{"id":658380,"date":"2026-04-02T08:31:56","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T08:31:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/658380\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T08:31:56","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T08:31:56","slug":"red-sox-drop-to-1-5-in-ugly-2026-start-as-fan-anger-mounts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/658380\/","title":{"rendered":"Red Sox Drop to 1-5 in Ugly 2026 Start as Fan Anger Mounts"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"Red\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

The Boston Red Sox are off to their worst start since 2019 and Red Sox Nation is on edge.\n<\/p>\n

The Boston Red Sox<\/a> fell to 1-5 on Wednesday, extending their worst start in years as early-season struggles continue to mount. It\u2019s the Red Sox\u2019 worst start since 2019 and second-worst since opening the season with six straight losses<\/a> in 2011, and the team\u2019s ardent fan base, known as Red Sox Nation, is not happy about it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, like we\u2019re the idiots for watching, I guess,\u201d declared online Red Sox live streamer<\/a> Grant Huckvale, better known as \u201cHogdale,\u201d of Barstool Sports. \u201cThank God an off day tomorrow. See you Friday for more of the (expletive) House of Fun Bullies.\u201d<\/p>\n

With Friday\u2019s home opener at Fenway approaching, the Red Sox face mounting pressure to stop the slide before early-season questions intensify.<\/p>\n

The Red Sox won their game against the Cincinnati Reds<\/a> on Opening Day, but have not won since, as Wednesday\u2019s day game defeat to the Houston Astros<\/a> completed a three-game sweep at Daikin Park.<\/p>\n

Boston now heads back to Fenway Park for the home opener on Friday, when they will take on the San Diego Padres<\/a>, another struggling team. The Padres opened their season at 1-4<\/a> heading into Wednesday\u2019s matchup at home with the San Francisco Giants<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But Barstool founder Dave Portnoy had a suggestion for fans at the home opener.<\/p>\n

\u201cRed Sox fans should all wear bags over their head that say sell the team for opening day,\u201d Portnoy wrote on his<\/a> X (formerly Twitter) account, over a posted image of Red Sox principal owner John Henry.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Ace Garrett Crochet Calls Team \u2018Embarrassing\u2019<\/p>\n

Wednesday\u2019s loss was especially painful for Red Sox fans, because it came with their ace Garrett Crochet, last year\u2019s Cy Young Award runner-up, on the mound. But though the 6-foot-6, 245-pound lefty struck out seven in five innings with no walks \u2014 though he hit one batter \u2014 the Astros<\/a> reached him for five runs, and with the floundering Red Sox offense scoring only four, that was enough.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s embarrassing,\u201d Crochet told the Red Sox broadcast outlet NESN<\/a> after the game. \u201cTypically in the past, I\u2019ve played that stopper role and today I just let the guys down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Manager Alex Cora was also at a loss to explain the early-season swoon. In Cora\u2019s eight-year tenure, the Red Sox have posted a winning record through the first five games only twice, first in 2018, his rookie year<\/a> as Red Sox manager.<\/p>\n

The Red Sox started 4-1 that season and went on to win 108 games and the World Series. Since then, the Cora-led Red Sox have won more than two of the opening five games only in 2024, when the team went 3-2, but ended the season at 81-81<\/a> and out of the postseason picture.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot good,\u201d Cora told NESN<\/a> after Wednesday\u2019s game. \u201cWe talk about cleaning a lot of stuff. Putting the ball in play, play good defense, run the bases better, and overall this whole week wasn\u2019t great.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"\/<\/a><\/p>\n

More Unhappy Fans Express Red Sox Frustration<\/p>\n

Of course, the Red Sox could quickly turn their fortunes, and fan emotions, in a more positive direction by winning at home, where they play their next six games. But for now, fans are in a depressed state.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got nothin for ya,\u201d wrote Nat Gordon of the Play Tessie<\/a> podcast. \u201cHard to imagine worse vibes heading into a home opener. Reminds me of 2019 in a way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c2018 might\u2019ve been the only season in my lifetime that the Red Sox didn\u2019t start off like complete a**,\u201d wrote Red Sox superfan and media personality<\/a> Jared Carrabis. \u201cEvery year, we wait all winter to watch this team start the season with a daily dose of depression.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Red Sox home opener is scheduled for Friday, April 3, at 2:10 p.m. Eastern Time at Fenway Park in Boston. The Red Sox will send offseason trade acquisition Sonny Gray to the mound for his second start of the season. The Padres are scheduled to start Michael King, also making his second start.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"\/<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tJonathan Vankin<\/a> JONATHAN VANKIN is an award-winning journalist and writer who now covers baseball and other sports for Heavy.com. He twice won New England Press Association awards for sports feature writing. He was a sports editor and writer at The Daily Yomiuri in Tokyo, Japan, covering Japan Pro Baseball, boxing, sumo and other sports. More about Jonathan Vankin<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Red Sox\n\t\t<\/p>\n

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