Since the infamous "chicken and beer" Boston Red Sox collapsed in September 2011 to miss the playoffs, the franchise has vacillated between success (World Series titles in 2013 and 2018) and disappointment (five last-place finishes since 2012). The 2023 Red Sox are a hybrid of the past decade: surprising at times, frustrating at others, still in the playoff race -- three games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for the third American League wild card -- but hardly a serious World Series contender.
With the Red Sox hosting the New York Mets on Sunday Night Baseball (7 ET, ESPN), here is what we are learning about a franchise striving to become a consistent World Series threat but still figuring out how to get there.