The Red Sox just told the baseball world: "We're not done yet."
Boston storms back from three runs down, wins its 12th straight, and has officially become the team nobody wants to play.
Twelve.
Not six.
Not eight.
Twelve.
The Boston Red Sox looked dead on Saturday afternoon.
They trailed by three runs.
They had made two throwing errors.
Patrick Sandoval wasn’t particularly sharp.
The Rays were acting like they were about to remind Boston who runs the American League East.
Instead...
Wilyer Abreu walked up to the plate, laughed in the face of momentum, and absolutely obliterated it.
The Red Sox rallied from a 6-3 deficit, exploded for four runs in the seventh inning, and defeated Tampa Bay 7-6 to extend their winning streak to 12 consecutive games.
Ladies and gentlemen...
This isn’t a hot streak anymore.
This is becoming an identity.
Somebody check Wilyer Abreu’s bat...
I’m not accusing him of anything.
I’m just saying...
I’d like to see the X-rays.
Because whatever is inside that thing should probably be illegal.
For the second consecutive game, Abreu launched two home runs.
That’s four home runs in two games.
Read that again.
Four.
In.
Two.
Games.
His first blast gave Boston a temporary lead in the third inning.
His second?
A two-run missile in the seventh that completed Boston’s comeback and sent Fenway into absolute bedlam.
Somewhere, Rays reliever Garrett Cleavinger is probably still watching that baseball disappear into the Massachusetts sky.
The Rays thought they had them
To Tampa Bay’s credit...
They punched first.
The Rays grabbed a 2-0 lead in the second after Boston committed yet another throwing error.
Jahmai Jones answered with a two-run homer to tie it.
Abreu briefly gave Boston a 3-2 lead.
Then everything fell apart.
Patrick Sandoval allowed Tampa to reclaim the lead.
Victor Mesa Jr. crushed a two-run homer.
Yandy Díaz added an RBI single.
Jonny DeLuca homered in the seventh.
Suddenly...
6-3 Rays.
Fenway got quiet.
You could almost hear every sports radio caller preparing Monday’s rant.
Then Boston remembered something.
“Oh yeah...”
“We don’t lose anymore.”
The seventh inning was pure chaos
The comeback didn’t happen because of one swing.
It happened because everybody contributed.
Masataka Yoshida drove in a run with a ground ball.
Ceddanne Rafaela ripped an RBI double.
Suddenly it was 6-5.
The Rays were wobbling.
Then...
Boom.
Wilyer Abreu.
Two-run homer.
Game flipped.
Fenway erupted.
The Rays looked like someone had unplugged their dugout.
Boston went from funeral procession to block party in about six minutes.
Give the bullpen its flowers
After Patrick Sandoval battled through five innings, the bullpen once again became Boston’s secret weapon.
Ryan Watson picked up his first Major League victory with two solid innings.
Aroldis Chapman recorded his 21st save, making things slightly more dramatic than necessary by walking two hitters before slamming the door.
Classic Chapman.
Nothing says “save” quite like raising everyone’s blood pressure to 180 before recording the final out.
Still...
Another win.
That’s all anyone remembers.
By the numbers
Final Score
Red Sox 7
Rays 6
Boston’s stars
Wilyer Abreu: 2 home runs, including the game-winning two-run blast
Jahmai Jones: Two-run homer
Ceddanne Rafaela: Key RBI double during the comeback
Masataka Yoshida: RBI groundout during the four-run seventh
Pitching
Patrick Sandoval: 5 innings, 5 earned runs
Ryan Watson: First MLB victory
Aroldis Chapman: Save No. 21
Team notes
12 consecutive victories
Abreu now has 4 home runs over his last two games
Boston erased a three-run deficit against one of the best teams in baseball.
The Rays picked a terrible time to visit Boston
Think about Tampa Bay’s weekend.
Friday afternoon?
Lose 10-0.
Friday night?
Lose 5-3.
Saturday?
Build a comfortable lead...
...then watch Wilyer Abreu personally escort it into Boston Harbor.
That’s got to sting.
The Rays came to Fenway leading the division.
Instead they’ve become supporting actors in the Red Sox’ highlight reel.
Remember when everyone wanted to sell?
Ah yes...
The good old days.
About three weeks ago every conversation sounded like this:
“Trade everybody.”
“Fire everybody.”
“See you in 2027.”
Now?
Those same people are calculating Wild Card scenarios like they’re NASA engineers.
Funny how winning changes absolutely everything.
Craig Breslow deserves...
...a reluctant golf clap.
Easy.
Don’t get carried away.
But give credit where it’s due.
Young pitching has emerged.
The bullpen suddenly has defined roles.
Role players are producing.
The roster suddenly looks balanced instead of patched together with duct tape and optimism.
Nobody is building statues.
But perhaps we’ve postponed the public execution.
Meanwhile... Yankees fans
Has anyone checked on them?
They’re awfully quiet.
Almost suspiciously quiet.
Funny how that happens.
When Boston struggled, Yankees fans were everywhere.
Now?
The Red Sox have won twelve straight.
The bullpen is dealing.
The lineup is producing.
The Wild Card race suddenly has another serious participant.
And suddenly Yankees Twitter has become a discussion forum about Aaron Judge’s golf swing.
Coincidence?
Absolutely not.
One thing to think about
Winning streaks don’t define great teams.
How they win does.
Boston has now won games by:
Blowout.
Pitching duel.
Extra innings.
Comeback.
Bullpen dominance.
Offensive explosion.
That’s versatility.
Earlier this season, the Red Sox needed everything to go perfectly.
Now?
They simply need enough innings.
Because somewhere along the way, this team stopped believing games were over when they fell behind.
That’s confidence.
And confidence is contagious.
Eventually the streak will end.
Maybe tomorrow.
Maybe next week.
Who knows?
But here’s the scary part for the rest of the American League:
The streak ending doesn’t necessarily mean the Red Sox stop being good.
It may simply mean they’ve become exactly what contenders become...
A team that expects to win.
And if that’s the case?
October just became a lot more uncomfortable for everyone else.
Twelve straight victories. A dramatic comeback. Four home runs by Wilyer Abreu in two games. The Red Sox have gone from afterthought to must-watch television in the blink of an eye. The question is no longer whether this team is hot. The question is whether anyone is capable of cooling them off.
If you enjoyed today’s Red Sox Digest, share it with every member of Red Sox Nation, subscribe for your daily dose of sarcasm and Sox baseball, and remember to check on the Rays. They came to Fenway hoping to stop Boston’s momentum... and instead became another speed bump on the Red Sox Revenge Tour.