Wednesday night, with the Red Sox winding down their seven-game homestand, they also reached the exact halfway point of their season -- 81 games down, another 81 to go.
Alex Cora was asked how he felt about that demarcation in advance of Wednesday's game, and he managed to sum it up nicely the in the span of just four words:
"So far, so good.''
Were Cora not so succinct, he might have gone into at least a little more detail and offer this more applicable summation: "So far, so much better than expected.''
Because few expected that the Red Sox would lay claim to American League's best record at the halfway point, It's fair to say that no one saw them as having sole possession of first place in the American League East. And yet, here we are, and there they are.
With half the season gone and half remaining, the Red Sox are on pace for a 100-win season.
Noted hardball enthusiast David Byrne once asked: "Well, how did I get here?'' So, let's answer that with a number of factors, in no particular order of significance:
1. Good health.
The Red Sox have been remarkably lucky when it comes to injuries. Their five starters have made a combined 79 starts, with Tanner Houck subbing for Eduardo Rodriguez the first time through the rotation and again, a couple of weeks later, inserted for spot duty in a doubleheader. That kind of durability is unheard of in the modern game - even if it's only been half a season.
In the bullpen, the same situation applies, with not a single reliever on the current 26-man major league roster having spent any time on the IL. Among the club's position players, Kike Hernandez missed 11 days with a hamstring strain, marking the only everyday player to go on the IL. Christian Arroyo (hand, knee) has has two IL stints and backup catcher Kevin Plawecki one.
And that's it -- other than a handful of players who were sidelined for 24 hours either due to COVID protocol and/or reactions to the vaccine.
Whether that good fortune when it comes to injury prevention continues remains to be seen. But so far, the Red Sox haven't had to choose: they've been both lucky and good.
2. Middle of the lineup.
For the first month or so, the Red Sox rode the offensive contributions of four players -- Alex Verdugo, J.D. Martinrez, Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers. Each of the four has performed well, with Bogaerts and Devers shoo-ins for the All-Star team and Martinez and Verdugo in contention.
More recently, however, the Big Four have morphed into the Big Five as outfielder Hunter Renfroe, slotted sixth in the order most nights, has emerged as another threat, lengthening the lineup further. Over the last two months, Renfroe has used the entire field, cut down on strikeouts and remade himself offensively -- all the while maintaining his power stroke.
Even the bottom third of the order, a veritable black hole for the first month-plus, has improved, with Bobby Dalbec balancing some of his frighteningly high swing-and-miss rate with some tape-measure homers and generally more competitive at-bats.
The leadoff spot remains an issue, even as Hernandez has seen a spike in his offensive production over the last 10 days. But again, the 2-6 spots have been so formidable, the Red Sox are disproving the importance of the on-base component of the leadoff spot. Despite their struggles in the No. 1 spot -- they're 28th in on-base percentage out of the leadoff spot - the Red Sox are third among the 30 MLB teams with 5.05 runs per game, a rate that has them on pace to top 900 runs for the season.
3. The bullpen.
For a team that didn't know who its closer would be well into spring training -- and stubbornly refused to reveal the answer even after it arrived at a solution -- the Red Sox have quite literally been saved by their relievers.
Matt Barnes is having the best season of his career, thanks to a more aggressive approach that has him throwing his fastball more than ever -- and throwing it for strikes far more regularly, especially on the first pitch of an at-bat.
For the first few weeks, it was tempting to think of Adam Ottavino as some sort of trojan horse, foisted upon the team by the Yankees in an ingenious plot to unload salary and sabotage the back end of their rivals' bullpen. Instead, Ottavino figured some things out and has been an absolute lock-down option in the eighth inning. Moreover, he's unafraid to enter with traffic, successfully stranding 20-of-21 inherited baserunners.
Similarly, Josh Taylor survived a rough first three weeks and last allowed a run in the final week of April.
As the season progresses, the Sox have been able to grow their circle of trust -- Hirokazu Sawamura has been, with a few exceptions, eminently dependable, and Rule 5 discovery Garrett Whitlock, a revelation and capable of multi-inning stints.
4. Versatility
While it's true that the three utility/super-utility players added to the roster this winter have been mostly disappointing from an offensive standpoint, the troika of Kike Hernandez/Marwin Gonzalez/Danny Santana have, at minimum, been able to contribute at multiple positions.
Hernandez has provided solid defense at both at center field and second base, while Gonzalez has been a plus defender at second and first.
Santana has played a solid center field when called upon, but his offense has been so slight, it's worth wondering how long he might remain on the roster.
Still, at the very least, the presence of highly versatile options on the bench has allowed Cora to freely rest his regulars, which, in turn, may have kept the rest of the roster healthy.
5. The return of Cora.
At the start of the season, it was worth wondering whether Cora, following a year's absence, could rightfully reclaim his position as manager of the team and rekindle the magic of his 2018 rookie season in the dugout.
The answer, three months in, seems clear: yes.
Cora has mostly pushed the right buttons, upped the energy level and kept the Sox from falling into any extended funks.
If you want to counter that he's been too stubborn about the leadoff spot, or already giving too many chances to Santana, your points are valid.
But overall, Cora has seemingly picked up right where he left off -- not at the end of a disappointing 2019 season, but rather, his first year on the job. And we all remember how that one ended.