The Atlantic

The Red Sox Need a World Series Win

Anything short of a championship would in many ways render Boston’s entire season a failure.
Source: Troy Taormina / USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

Fenway Park was euphoric.

The Red Sox may have lumbered through the game’s first seven innings and found themselves in a five-run hole in the bottom of the eighth, but suddenly the team’s bats came alive. Out of nowhere, Christian Vazquez was hustling as fast as his catcher’s legs could take him toward home, narrowly shimmying around a tag at the plate to tie the game. And then a long fly ball was crashing into the Green Monster’s scoreboard, and Mookie Betts was rounding third to give the Sox the lead and, later, the victory.

It was exhilarating. It was triumphant. It was the feeling that inspires normally levelheaded people to throw

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