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Sep 17, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Athletics left fielder Tyler Soderstrom (21) and shortstop Jacob Wilson (5) celebrate scoring runs against the Boston Red Sox with first baseman Nick Kurtz (16) during the fifth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Something's Brewing Between the A's and Red Sox — A Rivalry Rekindled?

Originally posted on Oakland Athletics on SI
By Jason Burke | Last updated Sep 18, 2025 9:00 AM ET

Heading into Wednesday night's game, the only way that the A's could make the postseason would be if they won the rest of their 11 remaining games, while the Boston Red Sox dropped the all of the remaining games on their schedule. Boston made sure that faint hope didn't survive too long, defeating the A's 4-3 in ten innings.

The A's actual hopes of reaching the postseason have been gone since June, when the club went on a 1-20 run that tanked those dreams. Outside of that run, however, the A's have played fairly well, going 70-61, which is an 87-win pace. For the team to have still be technically alive with a week and a half to go in the season is impressive.

That's why last night's game in Boston felt like a bit of a throwback. On paper, the A's are a 71-win club at the moment, while the Red Sox have notched 83 wins and hold the second wild-card spot. Yet, the A's aren't in their rut from earlier in the season, and are a much more comparable team to Boston than their record would indicate.

Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Back in the early 2000's, whenever the A's would play either the Red Sox or Yankees (and yes, even the Angels), those were the big games of any given season. Those were the ones that you could get a sense for a team that you knew you'd be facing in the postseason, and the stakes were often high with fewer postseason spots to go around.

In the AL West, it was the A's and Angels battling for the division, while in the AL East, the Yankees and Red Sox would do the same. Two teams would win the division, one would claim the lone wild-card spot, and the fourth would be left watching the postseason from home.

While this week's series doesn't have quite those stakes, it's still the Red Sox, who are currently in the playoff picture and attempting to keep it that way, and the A's, who are expecting to insert themselves into the October schedule next season, going back-and-forth in a thrilling series.

For the A's, this series is good preparation for what it will be like next year when there is more pressure on the team to succeed. For Boston, the pressure is on right now as they look to play October baseball for the first time since 2021.

Eric Canha-Imagn Images

The A's have loads of talent, led by the eventual AL Rookie of the Year, Nick Kurtz, but Jacob Wilson and Boston's Roman Anthony could be fighting over the second and third spots behind Kurtz come award season. Connelly Early has looked like he's going to be a problem for hitters after shutting down the A's offense twice in a week.

This is a potent A's club, too. Since the All Star break, they rank fourth in home runs (84), fourth in batting average (.267), and sixth in OBP (.329), which slots them fifth overall in wRC+ with a 117 (100 is league average).

The A's also have a slew of players, like Jacob Lopez, Denzel Clarke, and Jack Perkins, that Boston hasn't seen yet, and that trio could tilt the scales in favor of the green and gold next season. The A's also haven't had the Roman Anthony experience, which will add some intrigue for Boston.

These two clubs could be battling one another in the years to come, either to make it into the postseason, or deep into October.

This article first appeared on Oakland Athletics on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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