Entering play on September 16, the Boston Red Sox held a two game lead in the AL East. They have sixteen games left on their schedule and have earned a respectable 82-64 record. Helping them along have been the struggling Toronto Blue Jays, who have gone 3-7 over their last ten and are now holding on to a Wild Card spot. With a strong finish, the AL East banner will be flying in Bean Town this season.
MLB Milestones: Boston Red Sox Trios
It has been a memorable season for many players on the Red Sox roster. The farewell tour could not have been dreamed up better for David ‘Big Papi’ Ortiz. Right fielder Mookie Betts and shortstop Xander Bogaerts have also put the league on notice. At just 23 years old each, they look to provide some pop and scoring for the Boston Red Sox well into the future. Hanley Ramirez has also put together a stellar season, and the .272 average, 24 home rune, and 84 RBI stat line of Jackie Bradley Jr. has nearly gone unnoticed. Add in some timely pitching with this potent lineup, and a 90-win season is an almost guarantee.
200 Hits
The last time a trio of players on the same team recorded 200 hits each was back in 1991 by the Texas Rangers. Rafael Palmeiro and Ruben Sierra each had 203 hits that year, while Julio Franco rounded out the trio with 201. The 2016 version of the Boston Red Sox may accomplish this feet though for this first time in 25 years.
Mookie Betts currently has 192 hits thanks to a .312 average. Behind him, at 187, is Dustin Pedroia, whose .329 average is even more impressive. These two should both reach the 200 hit mark this season. The third guy who may join them is Xander Bogaerts, who is sitting on 176. Twenty-four hits in 16 games may sound daunting, but with all their remaining games against AL East opponents, he will look to contribute as much as possible and finish strong.
100 RBI
This feat has already been reached thanks to David Ortiz (114), Mookie Betts (105), and after his walk-off dinger last night, Hanley Ramirez (100). The Blue Jays had a trio with 100 RBI last season and the Yankees had back-to-back seasons in 2010 and 2011 in which three players reached 100 RBI. This feat has been reached before, but what may be even more impressive is that the Red Sox may have five players reach 100 RBI. Xander Bogaerts has 85 and Jackie Bradley Jr is close behind at 84. An RBI per game is a lot to expect from a player, especially in September, but don’t count these two out.
30 Home Runs
Since 2010, the only team to have three players record 30 or more home runs in a season was the 2015 Blue Jays. Josh Donaldson hit 41 home runs in his MVP season, while Jose Bautista had 40 and Edwin Encarnacion knocked out 39. This season the Red Sox look to replicate that. David Ortiz has hit 34 in his final MLB season, while one of the young upstarts on the Red Sox squad, Mookie Betts, has hit 30. Hanley Ramirez has 26 and Jackie Bradley Jr has 24. One, if not both, of these players may also reach the 30-homer mark in the 2016 season.
The 2016 version of the Boston Red Sox has been miraculous. Love them or hate them, you cannot deny that they have had tremendous success this season. The MVP race may come down to between two teammates. It’ll be tough for the citizens of Bean Town to not see Ortiz in the lineup come 2017, but finishing 2016 with a World Series title would immortalize Boston Strong.
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