The Boston Red Sox fell short of where they wanted to get to when they were eliminated from postseason contention Wednesday night after losing to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas took a positive from it, though.
A young Red Sox team counting heavily on players like Casas, Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela gained plenty of experience in an up-and-down season and gave them a taste that more is needed if they want to play baseball in October.
“It was good this year to get our teeth kicked in a little bit,” Casas told reporters. “There was high points and low ones. Seemed like the same story as last year where we were pretty streaky. … Overall, we got to find a way to weather those storms a little bit more, keep those hot streaks going. That’s what good teams do and we weren’t able to that as many times as the other ones this year.
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“We do have a young group. A lot of faces looking around the clubhouse will be here next year, so we’re going to continue to collaborate and keep getting better as a group and it’s going to take one individual at a time getting better and the product is going to be on the field, for sure.”
Missing out on the playoffs for a third straight season and for a fifth time in the last six years certainly stung the Red Sox. Cora heard a quiet clubhouse after the 6-1 loss to the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre while shortstop Trevor Story called it a “tough pill to swallow.”
Casas, who didn’t reach expectations this season due to a rib injury that sidelined him for four months, echoed the feelings of his veteran teammate.
“It’s very disappointing,” Casas said. “We had high hopes going into the season. We were optimistic about our chances making the playoffs. … Overall, as a group, I think we’re all pretty disappointed in the end result of the season.”
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Casas didn’t point the finger at anyone or any one thing in particular for Boston’s shortcomings. He believed everyone bears responsibility for how this season turns out.
With the way things ended, it was a tough lesson to learn. But one that can prove valuable if the young core of the Red Sox does something with it.
“We’re all competitors in this room and at the end of the day, what I love most about this group is when we look at ourselves in the mirror, we assume the responsibility as if it was our own fault for losing this season,” Casas said. “We all take responsibility for the product on the field and we all know we have to be better next year and going into the offseason.”
