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Aaliyan Mohammed is a Newsweek contributor based in Atlanta, GA. His focus is MLB content. Aaliyan has been with Newsweek since 2024 and previously worked at MLB.com, Wisconsin Sports Heroics and Heavy.com. He is a graduate of Mississippi State University. You can get in touch with Aaliyan by emailing a.mohammed@newsweek.com
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The Boston Red Sox lost two out of three games against the Athletics in their latest series.
After the loss, the Red Sox have just a 1 1/2-game lead on the Cleveland Guardians for the final wild card spot. The Guardians have stormed back into the postseason race and now threaten the Red Sox.
While the Guardians are not letting the Red Sox get comfortable, manager Alex Cora is not worrying about what the Guardians do down the stretch.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 08: Manager Alex Cora #13 of the Boston Red Sox looks on before the game against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park on September 08, 2025 in Sacramento, California.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 08: Manager Alex Cora #13 of the Boston Red Sox looks on before the game against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park on September 08, 2025 in Sacramento, California.
Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images
“We’re controlling our own destiny,” Cora told reporters, per MassLive’s Christopher Smith, after the series loss to the A’s. “So go to Tampa, win a series. That’s the way I see it.”
The Guardians are just 3 1/2 games back of the Detroit Tigers now. The Tigers looked like locks to win the division, but after being swept by the Guardians this week, things are very much in question.
The Red Sox’s chances to make the postseason are down to 83.2%, according to FanGraphs. The team’s odds were 91.1% before the series against the A’s.
The Red Sox finish the season off against the Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays and the Tigers. If the Guardians overtake the Tigers in the division, the Red Sox’s final series against the Tigers could ultimately decide who goes to the postseason.
Cora is right, though. The Red Sox do not need to worry about what other teams do so long as they keep winning. The 1 1/2-game cushion is not much, but all the Red Sox have to do is get in. Once October starts, anything can happen, and every team has a clean slate.
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