Left for dead in June, these Red Sox have become the ‘impossible team’ with 15-game win streak
Jaylen Brown was a member of the Celtics the last time the Red Sox lost a game. Taylor Swift was not yet married to Travis Kelce, and Graham Platner was still campaigning for the Senate in Maine.
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The astonishing win streak reached 15 games Wednesday afternoon when the Sox beat the Orioles, 6-3, in the first game of a doubleheader at Fenway Park.
A team thought to be hopelessly out of contention in June tied the franchise record for consecutive victories, set in 1946 when Ted Williams returned to the lineup after missing three seasons because of World War II. It’s the longest streak in the major leagues since the Cardinals ran off 17 in a row in 2021. The 1916 New York Giants hold the record at 26 straight games unbeaten. For Sox fans, it’s reminiscent of 1988, when interim manager Joe Morgan took over at the All-Star break and led the team to 12 consecutive wins en route to the division title.
“I’m just excited we got another one today,” said third baseman Caleb Durbin, who was 2 for 4 with two runs and two RBIs. “You keep stacking one win over another, and then you get close. Once you get within three or four [of the record] they start to feel like playoff games because you want to get there.”
That this particular Red Sox team would match a record established 80 years ago seemed improbable. The Sox were 32-46 on June 24 and have since won 20 of 22 games to become postseason contenders. This despite a roster loaded with players who would go unnoticed walking through Copley Square at lunchtime.
One of them is 25-year-old lefthander Jake Bennett, who allowed three runs over 5⅔ innings Wednesday to improve to 6-3 with a 2.58 ERA.
Interim manager Chad Tracy referred to the unflappable rookie as “the Pink Panther” before the game.
“That’s just how he is. He’s very confident; he’s very mellow, and he’s very sure of himself,” Tracy said.
The same description fits Tracy, who managed eight seasons in the minor leagues before being summoned to Baltimore on April 25 to replace Alex Cora after his late-night firing.
The Sox didn’t show much improvement for two months, but Tracy held the team together despite the loss of ace lefthander Garrett Crochet to a shoulder injury and the extended absence of left fielder Roman Anthony because of a sprained right wrist.
What changed?
“A lot of things,” Tracy said. “Even if you do a lot of things right in this game, it’s not easy to win that many games [in a row] . . . The execution on the offensive side, getting the ball in play with the bases loaded, stringing at-bats together.
“There’s just a vast difference in the quality of the at-bat throughout the lineup, from the first inning all the way through the ninth.”
On Wednesday, it was the first inning. Four of the first five hitters singled off Orioles starter Dean Kremer to build a 2-0 lead. Jarren Duran, a former All-Star who has slumped most of the season, then lined a high fastball down the right-field line for a two-run triple.
Duran drove in another run in the third inning with a sacrifice fly. Bennett and three relievers had all the cushion they needed.
Fenway was half-full for the game, which was a makeup of Tuesday night’s rainout. But it sounded like a full house when Aroldis Chapman ended the game by getting Pete Alonso to ground to shortstop.
It started to pour a few minutes later, drenching fans as they left the ballpark. Nobody seemed to care after witnessing the latest victory.
“When you win in a city like this, where it matters so much, that’s what it’s all about,” Durbin said.
Inside the clubhouse, the Sox paid homage to a win streak 80 years in the making. Beyond that, it was the usual postgame celebration before preparations started for the second game of the day.
“I’ve read some stuff. I know Ted Williams was around back then. I’m aware of the year and how long it’s been,” Tracy said. “It’s cool they accomplished something great. It’s awesome.”
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