COMMENTARY
Every great rivalry begins like this. And this, at the moment, is the best baseball has to offer.
The best.
In 2017, Houston beats Boston in a four-game Division Series on its way to a championship. The Red Sox respond by hiring Houston’s bench coach as their new manager. In 2018, that manager’s team wins a five-game AL Championship Series on its way to a championship. (Doing so with J.D. Martinez, whom Houston cast off after three middling seasons.)
Houston had 204 wins in 2017-18. Boston had 201. They’ve essentially split their last 23 games (Houston, 12-11), including their nine postseason ones (Boston, 5-4).