Red Sox record embarrasses Yankees and hints at their potential

Red Sox record embarrasses Yankees and hints at their potential originally appeared in NBC Sports Boston

We take a break from watching the Celtics title to provide a baseball update – how about those who run the Red Sox?

They just completed one of the toughest parts of their schedule in impressive fashion, beating four of six against the Phillies and Yankees, aka the two best teams in baseball. And they finished with a historic performance that illustrates the type of team they have become.

In Sunday night’s 9-3 victory over New York, the Red Sox stole a franchise-record nine bases. The previous mark of eight had existed since 1940, and it has probably been at least that long since a Red Sox team featured a collection of young athletic talent.

“Expect that from us,” coach Alex Cora told reporters. “Let’s push the limits.”

It took a few months, but the Red Sox established their identity as an aggressive team built around youth.

They lead the league with 69 steals and have had 15 players steal at least one. Backup catcher Reese McGuire and first baseman Bobby Dalbec combined to go 6-for-6, with the latter recording Sunday night’s record steal.

The real stars on base are a trio of youngsters. Rookie shortstop David Hamilton stole four bases on Sunday and has now only been caught once in 19 attempts. He is just four shy of the American League lead. Outfielder Jarren Duran stole two and continues to defend an All-Star selection with 17 steals and an .816 OPS. And exciting young center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela stole his ninth bag before coming in third on a missed throw.

“There are certain teams, that’s their DNA and that’s how they’re going to play,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters. including Ian Browne of MLB.com.

“Obviously, the Red Sox have a lot of fast players and that’s how they play right now.”

So now the Red Sox are in the history books. On Sunday, they were able to take advantage of Yankees catcher Jose Trevino, who has a notoriously slow transfer and allowed the Red Sox to steal several bases without throwing. The ingredients may have existed for a record night, but this was not unique. That’s who the Red Sox are, and they’re two games above .500 in a season where many had them in last place.

“I had no idea,” Duran told MLB.com. “I didn’t know about the record until they put it on the big screen. I thought, ‘Wow, we set a record.’ But records are made to be broken, so I’m sure ours will be broken eventually.