Red Sox clinch third straight AL East title, but their aim remains much higher

It was more a matter of when than if — but the answer is now for the Boston Red Sox, after their 104th victory of the season Thursday night. The Red Sox are the American League East champions again, their third straight season wearing the crown. They popped champagne, fittingly, after beating the rival New York Yankees by the score of 11-6 at Yankee Stadium.

The win showed exactly what makes the Red Sox dangerous. After falling behind 6-4 in the fourth inning, Boston clawed its way back against a fearsome Yankees bullpen. After cutting the lead to one, Jackie Bradley Jr. tied things up in the seventh with a solo home run. Xander Bogaerts gave Boston a two-run lead with a sac fly later in the inning.

Fittingly, it was Mookie Betts who delivered the dagger, hitting a three-run homer off Aroldis Chapman in the eighth inning that clinched the division.

But for these Red Sox, the mission is bigger than beating the Yankees in September, bigger than a division championship and bigger than even one champagne celebration. These Red Sox are trying to bring home another World Series and shake off a few years of postseason disappointment.

The Red Sox have been in first place 139 days

For all the Red Sox/Yankees talk we heard before the season started, the American League East was actually not much of a race at all. Sure, the two teams dueled early on, but by the end of June it was quite clear. The Red Sox were the top team in the division.

The Red Sox spent a total of 139 games in first place this season, including sitting atop the standings from Game 81 on June 27 until now. Along the way, they were the first team to clinch a postseason berth and the first to 100 wins.

But it all sets up a bigger goal: The Red Sox have been good the last two regular seasons too, but they’ve been bounced out of the postseason in the first round both times. This year, the Red Sox are better built to compete in October.

J.D. Martinez was the answer to the Red Sox’s problems

It’s funny, in retrospect, that the Red Sox and J.D. Martinez had the standoff they did in the offseason. They needed power and nobody had more pop than Martinez. They were a perfect fit.

Turns out, it was a match made in homer heaven. J.D. Martinez is an MVP candidate with 41 homers and an MLB-best 122 RBIs. Last season, as good as the Red Sox were, they lacked a big power bat after the retirement of David Ortiz. J.D. Martinez might not be Big Papi II, but he’s at least a guy who can play the same homer-hitting, run-plating role.

Add to that Mookie Betts’ all-around production — he’s another MVP candidate — and the Red Sox’s offense hummed along all season.

What the Red Sox need to do to win the World Series

All those regular-season wins are encouraging, but the World Series is anything but a sure thing for the Red Sox. The American League playoff field is stacked and Boston will get some serious competition from the Houston Astros, Cleveland Indians and even whoever wins the Al wild-card game, be it the Yankees or Oakland Athletics.

The biggest thing the Red Sox need is a healthy and dominant Chris Sale. Sale has been fighting off injuries since late July and the Red Sox have rolled on without their big ace. But he’ll be most important in October. Sale is back in game action, but they’re basically treating September like spring training. He’s pitching quick outings to build himself up for the important games.

David Price, meanwhile, has a 1.56 ERA in the second half, making him one of the best starters since the All-Star break. If the Red Sox can get top-notch October performances out of Sale and Price — which is no guarantee, given Sale’s health and Price’s postseason history — they can be a dominant team that marches into the World Series.

That would also help Boston’s other weakness: Their bullpen. The Red Sox aren’t built like the A’s, Yankees and Indians, which have bullpens that can shorten a game to six innings. They’ll need great starting pitching and plenty of offense to get to closer Craig Kimbrel.

The Red Sox are a team that scores runs in bunches, so that part shouldn’t be a problem. It’s preventing them that will determine whether the Red Sox have another early exit or reach their full postseason potential.

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Mike Oz is a writer at Yahoo Sports. Contact him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz

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