Red Sox clinch a 2026 playoff berth after an improbable turnaround

The Red Sox are going back to the postseason. Boston clinched an American League Wild Card berth Sunday after losing 5-1 to Tampa Bay, then watching Houston fall to Atlanta.

The berth completes one of the sharpest turnarounds in the league. MLB reports that Boston started 2-8, changed managers in April and sat at 32-46 before a second-half surge moved the club into the playoff picture. The Red Sox entered Monday as the No. 5 seed, with a road Wild Card Series against the Yankees a likely path if the standings hold.

Mike Yastrzemski's three-run homer for Atlanta broke a 1-1 tie with Houston and supplied the final piece of Boston's clinching path. The result made the Rays loss secondary: the Red Sox had secured a postseason place for the first time since 2021.