There's a Massachusetts–based restaurant chain that offers a free kids meal—kid must be present, limit two per party—the day after a Boston Red Sox win. When the team was scuffling at the bottom of the AL East and manager Alex Cora was fired for a dismal start, the promotion became an easy joke: The children of New England were hungry. So hungry. Offensive struggles and one-run losses had turned them into the wee ragamuffins of Oliver Twist.
But around the end of June, after dropping two of three to the lowly Colorado Rockies, something changed: The Red Sox began providing meals. They swept the New York Yankees in a four-game series in Boston, the finale an invigorating win courtesy of Jarren Duran's walk-off hit, then added one more victory against the Washington Nationals for a nice little five-game streak. They did drop two games to the Nats, one in which Cade Cavalli was a little racist, but from that point on, the Red Sox didn't lose. From July 3 to the night of July 22 (including the all-star break), Boston won 15 straight, improving their record from 37-48 to 52-48 and putting themselves firmly within the wild card race. The streak tied a franchise record last accomplished in 1946, back when Ted Williams was having an MVP season. For the majority of this month, the children of New England have feasted on cheesy flatbreads and chicken tenders—perhaps even a fried shrimp for the more adventurous eaters. They've gone Augustus Gloop mode.
During the streak, the Red Sox swept the Angels, White Sox, and Mets. Then they swept the division-leading Rays, too. I was fortunate enough to watch in person as they beat the Mets 3-2 in extra innings to wrap up that series, and the first half of the season. It felt like sweet, esoteric revenge: The last time I had seen the Red Sox in Queens was September of 2024, when I had the bright idea to go to back-to-back games while my favorite team was in town, and witnessed back-to-back losses for a deeply average Boston team that would end the season at exactly 81-81. In the second game, I watched Kenley Jansen load the bases and walk in a run; Rich Hill replaced him, walked in two more runs, then induced a sacrifice fly to bring in another. In that 8-3 Mets win, I was convinced I had witnessed the end of a man's career. (The Red Sox DFAed Hill two days later, but he returned to the majors in 2025 for two appearances with the Kansas City Royals.)
Back in the present, Boston continued the streak into a home series against the Baltimore Orioles. Caleb Durbin's go-ahead homer in the eighth allowed the Red Sox to take a 6-5 victory on Monday, and it snapped Baltimore's own seven-game win streak. Tuesday's game was rained out, so Wednesday's doubleheader gave the team a chance to not only tie the franchise record but set a new one. They won the day game, 6-3, and the night game was supposed to feature the return of Ranger Suarez, who had been on IL with a groin strain, but an unrelated illness kept him out. Interim manager Chad Tracy went with an opener followed by bulk innings from Brayan Bello, but the plan backfired: Eduardo Rivera allowed four runs in the first, and the Red Sox couldn't rally, falling 5-1 for their first loss in weeks. The kids now had time for a digestif.
A 15-game win streak by any measure is amazing, but this one was particularly strange, coming as it did against the run of play. It's a funny feeling to be pumped that your team's won nine straight, before remembering they're still two games under .500. The player dynamic was bizarre as well: In theory, this is a roster full of lower-tier players taking on more work until the more-heralded stars get healthy. There is no Ted Williams equivalent to be found here. Garrett Crochet and Roman Anthony, arguably the most talented players on the team, have been on IL for months. Suarez and Connelly Early were out with more recent injuries. Just a month ago, the Red Sox looked like clear sellers at the deadline, and the biggest thing to look forward to was the possibility that "chief baseball officer" Craig Breslow would be fired. Now they look like a team that could add a reliever, get some clarity in the middle infield, and hope for better health in the second half.
After the Red Sox lost last night, Tracy said that he had a speech planned, but instead Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray, two key contributors to the streak, stepped up to talk to the clubhouse and effectively deliver the same message the manager intended. While the trade deadline approaches and Anthony continues to not even swing a bat in rehab, the rest of these guys will hope to keep the momentum going. The children's stomaches are rumbling again.
