Red Sox clinch playoff berth as Cora blasts prognosticators after walk-off win

Boston clinched a playoff berth with a 4-3 walk-off win over the Detroit Tigers on Friday night at Fenway Park, sealing a spot in October and extending a season defined by dramatic late twists. The celebration was tempered by a pointed message from manager Alex Cora, who blasted prognosticators for doubting the Red Sox and insisted the team always believed it could reach the postseason.

According to MassLive, Cora told reporters ahead of Saturday's 2-1 loss to Detroit that, “nobody thought we were gonna make it to October.” He added that predictions Boston would be a playoff favorite were “f–ing bulls–t,” saying, “Nobody thought we were gonna make it to October. It was New York. It was Baltimore, it was Toronto, you know, and we believed we were going to play in October. We set our standards every single day. And we hit our standards.” ESPN also quoted Cora in the clubhouse after the clinching win, recounting his line to the players: “We didn't come here to play only 162. We came here to win the World Series.”

In a season shaped by a bold offseason overhaul, Boston pursued immediate impact. The Red Sox acquired starting pitcher Garrett Crochet from the White Sox and signed three-time All-Star Alex Bregman to a three-year, $120 million deal. Crochet, 26, emerged as Boston’s ace, posting an 18-5 record with a 2.59 ERA and a league-leading 255 strikeouts, though he missed time with a right quad strain. Bregman, 31, delivered a solid all-around line at the plate, posting a .273/.360/.462 slash with 28 doubles. Boston also added right-hander Lucas Giolito on a flyer after he sat out the 2024 season following Tommy John surgery, and he supplied a 3.41 ERA across 26 starts.

Ceddanne Rafaela helped spark the celebration, appearing in a mid-clubhouse moment as teammates embraced after clinching the wild-card berth with the win over Detroit. The mood around the ballpark carried into Saturday, when Boston fell 2-1 to the Tigers in a game that kept the focus on what the club had already accomplished and what might lie ahead in October.

The roster shuffling and the combative tone from Cora underscored a team that embraced skepticism as fuel. While the 2024 campaign ended at 81-81, the 2025 Sox built a different trajectory by converting offseason investments into immediate on-field performance. Crochet’s banner season gave Boston a sturdy front-line presence, Bregman supplied veteran leadership and offensive depth, and Giolito provided a reliable rotation option during a year when the franchise aimed to reestablish itself as a playoff contender. With the playoff spot secured, the Red Sox now pivot to the next objective: advancing in October and proving the doubts wrong with sustained, high-quality baseball.