Mazz On Sports Final: Red Sox Playing At 'Otherworldly Level' Down The Stretch
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Boston Red Sox are the hottest team in baseball right now, winners of 11 straight after yet another series sweep over the weekend.
The Red Sox dispatched the Tampa Bay Rays in impressive fashion on Sunday, striking out a franchise-record 23 batters in their 3-2, 10-inning victory. It was their 92nd win of the season, moving them into a tie with the Texas Rangers for the best record in the American League.
The incredible run the Red Sox are on right now even has the usually negative Tony Massarotti dishing out some credit. Not even he can believe what he's seeing.
"This is not normal," Massarotti told Steve Burton on WBZ-TV's Sports Final on Sunday night. "They are playing at an otherworldly level right now. Give them all the credit in the world. The big thing for me is, they went out and won this thing; nobody fell off, they didn't back in, nobody gave it to them. They're just blowing everybody away down the stretch.
"It has reached the point where they're making a mockery of the game," said Mazz.
Mazz was even giving credit to manager John Farrell.
"The thing that is most impressive is he was on the edge more than once. The team perceived, kept going and never really caved in," said Mazz.
Still, Massarotti doesn't want to see the Red Sox clinch the top spot in the AL.
"I don't want them to be the best team, and it has nothing to do with the label or any of that. It's all about the matchup," explained Mazz. "If they finish with the best record in the league they'll get the winner of the Wild Card game, and that could be Toronto. I don't want to face that lineup.
"You want the Indians, and the way you negotiate that is with the second-best record in the league. Cleveland has no pitching; they've lost two guys and they're talking about going to a three-man rotation in te playoffs. I'd rather play the Indians with home field, and let Texas take on Toronto or Detroit, take your chances and see where you are," said Mazz.
Watch the full segment in the video above, and tune in to Sports Final and Sports Final OT every Sunday night at 11:35 p.m. on WBZ-TV!
