• Source: 2021 Boston Red Sox season

The 2021 Boston Red Sox season was the 121st season in the team's history, and their 110th season at Fenway Park. The team entered the offseason conducting a managerial search, after declining to bring back Ron Roenicke from the shortened 2020 season. On November 6, 2020, the team re-hired Alex Cora as manager; Cora had skippered the Red Sox in 2018 and 2019, then sat out 2020 serving a one-year suspension for his role in the Houston Astros sign stealing scandal in 2017.
This was the Red Sox' first season since 2019 with fans at Fenway Park, with a limited capacity of approximately 4,500 to start the season due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The capacity was increased to approximately 9,400 for games after May 10. Fenway returned to full capacity starting May 29, with an announced attendance of 25,089 at that day's game. The first home sellout of the season was the June 25 game against the New York Yankees, with an announced attendance of 36,869.
On June 4–6, the Red Sox swept a three-game series against the rival Yankees at Yankee Stadium for the first time since June 2011. On June 13, the Toronto Blue Jays set a single-game record for home runs by a visiting team at Fenway Park, with eight. In early July, the Red Sox led MLB with five players selected to the All-Star Game. Beginning in late August, the team had a spate of positive COVID-19 testing, resulting in more than 10 players being placed on the COVID-related injured list.
The Red Sox finished the regular season with a 92–70 record and qualified for the postseason as the fourth seed in the American League (AL), defeating the fifth-seed Yankees in the AL Wild Card Game at Fenway Park on October 5. They then defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL Division Series, 3–1 games. The Red Sox lost to the Houston Astros in the best-of-seven AL Championship Series in six games.




Offseason


The Red Sox entered the offseason with the manager position vacant, as prior to the team's final game of the 2020 season, the team announced that Ron Roenicke would not be retained.
The Red Sox also entered the offseason with six guaranteed player contracts for 2021, totaling slightly more than $115 million: Chris Sale ($25.60 million), Xander Bogaerts ($20 million), J. D. Martinez ($19.375 million), Nathan Eovaldi ($16.88 million); Dustin Pedroia ($13.3 million), and Christian Vázquez ($4.52 million).




= Spring training

=
"Truck Day", when the team's equipment departs Fenway Park for spring training in Florida, was February 8. Pitchers and catchers began workouts at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers on February 18; full squad workouts began on February 22.
The team had been scheduled to begin preseason games on February 26, with an exhibition against the Northeastern Huskies, but that contest was canceled. The team began Grapefruit League games on February 28, losing to the Minnesota Twins. Announcers for spring training games broadcast on NESN were Dave O'Brien and Tom Caron for play-by-play with Jerry Remy, Dennis Eckersley and Lenny DiNardo for color commentary. Boston's spring training games continued through March 30; the team compiled a 16–11 record, scoring 159 runs while allowing 131.




Regular season


Major League Baseball announced the 2021 regular season schedule on July 9, 2020. The Red Sox' schedule, as originally released, spanned April 1 to October 3. The All-Star Game was scheduled for July 13. For interleague play, the Red Sox were scheduled to face National League East teams.




= Opening Day lineup

=
Originally scheduled for April 1, the team's first game of the season—at Fenway Park against the Baltimore Orioles—was postponed to April 2, due to rain.

Source:

This was the eighth time for the Red Sox to qualify for the postseason as a wild card team since the expansion of the MLB postseason in 1994, and the first time since 2009.




Postseason






= American League Wild Card Game vs. New York Yankees

=

The Red Sox entered the Wild Card Game as the fourth seed in the American League, hosting the fifth-seeded Yankees. Nathan Eovaldi and Gerrit Cole were the starting pitchers, respectively. J. D. Martinez, who injured his ankle in the final game of the regular season, was not included on Boston's roster for the game.
Boston took an early 2–0 lead, via a two-run homer by Xander Bogaerts in the first inning. A solo home run by Kyle Schwarber in the third inning extended the lead to 3–0. Cole left without recording an out in the third, having allowed three runs on four hits; he was replaced by Clay Holmes. A solo home run by Anthony Rizzo in the top of the sixth made it a 3–1 game. Eovaldi left with one out in the sixth; he was replaced by Ryan Brasier. A New York rally was snuffed out when Aaron Judge was thrown out at the plate attempting to score from first on a Giancarlo Stanton single off of the Green Monster. Alex Verdugo's RBI double in the bottom of the sixth put Boston ahead by three again, 4–1. Verdugo drove in another two runs in the seventh, extending Boston's lead to 6–1. Stanton homered with one out in the ninth, but the Yankees could not rally further as the Red Sox won, 6–2.
Red Sox won the series 1–0 (6–2 runs)




= American League Division Series vs. Tampa Bay Rays

=

This was the third postseason matchup between the Red Sox and Rays. Their previous postseason meetings were in the 2008 ALCS, won by the Rays in seven games, and in the 2013 ALDS, won by the Red Sox in four games.



Game 1

For the ALDS roster, Boston added J. D. Martinez, Martín Pérez, Chris Sale, and Danny Santana, while omitting Jonathan Araúz, Matt Barnes, Jarren Duran, and Connor Wong.
Tampa Bay won the opening game of the series, 5–0. Boston started Eduardo Rodríguez took the loss after allowing two runs on two hits and two walks in 1+2⁄3 innings. Tampa Bay's other three runs were charged to Nick Pivetta, who pitched 4+2⁄3 innings of relief. Randy Arozarena of the Rays walked against Pivetta in the seventh inning, advanced to third base on a double by Wander Franco, and then stole home against Josh Taylor, who had relieved Pivetta. The Red Sox outhit the Rays, 9–6, but went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position.



Game 2

Prior to the second game of the series, Boston added Matt Barnes to their active roster, replacing Garrett Richards, who was placed on the injured list with a strained left hamstring.
Boston evened the series at 1–1 with a 14–6 win in Game 2. After the Red Sox scored twice in the top of the first inning, the Rays scored five runs off of Chris Sale in the bottom of the inning, including a grand slam by Jordan Luplow. The Boston bullpen, led by five innings from Tanner Houck, allowed just one more run by Tampa Bay—a home run by Ji-man Choi—for the rest of the game. Meanwhile, the Red Sox scored 12 more runs and had five batters with three or more hits. Kiké Hernández had five hits including a home run and three doubles. Xander Bogaerts, Alex Verdugo, J. D. Martinez, and Rafael Devers also homered. Houck got the win in relief for Boston, while Tampa Bay reliever Collin McHugh, who allowed three runs on two hits and a walk in 1+2⁄3 innings, took the loss.



Game 3

Boston took a 2–1 lead in the series with a 6–4 win in a 13-inning Game 3. The Rays scored twice in the top of the first inning, via a two-run homer by Austin Meadows. The Red Sox got a run back in the bottom of the inning on a Kyle Schwarber solo homer. Boston went ahead, 3–2, on four consecutive singles that scored two runs in the bottom of the third, and extended the lead to 4–2 via a fifth-inning solo home run by Kiké Hernández. In the top of the eighth, Wander Franco homered and Randy Arozarena hit an RBI double, both off of Hansel Robles, as the Rays tied the game, 4–4. After a scoreless ninth inning, the game went to extra innings. Nick Pivetta, expected to be Boston's starting pitcher in Game 4, came on in relief and held the Rays scoreless in the top of the 10th, while the Rays' David Robertson held Boston scoreless in the bottom of the inning. Both Pivetta and Robertson stayed in the game and pitched a scoreless 11th inning. Pivetta again held the Rays scoreless in the top of the 12th, while Luis Patiño held the Red Sox scoreless in the bottom of the inning. Pivetta pitched a fourth scoreless inning, the 13th, which included a ground-rule double by Kevin Kiermaier—the batted ball bounced off of the right field wall, the ground, and then off of Hunter Renfroe into the bullpen—which otherwise would have resulted in a Rays run, as Yandy Díaz was running from first base when the ball was hit. Christian Vázquez ended the game via a two-run walk-off home run off of Patiño in the bottom of the 13th.



Game 4

The Red Sox won Game 4, 6–5, to advance to the ALCS. Eduardo Rodríguez, who had lost Game 1 but only threw 41 pitches, started for Boston, while Collin McHugh, who had lost Game 2 in relief, started for Tampa Bay. After two scoreless innings, Boston scored five runs in the bottom of the third, including a three-run homer by Rafael Devers. The Rays got one run back in the top of the fifth. In the top of the sixth, a two-run homer by Wander Franco cut Boston's lead to 5–3. The Rays opened the eighth with three consecutive hits off of Ryan Brasier to tie the game, 5–5; Garrett Whitlock relieved Brasier and ended the rally. An outfield assist by Kevin Kiermaier cut down Alex Verdugo at third base to end a Red Sox threat in the bottom of the eighth. Whitlock then retired the Rays in order on seven pitches in the top of the ninth. After the Red Sox put runners at second and third with one out in the bottom of the ninth, a sacrifice fly by Kiké Hernández pushed across the winning run.




= American League Championship Series vs. Houston Astros

=

The Red Sox and Houston Astros, who had home field advantage, met in a rematch of the 2018 ALCS, which was won by Boston in five games.



Game 1

For the ALCS roster, manager Alex Cora made two changes to Red Sox' bullpen; Darwinzon Hernández and Hirokazu Sawamura were added, while Matt Barnes and Austin Davis were removed.
Houston took a 1–0 lead in the series via a 5–4 win in Game 1. The Red Sox loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the first, but were unable to score. The Astros scored a run in the bottom of the first; Jose Altuve, who had drawn a leadoff walk, scored on a sacrifice fly by Yordan Alvarez. In the bottom of the second, Houston loaded the bases with one out but did not score. A leadoff home run by Kiké Hernández in the top of the third tied the game. A one-out walk by Xander Bogaerts, followed by a single and an error, gave Boston a 2–1 lead, and Hunter Renfroe then doubled to make it a 3–1 game. With two out in the top of the third, Yimi García relieved Houston starter Framber Valdez. Boston starter Chris Sale left with two on and two out in the bottom of the third, relieved by Adam Ottavino. A two-run homer by Altuve off of Tanner Houck with two out in the bottom of the sixth tied the game, 3–3. Carlos Correa put Houston ahead, 4–3, with a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh off of Hansel Robles. After the Astros loaded the bases with none out in the bottom of the eighth off of Sawamura, an Altuve sacrifice fly gave Houston a 5–3 lead. Boston got a run back to start the ninth, as Hernández homered off of Houston closer Ryan Pressly. Pressly then retired the next three batters, giving Houston the win. The teams combined to use 16 total pitchers in the game, eight each.



Game 2

Boston tied the series at one game each with a 9–5 win in Game 2. Starting pitchers were Nathan Eovaldi for Boston, and Luis García for Houston. J. D. Martinez hit a grand slam in the top of the first to give Boston a 4–0 lead over the Astros. It was the first postseason grand slam in the first inning by a Red Sox player since J. D. Drew in 2007 ALCS Game 6. García left with none out in the top of the second due to knee discomfort. Rafael Devers hit a second grand slam in the top of the second, making the Red Sox the first team in postseason history to hit two grand slams in one game. A fourth-inning homer by Kiké Hernández, his third of the series, made it 9–0. The Astros rallied with two outs in the bottom of the fourth for three runs, trimming Boston's lead to 9–3. Eovaldi left after 5+1⁄3 innings, relieved by Adam Ottavino. Yuli Gurriel and Jason Castro each hit solo home runs off of Darwinzon Hernández in the bottom of the ninth, making it 9–5, the final score.



Game 3


Boston won Game 3, 12–3, to take a 2–1 lead in the series. Eduardo Rodríguez started for Boston and José Urquidy started for Houston. The Red Sox sent 11 men to the plate in the bottom of the second, scoring six runs. Four of the runs came on a grand slam by Kyle Schwarber, the third by a Red Sox batter in two games. Urquidy left with two outs in the second, having allowed six runs (five earned) on five hits and two walks while striking out one batter. Boston added three runs in the bottom of the third, including a two-run homer by Christian Arroyo, extending the Red Sox' lead to 9–0. Astros right fielder Kyle Tucker hit a three-run homer with two out in the top of the fourth, making it a 9–3 game. Boston made it 11–3 in the bottom of the sixth via a two-run homer by J. D. Martinez. Hansel Robles relieved Rodríguez in the top of the seventh, Rodríguez allowed three runs on five hits and no walks while striking out seven in what would turn out to be his final start in a Red Sox uniform. Rafael Devers hit a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth, extending the lead to 12–3, the final score.



Game 4

Houston won Game 4, 9–2, powered by a seven-run ninth inning to even the series, 2–2. Nick Pivetta started for Boston and Zack Greinke started for Houston. The Astros took an early 1–0 lead via a solo home run by Alex Bregman with two outs in the top of the first. In the bottom of the first, Rafael Devers walked with two outs, then Xander Bogaerts homered to give the Red Sox a 2–1 lead. Greinke left with one out in the bottom of the second, having allowed two runs on one hit and three walks; he did not strike out a batter. Christian Arroyo hit a one-out triple in the bottom of the fourth, but the Red Sox were unable to score him. Bogaerts hit a one-out double in the bottom of the fifth and was also left stranded. Pivetta left after the fifth inning, having allowed one run on two hits and two walks; he struck out three. Jose Altuve tied the game, 2–2, with a home run off of Garrett Whitlock to lead off the eighth inning. Nate Eovaldi came in to pitch the top of the ninth, and Carlos Correa led off with a double over Hunter Renfroe in right field. With two outs, Jason Castro singled to drive in Correa and give the Astros a 3–2 lead. Houston was able to load the bases, and Boston brought in Martín Pérez. Michael Brantley hit his first pitch for a double that scored three runs, giving Houston a 6–2 lead. A single by Yordan Alvarez plated another run, making it 7–2. Correa, batting for the second time in the inning, hit a ball fielded by Pérez that was thrown away for an error, allowing another run to score, and a single by Kyle Tucker drove in the Astros' seventh and final run of the inning. Houston closer Ryan Pressly came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth; he allowed two singles, but prevented Boston from scoring as Houston evened the series.



Game 5

Houston won Game 5 by a 9–1 score, putting them a win away from the AL pennant, with the remaining game(s) of the series to be played in Houston. Chris Sale started for the Red Sox and Framber Valdez started for the Astros. Houston took a 1–0 lead on a solo home run by Yordan Alvarez in the top of the second inning. Valdez did not allow a Boston baserunner until the fifth inning. The Astros scored five runs in the top of the sixth, chasing Sale with one out. Houston's runs came on four hits, a walk, and an error, giving the Astros a 6–0 lead. The teams traded runs in the seventh, making it 7–1. Boston's only run of the game was a solo homer by Rafael Devers. Houston added two more runs in the top of the ninth, for the 9–1 final. Valdez went eight innings and got the win, limiting Boston to one run on three hits and a walk while striking out five batters. Sale took the loss, having pitched 5+1⁄3 inning while allowing four runs (two earned) on three hits and two walks while striking out seven.



Game 6

Luis García started for Houston and Nathan Eovaldi for Boston, a rematch of Game 2. The Astros took a 1–0 lead in the bottom of the first; with two outs, Alex Bregman singled then was driven in on a double by Yordan Alvarez that hit off the glove of Red Sox center fielder Kiké Hernández. In the bottom of the fourth, Houston had runners on second and third with no outs, but Eovaldi struck out the next two batters, intentionally walked Yuli Gurriel, and then struck out Chas McCormick to end the threat. Eovaldi left with one out in the bottom of the fifth, having allowed one run on five hits while striking out four; he was relieved by Josh Taylor. García held the Red Sox hitless through five innings; he left in the top of the sixth after allowing a two-out triple to Hernández. García was relieved by Phil Maton, who ended the threat by getting Rafael Devers to pop out. Alvarez opened the bottom of the sixth with a triple off of Taylor near the right-field line. After Carlos Correa was hit by a pitch from Tanner Houck, Kyle Tucker grounded into a double play, scoring Alvarez and giving Houston a 2–0 lead. In the top of the seventh, Boston had runners at first and third with one out; Kendall Graveman struck out Travis Shaw and catcher Martín Maldonado threw out Alex Verdugo, who had been running on the pitch, at second base to end the inning. Alvarez collected his fourth hit of the game in the bottom of the eighth, singling to give the Astros runners at first and second with one out. After Correa grounded out, Tucker homered off of Adam Ottavino, extending Houston's lead to 5–0. Astros closer Ryan Pressly entered to pitch the top of the ninth. He retired the side in order, as Houston advanced to the World Series.




= Postseason rosters

=




Season standings






= American League East

=




= Record against opponents

=



American League


Updated with the results of all games through October 3, 2021.



National League


Reflects all interleague games of the regular season.




Game log






Player stats






= Batting

=
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases; BB = Walks; AVG = Batting average; SLG = Slugging average

Source:[1]




= Pitching

=
Note: W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; H = Hits allowed; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; SO = Strikeouts

Source:[2]




= Postseason game log

=




= Grand slams

=

† Postseason game




= Ejections

=

Source:




Roster






= MLB debuts

=

Red Sox players who made their MLB debuts during the 2021 regular season:

April 2: Hirokazu Sawamura
April 4: Garrett Whitlock
April 14: Eduard Bazardo
June 22: Connor Wong
July 17: Jarren Duran
August 30: Raynel Espinal
September 1: Jack López
September 5: Kutter Crawford
September 11: Connor Seabold
September 13: Kaleb Ort




= Transactions

=

Notable transactions of/for players on the 40-man roster during the 2021 regular season:

On May 3, the team claimed pitcher Brandon Brennan off of waivers from the Seattle Mariners; Ryan Brasier was moved to the 60-day injured list.
On May 21, the team added utility player Danny Santana to the 40-man roster and activated him; Austin Brice was designated for assignment.
On June 3, the team added reliever Brandon Workman to the 40-man roster and activated him; Colten Brewer was designated for assignment.
On June 14, the team acquired pitcher Yacksel Ríos from the Seattle Mariners for cash; Ryan Weber was designated for assignment. Weber was later claimed off of waivers by the Milwaukee Brewers.
On July 16, the team promoted Jarren Duran from Triple-A to the active roster; Brice was again designated for assignment.
On July 29, the team acquired outfielder Kyle Schwarber from the Washington Nationals in exchange for minor-league pitcher Aldo Ramirez; Workman was designated for assignment. Workman subsequently elected to become a free agent.
On July 30, the day of the trade deadline, the team acquired two relief pitchers: Austin Davis from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for Michael Chavis, and Hansel Robles from the Minnesota Twins for minor-league pitcher Alex Scherff, with minor-league outfielder Marcus Wilson designated for assignment in a corresponding move. Wilson was later claimed off of waivers by the Mariners.
On August 13, the team activated Schwarber and designated Marwin González for assignment; González was released three days later.
On August 15, the team claimed infielder Travis Shaw off of waivers from the Brewers.
On August 17, reliever Matt Andriese was designated for assignment; he was released two days later.
Note: players not in the organization as of August 31 were ineligible for the postseason.

On September 2, the team claimed utility player Taylor Motter off of waivers from the Colorado Rockies. He appeared in three games with the team, then was designated for assignment on September 7. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A.
On September 4, the team claimed pitcher Geoff Hartlieb off of waivers from the New York Mets. He was later designated for assignment, then sent outright to Triple-A Worcester after clearing waivers.
On September 6, the team signed free agent infielder José Iglesias, who had previously played with the team during 2011–2013 and had been released on September 3 by the Los Angeles Angels.
On October 21, the team designated outfielder Franchy Cordero for assignment; he cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A four days later.




= Amateur draft

=
Boston had the fourth overall selection in the 2021 MLB draft, held July 11–13. The draft consisted of a total of 612 selections over 20 rounds. The Red Sox' first 10 selections are listed here. The deadline for the team to sign drafted players was August 1.

Source:




Awards and honors



Hunter Renfroe was a finalist for both a Silver Slugger Award and a Gold Glove Award.
Devers, Bogaerts, and Eovaldi each received votes in American League MVP balloting, finishing in 11th, 13th, and 15th place, respectively.
Eovaldi finished in fourth place in American League Cy Young Award balloting.




Farm system



Entering the 2021 season, the Red Sox' farm system underwent multiple changes:

The Worcester Red Sox succeeded the Pawtucket Red Sox as the Triple-A affiliate.
The Lowell Spinners were dropped as an affiliate, as part of a reduction of the total number of minor league teams affiliated with MLB.
The Greenville Drive and Salem Red Sox swapped relative classification levels, with Greenville moving from Single-A to High-A, and Salem moving from Class A-Advanced to Low-A.
Additionally, as part of the MLB reorganization of the minor leagues, the composition and names of various leagues were changed.

Managers were named in late January.
For the All-Star Futures Game, held on the Sunday before the All-Star Game, Boston had two players selected for the American League squad, infielder Jeter Downs (Triple-A) and pitcher Brayan Bello (Double-A).
In baseball at the Summer Olympics, contested during July and August in Tokyo, several minor-league Red Sox players won medals: Triston Casas and Jack López were on the US team that won silver, while Denyi Reyes, Roldani Baldwin, and Johan Mieses were on the Dominican team that won bronze. Darren Fenster, the Red Sox' minor-league outfield and baserunning coordinator, served as third base coach for the US team.

Source:




Notes






References






Further reading


Listed chronologically

Browne, Ian (October 2, 2020). "Here are the 5 biggest questions facing Sox". MLB.com. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
Browne, Ian (October 9, 2020). "What to know: Red Sox 2020 offseason FAQ". MLB.com. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
Trezza, Joe (November 20, 2020). "Sox add prospects Mata, Groome to 40-man". MLB.com. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
Finn, Chad (February 19, 2021). "8 observations on the 2021 Red Sox as spring training begins". Boston.com. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
Finn, Chad (March 19, 2021). "NESN to add Ellis Burks, Mo Vaughn, and Kevin Youkilis to Red Sox broadcasts". The Boston Globe. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
McWilliams, Julian (March 26, 2021). "Introducing the 2021 Red Sox roster". The Boston Globe. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
Andrews, Mike (July 8, 2021). "2021 Red Sox Draft Preview". SoxProspects.com. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
Abraham, Peter (October 23, 2021). "Despite the disappointment of losing the ALCS, the Red Sox have many reasons to be optimistic going forward". The Boston Globe. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
Finn, Chad (October 24, 2021). "The Red Sox weren't always a great team, but they achieved some great things". The Boston Globe. Retrieved October 24, 2021 – via Boston.com.




External links


2021 Boston Red Sox at Baseball Reference
2021 Boston Red Sox season at Official Site

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