Milestone Day Helped Red Sox Stay Loose During Skid

From the outside looking in, it might have seemed as if the Boston Red Sox were feeling the pressure of holding on to a playoff spot. They struggled to score runs against the New York Yankees in the first two games of the series, played tight defense and made baserunning errors. Alex Cora even pumped the brakes on playoff expectations in a press conference.

On Sunday night, the offense exploded in the first inning, scoring six runs against Yankees starter Will Warren. The pitching staff held on for the rest of the game, avoiding a sweep. While the win quelled some of the panic from the fan base, manager Alex Cora said the clubhouse is as loose as ever.

“It was fantasy football this morning. They watched a lot of football, and they were ready to play,” Cora said.

He also noted that the team celebrated Trevor Story, who reached 10 years of professional service time on Sunday.

Less than 10% of players reached 10 years of service time, making it a prestigious accomplishment. There’s a financial benefit, as well. At 10 years of service, the MLB player pension plan fully vests, providing the maximum benefit in retirement. While Story likely isn’t concerned with his pension, it’s an achievement to celebrate nonetheless.

“Yeah, it means a lot,” Story said. “I think about the debut obviously, but just all the people that have helped me get here, the trainers, the strength coaches, my family, my friends, everyone who has helped me get here, those are the people that I think about. The support system that I have is incredible, and they should be just as much as proud of this as me.”

The Red Sox have had to play without Story a lot over the past few seasons. This season, he’s healthy and has become one of the team’s most important players. He’s slashed .261/.307/.461 in 146 games. He leads the team with 24 home runs and 28 stolen bases.

In September, he’s posted a .892 OPS. With the offense scuffling since Roman Anthony went down with an injury, the Red Sox will need Story to continue to produce to punch their ticket to the postseason.