The Red Sox are back in the ALCS for the first time since 2018, and have already gone much further than anyone expected. In a way, everything is gravy. But at the same time, we are certainly rooting for the deepest run possible, and to that end the Astros seemed like the worst matchup. Obviously they are an outstanding team simply on the merits of making it this far, and doing so for five straight years. And there’s also the matchup history this year between the two, when Houston didn’t just beat Boston five out of seven times, and didn’t just do so handily, but did so early in the year with the Red Sox rolling heading into each of those series (which were within a two-week span).
The Red Sox defense will be the key factor in the ALCS
