Have Roman Anthony and Alex Bregman already played their last game together?

Exactly two months ago, on July 11th, something wonderful happened at Fenway:

Actually, that’s not it.

The Ceddanne Rafaela walk-off is such an enamoring highlight that it’s easy to overlook everything else that happened that night. (The Hunter Dobbins injury also says hello.) But, just before Rafaela’s electrifying moonshot, something even better and more important to the big picture might have subtly occurred for the Sox.

When Rafaela stepped into the on deck circle before his heroics, Roman Anthony was stepping into the batter’s box, pinch hitting for Abraham Toro. This marked the first time Roman Anthony and Alex Bregman ever appeared in the same lineup together as Bregman was already batting second on this night in his first trip back from the IL from his right quad injury. Anthony walked to put the tying run on base, Rafaela came to the plate with Bregman lurking two spots away, and magic instantly happened.

Over the summer, Anthony and Bregman went on to appear in the same game 45 times. The Red Sox went 28-17 in those games (a 101 win pace). Before long, The Red Sox figured out that Anthony and Bregman were their two best everyday players and began batting them first and second. It was sublime!

It was lefty and a righty, a rookie and a veteran, a teacher and a student. Even their last names start with the letters “A” and “B” at the top of the order together. As a perfect pair, they represent a double dose of brutal guys to face when the opponent needs a big out, and for a while it felt like at least one of them was connected to virtually every big rally there for a few weeks. They batted first and second for 25 games, and the Red Sox went 16-9 in those contests (a 104 win pace). It was a beautiful glimpse into what the future at Fenway Park can and should look like.

This leaves just about every combination imaginable open. The Sox could go on a very deep postseason run where Anthony comes back and then all of a sudden he and Bregman and batting first and second together again in a World Series game at Fenway Park. (Yes, please!)

Bregman could also opt into his deal, or the Red Sox could sign him to a new one over the winter, leaving Anthony and Bregman together for years to come and staples of most every bottom of the first inning at Fenway for rest of the decade. (Also fantastic!)

But then there’s also this other, highly concerning scenario where we’re left with nothing and never see Anthony and Bregman appear in the same box score again: The Red Sox get bounced early before Anthony can come back, Bregman opts out, somebody offers him the bag, the Red Sox don’t match, and those 25 games with the two of them together at the top of the lineup is all we ever get. If that happens, it’s beyond shameful.

But, here we are, and these are the stakes of the next few weeks: Can the Sox play well enough to get to a point in October where Anthony comes back? Do the details of the team’s fortunes influence Bregman’s decision? Are we at the beginning of something beautiful for several Octobers to come, or are we already at the point where we’re never going to see it again?

I don’t know exactly what to feel at this point. Part of me is upset we only got that wonderful 1-2 combination for 25 games this year thanks to Anthony not getting called up until June 9th and a pair of rough injuries. Another part of me is extremely excited for the future and what this could look like starting as soon as this October and lasting for years, and yet another part of me is quivering at the idea of a quick exit and an early end to this beautiful partnership.

All I know for sure is the clash starting tomorrow night against the Yankees marks the beginning of what could easily become the most important stretch of baseball in Boston in many, many years. We have no idea where this is headed, and that’s what makes this both so fun, and so terrifying.

AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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