DHL Dan CCLXI - Hope Springs Eternal

In this week's Picked up Pieces column, Shank reflects on the recent ten game winning streak by the Red Sox:

The Red Sox’ long winning streak could be a clear indication that this season will indeed be memorable, and other thoughts

Picked-up pieces while remembering the words of Crash Davis, who said, “A player on a streak has to respect the streak. You know why? Because they don’t happen very often.”

⋅ The Red Sox’ 10-game winning streak leading into the All-Star break is a thing of beauty that should be embraced, celebrated, and respected. Streaks like this don’t happen very often.

The streak ended Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field when the Sox were stuffed by the Chicago Cubs, 4-1. But the good news is that, Sox winning streaks of 10 or more games have unfolded during some of the team’s most successful and memorable seasons.

The 2018 Sox, managed by Alex Cora, won 10 straight en route to 119 wins and the franchise’s most recent world championship. That’s when general manager Dave Dombrowski had an unlimited budget, building a team that won 108 regular-season games, then went 11-3 in the postseason, wiping out the Dodgers in a five-game World Series. It might be the greatest Red Sox team of all time.