It was a memorable three-plus months for the Sox, as the team overcame a dysmal start to eventually pull ahead of the Yankees and Rays in the AL East. They now boast the best record in the American League at 55-35.
Along that unpredictable path to the top of the AL, though, the Sox put together some unforgettable moments.
Despite a slow start to the season, Sox newcomer Carl Crawford supplied three walk-off hits in the month of May.
The first came in a matinee against the Mariners on May 1. Crawford entered the game hitting .155, forcing many to question the left fielder's hefty contract. But Crawford showed what he's capable of, singling home Jed Lowrie to give the Sox a 3-2 win at a point when they were still below .500 (11-15).
Crawford followed up the Sunday afternoon walk-off with some more heroics nine days later. On May 10, Crawford planted a double off the left-field wall in the 11th inning of the team's finale against the Twins. Rookie Jose Iglesias scored all the way from first base to give the Sox a 2-1 win.
Still, two walk-offs simply weren't enough for the four-time All-Star. He delivered another clutch performance on May 19 against the Tigers.
With the game tied at three, Crawford hit a bases-loaded single that plated Darnell McDonald and gave the Sox the win — their sixth straight at the time.
In addition to Crawford's walk-offs, J.D. Drew provided one of his own on June 4.
The Sox entered the ninth inning against the Oakland A's with a 7-3 lead. But the wheels came off that inning, as both Jonathan Papelbon and Jason Varitek were ejected and the A's tied the game.
The A's then looked as if they were on the their way to victory in the 11th inning. They went ahead 8-7 in the top half of the frame, and then got two quick outs on the Sox in the bottom half.
But Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Jacoby Ellsbury hit back-to-back doubles to ensure the game kept going.
Drew finally put a positive end to the 14-inning affair by lining a ball into the gap in right-center. Crawford came around to score, giving the Sox a 9-8 win.
Then there's Josh Beckett's June 15 performance against the Rays. If that date sounds familiar, it's because it was the same night that the Bruins won the Stanley Cup. But while the B's were busy bringing Lord Stanley back to Boston, Beckett was shutting down Tampa Bay.
Beckett pitched a one-hit shutout, in what may be the best performance of the right-hander's Red Sox career.
July brought just as many memorable moments, though.
Darnell McDonald gunned down the potential tying run for the last out of the game against the Blue Jays on July 5. The call was controversial, but it's very rare that you see the final out of a game recorded on a play at the plate.
The Sox made sure they finished off the first half with a bang by providing a memorable altercation during the final series before the break.
Orioles reliever Kevin Gregg came inside on David Ortiz during the teams' Friday night matchup, prompting the two to exchange words as the benches cleared. After order was restored, Ortiz lifted a fly ball to right field, and Gregg yelled at the Sox DH as he made his way up the first-base line. That didn't sit well with the Red Sox All-Star, though, and he charged the mound, sparking a bench-clearing brawl.
The fight was an exclamation point on what was a wild first half. It has to make you wonder what we are in store for as the stretch run approaches.
What is your favorite Red Sox moment of the first half of the season?
