Winning the World Series: Do the Last 10 Games Even Matter?

A lot was made of the recent losing woes of the Red Sox and how going into the playoffs amidst a losing streak spelled doom for the Boston Local 9.

If you look at the last 10 World Series champions, it could. Then again, it might be just a meaningless side note.

From 1999-2008, six of the eventual champs went into the playoffs on a winning record, including the last two. Only three had losing records: the 2000 Yankees (2-8 and lost their last seven games), the 2002 Anaheim Angels (4-6) and the 2006 St. Louis Cardinals (3-7).

One team (the '99 Yankees) went in at .500 in their last 10 games.

• 1999:  NYY 5-5
• 2000:  NYY 2-8
• 2001:  Arizona 7-3
• 2002:  Anaheim 4-6
• 2003:  Florida 7-3
• 2004:  Boston 7-3
• 2005:  Chicago White Sox 8-2
  
• 2006:  St. Louis 3-7 (only played 161 games)
  
• 2007:  Boston 6-4
  
• 2008:  Philadelphia 7-3

With two games left, the Sox are 4-6 in their last 10 and no matter what they do, they will go in on a losing record. Does it mean anything? Probably not as there are a ton of other factors that affect playoff performance like playoff opponents, setting up your pitching and injuries.

It's an interesting stat, but not really that meaningful. Cementing your playoff status earlier than later and putting yourself in a prime position to win is what's important.

But hearing all of the chatter this week, you'd think the Red Sox have no chance at winning a title because of their recent play.

Last I checked, Jon Lester and Josh Beckett are your Game 1 and 2 starters and the rest of the team is healthy and ready to roll. That's really what matters, isn't it?

Josh Nason is the main writer for Small White Ball, a New England-based sports and media blog that contributes to Bleacher Report. Reach him via Twitter or josh [at] smallwhiteball [dot-com].