The Boston Red Sox secured their spot in the postseason thanks to an Atlanta Braves win over the Houston Astros.
Things are going well now, but Red Sox fans remember the 10-17 start that led to Alex Cora and six other coaches being fired. Since then, interim manager Chad Tracy has led the charge in turning things around, but it has not all been him. The players started living up to expectations, and the team has gotten healthy.
At the time, many questioned Craig Breslow's ability to make decisions, with many fans saying Cora was fired as a result of Breslow failing to address the team's biggest flaws in the offseason. However, now it looks like Breslow was right to trust his players.
"I believed in the players that we had,” Breslow said when asked about the move to fire Cora, per The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey. “I felt it was really important that we acted definitively and decisively when we did so that we could create an environment around the players that was supportive, that would allow them to thrive. And they responded. While there may have been some people that questioned what this group was capable of, I think they answered resoundingly.”
One example of Breslow's belief paying off is Caleb Durbin. Durbin was acquired to replace Alex Bregman, and he was a terrible hitter through two months. However, after back-to-back off days in May, he has been on another level. He is looking more like the Rookie of the Year finalist he was for the Milwaukee Brewers last year. He looks like a real player the Red Sox can rely on down the line.
Perhaps what's most impressive about this Red Sox team is that they have turned the season around without arguably their two best pitchers, Garrett Crochet and Roman Anthony. However, Anthony is back, and Crochet could be in the bullpen for October.