It doesn’t matter how you get into the postseason, as long as you get in.
The Boston Red Sox have not had the prettiest path to the playoffs, but with two days remaining in the season they once again are in control of their own destiny. Thanks to a win Friday over the Washington Nationals, all the Sox need to close out the season are wins over the Nats on Saturday and Sunday to secure a spot in the American League Wild Card Game.
There have been chances for the Red Sox to get hot and close things out — like a three-game set against the awful Baltimore Orioles earlier this week in which they ultimately dropped two — but Boston so far has not yet grabbed hold of them.
Regardless, there is a path for them to extend their season, and a clear one, at that. And so long as they get in, anything can happen.
“When you look at history, being hot in September doesn’t guarantee anything,” Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said Friday, via The Boston Globe. “It’s a clean slate and it’s who gets hot and plays their best in October.”
Indeed, there is reason to like the way the Red Sox are constructed with respect to postseason play. There is the experience aspect, sure, but they also have a potent offense and a rotation anchored by steady starters, complete with a bullpen that has a few guys who can go multiple innings. Put simply, they are built for the postseason, when aggressive managing is the name of the game.
Boston’s next opportunity to get into the playoffs will be Saturday at 4:05 p.m. ET on NESN, with pregame coverage beginning at 3.
