As a result of the season ending loss to Cleveland Indians, the Red Sox 2016 Season is over. The Red Sox were swept by the Cleveland Indians. Unfortunately after winning 11 straight, the Sox seemed to go into a downward spiral. Since the final two series of the regular season ended in a loss, the Red Sox entered the playoffs lacking momentum.
Red Sox Season Ending Loss
The Red Sox were swept from the postseason on Monday with a season ending loss. While Red Sox had good pitchers going the first two games, Cleveland Indians dominated. They pitched better, outhit and outplayed the Red Sox. Boston’s bats didn’t show up to play. While the team had the number one offense in baseball, they didn’t play well in the postseason. They lacked timely hitting. Another issue was the home runs given up early in the game. The team couldn’t deliver a clutch hit. Opportunities were there.
Season Review
Due to the Red Sox finishing in last place the last two years, I was hoping for a good year. Overall the team had a good season. Prior to the season beginning, I wrote a blog about the Red Sox and the Cleveland Indians (visit my post – Hit a home run opening day). In the post, I wrote Baseball fans in Boston and Cleveland were looking forward to the start of the season. Since both teams were a disappointment in 2015, they were hoping for a rebound and strong start for 2016. The good part was both teams played well to make the postseason. The bad part is the Sox season is over.
There are a lot of questions to be answered. David Ortiz retired. Who will be the Red Sox 2017 DH? David Ortiz had a MVP caliber year. Will Dave Dombrowski find a good replacement? Overall, there were a lot of bright notes for the 2016 year. Furthermore, many of the young players blossomed. Pitching is something I had concerns about. Unfortunately, David Price didn’t have a great first year for the Red Sox. Price had an up and down year.
What to look for in 2017
Red Sox loss ended David Ortiz’s career. Will there ever be another Ortiz? How will they replace Ortiz’s production? Is this Clay Buchholz last year with the team? Has the team seen the last of Tazawa? Uehara? Who will play third base? In fact, many Red Sox players shined. Jackie Bradley Jr. solidified his status as a star. Mookie Betts could be the American League MVP. For the most part, the Sox have a lot of talent.
Will we see some other players make it to the Major League level in 2017? In conclusion, I hope next years team will play with the same intensity and passion.
