I don’t know how to explain the 2026 Red Sox and I don’t know anyone else who does. As the recent A’s series showed us, even when they’re bad, they’re somehow good. They simply cannot lose right now, which isn’t how baseball is supposed to work, or has ever worked for as long as I’ve watched it.* And the fact that all of this is coming on the heels of a three-month stretch during which the Red Sox were arguably the most mocked team in baseball, playing in front of a fanbase that had grown as apathetic as I’d ever seen it, makes the story even more remarkable.
(*This is in fact the 20th time since 1901 that a team has won at least 31 of 36 games. Frankly, it’s amazing that it’s happened even that much.)
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So all of this raises the question: is this the most memorable regular season in Red Sox history?
When it comes to looking at the season’s I’ve been alive for, I think there is no question that the answer is yes.
The 2004 season had its ups-and-downs, including an incredible August run that saw the Sox move from 10.5 games behind the Yankees to just 2; but the Red Sox were essentially in second place all season and the playoffs were rarely in doubt. 2018 was, frankly, too dominant to be all that memorable; from the All-Star Break on, the Red Sox’ division lead never fell below 4.5 games and grew to be much larger than that. 2013 certainly deserves a place in the conversation. Unfortunately, 2011 does, too. In fact, if we’re using the word “memorable” in its most elemental sense without regard to the nature of the emotions attached to it, then I think 2011 is this season’s closest competitor.
Obviously the answer to this question will be greatly affected by what happens over the next seven weeks, but as of right now I think it clearly is the most memorable regular season of my lifetime. If we’re talking all-time, then the 1967 impossible dream season enters the picture. That’s a hard one to top — entire books have been written about it. And, unfortunately, pennant races like the one the world witnessed that summer are no longer possible. But what we’re witnessing right now might be the modern equivalent.
Talk about your favorite seasons of Red Sox baseball and whatever else you want and, as always, be good to one another.
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