It's no secret the Red Sox did not have a good 2020 season.
Boston finished last in the American League East with a 24-36 record in the shortened campaign, missing the postseason for the second straight year. Yes, the Red Sox were without Chris Sale, Eduardo Rodriguez and had Andrew Benintendi on the injured list for most of it, but names like Xander Bogaerts, J.D. Martinez and Rafael Devers still were in the lineup.
Not to mention Alex Cora was serving a one-year suspension after he and the Red Sox mutually agreed to part ways for his part in the 2017 Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal.
Martinez had a down year, as well, and as one of the leaders of the team, felt a sense of responsibility to help everyone rebound in 2021.
"Yeah, I did," Martinez told reporters Tuesday, per MassLive's Christopher Smith. "I felt a big responsibility about it. I'm not shocked by it because I knew we had the talent. But we are playing really well. It's fun and a lot of guys are having really good years. The potential has always been there. I think we're just kind of getting on a roll."
Boston has done a complete 180 and leads the AL East with a 55-36 record. Martinez has rebounded nicely, Cora is back on the bench and Bogaerts and Devers are having seasons to remember.
The Red Sox have the most come-from-behind victories, and very rarely have felt out of games this year.
"We don’t give up," Martinez said. "There's so many games I feel we're out of and then we're right back in it or we're ahead. And it's just fun because you never know with our offense and our lineup."
Boston begins its second half of the season Thursday night when it takes on the New York Yankees in a four-game set.
