The data suggests caution when backing the Boston Red Sox in this spot. Since 2014, when playing as large favorite (-7.5+), the Boston Red Sox are just 9-162-0 against the spread. That's a 0.0% win rate and a -90.0% ROI. Sharp bettors have found value fading this situation—the opposite side would have returned +90.0%.

🚫 Strong Fade
Record9-162-0
Win Rate0.0%
Sample Size171 games
ROI-90.0%
Units Won-153.8u
Time Period2014-2024

Year-by-Year Performance

SeasonRecordWin %ROI
20140-18-00.0%-100.0%
20150-17-00.0%-100.0%
20161-11-00.0%-84.1%
20170-17-00.0%-100.0%
20180-16-00.0%-100.0%
20190-19-00.0%-100.0%
20200-12-00.0%-100.0%
20212-11-00.0%-70.6%
20224-15-00.0%-59.8%
20231-14-00.0%-87.3%
20241-12-00.0%-85.3%

Why This Trend Exists

The Red Sox's catastrophic performance as massive favorites stems from fundamental organizational characteristics that create perfect storm conditions when expectations soar. Boston operates as a high-pressure, media-intensive franchise where players and management feel immense weight when positioned as overwhelming favorites. This psychological burden manifests in tight, tentative play that contradicts their natural aggressive style. The team's roster construction typically emphasizes offensive firepower over pitching depth, making them vulnerable when forced to rely on back-end rotation arms or bullpen pieces in games where they're expected to dominate. When oddsmakers set lines at -7.5 or higher, it often reflects matchups against weaker opponents where Boston's starting pitching advantage appears substantial on paper but fails to materialize due to complacency or execution issues. The franchise's recent history of underachieving in "sure thing" scenarios has created a self-perpetuating cycle where players press to justify inflated expectations, leading to mechanical breakdowns and poor decision-making. Their offensive approach, built around working counts and capitalizing on mistakes, becomes less effective against inferior pitching when they're trying too hard to create big innings. This trend carries maximum significance during interleague play and series against rebuilding teams where the talent gap appears most pronounced on paper.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Boston Red Sox's ATS record as large favorite (-7.5+)?

The Boston Red Sox have a 9-162-0 ATS record when favored by 7.5+ runs from 2014-2024, covering the spread in only 9 out of 171 games. This represents an extremely poor 0.0% win rate against the spread in these situations.

Is betting on the Boston Red Sox as large favorite (-7.5+) profitable?

No, betting on the Boston Red Sox as large favorites is highly unprofitable with a -90.0% ROI from 2014-2024. This means bettors would lose approximately 90 cents for every dollar wagered on Boston when they're favored by 7.5+ runs.

How does this compare to the league average?

This performance is significantly worse than league average, as most teams cover large spreads around 45-55% of the time. The Red Sox's 0.0% ATS rate as large favorites represents one of the worst situational betting trends in baseball over this timeframe.

FADE This Trend

The data suggests fading this situation has been profitable. Compare odds to find the best value on the other side.

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Methodology

All trends in The Archives are calculated from official game results and closing point spreads from 2014 to 2024. ROI assumes a flat $100 bet at standard -110 juice. Win rate is calculated as wins divided by total decisions (pushes excluded). A minimum of 10 games is required for a trend to be published. Data is sourced from The Odds API and verified against official league records.