The Boston Red Sox were not expected to win many games this year or even play for a division crown, but that comes from the experts and not the players on the field.
On April 28th, the Red Sox were 14-14 and sitting in last place in the AL East division, trailing the Red Hot Tampa Bay Rays by nine games. Then on April 29th, Boston’s early season started to make a turn in the right direction as they defeated the Cleveland Guardians 8-7, and they have yet to lose a game since.
On April 30th, they defeated the Guardians 7-1, to win the weekend series. They then traveled to Toronto and swept the Blue Jays in all four games to extend their winning streak to six straight to improve to 18-14 and move into third place.
During the winning streak five offensive ball players have been helping to fuel the victories, but none better than Japanese import Masataka Yoshida, who after going 1 for 4 on Thursday, extended his hitting streak to 14 games.
On Opening Day, Yoshida went 2 for 4, recording his first two MLB hits, then in the following 12 games, he struggled going 6 for 44 (.136) and was hitless in four straight games from April 11th to 18th.
On April 20th, the Fukui, Japan native went 2 for 5, and the hits kept coming. From the 20th through May 4th, he is 25 for 56 (.446), with 13 runs scored, five doubles, five homes runs and 18 RBIs. A huge turn around from his early struggles. Yoshida has four straight multi-hit games and in his streak he has nine multi-hit games. The Red Sox are 10-4 since his streak started and now his torrid bat has rubbed off on the rest of the team.
Lead off hitter and rightfielder Alex Verdugo has hit safely in 11 of his las 13 games, and currently has a five game hitting streak, with four multi-hit games, while batting .391 (9 for 23) in that span.
Enmanuel Valdez made his major league debut on April 19th, went 2 for 4 and since has hit safely in 7 of his last 9 games, batting .313 (10 for 32). Centerfielder Jarren Duran has also joined in with his hot hitting, as he has hit safely in 14 of his first 17 games of the season which started on April 17th. In that span Duran is batting .417 (25 for 60), with 11 runs scored, two home runs and 13 RBIs.
Rounding our the hot bats in the lineup, Connor Wong has a four game hitting streak, with three multi-hit games in that span. In May 2’s victory over the Blue Jays, Wong homered twice and finished the game 4 for 4, recording the first 4-hit game of his career.
The Red Sox are young, they are hungry and they are not allowing the naysayers to pin them as a team not capable of playing for a Division Crown or a World Series title. In a division that has the Rays at 26-6, and the Orioles at 21-10 and the New Yankees sitting in last place on May 5th, anything is possible for a team to get hot and take off. And so far the Red Sox are playing the part.
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