The Boston Red Sox clinched their spot in the American League Wild Card Series on Sunday. The celebration at Tropicana Field was earned. The champagne was deserved. A team that sat at 32-46 in late June had officially punched its ticket to October.
For most of the roster, the moment was about validation. For Trevor Story, it was about something else. Something unfinished.
The Red Sox are almost certainly headed back to Yankee Stadium for the Wild Card Series. Story has not forgotten how the last trip ended.
Story Remembers Last October
Trevor Story spoke after the clinch about what lies ahead, and his words carried the weight of a player who has been through it before.
“We know how it felt when we left New York last year,” Story told Lou Merloni. “We’re excited to get in and see what we can do.”
The Red Sox lost the 2025 Wild Card Series to the Yankees in three games. New York took Games 2 and 3 to end Boston’s season. The memory of walking out of Yankee Stadium on the wrong end of a series is the kind of experience that sticks with a team.
Story is not hiding from it. He is using it. The message was clear. The Red Sox want another shot, and they believe they are better equipped to take it this time around.
Trevor Story talks clinching, potential Yankees rematch with @LouMerloni 🍾
The Hottest Bat on the Roster
Story’s words carry more weight because of what he has done since returning to the lineup. The shortstop was out for months after undergoing surgery for a sports hernia. He came back and immediately started hitting.
Over 19 games since his return, Story is carrying a .338 average and .869 OPS with 10 RBIs to his name. He has recorded at least one hit in 18 of those 19 contests. His current 11-game hitting streak is tied for the longest by any active hitter in the AL.
The power has been there too. Story has homered in key spots twice over his last four games. The biggest was an eighth-inning three-run blast in Texas on Thursday that turned a deficit into a win. His ninth-inning homer on Sunday against the Rays was the only run the Red Sox managed in the clinching loss.
Final Word for the Red Sox
Trevor Story knows what it feels like to lose in New York. He carried that with him through the surgery, through the rehab, and through every game since his return.
Now he is hitting .338 with the postseason a week away. The swing is right. The body is right. The memory of last October is fuel.
The Red Sox are heading back. Story is ready for what comes next.
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