After finishing the 2022 season on a sour note, the Boston Red Sox are entering the 2023 season with something to prove.
They’ll have to adjust to life without Xander Bogaerts, who signed an 11-year, $280 million contract with the San Diego Padres.
But some key additions such as Adam Duvall, Kenley Jansen, Masataka Yoshida, Justin Turner, and Corey Kluber have the Red Sox and their fans feeling cautiously optimistic about a bounce-back campaign.
And they’ll have a good chance to establish themselves early as they open the season with series against the Baltimore Orioles, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Detroit Tigers.
On Twitter, a Red Sox analyst stressed the importance of the team getting off to a good start after a tough 2022 season.
The Red Sox first three series are against Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and Detroit. After last season you absolutely need to set the tone with a good start. pic.twitter.com/4aYPPVNfxj
—Thomas Carrieri (@Thomas_Carrieri) March 19, 2023
The Red Sox have a chance to make an early statement.
While the Orioles are a team on the rise, the Pirates and Tigers are still very much in the rebuilding phase, and the Red Sox could use some early wins in order to set the tone and put 2022 behind them.
In a stacked American League East division that also features the Orioles, New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, and Toronto Blue Jays, it certainly won’t be easy for the Red Sox.
But two of their first three series are against teams who finished well below .500 last season and are not built to contend in 2023, so this represents an opportunity for the Red Sox to make an early statement and show that last season’s last-place finish. was just a fluke.
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