Why Red Sox Deserve Your Attention (And Optimism) After Celtics’ Run

The Boston Celtics earned the love of the city by taking home a record-18th championship with a victory over the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals.

They'll take center stage when the 2024-25 season starts next fall, just as their TD Garden neighbors in the Boston Bruins will do the same. The New England Patriots begin training camp in late July.

That means the Red Sox are likely to catch the eyes of the city for the next few months as summer rolls around in Boston.

There are plenty of storylines as to what will engage an audience that may be just transferring into baseball season after a thrilling playoff run on the basketball court. It may be June, but the Red Sox are in a rather important stretch of the season.

The Red Sox are a season-best five games over .500. That may not thrill everyone, especially after watching how dominant the Celtics played for the duration of the season. On the other hand, Boston has won five straight as starting pitching and surprising depth have kept the team afloat with a ridiculous barrage of injuries.

Boston didn't exactly enter the season with the highest of expectations, especially given the talent surrounding them in the division led by the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles. Nonetheless, the Red Sox approach the end of the third month of the season just one game out of a playoff spot.

Boston continues to prove its worth from quality starts and a pressuring mix of power and speed throughout the lineup in recent weeks. That's a combination that plays and will only get better as more players return from the injured list such as Wilyer Abreu and Triston Casas.

The Red Sox also have proven they can compete with the best in the sport, taking series wins last week against baseball's top teams the Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies.

Boston now begins a stretch of four consecutive series against teams below .500 the Cincinnati Reds, the Toronto Blue Jays (who the Red Sox just swept), the San Diego Padres and the Miami Marlins.

This is the stretch where the Red Sox can ditch the .500 swings of their first few months, push deeper into the wild-card race and create a potential opportunity around the trade deadline.

It's only June. There's plenty of baseball still to be played and real postseason conversations remain months away.

For now, the Red Sox are fighting for each other and scratching together wins to present a product that should bring the sports attention of the city to Fenway Park in the coming weeks.