In 1988, it was 'Morgan Magic,' a run that included the Red Sox winning their first 12 games (and 19 of 20) under new manager Joe Morgan.
This time?
Well, the out-of-nowhere current Red Sox run has earned the right to have some sort of moniker. After the 7-6 win over the Rays Saturday, it is a stretch that has seen them win 12 in a row, 17 of 19, and 20 of their last 25. And on this occasion, for the first time all season, the Sox managed to come back from a deficit of three or more runs, having previously gone 0-31 in such situations.
This has officially become Wikipedia-worthy. One look at the Fenway Park crowd react to Wilyer Abreu's seventh-inning, go-ahead, two-run homer would punctuate that reality. Abreu became the first player in MLB history to hit two game-tying or go-ahead homers in a victory two days in a row. Yes, history and memories are being made all over the place.
"Are you crazy?"
That's what Abreu screamed into the home dugout after hitting his fourth homer in the last two days. "Estás Loco?" Maybe that's the T-shirt. It is, after all, the epitome of what anybody would be thinking when surfacing the idea that such a thing would be a possibility a month ago.
Perhaps this streak should be remembered for how it coincided with the World Cup's presence on home soil. If there was ever a baseball team that deserved a celebratory Andrés Kantor "Gooooool!" call, it has been this Red Sox team. Think about it: When the world's biggest soccer tournament kicked off on June 11, the Red Sox were floundering at 12 games under .500, carrying a 12 percent chance of making the postseason according to FanGraphs.
Now, on the final day of the World Cup, the Red Sox have gone a major league-best 22-9 throughout the world's most-watched sporting event, with their playoff odds now sitting at 53.6 percent. Sure, many would have predicted an Argentina vs. Spain final. But when that first match took place 38 days ago, nobody would have suggested Chad Tracy's team would find itself one game over .500 and living life in one of the three wild card spots.
The idea of the Tartan Army leaving behind some sort of plaid magic is as plausible an explanation as any when trying to identify exactly how all of this has happened.
For the better part of the turnaround, the staple has been outrageously good pitching and just-good-enough hitting. But, as is usually the case during magical months like this one, it can be dangerous to suggest it's just one thing, because as soon as you do, something else will carry the day. Case in point, Saturday's win.
Jahmai Jones hit a home run in his second game as a Red Sox.
Andruw Monasterio keyed rallies with two doubles on the day.
And even though he went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, it's hard to ignore that the Red Sox are 18-6 in games the energy-filled Anthony Siegler has started.
It's hard to pin down exactly what led to this sort of wizardry. At least when the Mariners went 22-3 from June 21-July 17 during the 2022 season, they could look back at a trade for Carlos Santana as the fork-in-the-road moment. For these Red Sox, there was no big trade. There was no signature switch. There was just a complete about-face when it came to results, along with a few unfortunate travel adventures.
History and memories.
The World Cup might be leaving, but it certainly seems the Red Sox are intent on sticking around for a while.
