Before the 2011 Major League Baseball season started, many people saw the Boston Red Sox as a possible World Series favorite. With a roster that featured names such as David Ortiz, Jacoby Ellsbury, Adrian Gonzalez, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, Carl Crawford, Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, Josh Beckett and Jonathan Papelbon, it was hard not to.
The Red Sox got off to a slow start, opening up the season with a 2-10 record and sparking some concern from fans. However, this concern did not last long as they turned into the team that was promised, posting an 82-44 record over the next four and a half months.
Going into September, the Red Sox were on pace to win 100 games and looked ready to contend for their third World Series in eight seasons. Through Sept. 3, the Red Sox found themselves in a comfortable position. They were nine games up on the Rays in the wild card race and just a half game back of the Yankees in the AL East.
As of Sept. 3, the Red Sox had a 99.6 percent chance of making the playoffs. But 99.6 percent is not 100 percent.
What unraveled over the next 24 games was one of the biggest September collapses in MLB history. The Red Sox went 6-18 the rest of the way and failed to win consecutive games at any point during that time.
Leading into the final game of the season, Boston was tied with Tampa Bay in the AL wild card race. The Red Sox took a 3-2 lead over the Orioles into the bottom of the ninth and handed the ball to their star closer, Papelbon. However, Papelbon could not finish the job, allowing two runs in the ninth inning and earning just his third blown save on the season.
Meanwhile in Tampa Bay, the Rays came back from a 7-0 deficit to force extra innings against the Yankees. The Rays then clinched the AL wild card spot in the bottom of the 12th inning on a walk-off home run from Evan Longoria, breaking the hearts of Red Sox fans everywhere.
