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The Boston Red Sox swept the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday afternoon at Fenway Park by a score of 6 to 1, securing a thirteenth consecutive victory that places them alongside the 1948 edition in franchise annals. To find a trace of such a streak in Boston, one must go back to the era when Ted Williams dominated the American League in hitting and Harry Truman occupied the White House.
The last time the Red Sox strung together thirteen wins, Williams was batting .369 and Boston was contending for the pennant. Seventy-eight years later, it is a Venezuelan catcher who arrived in Massachusetts this winter who is carrying the renaissance of a club that no one expected to be in the playoff race anymore.
The last time the Red Sox strung together thirteen wins, Williams was batting .369 and Boston was contending for the pennant.
Contreras and Gray drive the machine
Willson Contreras hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning, his twenty-second of the season and his second in three games since returning from suspension. The former St. Louis Cardinals cornerstone, recruited to inject power into an offensive lineup that sorely lacked it, has posted a .340 average with seven home runs and nineteen RBIs since the start of the winning streak. His presence in the lineup has completely reshuffled the deck: the hitters around him, from Rafael Devers to Ceddanne Rafaela, are seeing easier pitches to handle.
On the mound, Sonny Gray delivered an impeccable performance. The thirty-six-year-old right-hander, also an offseason acquisition, pitched six innings, allowing only one run and five hits against the best offense in the East division. He systematically silenced the Rays' key hitters, limiting Yandy Díaz and Brandon Lowe to a single hit in eight combined at-bats. The relief corps, long considered the weakest link of the roster, blanked Tampa Bay over the final three innings. Liam Hendriks recorded his fourteenth save, confirming his return to the forefront after two grueling years marked by cancer and then Tommy John surgery.
From 37-48 to 50-48 in two weeks
The sweep of the Rays constitutes Boston's fourth consecutive sweep, following those inflicted on the Chicago White Sox, the Los Angeles Angels, and the Seattle Mariners. Tampa Bay, which arrived in Massachusetts with a four-game lead atop the American League East, left with four losses in their luggage and a lead reduced to zero.
Two weeks ago, Boston seemed sunk. On July 6, the record stood at thirty-seven wins and forty-eight losses. Thirteen games later, the Red Sox boast fifty wins and forty-eight losses, tied with the Toronto Blue Jays for the third wild-card spot in the American League. This streak is the longest in the current MLB season and the longest in the league since the Minnesota Twins' thirteen straight wins in May 2025.
Reasons for the turnaround
Several factors explain this spectacular resurgence. The return from injury of several starters, including Ceddanne Rafaela, the rise of young shortstop Marcelo Mayer — the first pick of the 2022 draft, called up in June — and the stabilization of the rotation around a trio of Gray, Brayan Bello, and Garrett Whitlock have given manager Alex Cora a balanced and suddenly formidable roster. The Puerto Rican, whose contract expires in October, refuses any triumphalism: "We take it game by game, but this group is sincerely starting to believe it can accomplish something special."
The Breslow dilemma before August 3
The streak places Craig Breslow, the general manager, before a tough choice. Three weeks from the August 3 trade deadline, should he bolster a roster that has become competitive at the risk of sacrificing prospects, or maintain the course of a prudent rebuild? The five home games coming up against Baltimore and then the New York Yankees will provide part of the answer.
Next up is Monday night at Fenway Park, hosting the Orioles. A fourteenth straight win would give Boston the second-longest solo streak in franchise history, just one step shy of the absolute record of fifteen wins set in 1946.