The Red Sox Won’t Go Away—And That’s Actually Infuriating

The Red Sox refuse to die, and frankly, that’s become annoying. Not for them—for everyone else trying to make sense of this team. Boston came from behind again Monday against Baltimore, extending a streak of improbable victories that shouldn’t exist if you believe in basic baseball logic. A team that looked ready for a full rebuild is instead lurking in the playoff picture, and nobody quite knows what to do about it.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: this might actually work. Masataka Yoshida can still hit. Ceddanne Rafaela has shown flashes in center. The rotation—anchored by Sonny Gray and reinforced by trades for Ranger Suarez and Patrick Sandoval—has enough quality arms to keep games within reach. And crucially, Alex Cora has a way of coaxing maximum effort from whatever roster he’s got. This group believes it can win every night, and that’s not nothing. That’s actually the foundation of every successful July push.

But let’s be honest about what we’re watching. The Red Sox aren’t winning because they built a superior team. They’re winning because they’re executing in tight moments and catching breaks. Willson Contreras delivered when it mattered. The bullpen—a unit assembled from spare parts and deep farm returns—found a way to hold. These are the things that win you individual games. They don’t always sustain deep into August and September.

Craig Breslow deserves credit for the roster construction. This wasn’t supposed to be competitive. Instead, Boston has just enough depth—from Jarren Duran in the outfield to role players like Nate Eaton and Wilyer Abreu—to fill holes. It’s not elegant. It’s not built to dominate. But it’s built to compete, and right now, that’s exactly what it’s doing.

The question now is whether this is a mirage or the start of something real. Give the Red Sox another week of this and we’ll have our answer. For now, they’ve earned the right to be taken seriously, and nobody—not Baltimore, not Tampa Bay, not anyone else in the division—should sleep on a Cora-managed team that’s playing this well.