BOSTON — After three years of mediocrity, frustration and failure in Boston, during a season in which they traded away a franchise player while watching a rookie phenom rise to power, the Red Sox are returning to the postseason.
Ceddanne Rafaela’s drive off the wall in center knocked in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning, giving the Red Sox a 4-3 victory on Friday night over the free-falling Tigers. With that, Rafaela’s teammates rushed the field at a frenzied Fenway Park.
RED SOX CLINCH A POSTSEASON SPOT WITH A #WALKOFF pic.twitter.com/R42wOrwNt8
— MLB (@MLB) September 27, 2025
As late as last week’s homestand, in which the Red Sox lost four of six games, their postseason hopes seemed imperiled. But they propelled themselves back to a comfortable spot as teams around them collapsed, creating an opportunity for a clinch that the Red Sox did not miss.
“It feels good, not at all satisfied though,” said ace Garrett Crochet, whose dominant start Wednesday inched the club closer to the playoffs. “We still got a lot of games that we intend on playing, and I don’t intend on that being my last one.”
It didn’t matter how they got in; once again, the Red Sox are October-bound. Their opponent remains up in the air.
At the end-of-season news conference last year, CEO Sam Kennedy and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow vowed there would be changes. But the fanbase had become accustomed to the team’s empty promises. A run for the 2025 postseason was viewed with skepticism.
“We haven’t had a deep postseason run since 2021 and haven’t won the ultimate prize since 2018,” Kennedy said at the time. “So we’re hungry and focused, and if we do the right things from a baseball ops perspective, we’re going to get where we need to go.”
It wasn’t a linear path, not many things in baseball are, but with deep financial commitments, cleaner baseball on the field, an ace on the mound and a young resilient group, the Red Sox kept that promise and paved their path back to the postseason.
It started with trading for one of baseball’s best young starters in Crochet at the Winter Meetings and continued with signing a veteran leader with two World Series rings in third baseman Alex Bregman. After years of tiptoeing around big moves in the offseason, the Red Sox signaled they were, in fact, going all in. Signing Crochet to a six-year, $170 million extension in April provided further evidence.
All spring, the club navigated an increasingly uncomfortable relationship with Rafael Devers, one for which they were largely at fault. And yet, instead of enduring the awkwardness they created, one that threatened to derail a promising group and block playing time for its top prospects, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow pulled off the franchise-altering trade in mid-June, all on the heels of one of Boston’s best stretches.
It took a while for the Red Sox to find their footing without Devers, and at times, the lineup has looked as if it sorely missed his big bat. However, his departure also created room for manager Alex Cora to use the roster more freely.
Now, after three straight seasons finishing at or below the .500 mark, the Red Sox will see if they have what it takes to turn a gritty season into a magical October.
“I feel proud,” catcher Carlos Narvaez said Wednesday night on the cusp of clinching a spot. “It’s been a long, long journey. … The fans are going to be rocking, especially this weekend, and in the postseason, too. We cannot wait.”
(Photo of Ceddanne Rafaela: Brian Fluharty / Getty Images)
