Red Sox Open Up Largest Division Lead in 9 Years
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| Photo Courtesy of NESN |
Conor Frederick
Contributing Writer
Twitter - @ConorJF1016
The Red Sox have the largest lead in the AL East since 2004. Did the scoreboard operators in Tampa check that? Because this is reality - the Red Sox have been red hot as of late, hence the huge lead over Tampa Bay. In 2004, the Yankees had a 9.5 game lead over the Red Sox, then the Red Sox closed the gap to 3 games and clinched the Wild Card en route to breaking the dreaded Curse of the Bambino. Now it's the Red Sox in pole position and they don't look like slipping. In fact, the Red Sox have been the team streaking while Tampa is struggling and fading further in the division race. The Red Sox keep finding ways to win games, from comeback wins to extra inning wins (like last night's grand slam from Mike Carp). And it seems like everyone is contributing to this streak, from Mike Carp last night to Koji Uehara's unreal streak in the closer's position.
The Red Sox streak has dropped their magic number to clinch the division to 8 and 6 to guarantee a playoff spot. And while getting back to the postseason is the goal, they want to go into the postseason with as much momentum as possible, and that means clinching a division crown. I'm sure Red Sox Nation will want the Red Sox to win the division decisively as possible to get even more momentum going into the playoffs. Not to mention home field advantage. That will surely be a factor in the postseason, and the Red Sox will be looking to keep up their streak so they can clinch the best record in the AL and home field advantage for the postseason.
The Red Sox will be looking to complete the sweep of Tampa Bay tonight before they come home for their last home stand of the season, which begins tomorrow against the Yankees. Thoughts? Leave a comment below or Tweet me @ConorJF1016.
Contributing Writer
Twitter - @ConorJF1016
The Red Sox have the largest lead in the AL East since 2004. Did the scoreboard operators in Tampa check that? Because this is reality - the Red Sox have been red hot as of late, hence the huge lead over Tampa Bay. In 2004, the Yankees had a 9.5 game lead over the Red Sox, then the Red Sox closed the gap to 3 games and clinched the Wild Card en route to breaking the dreaded Curse of the Bambino. Now it's the Red Sox in pole position and they don't look like slipping. In fact, the Red Sox have been the team streaking while Tampa is struggling and fading further in the division race. The Red Sox keep finding ways to win games, from comeback wins to extra inning wins (like last night's grand slam from Mike Carp). And it seems like everyone is contributing to this streak, from Mike Carp last night to Koji Uehara's unreal streak in the closer's position.
The Red Sox streak has dropped their magic number to clinch the division to 8 and 6 to guarantee a playoff spot. And while getting back to the postseason is the goal, they want to go into the postseason with as much momentum as possible, and that means clinching a division crown. I'm sure Red Sox Nation will want the Red Sox to win the division decisively as possible to get even more momentum going into the playoffs. Not to mention home field advantage. That will surely be a factor in the postseason, and the Red Sox will be looking to keep up their streak so they can clinch the best record in the AL and home field advantage for the postseason.
The Red Sox will be looking to complete the sweep of Tampa Bay tonight before they come home for their last home stand of the season, which begins tomorrow against the Yankees. Thoughts? Leave a comment below or Tweet me @ConorJF1016.
