Red Sox Embracing Never-Say-Die Identity Amid Postseason Push

The Red Sox have been a peculiar team this season, but what isn’t up for debate is how willing the team is to battle it out every night they step onto the baseball diamond.

Boston earned a series win over the Astros by beating Houston, 4-1, at Minute Maid Park. Wednesday’s victory put the Red Sox 3 1/2 games back in the American League wild-card race.

The Red Sox have been one of the least consistent teams after the MLB All-Star break with shaky pitching being a key factor. But the offense helped stabilize the pitching staff, which has stepped up in key moments. It’s that identity that caused The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier to call Boston “zombies” because just when you think the team is out, it rises from the dead.

“I like it,” Josh Winckowski told reporters, per Speier. “Zombies are dangerous.”

The Red Sox weren’t projected to finish anywhere near the playoffs before this season, but they face a must-win game nearly every night for the rest of the regular season. Boston battled through multiple injuries, but manager Alex Cora led the ship and helped the team keep the faith toward October baseball.

“We’re like a team of misfits, cockroaches even,” Brennan Bernardino told reporters, per The Boston Globe. “You just can’t kill us. We’re just going to keep fighting. That’s the way I feel about our team.”

Bernardino added: “Zombies is probably better than cockroaches.”

Boston will enjoy a day off Thursday before its weekend series against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Fenway Park.