The Red Sox lost again. It was their eighth straight loss. They are now 1-15 at Yankee Stadium since 2018. Their record stands at 6-17. It marked the first time since 1932 Boston had been swept in back-to-back four-game series.
But, as Christian Vazquez chose to point out after the Red Sox' 6-3 loss to the Yankees Monday night, they will always have 2018. (For a complete box score, click here.)
It's hard to blame Vazquez for pivoting to the good ol' days. What else is there to grab on to these days? This was the anti-Rick Pitino. Instead of focusing on the ugly present let's remember those times when the Red Sox seemingly had a chance to win baseball games.
Then Monday turns to Tuesday and reality sets in ...
Mookie Betts is not walking through that door. He is hitting .319 with a 1.055 OPS for the Dodgers.
Rick Porcello is not walking through that door. He is 1-3 with a 5.76 ERA for the Mets.
Brock Holt is not walking through that door. He is hitting .124 (3-for-24) while playing for Milwaukee.
Steve Pearce is not walking through that door. He is retired, focusing on cheering on Tom Brady in Tampa Bay.
Eduardo Nunez is not walking through that door. He is on the Mets' injured list.
Sandy Leon is not walking through that door. He has five hits in his first 42 at-bats with the Indians (.119).
Joe Kelly is not walking through that door. He is busy supplying memes for t-shirts and hats.
Craig Kimbrel is not walking through that door. He has given up seven runs in his first 4 2/3 innings with Cubs this season.
Ian Kinsler is not walking through that door. Retired.
And, yes, Alex Cora is not walking through that door. He is spending time with his family in Puerto Rico.
Even with the understanding that keeping the band together wasn't the right move, those names and images are so much easier to digest than what the Red Sox are currently carting out.
Just over 13 months ago, Red Sox principal owner John Henry told WEEI.com in London, "My take is that maybe it isn’t the best thing in the world to bring back the same team in its entirety every time. You don’t want to break a team down. But maybe a few changes wouldn’t hurt. But the feeling is always different after you win, apparently."
Henry was correct on both accounts: The Red Sox were probably a day later and a dollar short when turning over their roster after 2018, and the feeling IS always different after you win. That feeling seems like a lifetime ago.
As we sit here, with Vazquez staring at his ring, it is difficult to fathom that a good chunk of this collection of players did what they did back then. Rafael Devers and J.D. Martinez look like completely different players. As did Andrew Benintendi before his injury. Xander Bogaerts is still good, but not as great as we thought he might be. Nathan Eovaldi hasn't been able to morph into the pitcher the Red Sox thought he could be. And many of the bullpen guys who had come up big in the biggest moments have mostly lost that air of reliability.
There are 15 teams with fewer losses than the Red Sox over the past two seasons, with the Sox carrying just three fewer defeats than the lowly Reds. This year, they have the third-highest payroll and the second-worst winning percentage. The teams Boston played in the postseason two years ago -- the Yankees, Astros and Dodgers -- are a combined 45-23.