The Boston Red Sox have surged to a 12-6 record to begin the 2021 season, shattering expectations and giving a lot of fans hope for a possible return to glory. As many fans in the area may know, the Red Sox have a tendency to vary widely in performance from year to year. From 2012 to 2018, the Red Sox place in the AL East is as follows: 5th (worst), 1st, 5th, 5th, 1st, 1st, 1st. On Opening Day, Boston was swept in a three-game series at the hands of Baltimore followed by a 9-1 stretch leading to three straight series wins and a satisfying position at the top of the American League. If the pace so far is any indication and after a last-place finish in the division a year prior compounded the return of fan-favorite 2018 World Series Champion manager Alex Cora, bullish team supporters may expect an AL East title to follow.
So what is going so well for the Red Sox projected by many experts to repeat another disappointing year? A majority of that answer would have to go to the batsmen, who have placed Boston in the top five in the entire league in most batting statistics. Rafael Devers is off to a blistering hot start due to much better pitch selection, and J.D. Martinez, coming off the worst season of his career, is leading the league in RBI and doubles. These improvements hide the deficiencies of a younger cast and give legitimacy to the possibility of this BoSox team exceeding its preseason potential. On the pitching side, the five-man pitching rotation looks considerably different than in years past. Injuries to Chris Sale and Nathan Eovaldi to start the year have resulted in starts from Nick Pevetta and newcomer Garrett Richards. However, they have been pleasant surprises, and Eduardo Rodriguez finally looks to be developing into the ace many thought he would one day become. Following a major COVID-19 scare that left him with significant heart complications, E-Rod sat out the 2020 season and has returned with a fantastic 2-0 start. Equally amazing is the team’s ERA at 3.56. The last three seasons in which Boston’s pitchers had less than 3.75 ERA through the first twelve games were… 2007, 2013, and 2018. Those years should sound like sweet harmony to the ears of Sox fans, as they all ended in World Series championships. Unfortunately, it is very early and it remains to be seen if the injury-prone group that composes Boston’s current pitching rotation can sustain this success.
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