Red Sox on Wrong Side of 29-Year History After Rays Loss

The Boston Red Sox had another tough game on Sunday afternoon against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Apr 26, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Boston Red Sox Interim Manager Chad Tracy looks on before a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

While the Boston Red Sox have shown progress under interim manager Chad Tracy and arguably are going to be alright in the long run, they are still off to a start unlikely in a long time for the franchise.

Boston dropped two of three contests against the Tampa Bay Rays over the weekend and now is 17-23 on the season and in last place in the American League East. After the Red Sox's 4-1 loss against Tampa Bay on Mother's Day, USA Today's Bob Nightengale shared on X that this is the first time since 1997 that the Red Sox have won just 17 or fewer games in their first 40 games of a season.

"The Boston Red Sox's 4-1 loss to the Rays leaves them with a 17-23 record," Nightengale wrote. "It's the first time in a full season the Red Sox have won 17 or fewer games in the first 40 games of a season since 1997."

The Red Sox Are Going To Be Fine In The Long Run

May 2, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy (17) stands in the dugout before a game against the Houston Astros at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

That's certainly not the type of history you want to make. The 1997 Red Sox went on to finish the season with a 78-84 record. If that record sounds familiar, it's because Boston finished the 2022 and 2023 seasons in last place in the American League East with a 78-84 record. The Red Sox transitioned the front office over to chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and then went 81-81 in 2024 and 89-73 last season. The 2026 season has been a step backwards overall and has had hints of those 2022 and 2023 teams that were unable to get anything going.

Boston has the pieces to turn it all around. The club already made a splash by firing former manager Alex Cora. Since then, Boston has gone 7-6. That's better than the club was. When Cora was fired, Boston was 10-17 on the season. Without a long winning streak, it takes time to make up for that type of early-season record. Boston has taken baby steps. The club is one game over .500 with Tracy. But the start to the season was bad enough that you're going to sometimes see stats, like this one from Nightengale.

It's a bad look for the club, but there's a lot of season left. Boston has started to turn things around and Garrett Crochet and Roman Anthony should be back in the not-so-distant future as well. It's not great that the Red Sox just set this mark, but there's time to fix it.