Fastball

Boston Red Sox Speedster Does Something Not Seen Since Lou Brock in 1968

The Boston Red Sox star put together a season that is likely to see him finish in the Top 10 of MVP voting.

Brady Farkas

Boston Red Sox center fielder Jarren Duran (16) runs off of the field after scoring a run against the Tampa Bay Rays during the sixth inning at Fenway Park on Sept 28.
Boston Red Sox center fielder Jarren Duran (16) runs off of the field after scoring a run against the Tampa Bay Rays during the sixth inning at Fenway Park on Sept 28. / Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
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The Boston Red Sox closed out the regular season with a win on Sunday afternoon against the Tampa Bay Rays. The 3-1 win at Fenway Park meant that the Red Sox finished the year at .500, 81-81. The Rays finished just under .500 at 80-82.

Boston hasn't made the playoffs since the 2021 season.

Despite the disappointing result of not making the playoffs, the Red Sox did have some successful aspects to the season, namely outfielder Jarren Duran.

The 28-year-old put together an incredible season that will likely see him finish in the top seven of the American League MVP voting. He had 21 homers, 75 RBI and 34 stolen bases while hitting at the top of the Red Sox lineup. He played every game, save for a two-game suspension.

According to Sarah Langs of MLB.com, he also made some unique baseball history not seen since 1968.

Jarren Duran led MLB in doubles and tied for the lead in triples

It’s the 8th time a player led MLB in 2B & 3B for a season (incl ties for lead), joining:

1968 Lou Brock
1948 Stan Musial
1943 Stan Musial
1919 Bobby Veach
1917 Ty Cobb
1900 Honus Wagner
1876 Ross Barnes

Duran had a whopping 48 doubles and 14 triples this year. His ability to take extra bases constantly allowed the Red Sox to put pressure on the opposition and create opportunities to score. He also scored 111 runs this year.

As the Red Sox head into the offseason, they have several questions to answer about payroll, pitching and prospects, but they certainly don't have a question about Jarren Duran.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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