It was the best of times, it was the worst of times in Boston. Only hours after the Red Sox tied the longest winning streak in franchise history, the streak ended in ignominious fashion.
All eyes in Red Sox Nation were on Fenway Park on Wednesday as Boston played a doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles with a chance at history on the line.
In the early game of the day, they managed to do just that as the Red Sox beat the Orioles 6-3 to win their 15th game in a row.
Boston went up 4-0 in the first inning off hits from Caleb Durbin and Jarren Duran before Duran’s sac-fly in the third and Cedanne Rafaela’s solo homer in the fourth finalized the scoring for the Sox.
Unfortunately, the Orioles returned the favor in the nightcap by also going up 4-0 in the first inning as Red Sox starter Eduardo Rivera gave up four runs on three hits.
Boston couldn’t recover as the Red Sox were held to only five hits on the night before falling 5-1 in the evening.
The Boston Red Sox tied their longest win streak in franchise history in a doubleheader
Boston scored four runs in the first inning to beat Baltimore 6-3 for their 15th straight win
Hours later, the Red Sox were the ones to give up four runs in the first and lost 5-1
‘That was a great ride, a 15-game winning streak,’ first baseman Willson Contreras in a quiet clubhouse after the defeat. ‘There’s nothing to be sad about.
‘We have to be happy. We should be proud of what we did and from now keep playing the way we’ve been playing.’
Boston’s interim manager Chad Tracy wasn’t particularly upset by the loss, saying, ‘We just won 15 games in a row and I think all of us knew it was going to end at some point.’
Despite the defeat, he enjoyed the historical significance of the victory to match the record.
‘I’ve read some stuff,’ he said. ‘I know Ted Williams was around back then, so I’m aware of the year and how long it’s been. It’s cool that they’ve accomplished something great.’
While the streak ended, it provided a major boost to the Red Sox season. After firing World Series winning manager Alex Cora earlier in the campaign, Boston was dead last in the AL East with a 37-48 record on July 1.
In the weeks that followed, the Red Sox’s season completely turned around – vaulting them up to third in the AL East.
Not only that, but Boston currently sits in the final American League Wild Card Spot – two games ahead of the next-closest team, the Seattle Mariners.
