record, winning the American League East division title for the third consecutive season, and finished eight games ahead of the second-place New York Yankees. The Red Sox were the first MLB team to post 100 wins during the season, reaching that milestone for the first time since 1946; they were also the first team to clinch a berth in the 2018 postseason. The team set a new franchise record for wins in a season by surpassing the prior mark of 105 that had been set in 1912; they also won the most games by any MLB team since the 2001 Seattle Mariners won 116. The Red Sox entered the postseason as the top seed in the American League, and defeated the Yankees in four games in the Division Series. They then defeated the defending champion Houston Astros in five games in the Championship Series, advancing to the World Series where they defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games. Bob Melvin of the Oakland Athletics was named the AL Manager of the Year, while Cora was listed as runner-up. Mookie Betts was named the American League Most Valuable Player for 2018 as well as winning the batting title with a .346 average while adding 42 doubles, five triples, 32 homers, 129 runs, 80 RBIs and 30 stolen bases. Betts received 28 of a possible 30 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers' Association of America. 2019–present: The Chaim Bloom Era and the Years of Mediocrity After their World Series victory, the Red Sox went 84–78 in 2019 and missed the playoffs. Chaim Bloom was hired on October 2, 2019 to be the new president of baseball operations after the firing of Dave Dombrowski. On February 10, 2020, the Red Sox traded Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers, who subsequently signed him to a 12-year extension. In the 2020 season, which was shortened to 60 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Red Sox finished last in the AL East with a 24–36 record. In 2021, the Red Sox clinched an AL wild card spot in a tight race with the New York Yankees, the Toronto Blue Jays and the Seattle Mariners. They defeated the Yankees in the AL Wild Card Game and faced the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS. The Red Sox won three games to one, walking off in the final two games. In the ALCS, the Red