
2nd scenario has no guarantees. Most likely scenario is facing BOTH of the 2 best teams. Least likely scenario is missing both of them.

I guess part of it is how much better than the MFY is HOU? BP thinks a lot, Fangraphs thinks not much.

Based on some formulas I found online, and the BP estimate of strength (which I chose because the consensus here seems to be HOU is much better than MFY), I have the following odds for WC matchups- this ignores SP, which is a big flaw:

1. MFY@HOU - 58% HOU
2. MFY@OAK - 51% OAK
3. HOU@MFY - 50%
4. OAK@MFY - 57% MFY

And for the ALDS (AL West hosts Cleveland):

1. HOU - 60%
2. OAK - 48%

Scenario 1 - MFY host OAK, HOU hosts CLE:

1. 34% MFY/HOU
2. 26% OAK/HOU
3. 23% MFY/CLE
4. 17% OAK/CLE

Scenario 2 - MFY host HOU, OAK hosts CLE:

1. 26% MFY/CLE
2. 26% HOU/CLE
3. 24% HOU/OAK
4. 24% MFY/OAK

Scenario 3 - OAK hosts MFY, HOU hosts CLE:

1. 31% OAK/HOU
2. 29% MFY/HOU
3. 20% OAK/CLE
4. 20% MFY/CLE

Scenario 4 - HOU hosts MFY, OAK hosts CLE:

1. 30% HOU/CLE
2. 28% HOU/OAK
3. 22% MFY/CLE
4. 20% MFY/OAK

Those scenarios I bolded - I don't like those. I much the scenarios where one of the 3 best teams in baseball is knocked out in the Wild Card game, and comes into Fenway for a 5 game series with only 1 start from their best pitcher.

 

[BoSoxLady]

[emoji817]

 

[pk1627]

I thought a WS title would take the whole win/lose thing out of baseball for me. It sort of did, but then comes along a 100+ win season, which has been an incredible ride - and we have 1.5 months to go!

Sox, thank you.

 

[Rough Carrigan]

God, all those excellent teams that I thought might do this. '04, '08 and others. Somehow they just never quite put it together to do this.
Congrats to Cora and the guys.

 

[cheekydave]

I wonder if there are any SOSHers who have seen the Sox win 100 before?

 

[Valek123]

I thought a WS title would take the whole win/lose thing out of baseball for me. It sort of did, but then comes along a 100+ win season, which has been an incredible ride - and we have 1.5 months to go!

Sox, thank you.

This...

Sustained excellence over 162 is just so incredibly rare, where the playoffs are about catching fire at the right time. Just an unreal ride this year, thank you Red Sox class of '18.

 

[DJnVa]

I wonder if there are any SOSHers who have seen the Sox win 100 before?

One posted in game thread that he was alive in 1946.

 

[The Gray Eagle]

and we have 1.5 months to go!

Don't share the bear's pelt before you have killed it.

 

[cheekydave]

One posted in game thread that he was alive in 1946.

Someone older than me Hallelujah.

 

[Savin Hillbilly]

We've now reached the point where if the Red Sox can avoid getting swept the rest of the way -- winning at least one game in all five remaining series -- there's nothing the Yankees can do.

 

[joe dokes]

Rays closer to Yankees than Yankees are to Sox.

 

[Rasputin]

I've been looking forward to the result of this game for a long time.

Even if it bows out of the post-season way too soon, this team is special. There was a thread early on where we started looking at games that we won or loss that we really shouldn't have won or lost. I think it died pretty quickly because we just didn't lose. Game after game after game we'd get good to great starting pitching, good to great bullpen work, and score enough runs to win.

The Red Sox began the season by losing a game they had no right to lose and followed it up by winning game after game after game that they had no right to win.

Starting pitcher barfs up a lung? No problem, we'll score 8. Bullpen lets some jackwad team tie it in the 9th? No problem, the rest of the pen holds them down until the inevitable run scores. Best hitters go ofer? No problem, Holt or JBJ or Eduardo Freakin' Nunez puts up a crooked number.

The Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees, and Houston Astros are a combined 0-22 when allowing ten runs. The Boston Red Sox are 2-6.

And tonight, the best offense in the game scored but a single run, and it on a passed ball.

This team has surpassed all expectations and turned what was expected to be a down-to-the-wire AL East race into a laugher in July.

This team is special, and it deserves to be remembered even if the post-season goes horribly awry.

 

[Sam Ray Not]

We're as far from the last time we won 100 games as the last time we won 100 games was from 1874.

 

[Wallball Tingle]

For the first time this season, if the Red Sox go .500 (even 7-9), it doesn't matter what the Yankees do.

Remember how hard it was to win the AL East? Sox are about to do it for the third time in a row, going away.

I can remember 4 significant speed bumps:

1) Opening Day
2) The Oakland series with the Manaea no-hitter
3) Losing a series to the White Sox at Fenway
4) The pants-filling effort in the last Rays series

That's it.

 

[Savin Hillbilly]

Remember how hard it was to win the AL East? Sox are about to do it for the third time in a row, going away.

And it will be the first time in franchise history that they've finished first in the regular season for three years in a row.

 

[dcmissle]

I've been looking forward to the result of this game for a long time.

Even if it bows out of the post-season way too soon, this team is special. There was a thread early on where we started looking at games that we won or loss that we really shouldn't have won or lost. I think it died pretty quickly because we just didn't lose. Game after game after game we'd get good to great starting pitching, good to great bullpen work, and score enough runs to win.

The Red Sox began the season by losing a game they had no right to lose and followed it up by winning game after game after game that they had no right to win.

Starting pitcher barfs up a lung? No problem, we'll score 8. Bullpen lets some jackwad team tie it in the 9th? No problem, the rest of the pen holds them down until the inevitable run scores. Best hitters go ofer? No problem, Holt or JBJ or Eduardo Freakin' Nunez puts up a crooked number.

The Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees, and Houston Astros are a combined 0-22 when allowing ten runs. The Boston Red Sox are 2-6.

And tonight, the best offense in the game scored but a single run, and it on a passed ball.

This team has surpassed all expectations and turned what was expected to be a down-to-the-wire AL East race into a laugher in July.

This team is special, and it deserves to be remembered even if the post-season goes horribly awry.

Well said. What’s more, before the AL East race was expected to be down-to-the-wire, it was considered to be the Yankees to lose.

Anecdotal glimpse of the world lived in by at least one game thread colleague —

http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1946.html

 

[Lowrielicious]

Rays closer to Yankees than Yankees are to Sox.

It's possible the Yankees win 100 and still finish closer to third than first.

 

[canyoubelieveit]

The Red Sox record in games where they've given up more than 10 runs (2-6, 25% wins) is comparable to the Orioles win percentage in all games (41-104, 28% wins).

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

I wonder if there are any SOSHers who have seen the Sox win 100 before?

When you hear that knock on your door later this morning? It's Stiffy, and you should hide under your bed.

 

[The Raccoon]

The Red Sox record in games where they've given up more than 10 runs (2-6, 25% wins) is comparable to the Orioles win percentage in all games (41-104, 28% wins).

Since the Orioles will stay above the 25% line even if they lose out (great job, Buck!), the RS will need to win another 14-10 or 19-12 slugfest to get ahead in this ridiculous equation. Sounds tough, but the O's will be at Fenway for a 3 game series in late september, so... there's your chance.

If the Sox would play in the NL, their magic number to finish with the best record in the league would be 2.

 

[Soxfan in Fla]

While this partially speaks to the Orioles suckitude, it also speaks to how good this team has been that they have a 58.5 game lead on the Orioles right now. That’s nuts.

 

[JoePoulson]

Fitting the Sox hit 100 wins with 46 losses. Such an incredible season of baseball with still SO much of it left!

 

[Savin Hillbilly]

The Red Sox record in games where they've given up more than 10 runs (2-6, 25% wins) is comparable to the Orioles win percentage in all games (41-104, 28% wins).

As is their record when behind after six innings (12-38, 24%). That's amazing to me. Give the Sox a deficit, and just three innings to make it up, and they're nearly as good as the Orioles starting clean and playing nine.

 

[JimD]

The Red Sox record in games where they've given up more than 10 runs (2-6, 25% wins) is comparable to the Orioles win percentage in all games (41-104, 28% wins).

These little nuggets at the Orioles' expense just never get old.

 

[santadevil]

I've been looking forward to the result of this game for a long time.

Even if it bows out of the post-season way too soon, this team is special. There was a thread early on where we started looking at games that we won or loss that we really shouldn't have won or lost. I think it died pretty quickly because we just didn't lose. Game after game after game we'd get good to great starting pitching, good to great bullpen work, and score enough runs to win.

The Red Sox began the season by losing a game they had no right to lose and followed it up by winning game after game after game that they had no right to win.

Starting pitcher barfs up a lung? No problem, we'll score 8. Bullpen lets some jackwad team tie it in the 9th? No problem, the rest of the pen holds them down until the inevitable run scores. Best hitters go ofer? No problem, Holt or JBJ or Eduardo Freakin' Nunez puts up a crooked number.

The Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees, and Houston Astros are a combined 0-22 when allowing ten runs. The Boston Red Sox are 2-6.

And tonight, the best offense in the game scored but a single run, and it on a passed ball.

This team has surpassed all expectations and turned what was expected to be a down-to-the-wire AL East race into a laugher in July.

This team is special, and it deserves to be remembered even if the post-season goes horribly awry.

You are all welcome!
I assume Cora showed that thread to the team right after I posted it and he told them he better not see it updated for the rest of the year and they responded in kind.
Gifts are welcomed, just send a PM to OJ and she can give you my shipping address.

On a more serious note, earlier in this thread, there were a few posters still worried about getting to 100 wins when we were 81-34 through 115 games
Well folks, they did it and this team is still great

Still more relevant goals to get to, but this has been a nice ride so far and I've been enjoying it

 

[effectivelywild]

Here is one of the things that is most insane to me about this team: We have a player that there was a lot of chatter about whether or not he would win the Triple Crown (looking less likely, but who knows). By wOBA (based on FanGraphs), he's not even the best hitter on his team.

 

[nvalvo]

Here is one of the things that is most insane to me about this team: We have a player that there was a lot of chatter about whether or not he would win the Triple Crown (looking less likely, but who knows). By wOBA (based on FanGraphs), he's not even the best hitter on his team.

He's tied for third, with Brandon Phillips!

Phillips, frankly, is held back by an unsustainably low .000 BABIP.

 

[Savin Hillbilly]

Here is one of the things that is most insane to me about this team: We have a player that there was a lot of chatter about whether or not he would win the Triple Crown (looking less likely, but who knows). By wOBA (based on FanGraphs), he's not even the best hitter on his team.

If he were to do it, he'd be the first TC winner to not have the best wOBA not only on his own team, but in his league. Only two of the 17 TC winners -- Joe Medwick in 1937 and Chuck Klein in 1933 -- didn't have the best wOBA in the majors. Both had the best in their own league.

 

[Reverend]

If he were to do it, he'd be the first TC winner to not have the best wOBA not only on his own team, but in his league. Only two of the 17 TC winners -- Joe Medwick in 1937 and Chuck Klein in 1933 -- didn't have the best wOBA in the majors. Both had the best in their own league.

So you guys got me thinking: Check this out:

The MVP is defined as what it is. So, if Mookie wins the MVP and JDM wins the Triple Crown, the TC is technically, almost definitionally a lesser award this season.

How much trash do we think Mookie would talk to JDM about the Triple Crown if this happens? Like, how good do you have to be to have the opportunity to pooh-pooh the Triple Crown as a kind of consolation prize? What is it like to win the Triple Crown and still have that guy in the clubhouse? And, I mean, they're all having fun.

That kind of shit is on the table with this team.

 

[timlinin8th]

While this partially speaks to the Orioles suckitude, it also speaks to how good this team has been that they have a 58.5 game lead on the Orioles right now. That’s nuts.

They have a 10 game lead on the third winningest team in all of baseball. THATS nuts.

 

[Savin Hillbilly]

They have a 10 game lead on the third winningest team in all of baseball. THATS nuts.

Even more nuts: if they were in any NL division, they'd have at least a 15.5-game lead.