The Boston Red Sox have been officially eliminated from playoff contention. This marks the fifth time in the last six years that the team has missed the postseason. The last time they reached the postseason was in 2021, advancing to the American League Championship Series, where they fell to the Houston Astros, manager Alex Cora‘s former team.

This year, the Red Sox were eliminated by their AL East rivals, the Toronto Blue Jays, who defeated them 6-1 on Wednesday night. With an 80-79 record and three games remaining in the regular season, Boston is at risk of finishing its third straight losing season.

To qualify for the postseason, the Red Sox needed to win their final four games of the regular season and get help to earn the final AL wild-card spot. They also had to keep winning without third baseman Rafael Devers, who suffered a shoulder injury at the end of the season last Saturday. In the end, the Blue Jays made Boston’s elimination official, ending their hopes of postseason baseball.

After the defeat that eliminated them from the playoffs, Cora spoke with the media. “Our goal was to make it to the playoffs. It didn’t happen, but it’s a good learning experience for those kids over there. Obviously, it’s going to be a different group next year, but for them to think that they were almost there… I mean, at one point it felt like we were a playoff-caliber team, and then we missed the opportunity. Let’s put it that way. You look around, you look at the teams that are fighting, we had it right there and we blew it,” Alex Cora said of the Red Sox’s 2024 season, via MLB.com’s Ian Browne on X.

Manager Alex Cora #13 of the Boston Red Sox is held back by umpire Alan Porter #64 after he got thrown out of the game for arguing after the umpires ruled a Red Sox infielder had blocked the base trying to tag a Minnesota Twins runner out during the first inning of game one of a doubleheader at Fenway Park. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)

Red Sox 2024: A season full of highs and lows

The Red Sox certainly looked like a playoff-caliber team early in the season, but they fell apart in the second half, going 27-36 since the All-Star break—the sixth-worst record in baseball during that span.

What’s next for the Red Sox?

Despite the disappointing result, the 2024 season has had some positives for the Red Sox, who are entering an important offseason for the club’s future. Boston has some promising pieces to build on. In addition to Devers, Jarren Duran has impressed with his historic season, becoming the first player since Stan Musial in 1946 to hit 47 doubles and 14 triples in a single season.