Category: Boston Red Sox

Ticket Demand for Red Sox Heating Up Despite Start

Tickets for the Boston Red Sox are still among the top sports tickets in the secondary ticket market.  Fans have waited a long, cold, windy, snowy winter in the Boston area to see their Red Sox come back and kick off a new season.  With the addition of a 3rd World Series trophy in 10 years, the Red Sox shocked baseball analysts in 2013.  Most experts picked the Red Sox to finish 4th… not in the MLB, not in the AL…. in the AL East.  The Sox prevailed and it was the story of unsung heroes, beards and unlikely results that brought Boston back to the World Series.

The 2014 season has been a much anticipated season and there is no doubt, the Red Sox have struggled thus far.  Despite their record and despite their performance thus far, fans are still handing over big bucks for tickets to Red Sox games.  According to Fenway Ticket King, ticket prices are up almost 20% from this time last year.  The price is not deterring Sox fans, Ticket News currently has the Boston Red Sox ranked number 4 overall in sports among tickets sold on the secondary ticket market (ticket resellers).

There is a good chance that ticket prices will even out and become more consistent with last years prices however.  Boston Red Sox tickets are expected to fluctuate and lower based on the team’s performance.  This has yet to be seen, however there are several other factors that are in play when dealing with ticket prices.  Weekend games are usually higher ticket prices.  Games against rivals and good teams also can increase ticket prices and demand.  Also, closer to game day, the starting pitchers can also alter the price of tickets.

If you’re looking at Red Sox tickets for the 2014 season, there is no guarantee that tickets will become cheaper closer to gameday.  However, if you do wait till the last minute, you can still order online.  E-Tickets, next day delivery and local pickup allow fans to order tickets the day before or the day of and still secure their tickets before the game.

 

De Ja Vu… Ellsbury Comes Through

Two nights ago (8/2/11), the Boston Red Sox won a 1-run game against the Cleveland Indians off a Jacoby Ellsbury walk-off hit that scored Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

Last night (8/3/11), the Boston Red Sox won a 1-run game against the Cleveland Indians  off a Jacoby Ellsbury walk-off home run that scored the game winning run.

These are Jacoby Ellsbury’s first two walk off hits in his career and the come in consecutive games.  Things are clicking for the Red Sox and although the offense cooled down a bit, they are finding ways to keep the Yankees at bay.

The Red Sox hold a 1 game lead against the Yankees in the AL East race.  The AL East has quite a good standing in the MLB this season… 4 out of 5 teams have winning records (Baltimore, of course, being the one without a winning record).

Boston plays one more game with Cleveland before a weekend series with the Yankees at Fenway Park.  This season, Boston holds a 5-1 record against the hated Yankees.

American League East

Team W L PCT GB
Boston 68 41 .624 –
NY Yankees 67 42 .615 1.0
Tampa Bay 57 52 .523 11.0
Toronto 56 54 .509 12.5
Baltimore 43 64 .402 24.0

 

 

Lester Getting Ready to Return on Monday

Jon Lester threw a bullpen session on his route back to the rotation.  Lester is scheduled to return to the rotation on this Monday at Fenway Park against the Kansas City Royals.  Lester’s return couldn’t come at a better time, the Red Sox are hurting for consistent starting pitching.

Terry Francona said that the team is working at building the left-hander up, and the manager was delighted with how Lester threw in the session. The skipper called it “tremendous” and said the lefty will throw again on Friday.

Lester has been on the DL since July 6 with a left latissimus (near his shoulder) strain, and Francona said the Red Sox will probably hold him back a little Monday, limiting him to 80-90 pitches.

Red Sox Record Best in AL, 2nd in MLB

The Red Sox are holding onto the best winning percentage in the American League with a record of 58 wins and 36 losses (.617 win %).  The Red Sox have 68 games remaining this season and if they maintain a .617 winning percentage, they are scheduled to win another 42 games.  That would put their record at 100-62 for the season!

A 100 (or more) win season isn’t necessarily a lock for playoff success… many teams know that a 100+ win season and the World Series trophy are a rare combination.  However, it would be great as a Red Sox fan to see Boston with a 100+ win season over the Yankees.  The Sox were off to a slow start this season and since have been playing better than .617.  If you look at the record from May till now, the Red Sox are 47-21.  That is a .691 win percentage.  Now if you factor in the remaining 68 games along with the win percentage since May 1, 2011, the Record would figure to be 105-57 (47 wins out of 68 games remaining).  That would hold true IF the Sox maintain their current winning percentage.  I know it is very substantial and there are many variables here, BUT baseball is a game of numbers and averages.

105 wins would tie the Red Sox all time wins record in a season (1912) and would make the top 20 MLB records of all time.  To tie the MLB all time record, the Red Sox would have to win 58 out of 68 remaining games.  58 – 10 is not impossible, but also not probable.  58-10 would be a win % of .853.  The record is held by both Seattle Mariners (2001) and the Chicago Cubs (1906) with 116 wins.

Mets Want ‘Top Prospect’ in Exchange for Carlos Beltran

 

Carlos BeltranIf the Francisco Rodriguez trade got you thinking that the Mets might be willing to shed salary without receiving much in return this summer, think again. At least for now.

The Mets traded their closer (along with his $5 million price tag for the rest of the season and at least his $3.5 million buyout for next season) to the Brewers for two players to be named later. It was, essentially, a salary dump for a team in Queens that needed one.

That won’t be the case with Carlos Beltran, though, as ESPN’s Buster Olney reported Thursday morning that the Mets won’t be willing to part ways with the outfielder unless they receive a top prospect in return.

“The Mets believe they have the best available outfielder in a mediocre market for offensive players, and are aiming to land a top prospect — and they have indicated that they will keep the slugger until they get exactly what they want,” Olney wrote. “A major hurdle will be how much of the money still owed to Beltran — about $8 million, at this point — will be paid off by the Mets.”

Beltran is a free agent-to-be, and he’s batting .285 with 13 homers, 58 RBIs and an .880 OPS in 89 games. At 34 years old, he will be motivated to perform in the second half of the season (and perhaps the postseason) in order to earn one last big payday. The Mets know that, so they won’t be in a hurry to accept the first offer that comes their way. Olney listed the Red Sox, Giants, Tigers, Indians, Rays and Braves as just some of the potential teams that might be willing to add the switch hitter.

“The Mets have let it be known to other teams: Beltran will cost you, and if you don’t want to say yes to our demands, we believe some other team will, and we will wait for that moment,” Olney wrote.

Of course, as July 31 draws nearer, and the prospect of paying Beltran’s remaining salary becomes more of a possibility for the Mets, the price could (and likely will) go down. For now, though, it looks like any Beltran deal will come closer to the end of the month, as the Mets weigh their options. (Source: Nesn.com)

Boston Grasps 1st Place Going into All Star Break

The Red Sox completed the sweep of the Baltimore Orioles yesterday and continued their 6 game win streak into the All Star break.  Boston is 1.0 games up on the Yankees.

Boston players heading to the All Star game include: David Ortiz, Adrian Gonzalez, Jacoby Ellsbury, Kevin Youkilis, Josh Beckett and Jon Lester.  Boston is tied with the 2nd most all stars from one team.  The Yankees have the most with 8.

Boston will hopefully keep momentum on their side and continue establishing a lead between themselves and the rest of the AL East.  After the All Star break, Boston will travel to Tampa and then Baltimore.

Meet Chico Walker – And Get an Autograph

On July 9th, 2011, Chico Walker will be in Autograph Alley for approximately an hour, starting 90 minutes before the first pitch. (Location: Inside the Red Sox Team Store on Yawkey Way.)  This is open for all fans and it is urged that you show up as early as possible to get in line to meet Chico Walker.  Make sure you bring a card, baseball, photo, hat or other memorabilia for Chico to sign.  This will be right before the Red Sox vs Orioles game at Fenway Park in Boston, MA.

Chico Walker spent 4 seasons in Boston to start his career before moving onto the Chicago Cubs, California Angels and New York Mets.  Chico had 20 hits in 81 at bats as a Red Sox player and had 2 triples and 1 home run.  Walker’s career came to an end in 1993.

And the Sox Move Into 1st

Last night’s 6-4 win and a Yankees loss to the Tampa Bay Rays was enough to move Boston back into first place in the American League East standings.  The Yankees may have 1 game in hand (86 games played to Boston’s 87 games played), however, Boston will have the upper hand come the All Star Break because Boston will have an extra day off. Also, more New York players will be affected by traveling to and from the All Star game.

Once the All Star break is over, Boston will be playing against Tampa Bay and then Baltimore while New York will be taking on Toronto and Tampa Bay.  All four series will be on the road for Boston and New York.  The Red Sox and Yankees won’t play each other until the first week of August when the Yankees travel to Boston for a 3 game series directly after a 4 game series with the Chicago White Sox (they can call it their Sox trip).

As of now, the Boston Red Sox are on pace to reach 97 wins…. BUT keep in mind that they are playing great baseball right now and they had a horrible start to the season.  If Boston’s start wasn’t so bad, they might have a 5 or 6 game lead at this point.

Current AL East Standings (as of 7/8/2011 @ 8:34 am est)

Team W L PCT GB
Boston 52 35 .598 –
NY Yankees 51 35 .593 0.5
Tampa Bay 49 39 .557 3.5
Toronto 42 47 .472 11.0
Baltimore 36 49 .424 15.0

Red Sox Back Within a Half Game in AL East

Tim WakefieldTim Wakefield and the Red Sox earned a win against the Toronto Blue Jays last night to come within .5 games of the Yankees in the AL East standings.  The Red Sox are 51-35 overall and the Yankees are 51-34 overall.

The Red Sox start a series against the Baltimore Orioles tonight in Boston and it’s a 4 game series that will take Boston up into the All Star Break.  Boston has a great chance to take a few wins from the struggling Baltimore Orioles the next few days and move ahead of the Yankees in the standings.

The Tampa Bay Rays are now 4 games behind New York and are also in the hunt of the AL East lead.  Adrian Gonzalez of the Red Sox was just named the player of the month for June in the American League.  Although pitchers on the Red Sox are on and off the DL, the Red Sox have found ways to win games and snap the brief loosing streak from 2 weeks ago.

It would be nice to see the Red Sox with a slight advantage over the Yankees in the AL Standings during the All Star break!