This Underrated Group Has Been Red Sox's Secret Weapon In 2026

This Underrated Group Has Been Red Sox's Secret Weapon In 2026 originally appeared on NESN . Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here . In baseball, bullpens are kind of like defenses.

They don't get a ton of credit when they do a good job, but they definitely get noticed and criticized when they mess up. That's been true for the Boston Red Sox this year, who happen to have both a great bullpen and defense as part of Craig Breslow's bold run prevention strategy . The Red Sox rotation has gotten much of the credit for the team's success on that front, and rightfully so.

Ranger Suarez, Sonny Gray, Payton Tolle and Connelly Early have all been phenomenal, forming one of the best rotations in baseball. However, Boston's bullpen deserves its flowers, too. It was one of the best units in baseball last year, and that's remained true this season .

The Red Sox bullpen currently has the 2nd-best ERA of any unit in baseball. They are also 19-0 when leading after 7 innings. 184.