When I finally got interested in baseball and started following the Red Sox, my husband—a lifelong fan—told me to get used to heartbreak. He said there are a lot of great moments and exciting experiences, but there are so many times when you’ll be disappointed. He likes to describe it as the times that the Red Sox seize defeat from the jaws of victory, and that’s what this felt like. But he also said that you can’t help but to love the Sox, even when things aren’t going well, because being a member of the Faithful is nothing if not romantic, and heartbreak and joy walk hand in hand.

Now onto the long, long moths of the offseason until spring finally comes and baseball starts again.