Boston Red Sox: What's on the line in season finale?
The Boston Red Sox have already locked up a spot in the postseason, but there is plenty of incentive to get a win in game No. 162.
A postseason spot has already been secured and we already know that the Boston Red Sox will be facing the Cleveland Indians in the ALDS. So that means that there’s nothing left to play for in the final game of the regular season, right? Wrong.
As anxious as we may be to get to the postseason, there are still plenty of reasons why Sunday’s season finale is important to the Red Sox.
Boston enters the day a mere half game behind Cleveland in the standings, which will determine home-field advantage in the ALDS. A victory today for the Red Sox forces Cleveland to need wins in each of their final two games, including a make-up game on Monday against a Detroit Tigers team fighting for a Wild Card spot. Boston owns the tiebreaker over Cleveland, but can’t bank on the Indians dropping their final two games. Take care of business at home against the Toronto Blue Jays to significantly increase the odds of finishing second in the American League.
Why is home-field vital in the opening round? Cleveland’s injury ravaged rotation puts them at a disadvantage, but the Red Sox don’t want to hand them an edge to even the odds. Terry Francona‘s team is tied for the most home wins in the league and their lineup hits drastically better at Progressive Field.
Cleveland is second in the league in runs scored at home this season at 5.6 per game, but near the bottom of the league on the road at 4.1 per game. Boston has proven they can hit anywhere, but their offense scores about a full run per game more at Fenway.
Playoff implications aside, there are a number of incentives for individual Red Sox players this afternoon.
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It starts on the mound with David Price, who hasn’t quite lived up to his ace reputation this year. Dropping his ERA back below the 4.00 mark would go a long way toward salvaging how his first season in Boston is perceived, as would earning his 18th win, which would give him the third most in the league. The strikeout title isn’t realistically in reach, but Price has a reasonable chance to move up to second in the league in punch-outs.
Mookie Betts looks to put the finishing touches on an MVP caliber campaign. He enters the day one hit behind Jose Altuve, so the league lead in that category is in reach. He is also one shy of Mike Trout for the lead in runs scored. It’s a long shot to expect Betts to run wild on the base paths, but if he somehow manages to swipe four bases today he would enter the rare 30/30 club.
Then of course there is David Ortiz. The Red Sox have dedicated this entire weekend to celebrating the 40-year old designated hitter, who will play the final regular season game of his career today. Not only is this game overflowing with sentimental value, but statistically it has meaning for Ortiz. He has already locked up the league-lead in several categories, including slugging, OPS and will probably finish first in doubles as well. Ortiz enters the day tied for the lead in RBI with Edwin Encarnacion, who will be in the opposite dugout at Fenway this afternoon.
A win for the Red Sox could have important playoff implications, but more than that, this team wants to get a win for Big Papi in his last regular season game. If the postseason will be the last chapter of his storied career, today ends the final chapter capturing his regular season success.