From Dead in the Water to Dangerous: The Red Sox Have Changed Everything

The 2026 season has been a sort of Dickensian fever dream for Red Sox fans.

At first, it was the worst of times. Then, it was the best of times. And the best of times some more. And some more. And now, as I write this after the team’s fourteenth straight win, I have to say… I am having the best time. Even if I haven’t completely processed what I’m seeing.

On July 2 — less than three weeks ago — our then-bemoaned Boston ball team was last in the American League East. They had the fourth-worst record in the league, and were 6.5 games back of the final Wild Card spot with six teams ahead of them. They couldn’t win if they didn’t score first. And they really couldn’t win at home. Since then, they’ve had a bigger turnaround than Ebenezer Scrooge, leaving Sox fans with, um, great expectations for the trade deadline and stretch run. (Sorry… More Dickens. Why did I have to minor in English in college?)

The Sox won nine straight heading into the All-Star break and have kept their foot on the gas to start the second half, sweeping division-leading Tampa in four games and beating Baltimore in the series opener at Fenway Monday night to run their winning streak to fourteen games — the longest in baseball this year and one shy of the franchise record — and 19 of their last 21, which is also the best record in MLB during that stretch. They’re currently three games over .500 for the first time this season and occupy the third wild card spot.

Not only has this year’s team started to reverse their awful play at home— they’re currently on a 10-2 run at Fenway after opening the season 12-25 — but their five straight wins to open the second half set them apart from the Sox teams of past three seasons, who each ended the first half strong, but couldn’t maintain the magic once play resumed:

• The 2023 Red Sox went 8-1 before the All-Star break and 3-4 after the break.

• The 2024 Sox went 10-3 into the break before losing four straight and eight of 11 after.

• Last year, they won 10 a row before the break before losing five of seven after.

A few weeks ago, even the most optimistic Sox fans (like me) would’ve told you this team was dead in the water. (If you saw this hot streak coming, please send me your contact information. I’d like to follow you around and learn your ways. You might also want to buy a lottery ticket.)

Now, not only is a postseason appearance a possibility — the team’s playoff odds have increased by more than 50% since June 22 — but the Red Sox are 12-0 against the teams with the three best records in the league (the Rays, Yankees, and White Sox) in the past month.

That last number underscores an important point and reason for further optimism within Red Sox Nation: The American League absolutely stinks.

If the Red Sox were in the A.L. West, they’d be leading the division. They currently trail the Guardians by a game for the second wild card spot and the Yankees by 4.5 games for second place in the division. And the Rays? The big, bad Rays? Who they just swept? The Sox trail them by a mere six games with 63 games left to play.

Am I saying this formerly dead team should now be focused on winning the division? Yes, I am saying that.

The Red Sox will lose another baseball game. They might even play .500 ball the rest of the way. But, even if they do, they’ll still finish with a winning record in a league that few teams really seem to want to win.

Their pitching and defense might be the best I’ve ever seen from any Red Sox team. And I’m pretty old. Their offense, while still lacking the pop of previous Sox teams, is working counts and finding ways to score runs. Every conceivable way.

Take the most recent series against the Rays, for example.

Through 99 games, the Red Sox have hit the fewest home runs (95) in the league. In the four wins against Tampa, however, they erupted for nine bombs — including four from Wilyer Abreu and two from the team’s MVP (if you ask me), Willson Contreras. They also scored runs on back-to-back squeeze bunts and, in another inning, scored three unearned runs on two walks, a hit by pitch, a passed ball, a fielder’s choice, an error, and a groundout.

Monday night, the Red Sox hosted the Orioles, who came into Fenway with their own seven-game winning streak. The Sox took advantage of a Baltimore miscue and strung together some timely hits to match blows in a game that saw the lead change hands four times. The Sox took the lead for good in the eighth inning on a solo blast over the Monster by Caleb Durbin, whose home run off the Yankees’ Cam Schlittler back on June 25 helped spark the team’s current hot streak and whose resurgence at the plate has been a major catalyst for the offense. Aroldis Chapman, who has been mostly nails this season, made things interesting in the ninth, putting the tying run on third and the go-ahead run on second before former Red Sox outfielder Tyler O’Neill smoked a liner that appeared headed for left field until shortstop Tsung-Che Cheng made a leaping snag to end the game. (Did I mention our defense is pretty good?)

Interim (for now) manager Chad Tracy has made the absolute best of a challenging situation, channeling the talent, tenacity, and resilience of a mostly young clubhouse into a historic run. Now, it’s time for Craig Breslow to bring in reinforcements.

As of the time of this writing, there are two weeks until the trade deadline. Until then, stay tuned to Twitter or your social media platform of choice for a steady stream of hot takes, rumors, and trade news.

Hopefully, we’ll have encouraging answers to these (and other) questions:

• Will we finally add that bat we’ve been looking for? Or two?

• Will Sonny Gray, Aroldis Chapman, and/or Jarren Duran be here or elsewhere after August 3?

• Will Patrick Sandoval be on the move or stay with the Sox as innings-eating insurance for our younger arms who’ve never thrown this many innings before?

• Will we add another piece to our already-pretty-strong bullpen?

As we’ve seen over the last three weeks, anything can happen.

Go Sox.

Bill Colrus (aka @SawxSouth on Twitter/X) is a generally optimistic, lifelong Red Sox fan and high school baseball coach. Outside of baseball, he’s written for numerous publications and clients, specializing in healthcare and mental health.