When I talked to 2007 World Series champ Kyle Snyder a few years back, one thing he said really stood out. And yes, we were talking about the 2007 World Series Champion Boston Red Sox because I don’t really care to talk about the weather.
No, it wasn’t about Alex Cora. No, it wasn’t about Kevin Cash. But it was about winning.
“I think winning builds chemistry,” he told me. “We hit the ground running and it was that hot start we got in April that built the foundation in terms of the chemistry itself.”
Boom! You see that? Getting off to a good start can be a great thing for an MLB ballclub. So how does that relate to the 2018 Red Sox? Very simple.
Take a look at this Red Sox schedule early in the season. Of the first two series's the Red Sox play, two of ‘em are against the Tampa Bay Rays. The friggin Rays! That’s the team most people have coming in last place in the AL East. They don’t even have a five man rotation and didn’t do much to replace Evan Longoria or Logan Morrison.
Oh, and the Red Sox also had that nice little 2-game sweep over the Miami Marlins. Again, that’s a team no one expects to do anything. Derek Jeter gutted them like an unappetizing fish.
Through six games, the Red Sox were off to a 5-1 start and their next games were going to be a home series against the Rays. That’s a very winnable series for the Red Sox. Sweeping isn’t out of the question and no, I didn’t just jynx them.
Think about it though: the Red Sox could get some real momentum going with some easy wins early in the season. Let’s just say that if they can get off to an 8-1 start to the year and they’re having fun in the process, that’ll do them wonders as the season progresses.