Not many pegged the Boston Red Sox to be in a playoff spot at the MLB All-Star break, let alone be just 4 1/2 games out from first place in the American League East.
But that’s where the upstart Red Sox stand thanks to an impressive and surprising first half of the season, which left them with a 53-42 record.
Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran has been the poster boy of Boston’s run so far with his own breakout campaign spearheading the team’s entertaining style of play. And after winning All-Star Game MVP honors Tuesday night, Duran pinpointed what he believes has been instrumental to the Red Sox’s success this season.
“I think we just have a lot of young guys, man, that love to play the game,” Duran told reporters, per NBC Sports Boston. “We play every game hard. We run out ground balls, we put pressure on the defense. I think it’s just one of those things where we’re just staying together and we got each others backs.”
There’s no better example of playing hard than Duran, who owns a .284 batting average with 10 home runs, 41 RBIs, 22 stolen bases and a league-high 10 triples. The 27-year-old always books it out of the batter’s box and uses his speed to cause havoc on the basepaths.
There’s no days off for Duran, either. He has played in all of Boston’s 95 games — he’s the only member of the Red Sox to do so.
Duran understands it’s not always going to be perfect from him or the Red Sox over the second half of the season. Adversity is bound to hit as 162 games approaches, but from what the Red Sox have shown thus far, they always will give themselves a chance no matter the circumstances.
“I know we get beat up sometimes, but the way we come back and fight back is a huge thing,” Duran said. “That’s awesome out of a young team. I’m excited about the way we’re going to take the second half.”
The Red Sox return from the All-Star break with a six-game road trip which begins Friday night with a clash against Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers. First pitch from Dodger Stadium is scheduled for 10:10 p.m. ET, and you can watch complete coverage of the game on NESN.
