How Red Sox Turned Alex Bregman From Playoff Villain To Key Addition

The Boston Red Sox should be thrilled to reportedly have Alex Bregman on their team anyway.

It’s an added bonus for Boston given Bregman’s previous role as a playoff nemesis against the Red Sox.

Bregman’s Houston Astros engaged in playoff battles with the Red Sox three times in five years. Those included the 2017 American League Division Series, the 2018 American League Championship Series and the 2021 American League Championship Series. Houston won in 2017 and 2021 while Boston captured the 2018 matchup. All three seasons saw the winner of this rivalry represent the American League in the World Series. The Astros won a championship in 2017, and the Red Sox followed in 2018, both with defeats of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Bregman’s numbers don’t immediately scream production (.196 AVG in 15 career postseason games against the Red Sox), but he seemed to jab his opponent in the crucial moments.

Bregman smacked two home runs off Boston ace Chris Sale in 2017. That included the game-tying home run in the eighth inning of the Game 4 series-clinching win for the Astros in comeback fashion at Fenway Park.

The then-Astros infielder had a tremendous year with a top-5 finish in MVP voting. He tried to carry Houston over Boston again in 2018 but came up short with two game-ending outs that ended up in the glove of Red Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi (with one catch more famous than the other).

The Red Sox held a 2-1 series lead when Bregman sparked Houston with a first-inning long ball in Game 4 in 2021. That game shifted momentum for the Astros, who won three straight contests to eliminate Boston and return to the World Series for the third time in five seasons.

Bregman brings championship pedigree to a young Red Sox clubhouse. He’ll fit in quickly as a leader and has an excellent path to follow for young, foundational players and emerging prospects. Boston hopes the reported Bregman move is the final piece to ending a three-year postseason drought.