Record-breaking Red Sox embarrass Yankees and highlight their potential

Record-breaking Red Sox embarrass Yankees, hinting at their potential originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

We’re taking a break from the Celtics title watch to give a baseball update – what about those running the Red Sox?

They just completed one of the tougher parts of their schedule in impressive fashion, winning four of six against the Phillies and Yankees, also known as the two best teams in baseball. And they capped it off with a historic performance that illustrates what kind 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 limit of eight had been in place since 1940, and it’s probably been at least that long since a Red Sox team had a collection of such athletic young talent.

“Expect that from us,” manager Alex Cora told reporters. “We’re going to push the envelope.”

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

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

The real stars on the bases are three youngsters. Rookie shortstop David Hamilton stole four bases on Sunday and has now been caught just once in 19 attempts. He is just four shy of the American League lead. Outfielder Jarren Duran stole two and continues to make a case for an All-Star selection with 17 steals and an .816 OPS. And exciting young midfielder Ceddanne Rafaela stole his ninth bag before finishing third after an errant 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 some fast players, and that’s how they’re playing the game 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 multiple bases without a throw. The ingredients may have been there for a record evening, but this was not a one-off. It’s who the Red Sox are, and they have two games over .500 in a season where many had them pegged last.

“I had no idea,” Duran told MLB.com. “I didn’t know the record until they put it on the big screen. I thought, ‘Oh wow, we set a record.’ But records are meant to be broken, so I’m sure ours will be broken eventually, so it doesn’t mean much, but we’ll keep doing our thing.”