I'm the Boston Red Sox, and I just finished up the 2016 season. 95-67, second place in the AL East. We clinched a wild card spot, and so did the Toronto Blue Jays (89-73). In the play-in game, Brandon Morrow took a no-hitter into the eighth inning.
He began the eighth inning by giving up a four pitch walk to Jose Bautista. After that, he struck out David Renfroe and Matt Wieters. Seth Smith came up to bat, and he sucked all year. Somehow, he managed to hit a comebacker up the middle that snuck between Jose Reyes and Absdrubal Cabrera. Bautista scored. 3-1, Toronto. He got the next batter out.
My closer, Drew Storen, comes in to begin the ninth inning. He shuts down the first two batters, and then gives up a solo shot to Gose. He walks the next batter, and gets the third out when he induces a weak ground ball to to Middlebrooks at third. 3-1, Toronto. I was thinking rally. I wanted the playoffs.
Boone Logan comes in for Toronto. He proceeds to walk Tzu Wei-Lin and Xander Bogaerts. Justin Upton hits a single to left field, and the bases are loaded for Will Middlebrooks. Middlebrooks strikes out. Jose Bautista comes up, and he strikes out. David Renfroe came up to the plate, and he hit a long fly ball - to the warning track - ...
We needed this. We needed this one hit. It changed everything.
He hit a long fly ball for out number three.
Now, the off-season is just about to begin. I spent 74 million plus constructing this team in the off-season. I added Upton, Wieters, Bautista, Smith, Cahill, Papelbon ... but we couldn't make it to the first round. This was supposed to be Boston's year. Now I'm heartbroken.
I don't know if I should trade everyone, or if I should give my young players (de la Rosa, Webster, Workman, Bradley Jr., Lin, Renfroe, and Bogaerts) a chance to mature around the established cast and give it a go next year.
I do know that I hate the goddamn Blue Jays for making the ALDS and then getting swept by the AL Central, sub-500 Detroit Tigers.
