How about an enlightening dose of perspective before the Red Sox begin a crucial three-game series against the first-place New York Yankees on Tuesday?
No, the Sox aren’t hitting home runs. They rank 12th out of 15 teams in production from the designated hitter spot after David Ortiz kept them in first or second place in 10 of the previous 13 years. Their second baseman is injured and they have not a single reliable third baseman.
But before we explain why the 2017 Red Sox are a team that should continue to operate as if they’re World Series contenders, let’s travel back in time for a bird’s eye view.