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This is Defector, a new sports blog and media company. We made this place together, we own it together, we run it together. Without access, without favor, without discretion, and without interference.

Defector

Kathryn Xu

Boston Red Sox 2B Vaughn Grissom slides to home plate past the tag by Tampa Bay Rays C Logan Driscoll in the third inning.

The 81-81 Red Sox Weren’t The Most Mediocre Team Of The Season

Gerrit Cole #45 of the New York Yankees pitches during the first inning against the Boston Red Sox.

Gerrit Cole Shows Remarkable Self-Awareness, Pays The Price

Ray Ratto

Bobby Witt Jr. #7 of the Kansas City Royals takes the field in the second inning during the game between the Kansas City Royals and the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on Monday, August 12, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

An Only Moderately Disgusted Overview Of MLB’s Wild Card Races

Jarren Duran #16 of the Boston Red Sox catches a fly ball during the first inning against the Colorado Rockies.

Nobody’s Waiting Around For Jarren Duran

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Colorado Rockies pitcher Cal Quantrill (47) and Boston Red Sox catcher Reese McGuire (3) exchange words as Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers (11) and Colorado Rockies catcher Jacob Stallings (25) try to separate them, during a game between the Boston Red Sox and the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field in Denver, CO on July 24, 2024.

Cal Quantrill Starts Benches-Clearing Brawl With Extremely Specific And Informed Trash Talk

David Hamilton #70 of the Boston Red Sox dives home safely as catcher Jose Trevino #39 of the New York Yankees moves to make a late tag.

The Red Sox Have A Formidable Competitor In The Race To .500

<div class="author-header-content">
<p>Charles P. Pierce is a writer at <em>Esquire</em> and the author of four books, most recently <em>Idiot America</em>, and has been a working journalist since 1976. He lives near Boston with his wife but no longer his three children.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
</div>
<div class="author-header-shares"></div>


Charles P. Pierce

Tim Wakefield of the Boston Red Sox throws a knuckleball, in profile

Tim Wakefield Was A Wizard For The Working Day

Patrick Redford

Curt Schilling Reveals Former Teammate Tim Wakefield’s Cancer Diagnosis Against His Wishes

Samer Kalaf

Boston Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom walks past a photo of the 2007 Red Sox after they won the World Series.

At A Crossroads, The Red Sox Just Stood There

Enrique Hernandez #5 of the Boston Red Sox makes an error as he throws to second base during the second inning of a game against the Tampa Bay Rays on June 3, 2023 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts.

The Red Sox Have Never Felt Smaller


<p>Dan McQuade was a founding member of Defector. He died in January 2026.</p>


Dan McQuade

A bunch of shirtless Red Sox fans in the stands at Fenway Park, with one Angels fan (not shirtless) texting in the middle of it all

Red Sox Fans Are In A Patriots’ Daze

Barry Petchesky

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - APRIL 01: Ryan McKenna #26 of the Baltimore Orioles drops what would have been the game ending out during the ninth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on April 01, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Nick Grace/Getty Images)

Well, That Has To Be The Most Painful Way To Lose A Baseball Game

Tom Ley

The Mookie Betts Trade Just Keeps Getting Worse

Xander Bogaerts Is A Padre Because All That Money Has To Go Somewhere

Lauren Theisen

It Should Be Illegal For Bad Teams To Walk Aaron Judge

Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran fails to catch a ball.

The Red Sox Have Become A Bad Joke

<p>Staff Writer</p>
<p>Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19</p>


Chris Thompson

Allow Me To Offer You This Bounty Of Humiliating Bloopers And Statistics Produced By The Boston Red Sox

Luis Paez-Pumar

Rays Week

Red Sox Defeated By Rays Week Magic

Chris Sale breaks stuff in the Worcester Red Sox locker room

Chris Sale Has Issues With Control During And After Rehab Start

Tanner Houck #89 of the Boston Red Sox pitches during the ninth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Fenway Park on June 19, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts.

The Red Sox Sure Could’ve Used Tanner Houck In Canada

The NESN broadcast booth with Dennis Eckersley, Dave O'Brien, and Kevin Youkilis

Your Guide To The Kevin-Heavy Red Sox TV Booth Carousel

Trevor Story #10 of the Boston Red Sox holds toy money guns as he gets a ride in a laundry cart after his home run against the Houston Astros in the seventh inning at Fenway Park on May 16, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts.

OK, Trevor Story Is Probably Normal Now

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MAY 17: Starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi #17 of the Boston Red Sox reacts during the second inning of the game against the Houston Astros at Fenway Park on May 17, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images)