With 108 victories, the Boston Red Sox achieved the best record in Major League Baseball and have secured home field advantage for their entire playoff run as long as it lasts.

Baseball is so random, but as it stands now, the team’s pitching is a question mark, particularly the bullpen outside of typically lights-out closer Craig Kimbrel. The effectiveness of ace Chris Sale coming of the disabled list has also raised doubts. And David Price’s post-season record is far from reassuring. In general, starters have been on and off.

Pitching is obviously the key element in playoff success, and there seems to little if any precedent for offense alone to prevail against the best teams in October, even one as potent as the 2018 Red Sox. Because of issues with relievers, the Red Sox already started using former starters such as Steven Wright in a relief role. You’ll also likely to see starters brought into the game on their otherwise off days to pitch an inning or two of relief depending, of course, on the score.

Comparisons are already being made to the 2007 NFL New England Patriots who went undefeated in the regular season but lost the Super Bowl to the New York Giants.

Baseball is so random that the pitching could come through in the clutch. Led by presumed AL MVP and AL batting champ Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez, the offense should be fine, but again, the randomness of MLB is what makes its simultaneously exciting, unpredictable, annoying, and frustrating, and really fun to follow on a day-to-day basis.

Parenthetically, in addition to the above-mentioned attributes, baseball is obviously way too slow. It’s virtually impossible to sit at home and watch an entire game on TV (in person is entirely another matter) unless you engaged in extensive multi-tasking. The solution is relatively simple: The pitcher needs to throw the ball and the batter must stay at his work station to receive the ball.

Also why in the world would a player need to step out of the batter’s box to adjust his batting gloves when he hasn’t swung at a pitch yet?

MLB must not cave to the players union and finally go forward with a pitch clock in 2019. The commissioner’s office should also end the saber-rattling about outlawing the shift. Managers need to be able to set the defense any way they want.

And since chewing tobacco has mostly gone out of style, what’s with all the spitting?

The Red Sox won the American East last year too, but unlike this season, it was obvious they lacked the firepower to advance in the playoffs. Winning the division was a significant accomplishment, however, and the 2017 campaign must be viewed as a success. This year, however, it’s World Series or bust.

Another crazy, cool thing about baseball: After 162 games, there will be two tiebreakers today in the National League.