Talking Draft, trade deadline with Craig Breslow
Remember all of those one-run losses? Can you recall the streams of fans leaving Fenway Park in the late innings, devoid of hope that their team could mount a comeback? And is there any recollection of the narrative that this was a Red Sox team bound for mediocrity, at best?
All of it seemed like a world away after Friday night.
When Ceddanne Rafaela sent his two-run, 406-foot homer into the summer night and over the left field wall for the Sox's eighth walk-off of the season, an electricity permeated through the park.
Maybe it was due to the Red Sox's eighth straight win - a 5-4 victory over the Rays. Perhaps it was because of more evidence that this Rafaela kid is the real deal, having totaled a .352 batting average and 1.167 OPS with seven homers in his last 19 games. And then there was the resiliency offered in a game, their starting pitcher, Hunter Dobbins, had to leave after two outs in the second inning due to right knee pain.
Whatever the case, the Red Sox have landed on the doorstep of the All-Star break with the kind of hope and optimism the organization promised immediately after last season's sadness.
Nobody is going to suggest this team is out of the woods yet. The 2024 reminder will make sure of that.
Last year's team was 10 games over .500 by the time they hit the All-Star break, riding high thanks to winning 10 of 13 before hitting vacation. At that point, the Red Sox were five games back in the American League East (identical to their current status), while seemingly being firmly entrenched in a Wild Card spot.
This time around, there is an understanding that this newfound euphoria can be lost in the blink of an eye. The Sox are still just 1/2 game up on fellow Wild Card candidate Tampa Bay, while living one full game ahead of the first team outside the postseason race, Seattle.
And then there is the uneasiness that comes with looking ahead to those first three series after the break against three division leaders - the Cubs, Phillies and Dodgers.
But it goes without saying, on nights like Friday, with the beauty of a perfect summer Boston evening and a return by Alex Bregman serving as the backdrop, heeding warnings aren't really a priority.
"Hats off to him," Pete Fairbanks, the reliever who gave up the homer to Rafaela, told reporters. "Good at-bat. I think if I don't throw the slider there to Rafaela, we might have a different result. But with how his body wants to let him swing, that's right where he likes to hit the ball. And if you throw it where somebody likes to hit the ball, when they're seeing it well, you get bad results."
"They're locked in in the dugout,” said Red Sox manager Cora. “And you guys know how I feel about this: This thing tonight was real, and we appreciate that. [The fans] got here early, I think they did the wave once, which is good. And it was very loud, very loud. And that's what we're trying to accomplish. It was on us to make this place uncomfortable. And tonight was uncomfortable. You could feel it. And we appreciate that."