The Red Sox Can Only Look Up in the AL East
It’s Official. The Red Sox will finish 2022 last in the American League East with a losing record. Not many people saw this coming in April, given the Red Sox were two games away from the World Series in 2021. But with many holes in this lineup and a pitching staff that has been disappointing all season, it’s not shocking anymore to see them fall into last place.
Alex Cora had some interesting comments before today’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays:
“Right now, we’re in last place… I bet going into next season, we’re going to be picked to finish last in the division. And it is what it is. You have to live with that, right? But I’ve seen other weird stuff happen in this game. Last year, nobody thought we were going to make it to the playoffs and we did. This year, everybody thought we were going to make it to the playoffs and we didn’t make it…”
Alex Cora
The Yankees clinched first place in the AL East. The Red Sox were beat up by their division rivals this season, finishing with a record of 6-13. However, the Yankees were not the biggest division bullies to Boston this year. The Red Sox are 4-12 against the Tampa Bay Rays this year with one series left to end the season. And with today’s loss against the Blue Jays, the Red Sox are a miserable 3-15 against them this year.
The Baltimore Orioles are a different animal now. After today’s loss against the Yankees, the Orioles are now eliminated from playoff contention. However, this season was still a victory for the birds. They are no longer the punching bag of the AL East and they are ready to give it back to everybody. With a young core of players like Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson, the future is bright in Baltimore. Boston finished with a winning record against the Orioles, but only by one game (10-9).
2023 Changes Could Bring Hope
One of the new league changes in 2023 could be in favor of the Red Sox. The new schedules for every team include the most interleague games Major League Baseball has ever seen. Every team will play every team at least once. This means that divisional play will decrease. This is good news for Boston because they are 52-34 against all other teams outside the AL East.
This team knows they have to be better next year. The front office knows they need to be better this off-season. It’s now a five-team dogfight next year for the division, and the Red Sox are not the favorites anymore. Hopes should still be high going into this off-season. There will be splashes being made, Chaim Bloom has promised that. But will they be big enough to stand a chance against the powerhouse that is the American League East?
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