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The Boston Red Sox are fun again. This legendary franchise had drifted far off course over the last three seasons, posting two last-place finishes in the American League East during that span. Whether it be through its actions or oblivious remarks, the organization insulted the fan base time and time again. Sox brass has still made questionable decisions in 2025, but this season still feels different. An exciting and balanced ballclub is captivating the city.
But it is hard to escape one's reputation. Fans are perfectly aware that Boston has floundered in August and September lately, failing to win the games that mattered most. Dropping back-to-back road series to the San Diego Padres and Houston Astros is only going to inflame any uneasiness that Sox Nation has with 40 games remaining in the regular season. This group has proven to be vastly superior to the recent iterations that have taken the field.
Boston has survived tough stretches, imposing matchups, the Rafael Devers saga and several pitching injuries. Despite all those obstacles, the Red Sox (66-56) hold sole possession of the second AL Wild Card slot and are only five games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the division. Finding any path to the playoffs would constitute an undeniable success after a three-year drought, but they do not have to settle.
This club boasts plenty of talent in the lineup and pitching staff, and it also has a fortuitous road ahead. Although Toronto is quite the formidable foe, Boston has a decent opportunity to claim its first AL East crown since its World Series-winning 2018 campaign. Let's figure out how the rejuvenated Sox can achieve this level of excellence.
Boston must squeeze out meaningful production from top-half of its rotation
The Red Sox have turned their biggest hindrance into an unequivocal strength this year. They rank seventh in MLB with a 3.75 ERA, with All-Stars/offseason acquisitions Garrett Crochet and Aroldis Chapman effectively leading the starting rotation and bullpen, respectively. Pitching rules the day in October, and it must also reign supreme for the rest of the summer if Alex Cora's squad is going to take the division.
This week showed how fragile Boston can become if its top three starters struggle on the mound. Crochet, Brayan Bello and Lucas Giolito all endured brutal outings in the team's unsuccessful road trip. Each hurler allowed at least four earned runs, and only Bello made it through the fourth inning. Additionally, Giolito walked six batters. The Sox lost all three games, with two of them coming by only one run.
Prevailing in close matchups is obviously essential if Boston wishes to hold off the New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians in the Wild Card race and genuinely challenge Toronto for divisional supremacy. Attaining such a winning formula rests heavily on the rotation. One of the biggest reasons why this squad currently owns the AL's statistically best bullpen is because Cora can trust his starters to set the tone. Aside from Dustin May's brilliant performance on Tuesday (eight strikeouts in six scoreless innings), that did not happen in this last go-around.
Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow was unable to secure one of the flashier or more credible pitchers on the market at the trade deadline, refusing to acquiesce to the Minnesota Twins' steep asking price or Joe Ryan and failing to acquire veteran Merrill Kelly from the Arizona Diamondbacks. I firmly believe Breslow paid too much for May — dealt 2024 first-round draft pick James Tibbs III to the Los Angeles Dodgers — but Boston must lean on the 27-year-old right-hander moving forward.
Throw in Walker Buehler, and this rotation has an interesting mix of experience and youthful firepower. It is also rife with injury concerns. Garrett Crochet has tossed an AL-leading 152 1/3 innings (tied with Tarik Skubal), six-plus more than his previous career-high total. Like the Cy Young contender, Giolito, Buehler and May have all underwent Tommy John surgery (Buehler had it twice and Giolito also had an internal brace procedure done in 2024).
It is crucial that these guys hang on through the playoff push, otherwise the pen will inevitably sputter and Toronto will lock down the AL East. Fortunately, the starting staff will square off with some favorable competition.
The Red Sox must take advantage of their beneficial schedule
When the team survived a nine-game stretch versus the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers to begin the second half of the season– went 4-5 with some of the most thrilling victories of the year — Red Sox Nation took a massive exhale. Boston has faced dangerous opponents since and will battle others down the line, but on paper, the worst is over.
Cora and company have the seventh-easiest remaining schedule in MLB, with 24 of their remaining 40 games coming against sub.-500 clubs. They will clash with the last-place Baltimore Orioles and Athletics six times each and will also take on the Miami Marlins, Pittsburgh Pirates, Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Rays. Yes, a win-loss record is not always relevant in divisional matchups, but playoff-caliber squads win these type of series.
If the Sox fail to capitalize on that auspicious layout, then they can forget about jumping the Jays. They may not even make the playoffs. Assuming Boston does beat the teams it is supposed to, which is something it has done a much better job of in 2025, then an interesting and potentially taxing last week of the season awaits.
The BoSox visit Toronto for a three-game set before welcoming in the Detroit Tigers for three. Those two clubs are vying for the AL's top seed and a first-round bye, so there is a decent chance they will give Boston their best effort. Given how much stress, instability and misfortune this franchise has experienced just to return to relevance, it is only fitting that it finishes its schedule against two World Series contenders.
Iron sharpens iron. The Red Sox can most logically surpass the Blue Jays by landing direct blows on them. Toronto is dominant at the Rogers Centre (40-20), and Boston labors on the road (27-34). Again, though, this is how good teams become great ones.
We have already discussed the importance of pitching, but the lineup is obviously significant as well. There is specifically one player who will need to stay sharp if this entertaining group is going to carry serious championship aspirations into October. And he happens to be the youngest guy on the roster.
Roman Anthony needs to maintain his aura
A 21-year-old with only 223 MLB plate appearances on his résumé is not normally an X-factor. Placing such a crucial label on a rookie can be both unreasonable and overwhelming. Roman Anthony is not like most big-league newbies, however.
If he was, then ownership would not have already signed him to an eight-year, $130 million contract extension. The 2022 second-round draft pick exudes a powerful presence when he steps into the batter's box. He executes his hitting approach with poise well beyond his years. Even when Anthony was posting zeros night after night, he still looked like he belonged in The Show. The young outfielder and designated hitter is now backing up his aura with concrete statistics.
Anthony has a .280 batting average, .399 on-base percentage, .441 slugging percentage and .840 OPS with four home runs and 16 doubles in 53 games. Boston also relies on star third baseman Alex Bregman, slugging Gold Glover Wilyer Abreu, future Gold Glover Ceddanne Rafaela, Comeback Player of the Year candidate Trevor Story, defensively-superb rookie catcher Carlos Narvaez, and of course, dynamic triple-machine Jarren Duran.
This is the Red Sox's most balanced position-player unit since they last reached the AL East and MLB mountaintop. Make no mistake, though, Anthony could the ultimate difference-maker. His ascension has changed the trajectory of the season and elevated the club's ceiling to heights that should not be reachable following the Rafael Devers trade.
The atmosphere around Fenway Park has felt special for most of the summer, and Roman Anthony is a key reason why. He must continue to embrace the pressure and log productive at-bats. An unflappable rookie can give Boston the edge it needs in its pursuit of Toronto.
If the Red Sox do catch the Blue Jays, they will emphatically exorcise their crunch-time demons. Then, this team can charge into the AL gauntlet with the utmost confidence and momentum. Buckle up.
