That’s a wrap.
The Boston Red Sox wrapped up their playoff-less 2024 season with a 3-1 win over the Rays to finish at 81-81, which is quite fitting. They weren’t good enough to be a willing team, and they weren’t bad enough to be a losing (by record) team.
Not too hot, not too cold, just right… for mediocrity.
All hope of a last-ditch unlikely surge to make the playoffs ended earlier this week with a loss in Toronto, but the emotions were still pretty raw in the clubhouse once the finality set in.
“In the room, a lot of disappointment,” Alex Cora said postgame. “I still believed we had a chance to make it to the playoffs. We didn’t play well towards the end, and that’s the reason we’re going home. As an organization, we’ll talk about it tomorrow, but I think we took a step forward from where we were last year, and there were a lot of good things that happened this year. As far as the structure and the vision, getting there.”
— Red Sox (@RedSox) September 29, 2024
As touched on in my notebook this week, Alex is right… there was some good, and there was some bad. You can certainly chalk Jarren Duran’s season up in the “good” category, and he’s taking a positive perspective on the season.
“I think this is a great building block for the team to build off of,” Duran said. “We had some guys struggle in the big league, but they were able to come out of it and they just learned some things. That’s where you learn the most is when you fail.”
Now it’s officially time to close the book on the ’24 Sox. Will they be lost in the shuffle of the 124-year history of one of baseball’s great franchises? Likely so, although they’ve only gone 81-81 one other time in team history (1985) and finished .500 a total of four times.
Ultimately, the best outcome would be that this year’s ballclub showed us flashes of what’s in store for the young core while also providing the decision-makers with enough motivation to finally get up off the mat and want to assemble a winning team again…
Priester’s cameo
Quinn Priester’s debut with the Red Sox was a historic one.
Of course, he could’ve given up 99 runs (he didn’t) and it still would have been a record outing for the 24-year-old right-hander. It had nothing to do with anything he did on the mound, other than simply BEING on the mound…
By throwing his first pitch in Sunday’s finale, Priester became the 57th player to appear in a game for the Red Sox this season — breaking a record of 56 players appearing in 2012, 2021 and 2023.
(Hmm… I’m noticing a trend there with two of those seasons being very recent. It’s almost as if ownership and the front office haven’t acquired enough talent on the roster and are just throwing things against the wall to see what sticks…)
As for the actual pitching part, the young arm acquired in the trade of Nick Yorke to Pittsburgh earlier this season pitched pretty well. Five innings, four hits, one run, a walk and two strikeouts in a win to finish his season at 3-6.
“It’s a place you dream about growing up playing. You know, you imagine that,” Priester said. “Being able to actually do it today and walk away with the win, coming out above .500 is really encouraging stuff.”
Prior to Sunday, Priester pitched to a 2-6 record with a 5.04 ERA in 44 2/3 innings in six starts and 10 appearances before being demoted to Triple-A after the trade.
A work in progress he remains, but his last start of the year was markedly better than his first — ironically against the Red Sox back on April 19, a 4 1/3-inning outing in which he allowed five runs, four earned, on seven hits — including three homers — with a walk and two punch outs.
Priester wasn’t afforded as much of a window to prove he can handle himself at the major league level like Richard Fitts was, so I’m not sure he’ll factor into the plans for the rotation in 2025. But it’s a step in the right direction, and we’ll take it…
Saying goodbye
There were a handful of tearful goodbyes on Sunday at Fenway.
First and foremost, none other than WEEI play-by-play announcer Joe Castiglione, who earned the designation of being the — not “a,” not “one of,” but the — voice of the Red Sox as the longest-tenured broadcaster in team history over a 42-year tenure.
One final sign-off. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/tL4pIkISqK
— Red Sox (@RedSox) September 29, 2024
There were many people from Joe’s past and present on hand to celebrate, including Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, who officially designated September 29th as “Joe Castiglione Day.” Plenty of former Sox players were also present — Pedro, Roger, Dwight Evans, Rich Gedman, Bob Staley, Jackie Bradley Jr. (who caught Joe’s ceremonial first pitch) among them.
Can you believe it?! 42 incredible years. pic.twitter.com/CF5KvqpzQy
— Red Sox (@RedSox) September 29, 2024
Not present was John Henry. But really, why should the *literal owner of the team who signed Joe’s paychecks* be bothered to show up for his longtime faithful employee?
Well, that's pretty cowardly.
— Gethin Coolbaugh (@GethinCoolbaugh) September 29, 2024
Longest tenured broadcaster in team history, and the owner can't even be bothered to show.
Probably more about him than wanting to be there for Joe. He knows he'll be booed heavily.
Shame on you, @John_W_Henry. https://t.co/kWGRk3kZqW
Joe Castig certainly had many memorable calls — his iconic call of the final out of the 2004 World Series chief among them. What’s your favorite Castig call or moment? For me, it wasn’t a specific call as much as it was his and Jerry Trupiano’s broadcast of Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS versus the Yankees in New York.
None other than the “Bloody Sock Game.”
It was a game I don’t remember watching. Instead, a teenage Gethin was glued to his radio on his bedroom windowsill listening to the call. I don’t remember a word that was said during that broadcast, but I remember the feeling well.
It was that old romantic feeling that so many have experienced about the game of baseball. I was captivated.
That’s a memory I’ll always hold onto and look back on fondly. Thank you for that, Joe (and Jerry).
Then, there was Dave Mellor, the groundskeeper (officially the Senior Director of Grounds) at Fenway Park who is also retiring after spending 23 of his 39 years in baseball with the Red Sox.
I’ve never met Dave before, but I’ve spent plenty of time outside the door to his office (where reporters wait postgame before going into the visiting clubhouse). His office is right next to the umpires’ locker room. Frankly, I’ve always considered his job as the more important one…
Even though I’ve never met him, I’ve been personally impacted by Mellor’s work. First, as a fan attending games for the first twenty-plus years of my life. Then as a journalist and broadcaster who has spent plenty of time before games standing on his field.
At a stadium that I (and most of us in Boston) consider to be the best in all of sports, his touch and hard work were evident.
“To all lawnatics, we share a similar passion, Mow Like A Pro & Have Fun!”, a statement from Mellor on Instagram read in part.
For keeping my team’s home pristine and in optimal condition, for your work fending off the weather and doing everything in your power to keep the rain delays at a minimum (sports journalists REALLY appreciate that one), I say thank you, Dave.
Finally, longtime Red Sox public relations executive Pam Kenn also retired upon the completion of the 2024 season. Pam was one of the first people I dealt with when I became credentialed to cover games in the mid-2010s. She was timely, professional and kind.
Congratulations, Joe, Dave and Pam, on each of your wonderful careers.
Gethin Coolbaugh is a columnist for Boston Sports Journal. Follow him @GethinCoolbaugh on X/Twitter.
