McAdam: Red Sox reach 100 .. .and counting

Even as their championship drought dragged on, year after year -- heck, decade after decade -- the Red Sox, as a franchise, had themselves some impressive regular seasons. Remember: it was October that always threw them for a loop.

But this was a franchise that won a thrilling four-team pennant race to win the A.L. flag in 1967. Eight years later, they won the AL East and took part in a classic World Series. Three years later, they owned, lost, then re-gained a share of the division title.

They won enough to reach the playoffs several times in the 1990s and again in the early part of this century. Finally, the drought ended with a World Series win in 2004, followed the following year by a first-place tie, then, another pennant and World Series in 2007, and the next year, another trip to the ALCS.

In 2013, they rebounded from a last-place finish the previous year to win the division and another title. And in each of the last two seasons, they captured the A.L. East crown.

But in none of those seasons did the Red Sox manage to do what this year's edition accomplished with a 1 -0 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays Wednesday night when, for only the fourth time in franchise history and the first time since 1946, the Sox won their 100th game.

It marked the second-straight night of a milestone being realized at Fenway. On Tuesday, the Sox, by virtue of their win over the Jays and some help elsewhere, had assured themselves of a playoff spot, qualifying for the third consecutive year.

But then, reaching the postseason has become the minimum standard for the Red Sox, who have done so 10 times in the last 17 seasons.

The 100 wins, however, was an accomplishment that was a long time in development. Put it this way: to recall the last time it happened, you'd have to be, conservatively, 77 years old.

It never happened over the course of Carl Yastrzemski's long career, which covered parts of three decades. It didn't happen while Jim Rice played. Or, for that matter, Pedro Martinez or Manny Ramirez or David Ortiz. The latter three won some rings -- Ortiz has three by himself -- but the Sox never won more than 98 regular-season games while any of the trio wore Red Sox uniforms.

Only last year, two American League teams topped the 100-win mark: Houston and Cleveland. But before Wednesday night, the last AL East team to clear that bar was the 2009 Yankees.

"Me personally, I've talked about it with a couple of guys already,'' mused Mitch Moreland. "I've been pretty fortunate through my career to be on some good teams but I've never been on one, so it's definitely special.''

Indeed, Moreland went to the postseason five times while with the Texas Rangers, including back-to-back trips to the World Series. But never did those Texas teams get to 100.

Around the Red Sox clubhouse, there was more of the same. Ian Kinsler played with Moreland in Texas and then was traded to Detroit before the 2014 season. The Tigers won the AL Central, but didn't come close to winning 100.

In fact, in a clubhouse stuffed to the gills with about 37 players, not a one had been on a 100-win team. A  number of players -- Moreland, Kinsler, J.D. Martinez, David Price, Brandon Phillips, Drew Pomeranz -- had made multiple stops in their playing careers before arriving in Boston, and none of them had played on a team with 100 or more victories.

The distinction will mean nothing in a few weeks when the postseason begins, of course. Some teams have won fewer than 90 and won a ring, while the winningest team in modern history, the 2001 Seattle Mariners, never even reached the World Series.

Perhaps that's why manager Alex Cora seemed to almost downplay the achievement.

"Don't get me wrong -- a hundred is a hundred,'' Cora said. "But we've got bigger goals.''

But in the Red Sox clubhouse, where the feat barely seemed to register, some of his players were quick to credit him with setting the proper tone that has allowed them to reach the milestone -- and do it with another 16 games left to play.

"I think he's been part of keeping us consistent,'' said Martinez, "keeping us neutral, not letting us get too high or too low — just keeping us going, really.''

"We stay consistent,'' said Price. "We've done a tremendous job of that all year long and that starts with A.C. He brings that mindset every single day. There's never any panic in the dugout, never any panic in the clubhouse.''

Cora -- and his players -- will come under more scrutiny next month when the playoffs begin and the Red Sox attempt to win their first post-season series since 2013, then try to win it all.

That's been the goal since spring training, as it should be. But on a Wednesday night in September, whether it seemed like a big deal to them or not, these Red Sox did something no Red Sox team had done before them for the past seven decades.