You'll remember that the 2011 Boston Red Sox got off to a miserable start. They didn't win their first game until the second Friday of the season, and by the third they had a 2-10 record. They got a little better after that, but they were still just 14-18 and five games out of first place on May 6.
The Secret To The Boston Red Sox’s Huge Turnaround
The Red Sox are playing great baseball, sitting in first place and having won nine in a row. We go deep into the numbers to figure out how they’ve turned their season around.
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Now it's June 13, and the Red Sox are in first in the AL East, 39-26 and two games ahead of New York. They've won nine games in a row, the streak comprising a sweep of the A's, a sweep of the Yankees, and a sweep of the Blue Jays. Only the faintest memories remain of what the Red Sox once were, because these days they look like hands-down favorite to make the World Series.
Since the morning of May 7, the Red Sox have been the best team in baseball, and the best team in the AL by a fair margin, and it's enough to make you wonder what's behind their dramatic turnaround. After going into the numbers, I think I've identified the keys. Here's what the Red Sox have done since dropping to 14-18 with a loss to the Twins:
Hit better
Conveniently, we’re comparing the season’s first 32 games to the season’s most recent 33 games. In the season’s first 32 games, the Red Sox averaged 4.1 runs scored per game. In the season’s most recent 33 games, the Red Sox have averaged 6.6 runs scored per game. They’ve scored 54 runs in five days.
What the Red Sox realized while they were struggling was that they weren’t doing enough things at the plate that lead to runs. So they decided to hit more singles, and doubles, and triples, and homers. They also decided to steal more bases, and strike out less often. The decision to do these things has worked out well for them.
Pitch better
In the season’s first 32 games, the Red Sox allowed 4.6 runs per game. In the season’s most recent 33 games, the Red Sox have allowed an average of 4.0 runs per game. What the Red Sox realized while they were struggling was that they weren’t doing enough things on the mound to prevent runs. So they decided to walk fewer people, and strike more people out, and allow fewer homers. The decision to do these things has worked out well for them.
After looking at all the numbers, I’ve concluded that the key to Boston’s turnaround is that they decided to hit better and pitch better. Hitting better and pitching better were both excellent ideas on their part, it turns out, and one can only wonder where they might be in the standings had they arrived at these conclusions earlier. Nevertheless, now that they’re doing what they’re doing, it doesn’t look like they can be stopped, so we all should probably just give up.
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