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Sox Eliminated, Again

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Photo by Levi Meir Clancy on Unsplash

For a third straight year the Red Sox have been eliminated from postseason play. It happened Wednesday with a loss in the team’s final road game of the season.

Boston was essentially out of the race much earlier, of course, in large measure due to a bizarrely long late-season offensive slump that kept them from securing the third Wild Card spot in the American League. The Sox were slugging .500 from mid June to August, but have managed just a .377 SLG since August 9.

Three consecutive seasons matches the club’s longest stretch without a postseason appearance in the last 30 years (also 2010-12 and 2000-02). The next longest such drought was four years from 1991-94. Boston went 10 straight seasons without making the playoffs from 1976 to 1985.

Of course, missing the playoffs was a annual rite in Boston for many decades before that. From 1919 to 1966—a span of 48 years—the Sox reached the postseason just once, in 1946. That year they made to the World Series but lost to the Cardinals, 4 games-to-3.

Red Sox Postseason History

The Red Sox have advanced to the postseason 25 times in 124 American League seasons (1901-2024), including 11 times in the last 22 years.

The Sox have nine World Championships, which is third-most in Major League history after the Yankees 927) and Cardinals (11). Boston’s most recent championships in 2004, 2007, 2013, and 2018, are the most of any team this century.


New Mr. October

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What a postseason already for Red Sox Kiké Hernández. The first-year Sox infielder/outfielder has outperformed with new records for postseason offensive production.

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Through Saturday’s Game 2 of the American League Championship Series, Hernández is 16-for-32 (.500) this postseason with four doubles and five home runs. More impressively, all nine extra-base hits have come over Hernández’ last five games, dating back to AL Division Series Game 2 vs. Tampa Bay. For those five games he’s batted an incredible 15-for-25 (.600).

That kind of performance is bound to set new records—and it has.

  • Kiké’s nine extra-base hits is the most of any ball player over five games in Major League postseason history. The previous record over five games was eight XBH, most recent by the Yankees Hideki Matsui in 2004.
  • The 15 hits over five games is likewise an MLB postseason record, besting the previous high of 13 hits most recently by White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson in 2020.
  • All those Hernández hits have amassed 34 total bases in five games. It’s a new MLB postseason record that passes a 44-year mark by the former Mr. October, Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson, who had 31 TB over five games in 1977.

The five home runs over the last five games are the second-most in MLB postseason history. Four other players have had six, most recently Giancarlo Stanton in the 2020 postseason.

Red Sox History

Kiké’s prodigious offense made some franchise history, too. His 34 total bases are the most of any Boston batter in any game—regular season or postseason. The previous high was 32 by Kevin Millar in July 2004.

With his five home runs so far this postseason, Kiké Hernández has already matched Red Sox franchise record for home runs in a single postseason, shared by David Ortiz (2004 and 2013) and Todd Walker (2003).

Hernández’ 15 hits are the most of any Boston batter in any game since Johnny Damon recorded 17 over five games, also in July 2004. His 9 extra-base hits are most since Rafael Devers had 10 in August 2019.


Red Sox open Florida ticket counter for Spring Training

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It’s still early in the off-season, but so far the Red Sox have been mostly quiet as the rest of the teams around baseball are making deals. It seems unlikely Red Sox Nation won’t be jolted by a big move some time soon, though, as new baseball chief Chaim Bloom looks to make his mark on a team that needs more than a tweak.

And though the hot stove is only lukewarm right now, the Red Sox ticket office is ready for those sunny, warm spring days of Lee County, Florida. Spring training tickets for 2020 go on sale Saturday, December 7, at JetBlue Park at Fenway South and also online at the team web site. It will be the ninth season for the club at JetBlue Park, which kicks off with an Open House there on Saturday, February 15th that’s free and open to the public.

In all, the Red Sox will play 18 home games in Florida next year, 17 of which will be part of Grapefruit League action, along with the traditional spring opener against the Northeastern University Huskies. Refer to the full spring training schedule to plot your getaway from the winter cold.

Key dates leading up to the start of the season are always counting down in the margins here at the RSNStats.com web site.

Now, a couple odds-n-ends of interest to Red Sox Nation:

  • Sandy León posted a heartfelt thank you to his former team and Red Sox Nation on Friday. “You guys are the best!” León said of the fans, “Thank you for every encouraging word during each game. Thank you for showing what true passion for a club is.” The Sox traded León to the Indians for a minor leaguer earlier this week.
  • The world champion Washington Nationals split a pool of more than $29.1 million this season, while the Houston Astros divvied up $19.4 million. After the pool was cut into equal-sized shares by the players, the Nationals awarded 61 full shares, a handful of partial shares, and some cash awards making each full share worth a cool $382,358.18. The Astros split their pool 57 ways and likewise issued some partial shares and cash awards making each full share worth $256,030.16. By comparison, full shares last season were worth $416,837.72 and $262,027.49 for the Red Sox and Dodgers, respectively.

    Overall, the pool of proceeds derives from formula that rakes the combined gate receipts from specific postseason games and apportions them depending on how far a team progresses past the regular season. With each progression, the team’s pool gets larger, culminating in the largest pool for the teams that make it all the way to the Fall Classic. At the lowest rungs this season were the Athletics and Brewers, who were eliminated after their Wild Card game. They split pools of about $1.2 million each.
  • The Red Sox have been awarded the 2019 “Allan H. Selig Award for Philanthropic Excellence” from Major League Baseball in recognition of the club’s Home Base program. Red Sox Chairman Tom Werner and the Red Sox Foundation led the creation of Home Base in 2007, which supports service men and women in making a successful transition post-military service. Boston is the only team to have won the award more than once since its inception in 2010, when the Red Sox were honored for developing the Red Sox Scholars program.
  • Sox Vice President of Pitching Development (and assistant pitching coach) Brian Bannister is the new director of pitching for the Giants. Bannister confirmed the move himself with a thank you message to Sox ownership that he posted to Twitter. Bannister’s family lives in the Bay Area, so the move will afford him far greater time being closer to home.
  • The Red Sox are actively promoting the idea of another All-Star Game at Fenway Park. Team CEO Sam Kennedy says, “We need to work and figure out a time that would work for the convention centers, but we’ve told MLB that we would like to host,” according to this report. The last All-Star Game at Fenway was the memorable 1999 affair that starred Ted Williams. Two National League parks, Dodger Stadium and Atlanta’s SunTrust Park, will be the venues for the 2020 and 2021 Mid-Summer Classics, respectively.


Red Sox Cash World Series Bonuses

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What’s a World Series win worth? For fans, it’s priceless. For the players and others who share in the proceeds, however, the numbers are clear.

Every year, a pool of postseason cash is derived according to a formula agreed to in advance between Major League Baseball and the players. The pool is then split between the 10 teams that make it to October. The further a team goes, the greater their share of the pool.

This year’s postseason pool was formed from 50% of the gate receipts from the Wild Card games, plus 60% of the gate receipts from the first three games of the Division Series, the first four games of the League Championship Series, and the first four games of the World Series. That came to a record-high $88 million this season.

By limiting the pool to the first few games of each series, baseball eliminates the possibility teams would be tempted to draw a series out longer for financial benefit.

How the Pool is Divided

The Red Sox get the biggest share of that, a total of $31.7 million. The Dodgers, who finished 2018 as National League champions get the next biggest slice, a total of $21.2 million. The rest is divvied up as follows:

  • The runners-up in the League Championship Series (the Astros and the Brewers) received $10.5 million each.
  • The four runners-up in the Division Series (the Braves, Indians, Rockies, and Yankees) received $2.8 million each.
  • The two runners-up for the Wild Card game (the Cubs and the Athletics) get $1.3 million each.

Each team that receives a portion of the pool votes internally to decide how to split it up, dividing the total into equal sized shares. Full shares are typically awarded to all 25 players on the Opening Day roster, the manager, and regular coaching staff. Partial shares are often awarded to other contributors with what’s left over, typically much smaller amounts, awarded like bonus checks to lower-level staff. Naturally, the more shares the players elect to offer, the less value each share has.

The 2018 Red Sox players settled on issuing 66 full shares, compared to 58 shares dispensed in 2013. Each of the 2018 shares was worth $416,837.72. The club also awarded 10.025 partial shares and eight cash awards.


Red Sox are 2018 World Champions!

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They didn’t squeak by, they dominated. The Red Sox pounded the competition during the 2018 regular season and then decisively won each postseason round. In the end, the Red Sox stand alone, for the ninth time in club history, as the World Champions of baseball.

The Sox have now won the World Series in each of their last four trips to the Fall Classic making them just the fourth team to achieve as many as nine championships in their history. Moreover, Boston has now won four of their nine clinching World Series games on the road, including 2007 at Colorado, 2004 at St. Louis and 1915 at Philadelphia.

Powerful Price

The Dodgers’ fate was sealed by a dominating Game 5 performance from Red Sox starter David Price, who worked 7.0 IP and allowed just one run on three hits. Price was followed with a perfect inning of work for Joe Kelly. And then in the ninth, who better than Boston ace Chris Sale to nail down a championship with three straight strikeouts.

Price became just the fifth player in major league history to pitch at least 6.0 innings and allow three hits-or-fewer in three consecutive postseason starts, joining Jon Matlack (1973), Mike Mussina (1997), Kevin Brown (1998) and Clayton Kershaw (2013). Price finished the Fall Classic with 10 total strikeouts and a 1.98 overall ERA, allowing just three earned runs on six total hits to become the first pitcher to work at least 13.2 IP while allowing fewer than seven hits in a single Fall Classic since Hall of Famer John Smoltz in 1996.

For Price it was a postseason redemption after so many rough October outings. “My confidence was never altered through however many seasons I’ve been to the playoffs, however many times I’ve failed in October, however many times I failed,” Price said after the game. “To be able to come through on this stage and in October for myself and for my teammates, I know I can do it now. And it’s always a good feeling to have.”

Pearce is MVP

Steve Pearce, not content with getting the Sox on the board early with a first inning, two-run blast, added a second home run in the top of the eighth. Pearce became the fifth player in Red Sox history with a multi-homer World Series game, joining Rico Petrocelli (1967), Hall of Famers Carl Yastrzemski (1967) and Harry Hooper (1915), as well as Patsy Dougherty (1903).

Pearce, who was named Series MVP after the game, also became the fifth player in club history with three home runs in a single World Series, joining Dwight Evans (3), Larry Gardner (3), David Ortiz (3) and Yastrzemski (3).

Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez contributed a home run apiece in the win making Sunday’s game the fifth four-homer game for the Red Sox in any postseason game, and the first since the second game of the 2008 American League Championship Series.

Cora Magic

Manager Alex Cora, so calm and focused throughout the season, is the seventh different manager to lead the Red Sox to a World Championship. Cora is just the fifth rookie manager in baseball history to win the World Series, joining Bucky Harris (1924 Senators), Eddie Dyer (1946 Cardinals), Ralph Houk (1961 Yankees) and Bob Brenly (2001 Diamondbacks).

Cora, who has won the Series as a player with Boston in 2007, as the Astros bench coach last season and now, as a manager, said this was best of all. “To be able to, first of all, convince them to give me a chance to manage. That was hard work,” Cora said. “And then to see these guys compete on a nightly basis and finally win it,…at the end, obviously they decide games and what they did was amazing, very proud of them.”

The City of Boston will welcome the champion Red Sox back home with a Duck Boat parade on Wednesday.