This year the Red Sox are within one game of the World Series after a abysmal season last year thanks to a complete turnaround in the organization.
In 2012 the Red Sox front office hired
Bobby Valentine to replace
Terry Francona as head coach of the club. Prior to the season it was hard to tell how Bobby V would fit in Boston, his last coaching job was in 2005 and the Sox were coming off a bad finish in 2011. Unfortunately for Red Sox Nation, Valentine was a terrible fit in Boston. Valentine's season was riddled with injuries, a lot of clubhouse drama, and public arguments between him and his players as well as coaches. The Red Sox finish
69-93 in their division, losing their last 8 games, and had their worst record in 47 years. It was an easy decision for the Red Sox to fire him just one day after the regular season.
Following the season, rumors were swirling about just how bad the clubhouse atmosphere was and who was to blame for the miserable season. Obviously Bobby V carried some of the blame, but he wasn't
the one playing baseball. General Manger
Ben Charington and the front office had a very busy offseason ahead of them that required them to make some acquisitions
and rely on minor league talent.
Their first big change was John Farell. Farell was a former pitching coach of Boston, and knew the organization well. He didn’t know the sloppy and careless organization that the 2012 Sox were, he knew the organization the Sox wanted to be.
The Red Sox got to work signing and releasing 2012 Sox players and adding key free agents like Mike Napoli, Shane Victorino, and Johnny Gomes, and they also put emphasis on their farm system. Jose Iglesias and Jackie Bradley Jr were the next big things in baseball for the Red Sox and right from the start of the upcoming year both of their talents would surely be tested. As it turned out, Iglesias thrived in the big leagues, but Bradley Jr had a rougher time, but both impacted the way the Sox played the game.
In the start of the season, all expectations for the Sox were very low. BoSox fans from all around weren't sure how they could rebound from their misery, and no one could expect the Red Sox to start the way they did. Through the first nine games of the season the Red Sox were 5-4 which was good enough for a tie in first. What no one could expect is what happened next. The Boston Marathon Bombings sent a shockwave through Boston and all of America, and everything was put on hold, including baseball. On April 12th the Red Sox were scheduled to play Tampa Bay and this game was postponed because of the crisis that followed the bombings. When baseball did resume, the Red Sox held a ceremony in behalf of the bombing victims and city of Boston. From that day on, the Red Sox won seven games straight and "Boston Strong" is what the Red Sox became.
Throughout the season the Sox battled injuries like any team does and they had their slumps like any team does, but what stood out for the Sox was their team chemistry. Unlike the season prior, this Red Sox team really seemed to get along and work well as a team. There were never any stories leaked about team dissatisfaction or arguments, there were only good things coming from the Sox. The all- star break came along for the Sox and they seemed to be rolling along steadily. They were now 58-39 and 2.5 games in first place and this pace would continue for the rest of the season.
The Sox finished the regular season comfortably in first place by 5.5 games with a record of
97-65 and a knack for spectacular comebacks. Guys like
David Ortiz and
Dustin Pedroia, who stuck with the Sox through it all and guys like
Xander Bogaerts and
Koji Uehara, who were new to the Sox, were able to hold their heads high. The Sox completed the unthinkable with a worst to first revival and all of Red Sox Nation had high hopes for the postseason.
And while all this excitement was going on, there was an even more captivating story coming from the Sox. The Red Sox players all seemed to be growing
beards! What started with Gomes and Napoli growing beards turned into almost every other Sox player growing one. It became a fun part of Boston's chemistry and during team celebrations there was always a beard to be pulled in jest.
Meanwhile back in the American League Division Series, the Red Sox faced their rival Tampa Bay Rays. However, the Rays proved to be no match for the Sox and after four games, Boston was moving on to play the Detroit Tigers in the ALCS.
The Tigers series was not nearly as easy as the Rays series. The Tigers came out of the gate pitching gems. In the series the Tigers had
52 strikeouts on the Red Sox hitters in six games and really gave the Sox some trouble. Luckily for Boston their bats were able to come alive at important parts of games (including two late inning grand slams) to get some key wins and take the series from Detroit and move on to the World Series.
Now that the Sox are moving on, they can get a little rest before they play next on Wednesday against the St. Louis Cardinals. With so many positive aspects about the Sox, it's hard not to think that they have a slight advantage in the series, but only time will tell if that is true.
One thing, however, is for certain. The Boston Red Sox have had a memorable season to say the least.
