It would have been hard to find even an ardent pessimist who could have predicted that the Boston Red Sox would start their season like this.
Through nine games, the Red Sox’s 2-7 record was the worst in Major League Baseball, half a game worse than the Athletics, who had yet to finish their game on Sunday when Boston took a loss to the San Diego Padres. We could talk about statistics all day, but instead, let’s talk about optics.
Bad stretches happen to every team, but the Red Sox really couldn’t afford one to this degree. Fan mistrust with the ownership group and front office was teetering on the edge all offseason, and fairly or unfairly, this start has lit the powder keg.
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Red Sox fans’ morale currently in the dumpster
Apr 5, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Ranger Suarez (55) is relieved of pitching duties during the fifth inning against the San Diego Padres at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images
What could have been a cathartic Sunday at Fenway Park after the Red Sox jumped on Walker Buehler for four early runs instead turned into an ugly scene. Ranger Suárez’s second start with his new team came unraveled in the fourth inning, then Greg Weissert allowed a killer three-run home run to Manny Machado to put San Diego up 6-4.
The Red Sox even had a chance to salvage the day after Masataka Yoshida tied things up, but Jackson Merrill and Fernando TatÃs Jr. jolted home runs in the eighth and ninth innings against Tyler Uberstine and Zack Kelly, two guys who weren’t even on the roster at the end of the team’s last series, to ensure Boston would hit rock bottom.
Fan anger was palpable on Sunday, and the most viral moment of the game was a few of them chanting “Sell the Team,” which could be heard on the broadcast after TatÃs’ home run.
“Sell the team” chants are coming through the broadcast… pic.twitter.com/Hc8FBPjSHd
— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) April 5, 2026
Sunday’s game was the first time all season the Red Sox scored six or more runs, a nod to just how bad this offense has been. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow will take the heat for that trend as long as it continues, as Rafael Devers and Alex Bregman are no longer with the team, and ownership will take heat for seemingly not wanting to shell out enough marquee contracts to secure big bats like those in the middle of the lineup.
As Yogi Berra would say, it’s getting late early for these Red Sox.