BOSTON — Whatever happens the rest of the way, it’s not the worst idea to let it all play out before making final judgements. A playoff run would change the story. An abrupt end to the season would, too.

Not that this is easy ... or human.

Which is why it’s hard not to think about what might have been for these Detroit Tigers , about the best record in baseball they held at one point, or the best record in the American League they had at another point, or the 14-game lead in the American League Central, or, finally, the 10-game lead in the Central they held a little more than two weeks ago.

It was breezy not so long ago, like the air in Fenway Park this weekend, washing over baseball’s informal mecca. You feel the history here. The weight of MLB's century-plus run, the intensity of it

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