The Boston Red Sox 2011 season was the 111th in the team's history. The Red Sox opened their 2011 season in Arlington, Texas, playing the Rangers. Breaking from the traditional opening day of Sunday or Monday, Major League Baseball's 2011 season began on a Thursday, March 31, with the Red Sox playing the next day. The Red Sox were favored to win the AL East and reach the World Series in the offseason, with some comparing the team to the 1927 New York Yankees. After leading the Tampa Bay Rays by nine games in the AL wild card race on September 3—when their odds of reaching the playoffs peaked at 99.6%—the Red Sox lost 18 of their final 24 games. On the last day of the season, September 28, 2011, a Boston bottom of the 9th blown save loss against the Baltimore Orioles coupled (mere minutes l