By Tiffany Williams –
I really didn’t want to jump on the bandwagon and start hooting for the Boston Red Sox — or fall in line screaming “Red Hot Red Sox” or “Rolling Sox” — but let’s face it: the Sox are on the high road right now as they close out the first half of the season.
With Saturday’s 1-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays, the Sox have now won nine straight. The last time they strung together a streak that long was from April 5 to April 14, 2019. They’re also a season-high seven games above .500, the best they’ve been since August 21, 2024.
So yeah, the Rolling Hot Red Sox are blazing into July, winning 10 of their first 11 games this month for the first time since 2018. They’ve also opened a homestand with six straight wins — something they haven’t done since a 7-0 stretch from June 25 to July 1, 2021.
The Red Sox are officially one of the hottest teams in Major League Baseball. Winners of nine straight and 12 of their last 14, they’re peaking midseason with a powerful mix of elite pitching, timely hitting, and growing poise in close games. Their seven-games-above-.500 mark is the clearest sign yet that this team has rediscovered its identity — built on resilience, pitching dominance, and young talent stepping up.
Boston’s pitching staff — starters and bullpen alike — have been the engine driving their July surge, boasting a 2.27 ERA, best in MLB. The rotation has been even better with a 2.11 ERA, while the club has logged two shutouts and six one-run victories in their last eight such games.
Garrett Crochet’s complete-game shutout Saturday was a defining performance — three hits, no walks, nine strikeouts — and one of the most dominant outings in recent Red Sox memory. He became just the fourth Red Sox pitcher since 2000 to throw a shutout in a 1-0 win, and the first to do it at Fenway since Pedro Martinez in 2000. Only two other pitchers in franchise history — Cy Young and Tex Hughson — have ever thrown a 1-0 shutout with 9+ strikeouts, three or fewer hits, and no walks.
It wasn’t an offensive explosion, but the Sox showed once again that timely execution can win games. All the scoring came in the bottom of the fourth: Roman Anthony doubled, and Carlos Narváez followed with an RBI single. In the fifth, Trevor Story doubled for his 1,000th career hit — a milestone moment for the veteran.
Anthony also extended his hitting streak to eight games, becoming just the ninth player in franchise history aged 21 or younger to accomplish that feat. He’s proving each night that he belongs in the big leagues.
The Sox went just 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position, missing chances after back-to-back leadoff doubles in the fourth and fifth. But in a tight, low-scoring battle, small ball and situational hitting were enough.
Boston has flipped the script in one-run games. After struggling early in the year, they’ve now won six of their last eight such contests, improving to 12-19. It’s a sign of a team gaining confidence, executing in pressure situations, and relying on a bullpen that’s come up big lately. It also marks only the second time since 1971 that the Sox have had multiple three-game streaks of one-run wins in a season. Saturday’s win was their first 1-0 victory at Fenway in nearly seven years.
At 52-45 overall, and 10-1 in July, Boston is surging. They’ve clinched the season series against the Rays for the first time since 2018 — a symbolic turning point considering Tampa Bay’s dominance over the past five years. The Sox have also won four straight series and eight of their last eleven, showing that this isn’t just a hot streak — it’s a team settling into form.
With momentum on their side, Boston is putting together a legitimate Wild Card push, and depending on how the Yankees and Orioles fare, the AL East race might not be out of reach.
The Sox are finally playing like a complete team. With Garrett Crochet emerging as a true ace, Roman Anthony establishing himself as a future star, and the bullpen locking down close games, Boston isn’t just winning — they’re growing into a contender.
If the offense can stay healthy and find another gear, the Red Sox will be dangerous down the stretch.