Base hit celebrations. Home runs punctuated by Wally heads. Themes. Jokes. Smiles.
None of it has really taken root with these 2026 Red Sox.
Losing will do that.
When the one walk-off celebration being highlighted during commercial breaks is a five-hop ground ball that simply hit the ground in front of the plate perfectly (no offense to Masa Yoshida's heroics), that seems like the good times through these first 65 games have been pretty thin.
After their 4-3 loss Tuesday to the Rays at Tropicana Field, the Red Sox are now 11 games under .500 for the first time since 2000. They sit 4 1/2 games out of a Wild Card spot, have hit the fewest homers in the big leagues, with the Padres the only team with fewer runs.
There are teases of celebratory doors opening, such as when they drew a walk in the eighth inning, putting the potential game-tying run at second base with nobody out. Nope. Runner stranded at third. Three outs later, it was the Red Sox's third straight loss.
Even the one life raft when it comes to being entertained this season, Payton Tolle, couldn't work any magic, simply succumbing to a good but not great, six-inning outing that reminded us all that he is still a rookie and a work in progress. It led to a joke-less postgame clubhouse, another analytic that this team is among the league leaders in.
So, why did all of this hit a bit differently by the time most went to bed? Because of the juxtoposition that took place in Chicago, a couple of hours after the Red Sox exited The Trop.
It was at Guaranteed Rate Field that a team that had already filled its first few months with unexpected excitement, heroes, and off-the-chart vibes. That would be the Chicago White Sox.
There was the home run-hitting rookie sensation Munetaka Murakami. There was Boston College High's own Mike Vasil waving his magic wand from the dugout at the absurdly right times. There were wins, eight more than the Red Sox, to be exact. And, to top it all off, along came one of Major League Baseball's signature moments courtesy of a player the Sox know well.
Braden Montomery, the first-round pick of the Red Sox two years ago who served as the centerpiece in the deal for Garrett Crochet, became the fifth player in MLB history to manage a walk-off home run in his big league debut. And, to top it off, the homer came against a pitcher in Atlanta closer Raisel Iglesias, who had allowed just two runs all season, with not a single home run.
The whole scene could have been the first notes of what might become a sad trombone for the Cinderella White Sox, with Will Venable's team staring at a run of teams in Philadelphia, Atlanta, the Dodgers, and the Yankees that could bury them in the standings. But instead, they found their latest dose of magic in the form of Montgomery (who was greeted at home plate by another former Red Sox, Chase Meidroth).
Remember when it was like that for the Red Sox? It has become difficult.
After falling short in this latest comeback attempt, the Sox are 1-32 when trailing after seven innings, and 0-35 when behind heading into the ninth. It's not good when the hat is still being hung on that Yoshida grounder.
Chaos? Drama? Intrigue? This Red Sox team has all of it. Fun? You might have to go watch a White Sox game.
