Red Sox's Failure To Make Playoffs Looks Even Worse After Wild Card Series Results

It's been a painful week to be a Sox fan...

Sep 28, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas (36) walks off of the field after striking out against the Tampa Bay Rays during the eighth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images / Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

Missing out on the Major League Baseball playoffs doesn't only hurt for a moment. The pain comes in waves, and Boston Red Sox fans are experiencing a new wave of disappointment this week.

After finishing a lackluster 81-81, the Red Sox were forced to retreat to their couches and watch the playoffs unfold for the third October in a row. This time though, unlike the past two seasons, it felt at one point as if the Red Sox missed out on a real chance to make it to October.

The Red Sox surged into playoff position in early July, posting a memorable hot stretch right before the All-Star break and reaching as many as 11 games over .500. By the Midsummer Classic, most projections had Boston's playoff odds at or above 50%.

But we all know what happened next. The bullpen imploded, the lineup started racking up strikeouts, and despite the rest of the American League seemingly begging the Red Sox to stay in the playoff hunt, they gradually fell further out of the chase.

The collapse hurt in the moment. But now that the Wild Card round of the MLB playoffs has come and gone, the pain has doubled knowing that all the Red Sox needed to have a shot at a deep October run was a ticket to the dance.

Of the four teams that advanced to the Division Series, three were five or six seeds. The Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers, two teams the Red Sox easily could have outgunned for one of those Wild Card spots, are still playing baseball this weekend.

The trade deadline sticks out as a pivot point for the Red Sox and both of those aforementioned teams. Boston tried to buy, but only landed rental pieces that flunked once they arrived. Kansas City landed one of the steals of the deadline, grabbing their new closer in Lucas Erceg.

The Tigers, meanwhile, sold off pieces at the deadline, and still managed to overtake the Red Sox in the standings. Starting pitcher Jack Flaherty, who could have been a massive asset to Boston in the second half, went to the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Detroit still managed to win 24 of their last 34 games.

No matter how you slice it, the Red Sox have to be mortified by the way the playoff picture has unfolded. It was a year with no clear power in the AL, and all the Red Sox had to do for a chance at a pennant run was play .500 baseball for the last three months.

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