This is the best Red Sox team...ever.

DJnVa

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Even putting aside the advent of the 162 game season in 1961, these Red Sox of course had a whole additional playoff series to buoy their win total over fellow 108-win teams like the ‘75 Reds and ‘86 Mets.
And those teams had an extra round compared to earlier teams too.

You can only play the games on the schedule.
 

uk_sox_fan

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How would that chart look if you used end-of-season ELOs instead of peak? Seems odd to see 2018 Houston and 2017 Cleveland without factoring in their last few losses.
Surprisingly (to me anyways), none of the teams whose peak Elo reached above 1600 finished at their peak and only the '98 and '09 Yankees finished the season above 1600.

Code:
Year    Team     Peak       Final

1998    NYY    1618.38     1610.08

1970    BAL    1613.61     1612.93

1954    CLE    1609.83     1590.21

2001    OAK    1609.51     1595.69

2017    CLE    1606.70     1596.24

2018    HOU    1604.11     1588.84

2001    SEA    1603.56     1583.14

1971    BAL    1603.54     1591.09

1953    NYY    1602.98     1589.25

1995    CLE    1602.81     1595.98

1954    NYY    1602.72     1593.30

2018    BOS    1602.00      tbd

2009    NYY    1601.03     1600.81

1975    CIN    1600.90     1598.07

1976    CIN    1600.07     1597.94
So these 2018 Sox are currently in line to finish with the 3rd highest Elo in the post-war era (as long as they keep up their road-warrior dominance anyways!)

The current Top 20 post-War teams by end-of-season Elo:

Code:
'70 BAL    1612.9***
'98 NYY    1610.1***
'18 BOS    1602.0*
'09 NYY    1600.8***
'75 CIN    1598.1***
'76 CIN    1597.9***
'17 CLE    1596.2
'99 NYY    1596.0***
'95 CLE    1596.0**
'01 OAK    1595.7
'50 NYY    1595.1***
'61 NYY    1593.6***
'07 BOS    1593.5***
'54 NYY    1593.3
'04 BOS    1592.8***
'71 BAL    1591.1**
'54 CLE    1590.2**
'53 NYY    1589.3***
'18 HOU    1588.8
'53 BRK    1588.7**
*season not yet over
**won pennant (4 or 5)
***won World Series (11 or 12)

only 4 teams in this Top 20 failed to make it to the World Series

note: in my earlier post I had Houston's final 2018 Elo wrong - it's 1588.84

EDIT: corrected an error in spreadsheet that ignored all teams before '94(!)
 
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gedman211

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So how many runs do we have to win by tonight to finish with an Elo higher than the Y's 1610? We're now at 1606.
 

lapa

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Apr 20, 2018
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23 runs in 4 games with that output from the top of the order is just delicious
 

uk_sox_fan

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So how many runs do we have to win by tonight to finish with an Elo higher than the Y's 1610? We're now at 1606.
The 1606 is the one that can only be used within seasons to make team v team predictions. The year-by-year one from the 'Complete History of MLB' is the one that can be compared with the 98 Yankees and is now at 1603. We're not catching them (this year).

The complete history of MLB
Our Complete History Of MLB interactive contains historical Elo ratings stretching back to the 1871 season. These charts use a simplified Elo system that doesn’t take pitchers, travel or rest into account. Between seasons, it simply reverts the previous season’s ratings toward the mean by one-third, rather than using projection systems to set preseason ratings.

This means that the Elo ratings in our Complete History of MLB won’t exactly match the team ratings in our MLB Predictions. (Why use two systems? The projection systems we use to generate preseason ratings aren’t available back to 1871. Also, using a simplified rating system for the historical ratings gives us the flexibility to alter our current-season forecast’s methodology from year to year while keeping our historical Elo ratings unchanged.) They’re still pretty useful, however, when it comes to measuring the ebbs and flows of a franchise’s fate over time. Plus, just like our forecast model, our historical Elo ratings will update with the results of each game this season.
 

SouthernBoSox

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I don't think its particularly close. This is the best ever. Top to bottom up and down. The perfect team.
 

Jordu

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Yes they are. I was holding out for those late ‘70s teams and that 2013 team, but this team is above them.

They got off to a fast start, led the league for the entire season, and dominated in the postseason.
 

charlieoscar

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Sep 28, 2014
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Let's see...first WS won in 1903, then 1912 ,1915, 1916, 1918.
Then 2004, 2007, 2013, 2018.
What's next...2105, ..., 2119?
 

steveluck7

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I refused to open this thread until right now. I didn’t want to be the jinx on the whole thing.
This team was so unbelievable and likeable. So easy to root for, so dominant in every facet... and to see the bullpen step the F up the way they did this postseason was legendary
 

Adrian's Dome

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The best goddamn baseball team I've ever watched.

Relentless. Focused. Disciplined. Never fucking quit.

Such a pleasure.
 

bsj

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I refused to open this thread until right now. I didn’t want to be the jinx on the whole thing.
This team was so unbelievable and likeable. So easy to root for, so dominant in every facet... and to see the bullpen step the F up the way they did this postseason was legendary
Same
 

sheamonu

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That would be a yes to the question posed in this thread. Their comp is against two things - best baseball team ever and best Boston team ever, any sport. I can’t yet measure the former in any balanced way, so let’s just say they’re in the mix. For the latter - I think two teams that might have been there are out because of stumbling when it came to winning the last game of the year - the ‘70 - ‘71 Bruins (Dryden) and, of course, Pats 2007/8 (fate). So, with apologies to Bill Russell, it’s down to the 1986 Celtics and these Red Sox. It may be recency bias but, as much as I loved that Celtics team - the Lakers didn’t make the finals. This Sox team beat the villain, the defending champion and the revenge seeking runner up from the previous year about as decisively as possible. They are, to my mind, the greatest team to represent this region, ever. Just sayin’.
 

sean1562

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Game 4 was a special game. Once Moreland hit that HR I knew we were winning this thing
 

taoofoj

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'You are what your record says you are!'

108 wins. Beat 2 100+ win teams on the way to the WS. Handily win WS. This team was a hot knife thru butter all the way. The 2004 squad is forever the 'favorite son', but in terms of best team 2018 sets the bar. No question.
 

brandonchristensen

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The best part is that the season MVP award hasn’t been announced yet. The year ain’t over yet.

Congrats to the Sox
 

bankshot1

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No asterisks needed on this team.

They flat out balled, and saved their best for the post-season.

The MFY, then the Astros, then the Dodgers.

They proved it against 3 great teams, each winning 100 or more games, and steam-rolled them.
 

Sam Ray Not

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Red Sox average wins per World Series appearance: 3.77. That has to be #1 all-time among teams that have been there a reasonable number of times (excluding Florida, e.g.), right?

5, 4, 4, 4, 4, 3, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 4, 4

But without question ... 2018 is the best ever.
 

RoDaddy

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Let's see...first WS won in 1903, then 1912 ,1915, 1916, 1918.
Then 2004, 2007, 2013, 2018.
What's next...2105, ..., 2119?
They were baseball royalty at the beginning of the modern era, and now again in the 21st century culminating tonight as their greatest team ever!
 

pk1627

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Nothing will top that week in 2004. Ever.

That aside, this is the best Red Sox team I’ve ever seen (which started in 67). No doubt. Complete team. Incredible manager. Great pitching. Relentless offense. Character.
 

JimD

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Red Sox average wins per World Series appearance: 3.77. That has to be #1 all-time among teams that have been there a reasonable number of times (excluding Florida, e.g.), right?

5, 4, 4, 4, 4, 3, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 4, 4
When you look at it this way - those '46, '67, '75 and '86 teams have nothing to hang their heads about. Every one a classic series that they took to the limit, unlike our opponents in the 21st century.

Now, bring on Theo and the Cubs next year. That October matchup has to happen.
 

santadevil

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I'm sitting here thinking...greatest MLB season ever?

I know they didn't break the regular season record, but damn, 108 wins is high up on the list of most ever. Plus, they beat two 100 win teams in the Post Season and won the World Series

They have to be in serious contention for sure
 

canyoubelieveit

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The imperfections of the 2004 season are part of what made it the greatest sports experience I'll ever have. In comparison, the 2018 season was baseball perfection.
 

The Gray Eagle

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This was a complete dream of a season. I really couldn't have dreamed up a better, more enjoyable season. We will never enjoy a season like this, from start to finish, as much as we did this one. I got so much joy from this team, it's unbelievable. So great, so much heart, so much excellence, such resilience, such relentlessness, a team so totally committed to winning together, just the best team to root for I've ever experienced over the course of a long season.

Now I am getting sad because the ultimate dream season is now over. There will be other great seasons someday, there will be other championships someday. But we will never see the like of this team ever again.
 

The Talented Allen Ripley

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What I’ll take most from this season is the shared experiences with my fellow Sox fans. Given the team’s scorching 17-2 start, there was something special about the year right out of the gate and we all got to sit back and marvel at it together, very little of the pre-2004 gloom-and-doom casting a shadow on the horizon, just the hopeful question of whether this could possibly be the best Red Sox team in history. We now know the answer to that: it is.

The act of following a baseball team tends to focus on win-loss columns and box scores and stats, understandably enough, but the very presence of the game leaves concentric ripples that expand into our daily lives, becoming a state of existence. We watch because we like baseball: the strategy, the individual matchups, the players and their feats. A diving catch, a runner rounding second as he’s legging out a triple, a filthy breaking pitch just over the black. We watch because the game has positive associations for us: carefree summer days, an Italian sausage from a street vendor, a cold beer. Memories of our childhoods, how we were introduced to the sport and who taught it to us. Its leisurely pace. And we watch because the uniforms have the name of our city stitched across the front: we share in the highs and lows together, their achievements are ours, providing a connectedness and a civic purpose that is profoundly unifying. That embroidered red lettering on the jersey, the raised B on the cap, we’re from there. A Sox fan is your family and you’re all in this together.

The Red Sox have won their fourth World Series in fourteen years, and while it’s remarkable as a baseball achievement, for me what will linger long after the ballpark lights have dimmed is that connected feeling with my fellow fans. Catching a game at Fenway with family and friends, our faces splashed by the same sun, our throats hoarsened by the same chants, our fists raised from the same victories. Fingers flying as texts are sent back and forth and social media posts are made about the team’s exploits, instantly interacting with Sox Nation despite the hundreds and sometimes thousands of miles separating you. Experiencing the moments as one. And it’s important to note that Dodger fans share that same connectedness with one another, those same psychic links. As do Astro fans, and yes, even Yankee fans. And so on. Concentric circles. We’re all motivated by the same basic wants and needs. Living is not a zero sum game. Enjoy the ride.
 

santadevil

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What I’ll take most from this season is the shared experiences with my fellow Sox fans. Given the team’s scorching 17-2 start, there was something special about the year right out of the gate and we all got to sit back and marvel at it together, very little of the pre-2004 gloom-and-doom casting a shadow on the horizon, just the hopeful question of whether this could possibly be the best Red Sox team in history. We now know the answer to that: it is.

The act of following a baseball team tends to focus on win-loss columns and box scores and stats, understandably enough, but the very presence of the game leaves concentric ripples that expand into our daily lives, becoming a state of existence. We watch because we like baseball: the strategy, the individual matchups, the players and their feats. A diving catch, a runner rounding second as he’s legging out a triple, a filthy breaking pitch just over the black. We watch because the game has positive associations for us: carefree summer days, an Italian sausage from a street vendor, a cold beer. Memories of our childhoods, how we were introduced to the sport and who taught it to us. Its leisurely pace. And we watch because the uniforms have the name of our city stitched across the front: we share in the highs and lows together, their achievements are ours, providing a connectedness and a civic purpose that is profoundly unifying. That embroidered red lettering on the jersey, the raised B on the cap, we’re from there. A Sox fan is your family and you’re all in this together.

The Red Sox have won their fourth World Series in fourteen years, and while it’s remarkable as a baseball achievement, for me what will linger long after the ballpark lights have dimmed is that connected feeling with my fellow fans. Catching a game at Fenway with family and friends, our faces splashed by the same sun, our throats hoarsened by the same chants, our fists raised from the same victories. Fingers flying as texts are sent back and forth and social media posts are made about the team’s exploits, instantly interacting with Sox Nation despite the hundreds and sometimes thousands of miles separating you. Experiencing the moments as one. And it’s important to note that Dodger fans share that same connectedness with one another, those same psychic links. As do Astro fans, and yes, even Yankee fans. And so on. Concentric circles. We’re all motivated by the same basic wants and needs. Living is not a zero sum game. Enjoy the ride.
Where is my damn "Like" button?

Great post
 

chawson

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Aug 1, 2006
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What I’ll take most from this season is the shared experiences with my fellow Sox fans. Given the team’s scorching 17-2 start, there was something special about the year right out of the gate and we all got to sit back and marvel at it together, very little of the pre-2004 gloom-and-doom casting a shadow on the horizon, just the hopeful question of whether this could possibly be the best Red Sox team in history. We now know the answer to that: it is.

The act of following a baseball team tends to focus on win-loss columns and box scores and stats, understandably enough, but the very presence of the game leaves concentric ripples that expand into our daily lives, becoming a state of existence. We watch because we like baseball: the strategy, the individual matchups, the players and their feats. A diving catch, a runner rounding second as he’s legging out a triple, a filthy breaking pitch just over the black. We watch because the game has positive associations for us: carefree summer days, an Italian sausage from a street vendor, a cold beer. Memories of our childhoods, how we were introduced to the sport and who taught it to us. Its leisurely pace. And we watch because the uniforms have the name of our city stitched across the front: we share in the highs and lows together, their achievements are ours, providing a connectedness and a civic purpose that is profoundly unifying. That embroidered red lettering on the jersey, the raised B on the cap, we’re from there. A Sox fan is your family and you’re all in this together.

The Red Sox have won their fourth World Series in fourteen years, and while it’s remarkable as a baseball achievement, for me what will linger long after the ballpark lights have dimmed is that connected feeling with my fellow fans. Catching a game at Fenway with family and friends, our faces splashed by the same sun, our throats hoarsened by the same chants, our fists raised from the same victories. Fingers flying as texts are sent back and forth and social media posts are made about the team’s exploits, instantly interacting with Sox Nation despite the hundreds and sometimes thousands of miles separating you. Experiencing the moments as one. And it’s important to note that Dodger fans share that same connectedness with one another, those same psychic links. As do Astro fans, and yes, even Yankee fans. And so on. Concentric circles. We’re all motivated by the same basic wants and needs. Living is not a zero sum game. Enjoy the ride.
Absolutely, great post.
 

canyoubelieveit

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The only reason not to lock this thread is for the ongoing joy of reading all the different ways that people can continue to say "Yes."
 

JohntheBaptist

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This was a stacked team, top to bottom, and many of them will get easy and deserved praise for years and years and go on to Hall of Fame careers or other types of great notoriety.

Considering he risked his health and was selfless, dominant, and unbelievably fun to just watch, it is up to us to make sure no one EVER forgets what Nathan Eovaldi did for the team, particularly in the WS Game 3.

Definitely the best baseball team I've ever seen.

edit--thx bc!
 
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