SerpApi.Org
The Boston Red Sox's 15-game win streak has felt like nothing short of a miracle. The Red Sox in the first two months of the season had one of the worst offenses in franchise history, which constantly let its excellent pitching and defense down.
But since July 4, the Red Sox have been truly unbeatable. They've taken walks, capitalized on pitching and fielding mistakes and clawed back from multiple deficits. The offense showed none of the gutsiness and grit its played with since the calendar flipped to July.
Fenway Park has been rocking since Boston went off on its tear and NESN's broadcast booth has been on a similar role. We're taking a moment to give a shoutout and some well-deserved credit to Red Sox play-by-play announcer, Dave O'Brien.
O'Brien has crushed many of his calls throughout the Sox's breakout. From game-changing home runs to gutsy baserunning to stellar defensive plays, O'Brien has been on the ball as the Red Sox hunted for franchise history. His calls have been so good that NESN has taken to posting booth camera shots of massive moments to get a look at O'Brien and his color guys (either Lou Merloni and Will Middlebrooks) in action.
NESN broadcaster Dave O'Brien has delivered some of his best calls during Red Sox's historic winning run
The difference in O'Brien's energy since the hot streak began with the late-June sweep of the New York Yankees has been staggering. Early in the season, when the Sox were losing most of their games by a run or two, playing some truly ugly baseball, fans could hear the exasperation and the sense of monotony in O'Brien's calls.
But since the streak, he's gotten excited, screaming at times, and never failing to meet the gravity of the action he describes. He's mixed the perfect amount of commentary with letting the big moments speak for themselves.
Red Sox fans have been critical of O'Brien since he took over in the TV booth full time. Fans enjoyed the banter and energy of the previous two broadcast hosts, Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy, so much that O'Brien has taken some unfair heat because of it. O'Brien's experience as a national broadcaster with ESPN and the FIFA World Cup might mean he's less of a "homer" than Orsillo and Remy were, but he's been giving Sox fans everything they could ask for when Wilyer Abreu, Willson Contreras or Caleb Durbin smacks a winning homer.
Given the amount of criticism O'Brien has taken since he became the play-by-play voice of the Red Sox, now is the time to give credit where credit is due. Much like Sox fans, O'Brien has gone from utterly irritated with Boston's poor showings to a state of shock at their turnaround, and he's done a top-tier job of conveying the drastic change on the broadcasts.
Today's best reads
- Willson Contreras' All-Star Game comments just sent loud message to Red Sox front office
- Red Sox could have perfect trade deadline target after Athletics' failed contract extension attempt
- Red Sox avoided disaster after fans learn of offseason Corey Seager rumor
- Red Sox's late first-half surge couldn't have aligned better with promising stat on the horizon
- Red Sox fans running wild with hilarious Cam Schlittler-Jared Carrabis report
This article was originally published on bosoxinjection.com as Red Sox's pursuit of history has NESN's Dave O'Brien hitting elite stride.
