As Major League Baseball approaches the All-Star break, the Boston Red Sox sit just three games out of a postseason spot despite enduring one of their most dismal campaigns in recent memory. The piece argues this is remarkable not because the Red Sox have played well, but because a strikingly weak American League has left the door open for a struggling team to remain in contention at the halfway point.

Boston's season has been chaotic: manager Alex Cora was sacked less than a month in after a poor start, outfielder Roman Anthony has missed most of the year with a finger injury, and ace Garrett Crochet has been shifted to the 60-day injured list. Fans chanted "Sell the team" at Fenway and the roster was reportedly set to be broken up at the trade deadline. Yet a well-timed winning streak, combined with a feeble league, has revived their playoff hopes. The article notes that only five of the AL's 15 teams are above .500 (versus nine in the NL), just six have a positive run differential, the Yankees have gone 2-11 in their last 13 games, and the Mariners lead the AL West at a barely-above-.500 47-46.