The run had to end somewhere.
Boston’s 15-game winning streak — matching the longest in Red Sox franchise history — came to a close Wednesday in the nightcap of a doubleheader at Baltimore, with the Orioles winning 5-1 behind six strong innings from Kyle Bradish.
The streak started right after a 10-2 loss to Washington at Fenway Park on July 1. From that point, Boston did not lose again for nearly three weeks. They swept series, stayed out of extra innings, and turned what had looked like a lost season into a genuine playoff push.
Boston actually won the doubleheader opener 6-3, tying the franchise record in the process. But Bradish had other ideas in the nightcap. He held Boston to one run over six innings, and Dylan Beavers gave Baltimore a four-run cushion with a two-run single in the first.
That franchise record had stood for 80 years. The team that set it, led by Ted Williams in the prime of his career, won the American League pennant and pushed the St. Louis Cardinals to a seventh game in the World Series before losing 4-3. The full story of that 1946 run is part of baseball history that shaped the modern game.
The 2026 Red Sox were not supposed to be in this conversation when June ended. Boston had a losing record and the playoffs felt out of reach. Then came the streak. Over 15 games, the team won consistently, got solid starting pitching, and demonstrated depth throughout the roster. Before the streak started, Boston’s postseason odds sat at 13.4 percent. By the time the 15th win was secured, that figure had climbed to 64.7 percent.
The Orioles’ win in the nightcap prevented a three-game sweep in the series and marked their 11th win in their last 16 games. For MLB standings, both teams are now fighting for position in a competitive American League.
Baseball has seen longer single-team winning streaks in recent years — the St. Louis Cardinals put together 17 consecutive wins in September 2021 to clinch a playoff berth. But Boston’s run carries its own weight: 15 straight wins, matching a record that predates anyone currently on the active roster by eight decades.
The streak is over, but Boston’s position in the playoff picture is far stronger than it was three weeks ago. The Red Sox are no longer a team people write off. They’re a team people watch.