On their way to winning the 2018 World Series, the Red Sox faced off against the Houston Astros in the ALCS.
The Astros took the first game -- in Boston -- before the Red Sox responded by winning the next four and moving on to the Series.
This October, a similar scenario is halfway complete.
Once again, the Astros took the opener -- at home, this time -- before the Red Sox came back with two convincing wins. They've put up 21 runs in the last two games and can win the pennant by taking the next two games, both at Fenway.
Want to bet against them?
"Today,'' said Alex Cora after the Sox pasted the Astros, 12-3 with four homers, "was as close as we've been to a perfect game, to be honest with you. We pitched well, played great defense, we ran the bases. We very aggressive in a lot of aspects, so tonight is one of those that you feel good about it....We're playing good baseball, I think, all around. Offensively, this is the best we've been the whole season. They're locked in right now.''
Indeed, it would be difficult to find fault with anything. The Sox got contributions up and down the lineup, got six strong innings from starter Eduardo Rodriguez and for the seventh time in eight postseason tries, played errorless baseball.
It's enough to make you ask: Is this the same team that needed to go all-out to win enough games against the Orioles and Nationals in the final week of the season? That came within another loss or two of going home when the regular season ended?
Technically, yes. But realistically, no.
As Cora noted, the offense is peaking. The Sox have already tied the franchise record for most homers in a postseason with 20, first set in 2003 -- and they could play anywhere from six to 12 more games still. The starting pitching, with a few notable exceptions, has been good enough. And the Red Sox are demonstrating a penchant for demoralizing the Astros in the early going - they've outscored the Astros 20-1 in the first three innings of the series.
Meanwhile, the three Astros starters in the series have combined to give Dusty Baker a grand total of 5.1 innings. That's forced the Astros into the bullpen early every night. In each of the last two, the game have been effectively over by the fourth inning.
The Sox are squaring up balls, making consistent contact and talking their walks. They fanned just five times in Game 3.
They're focused and they're relentless.
"We've got a collective game plan,'' offered Christian Arroyo, who joined the long ball parade with a two-run shot in the third inning, "And we want to execute it with every at-bat, every pitch as much as we can. We have a talented group of guys and when we stick to our plan, we feel like we're just as good as anyone.''
It's hard to argue with the numbers. They're averaging better than eight runs per game and have had double-figures in hits in all three games. And when Kyle Schwarber swatted a fastball into the right field seats in the second, sending Fenway into delirium, it gave the Sox as many grand slams (three) in the last 11 innings as they hit over the course of the six-month regular season.
The way Game 3 unfolded was a nightmare for the Astros. Once more, they were into their bullpen early, with relievers having to cover the 16 outs that starter Jose Urquidy did not. That puts Houston in a bind for Game 4 Tuesday. They're starting Zack Greinke, who had a 12.46 ERA over his final three regular season starts, earning a demotion to the bullpen. The plan had been to have the veteran pitch only in relief, but the injury to Luis Garcia in Game 2 and the subsequent four innings needed from original Game 4 starter, Jake Odorizzi, forced the Astros' hand.
It's not a strong one.
Meanwhile, the Red Sox have Nick Pivetta ready to go, having last pitched nine days ago. If something goes sideways, the Sox have Garrett Whitlock, Tanner Houck and any other high-leverage options they may need, also fully rested.
The biggest obstacle, in fact, may be overconfidence. Based on how the Sox have thoroughly dominated the Astros the last few games, it could be hard for them to maintain focus.
But the manager is already at work to shut that down.
"Like we always do, we turn the page,'' said Cora, taking steps to ensure that his players don't fall in love with their own exploits. "We'll be ready for tomorrow. That's a really good team over there. It's never comfortable with them. We've got to be ready.''
Closing out the Astros probably won't be easy. Then again, that's what everybody thought three years ago, too.