A couple of Sundays ago, sometime in the early evening – the Red Sox quit. It was the day after the Jonathan Papelbon implosion against the White Sox. The Red Sox had just lost their third in a row and were 8.5 games out of the Wild Card race with 24 games to play. The next day – against Tampa Bay – they came out with a line-up that included Daniel Nava leading off, Lars Anderson making his big league debut, Yamaico Navarro at short, and Ryan Kalish in center. But surprise, surprise, they won the game. If they were able to sweep the Rays, the team they happened to be chasing, they could be 5.5 out with 21 to play. A very long shot, to be sure, but a sliver of hope would exist.
So, the Red Sox re-thought their quit. The next day, Kalish, Nava, Navarro, and Anderson were back on the bench where they belong, but the Red Sox were drubbed. They put their best line-up on the field, but they still lost. Back to 7.5 games out. So, they quit again.
Clay Buchholz was scheduled to pitch the following day on short rest, but after the loss, the Red Sox decided for a second time that there was no longer a reason to keep trying. Why run Buchholz out there when the season was over? So, they sent Tim Wakefield out there to make his first start in two weeks. It would be only his 6th appearance in a month. They were simply sendin their 44-year-old out there to gobble up some innings. Once again, however, weren’t the Red Sox surprised when Wakefield and a line-up that included Anderson, Kalish and Reddick won the game? Red Sox management had given up, but somebody forgot to tell Marco Scutaro who homered twice despite playing with a sore neck. So, when I say the Red Sox quit, I’m talking about management, not the players.
Understood – 7.5 games out with 23 to play is a long shot at best. But 6.5 back with 22 to play is a little bit more hopeful, and that’s where the Red Sox stood after surprising their bosses that day. So, why not re-think the quitting again? Especially when the next six games were against Oakland and Seattle — two teams that were both under .500 at the time.
Now, the Red Sox have lost six of their last ten, and remain 7.5 games out of the Wild Card race. That’s because Tampa Bay hasn’t been playing very well. What if the Red Sox were actually still trying to win games, and they had won 6 of their last ten, or 7 of their last ten? Now, imagine if the Red Sox win their next ten in a row while the Rays go 5-5. Then it would be a tight race again, wouldn’t it? Impossible, right? Absolutely not.
The Red Sox gave up too early. Way too early! On this day three years ago, the Colorado Rockies were 6.5 games out, and in fourth place in the National League West. But they won 14 of their last 15 games and went on to win the National League pennant. That seemed pretty impossible, too.
So, why give up – ever? I understand why fans give up when things look bleak. And I’m not suggesting that I thought the Red Sox still had much of a chance after Papelbon blew up against the White Sox, but the Red Sox should still approach every game like they can make the playoffs until it’s literally impossible for them to make it. Guys should play hurt. The best line-up should be out there every day. And hope should rule the day every day!
I know the players are still trying. And I know that Terry Francona is still managing each game to the best of his ability. But he and his bosses sent a message to the team when four rookies were in the line-up in that first game against Tampa Bay and again when Buchholz was replaced by Wakefield. The surrender flag went up. All the players knew it. And the spirit was taken out of what could have been an uplifting stretch drive.
Oddly enough, it could still happen. Consider Colorado. But if it does happen, it’ll be an accident, not by design, because the Red Sox gave up a long time ago.
