The Boston Red Sox didn’t do much losing in the 2018 Major League Baseball campaign.
After notching 108 regular-season wins, a franchise record, the Red Sox dropped just three postseason games en route to their fourth World Series championship in the last 15 years.
With this in mind, it’s safe to say the 2018 Red Sox are the best team in the history of the franchise, right?
Not so fast, says Pedro Martinez.
Speaking at the third annual Pedro Martinez Gala on Friday, the former Red Sox pitcher explained why he has some reservations about unequivocally crowning this year’s Sox as the best the organization has ever seen.
“I don’t know,” Martinez said, per The Boston Globe’s Nicole Yang. “The record says they have the best season ever. But if you look at some of the important issues that this division had — Baltimore? Bad team. Tampa? Bad team. Toronto? Bad team. When we were playing back in those days, all those teams were good, so it was impossible to go and win 100 games unless you were a mega-star kind of team.”
The Orioles were epically bad this season, but the rest of the American League East was fairly competitive. The Rays surprised most by winning 90 games and the New York Yankees, of course, were right on Boston’s heels throughout the season in the fight for the division title.
Let’s keep in mind who the Red Sox blew past in the playoffs, as well. They made quick work in the American League Division Series of the Yankees, who won 100 regular-season games and didn’t have much trouble with the 2017 World Series champion Houston Astros, including three wins on the road in the AL Championship Series. The Los Angels Dodgers, who were playing in their second consecutive Fall Classic, didn’t stand much of a chance against the Red Sox either.
It’s understandable why Martinez isn’t completely sold, seeing as he was a key member of the 2004 Red Sox who broke an 86-year championship drought for the franchise. But all things considered, it’s pretty tough not to put the 2018 Sox at the top of the pedestal.
