Red Sox Reach Pair Of Important 2024 Milestones In Win Over Blue Jays

Progress is progress, even if it's minimal

Sep 23, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Red Sox third baseman Nick Sogard (75) congratulates pitcher Luis Guerrero (99) after catching a pop up from Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Jonatan Clase (not pictured) during the eighth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images / John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Okay, maybe "important" was a little tongue in cheek.

On Monday night, the Boston Red Sox defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 4-1, in a game where All-Star pitcher Tanner Houck got his first win since early July. They're now 4-0 in Toronto this year, an odd footnote considering the horrors they've seen in Rogers Centre in years past.

The win probably won't matter in the context of the Red Sox's playoff hopes, which are akin to placing a 15-leg touchdown parlay with some backup tight ends sprinkled in. Elsewhere, the only other result that mattered at all to Boston was the Seattle Mariners win over the Houston Astros, which dropped the Sox's playoff odds by another couple thousandths of a percent.

However, the Red Sox did cross off a couple important items on their modest 2024 bucket list, both of which seemed in peril at various points throughout the year.

First, the win was Boston's 79th of the year, which ensures that they won't finish with a record of exactly 78-84 for a third year in a row. Last September, the Red Sox fell off a cliff and went 6-19 for the month, allowing the New York Yankees to pass them in the standings. Which brings us to...

By defeating the Blue Jays specifically, the Red Sox ensured they will finish ahead of Toronto in the standings. After being predicted by most of the national talk show types to take home a third-straight last-place finish, the Red Sox proved that they are... still pretty mediocre, but not quite as much so.

And there's truth to the fact that this season is a win in some regards. The Red Sox found an identity for parts of the summer. They played in some big games, and they even won some of them. Tomorrow will be their 158th game of the season, and they technically still aren't yet eliminated.

But this year also could have been oh-so-much more. Had the Red Sox played exactly .500 baseball since the All-Star break, they would be 1 1/2 games ahead of the Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers for the second Wild Card spot in the American League.

The 2024 season could be remembered as the year the Red Sox laid the groundwork for their next championship window. It could also equally be remembered as the year they were cautious buyers at the trade deadline and bungled their way out of the playoffs in a year without any dominant teams.

It will be up to the 2025 version of the Red Sox to decide which way that history is told.

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