As the new MLB season gets underway, there will be plenty of interesting twists and turns across the 160+ games that make up the regular season. And once we reach the fall and the postseason, you can be sure there will be at least a couple of teams that nobody was talking about contenders at the start of the season.
That happens in baseball, of course. We often get teams that take their fans on an unexpected ride into the postseason.
Yet, there have been few better examples of surprise teams doing business in the modern era than the 2013 Red Sox. Yes, we know that the Sox are one of the most successful teams in baseball history, so we aren’t talking about David & Goliath stuff here, but it’s worth remembering that the 2013 Sox were coming off a losing season in 2012.
They finished bottom of the AL East. It was a “worst to first” turnaround, which has only happened a handful of times in MLB history.
Background
The 2013 Sox had come off a reasonably rotten 2012 season, which led to the sacking of head coach Bobby Valentine.
John Farrell was the new man in the Red Sox dugout. Farrel’s arrival was also complemented by some big moves in the offseason, with the arrivals of Mike Napoli, Jonny Gomes, Shane Victorino, and Koji Uehara. All four men would play a massive role in the season that followed.
While expectations were always high for Sox fans at the time, they were tempered, mainly due to the poor performance of several key players in the preceding season.
Regular Season
The 2013 regular season started well for the Sox. Jon Lester’s stellar start to the season was soon reflected in MLB lines for game betting. Clay Buchholz (remember him?) was also on fire. He would finish the season with a 13-0 record and an incredible 1.32 ERA. Anyway, the Sox went through April with an 18-8 start.
Things cooled down in May, but they developed a knack of winning series throughout the summer, giving them control of the AL East. Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury were at the heart of everything, and David Ortiz was rolling back the years to show that he was one of the best-designated hitters in modern baseball.
The Bombing and Beards
Much has been made of the Boston Marathon Bombing and the impact that the harrowing event had on the team. It’s debatable how much credence it takes to assert that it inspired the team. However, it is undeniable that the event and its aftermath galvanized the players and made them appreciate their understanding of their role in the city.
Of course, this was made clear by Ortiz’s iconic rallying call: “This is our *bleeping* city!”. Whatever we can say about the bombing, we know it influenced a sense of togetherness among the players. Many of them grew beards – the Beards became a moniker for the team – to illustrate that sense of togetherness.
The Postseason
The 2013 postseason was one of the best of the 21st century. Yes, you can appreciate that some Yankees fans might have something to say about that, and perhaps some Red Sox fans prefer 2004, for obvious reasons, yet 2013 was as good as it gets for pulsating action.
The Sox made relatively light work of the Rays in the ALDS, but the ALCS against the Detroit Tigers should go back and be watched by neutrals. Game 2, in particular, is an iconic rewatchable, with David Ortiz hitting a two-out game-tying Grand Slam in the bottom of the 8th inning. That moment felt like a World Series victory was written in the stars for the Beards.
The World Series saw the Sox face the St. Louis Cardinals, the team they had vanquished in the legendary 2004 postseason. This was a better series. The Cardinals looked much better in the opening few games, taking a 2-1 lead. But that Red Sox camaraderie and belief would come into play, allowing the Beards to bounce back and eventually win 4-2.
The Final Word
As befits all great winning seasons, the Red Sox 2013 campaign was characterized by many heroes. While players like Ortiz are rightly lauded, there were moments from players like Victorino, Napoli, Felix Doubront, and John Lackey.
Even Stephen Drew came up clutch when it mattered. It was a collective effort, not just from the players. The 2004 postseason with “The Idiots” was also characterized by multiple heroes, like Dave Roberts, but 2013 felt even broader in that respect. One of the best examples in sports of a team being worth more than the sum of its parts.