Red Sox OF Jarren Duran
If there is a stat that sums up the frustration that has lingered for this Red Sox team throughout this 2025 season, it’s this: .273. That’s Boston’s winning percentage in one-run games.
That number is not only awful, but it’s prevalent. No team in the American League has played more one-run games than the Red Sox, at 22. And the Red Sox not only have the most losses in one-run games, at 16, they have the second-fewest wins, at six.
There’s a view of baseball that says wins and losses in one-run games are, basically, a factor of luck. When games are that close, a bad hop, a lucky call or a bloop single can decide your fate. Every team, if they play enough games, should wind up around .500 in one-run games.
But the Red Sox have been horrendous.
For star outfielder Jarren Duran, though, it’s only a matter of time before those numbers turn around. If the Red Sox, who lost to the Angels, 7-6, on Monday are right in all of these games, it can only mean they’re close to a breakthrough.
“Personally, I think it says that we’re a really, really good team. And we’ve been in a lot of games, but we’ve just got to get over that hump, you know?” Duran told reporters on Monday night.
Red Sox Young Players Learning on the Fly
At plus-12, the Red Sox have the fifth-best run differential in the AL, but yet, they have the fifth-worst record in the league, at 29-33.
Duran, for one, bounced back on Monday after three brutal games in Atlanta in which he went 0-for-14. He went 3-for-5 against the Angels, with two doubles.
“I’m OK, it’s baseball,” Duran said. “I kinda got it handed to me in Atlanta, they pitched me really good. I didn’t really feel comfortable out there. I had a good night tonight, but it doesn’t really matter because at the end of the day, it’s a loss. I am just trying to take steps in the right direction.”
He has faith that the team will do the same. One issue with the close games, he said, has been the number of young players the Red Sox are putting on the field, who are still figuring out how to make the plays to win close games—and how to avoid playing scared.
“We’ve got a lot of young guys that are just learning to compete at this level,” Duran said. “I know when I first came up at this level, I was scared to death to make a mistake and play, so I’m just trying to pass that on to the younger guys and be like, ‘Hey, bro, you’re going to be a big part of this, and just keep going. And if you ever need to talk, I got your back. I will be there for you. But I want you to play fearless.’”
