No team should ever want to replicate an 0-6 start, a chicken and beer-staining identity, or a catastrophic choking of a postseason berth.
Obviously, that’s how the 2011 Red Sox crumbled in infamous fashion.
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That season, pumped up by a ridiculous offseason spending spree for Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez, saw an 0-6 road trip to open the year for Boston. The Red Sox did not win a series until their return home to Fenway Park, when they took two of three from their rivals in the New York Yankees.
This year, Boston needed four full series before finally taking two of three from the reigning National League Central champion Milwaukee Brewers. That temporarily restored spirit following a 2-8 start where recurring issues of poor defense, lack of innings from starting pitchers, and too many strikeouts at the plate reared their heads again.
But there’s no reason to panic about October aspirations just yet. The Red Sox are talented. Good baseball is ahead. And believe it or not, the 2011 circus can prove how quick a season can turn for the better.
For reference, the Red Sox head to St. Louis four games under .500 at 4-8. The 2011 team ended April four games under .500 at 11-15, though a five-game winning streak on a West Coast trip against the Oakland (they were then!) Athletics and the Los Angeles Angels sparked optimism. After that, Boston really caught fire.
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The Red Sox went 72-37 from May 1 to Aug. 30 that summer. That was good for the best record in baseball in that span. They took control of first place in the American League East on June 7 and held that spot for 46 more days.
This time around, Boston definitely has a rotation that can lead to winning baseball. Garrett Crochet looks more like himself and Sonny Gray found a rhythm in his two Fenway Park starts. Connelly Early is more than serviceable. If Ranger Suarez and Brayan Bello find level water with their stuff, the summer should be fun on the mound for the Red Sox.
What this Red Sox team lacks in this mission, however, is the pure firepower that the 2011 featured that season. Boston had four players hit over .300 and five posted an OPS over .830 in Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, David Ortiz, and Adrian Gonzalez. The team collectively led the league with an .810 OPS. Ellsbury clubbed 32 home runs and finished as the runner-up for American League MVP. Gonzalez hit .338 and led the sport with 213 hits.
Boston simply can’t swing it like that in 2026. Roman Anthony already has colossal expectations and will probably be the only player to flirt with a .900 OPS, if he even gets there. The supporting cast of Willson Contreras, Wilyer Abreu, and Trevor Story are a far cry from that 2011 wrecking crew.
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Nonetheless, a crappy start isn’t necessarily the end of dominant baseball for the Red Sox. The rosters and expectations of these two teams are fairly different, but the blueprint of a turnaround remains the same.
Of course, we can come back to this story later and put a hard stop to 2011 inspirations on Sept. 1. Nobody needs that rerun 15 years later.
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