Tag: wild card

The Red Sox are Playoff Bound

I missed the game last night and do I regret it or what! Lackey took a no hitter into the seventh, and then ended up winning 3-1 in a complete game that clinched a wild card spot for the Sox. We are now officially playoff bound.

The magic number for the AL East is now one game, thanks to the combination of the Red Sox winning and the Rays losing last night. Our team could be celebrating a division win tonight if they beat the Blue Jays. Either way, one Red Sox win or Rays loss and we are the AL East champs.

After last season’s schmucko the clown nightmare coming on the heels of the chicken and beer flavored collapse in 2011, none of us thought this team had a chance. I was optimistic that they might finish the season at about .500. I would have been satisfied with that.

Now? It’s World Series or bust at this point. They have become an elite team in major league baseball. They have four pitchers who can match up with almost anyone in the game. They have an offense that can hit off anyone. They have turned into one hell of a baseball team. There is no reason they cannot win it all this year. Detroit will probably still end up being the favorite to win the American League, but it’s got to be a close call. I believe these Red Sox are up to the challenge.

Just wrap up the division tonight and get on with the playoffs!

What is Almost as Good as Clinching the Division?

Want to know what makes a Red Sox fan feel almost as good as clinching the division?

Eliminating the Yankees.

The magic number for the American League East division is down to four, and the win over the Yankees last night mathematically eliminated New York from the division race. They are still in the wild card race, but losing six out of seven games to Boston over just the last 11 days has gone a long way toward putting a fork into them.

A few weeks ago I wrote a bit about which teams in the wild card race I wanted to see get into the playoffs. I have to tweak that a little now. I had said I wanted to see Oakland get in, but they have since taken over their division and built up a happy lead. As of now, the Rangers and the Rays are tied in the wild card race with Cleveland only half a game behind. Next comes Baltimore, 2.5 games out, and the Yankees are three games out. The last team with any prayer of getting in is the Royals, 3.5 games back.

I’m still rooting for the Royals to steal their way in, but it’s seeming less likely. I’d really like to see both Texas and Tampa Bay get knocked out. Obviously I want the Yankees eliminated both for Boston reasons, and for Alex Rodriguez reasons (although he left last night’s game with an injury). Baltimore is another AL East team, and if it’s possible I’d like to see the Red Sox be the only eastern team to get into the post season. That pretty much makes me a fan of Cleveland and Kansas City down the stretch.

Honestly though it doesn’t really matter to me who makes it into the playoffs, so long as they all lose to the Red Sox. That’s all I really care about.